Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Few challenges in international diplomacy are as fraught - or as urgent - as negotiating the freedom of hostages and political prisoners. In this episode, Christiane and Jamie take us inside two high-profile deals they were personally involved in: the release of Siamak Namazi from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, and of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from Moscow. They reveal the roles they played in bringing these men home, and the keys to negotiating with dictators and authoritarian regimes. Jamie also explains how the US came agonisingly close to securing the release of Alexei Navalny before his death in a Siberian prison camp.Plus Christiane looks back on her own harrowing experiences as a foreign correspondent - recounting the times she herself was held hostage, including by the Taliban in Afghanistan and by war criminals in the Balkans - and what those ordeals taught her about survival and resilience.Contact us at: amanpourpod@global.comFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

In this week’s Q&A bonus episode, Christiane and Jamie are asked what the elusive two-state solution could actually look like in Israel-Palestine, in terms of government, voting, policing and representation. They’re also asked what ordinary people can do to help end the war, leading Christiane to reflect on the fluctuating power of public protest in Trump's America. They’re also probed on whether they’d like to have done each other’s high profile jobs, and if so, what they’d have done better! Jamie ends up on a slightly uncomfortable trip down memory lane when he recalls his spell working as an anchor for a major broadcasting company.Have a question for a future bonus episode? Send it via email to amanpourpod@global.com or on social media @amanpourpod

As Donald Trump heads to a high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Ukraine’s future hangs in the balance. Could a deal be struck without President Zelensky in the room - and might Trump trade away Ukrainian territory to boast that he’s ended one of the world’s most dangerous conflicts? That's what Christiane and Jamie unpack this week, as they discuss whether diplomacy or capitulation will be the theme of this week's summit. The conversation also turns to Israel’s escalating plans for a full reoccupation of Gaza — and what that would mean for the region and the world. Plus, four years after the West’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Christiane and Jamie revisit why the evacuation went so disastrously wrong, and how it continues to undermine America’s credibility on the global stage.Later, Christiane reveals what it was like to report from Afghanistan before, during, and after the American invasion, how she was proven right about where Osama Bin Laden was hiding out, and whether there's hope for the women and girls who are currently suffering so badly under the Taliban regime.Contact us at: amanpourpod@global.comFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

In this week's Q&A bonus episode, Christiane and Jamie are asked whether President Donald Trump's MAGA movement and Nigel Farage's Reform UK - two populist political powerhouses - benefit from a disproportionate level of coverage in the media.They also address why more Republicans don't stand up to Trump - and Christiane explains the challenge journalists face when reporting on controversial topics in the news, from Trump, to Jeffrey Epstein, to the Middle East. Christiane and Jamie also answer questions about whether the Ukraine War, now in its 11th year, is still receiving the same level of attention it did in the past, or whether “war-fatigue” has set in.Have a question for a future bonus episode? Send it via email to amanpourpod@global.com or on social media @amanpourpod

From Northern Ireland to Bosnia, and from Camp David to Wye River, Christiane and Jamie have covered countless conflicts and helped to negotiate many peace deals. But how were these wars really ended? And what can today's world leaders learn from the successes of the past? In this episode, Christiane and Jamie look at whether Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff really understand what it takes to bring peace to the world's conflicts. After all, Trump promised he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours on his re-election campaign - and he also pledged to restore peace to the Middle East. More than six months into his second term in the Oval Office, the President has failed to deliver on those promises. Drawing on decades of diplomatic experience, Christiane and Jamie explain how seemingly small details - like face-to-face meetings, shared meals, and even the shape of a negotiating table - can make or break high-stakes talks.Christiane and Jamie also discuss tariffs: is there any economic logic to them, or does Trump simply use them to settle personal scores with world leaders he's clashed with?

In this week's Q&A bonus episode, Christiane and Jamie return to the crisis President Trump is facing over the Epstein Files. In response to your questions, they address the idea that the President might pardon Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell