The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
Get a daily burst of illumination from The Economist’s worldwide network of correspondents. Our reporters dig past the headlines to get to the stories beneath—and to stories that aren’t making headlines, but should be. A unique perspective on the issues and events shaping your world.
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Location:
United Kingdom
Genres:
News & Politics Podcasts
Networks:
The Economist
Description:
Get a daily burst of illumination from The Economist’s worldwide network of correspondents. Our reporters dig past the headlines to get to the stories beneath—and to stories that aren’t making headlines, but should be. A unique perspective on the issues and events shaping your world. Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ at http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-intelligence. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page at https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts
Language:
English
Episodes
Friends (the one with estrangement): Europe without the US
2/21/2025
Europe must move boldly as the American-led world order shatters beneath it; we explain how. Many people view the freedom to work from home as a perk. Some academics reckon there should be, in effect, a tax on it (10:41). And we pay tribute to Pableaux Johnson, a New Orleans fixture who understood that supper was more about company than food (18:02).
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Duration:00:24:51
Young, gifted and black: Africa’s next generation
2/20/2025
Africa’s young are educated, ambitious side-hustlers. But they are hampered by their economies and dispirited by their politicians. How to harness their vast potential? America’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is, in a real-world accounting, not actually budging the budget much (8:25). And why Germans take more days off sick than other Europeans do (15:48).
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Duration:00:21:11
Colour visions: a German-election lookahead
2/19/2025
The possibilities for an inevitable coalition government are a head-spinning colour wheel of party logos. We look at the most likely outcomes, and the smaller parties that may well play kingmakers. A series of scandals in Japan has propelled the country to a belated #MeToo crisis (10:35). And London’s once-abundant pie shops struggle with changing tastes and relocating clientele (16:53).
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Duration:00:23:03
Get your Strait facts: China’s quiet Taiwan push
2/18/2025
We investigate China’s under-the-radar push to get other countries to change their official language on Taiwan’s independence. Would it make a difference in a bid to reunify by force? The case of a nurse jailed for killing babies exposes deep problems with British justice (10:10). And how top footballers get a smaller slice of their clubs’ take than they once did (17:35).
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Duration:00:22:41
Munich insecurity conference: a re-ordering begins
2/17/2025
Backing away from European security guarantees and seeking mineral rights in Ukraine as recompense for military aid: at the Munich Security Conference the Trump administration made its convention-trashing, transactional nature clear. What Europe will or even can do is not so obvious. And a tribute to Donald Shoup, whose studies on keeping cars moving focused on where they parked (17:45).
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Duration:00:24:38
Love match: Modi-Trump’s tariffs tussle
2/14/2025
The American president and Indian prime minister have long been friends. But when the two met at the White House yesterday, they had many thorny issues to discuss, including trade and immigration. Why the skies are getting smaller–and more crowded (10:40). And “Saturday Night Live” at 50 (17:57).
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Duration:00:24:30
With this ring: Trump and Putin omit Ukraine
2/13/2025
During a 90-minute telephone conversation, the American and Russian presidents started negotiating a future for Ukraine. What will this mean for Europe? Our correspondent interviews a leader of the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 in Goma, Congo (9:44). And how Bridget Jones changed cinema (and Chardonnay) (18:08).
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Duration:00:22:53
War hoarse: is Zelensky being heard?
2/12/2025
In an interview with The Economist ahead of the Munich Security Conference, Ukraine’s president is pessimistic that Trump can end the conflict. How fish farming in West Africa could improve food security (11.57). And contemplating the holy hashtags of FaithTok (17:10).
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Duration:00:23:21
Eye to the chancellor: interviewing Friedrich Merz
2/11/2025
The winner of Germany’s upcoming election will also play a crucial role in Europe. The Economist’s editor-in-chief speaks to Friedrich Merz, the front-runner for chancellor, on the scale of the problems–and his rather cautious solutions. Taiwan faces Chinese infiltration of its armed forces (14:00). And are backpacks really becoming cool (23:10)?
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Duration:00:29:32
I’ll be jammed: electronic warfare in Ukraine
2/10/2025
Some of the most frenetic innovation of Ukraine’s war happens in the electromagnetic spectrum: detecting and denying signals to and from materiel. This invisible battle will play out elsewhere. Cycling is notorious for doping scandals, but the latest way to gain an edge will be hard to spot (7:40). And why speeches in Britain’s Parliament are getting shorter and less important (15:00).
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Duration:00:21:46
Scam Inc 3: The bottom line
2/8/2025
How do you run a scam operation?
Perks, recruitment, outsourcing and a monthly landscaping budget—this is Scam Inc.
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Duration:00:38:05
Scam Inc 2: Opportunity of a lifetime
2/8/2025
Who are the scammers?
They aren't who you think.
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Duration:00:36:00
Scam Inc 1: Pigs in a barrel
2/8/2025
You wouldn’t fall for a scam—would you?
A small town in Kansas is left reeling after one of its best and brightest gets sucked in.
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Duration:00:41:31
It could happen to you: introducing “Scam Inc”
2/7/2025
Our new podcast series is a shocking look at transnational organised crime: nearly as big as the illegal-drug trade and far more sophisticated than you might think. Beware. After a week that started with bold tariff moves by the Trump administration, what can be gleaned from how things progressed (09:20)? And a staid, ancient game gets a glitzy modern makeover (16:20).
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Duration:00:24:25
Leeward: we meet South Korea’s probable president
2/6/2025
We meet the opposition leader who is likely to be the next president. Cleaning up the domestic mess after an alleged coup would seem easy compared with his tasks on the international stage. Our correspondent reports on renewed violence in Colombia; again, or still, it is about cocaine (10:10). And remembering the ups and downs of Marianne Faithfull, a beloved British singer (17:40).
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Duration:00:25:04
As a next resort: Trump’s vision for Gaza
2/5/2025
The details President Donald Trump laid out for American ownership and redevelopment of the Gaza Strip took everyone by surprise—not least Israel’s prime minister. As improbable as it all is, though, it may play into Binyamin Netanyahu’s hands. As a second-world-war-era dispute reignites between Ukraine and Poland, Russia is the beneficiary (10.00). And the growing appetite for eye-wateringly pricey baby products (19.10).
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Duration:00:25:29
Rebel with a new cause: meeting Syria’s president
2/4/2025
From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief, sharing hopeful-sounding hints of his vision—but precious little detail. Japan’s economy has been hobbled by low inflation for years; is that now in the past (14.05)? And the lucrative media gigs of Britain’s lawmakers (21.30).
Special thanks to Mamoon Alhidayat, our interpreter in Syria.
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Duration:00:28:44
Thy neighbours, beggared: Trump’s opening tariffs
2/3/2025
President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threats, starting with Canada, Mexico and China. We look at the first skirmishes in what promises to be a painful trade war (10:30). A Concorde-style supersonic passenger jet could soon be flying again, if one company gets its way. And why standing ovations are no longer a rare sight (16:40).
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Duration:00:21:55
Below Delhi, the search for India's mythical past
2/1/2025
The Mahabharata is one of India’s two great Hindu epics. It is thousands of years old and thousands of pages long. Over the past 75 years archaeologists in India have been searching for evidence that this mythological story might be based on true events. The Economist’s Leo Mirani travels to Delhi to unearth the story behind the story, and asks who gets to control the past?
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Music by Blue dot Sessions and Epidemic.
Duration:00:42:37
Turkish delight: influencing the new Syria
1/31/2025
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria will reshape the wider region. Our correspondent says few countries have as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey. How will it use its leverage (09:25)? Donald Trump’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies will change America’s economy. And remembering Italian hermit Mauro Morandi (17:30).
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Duration:00:25:05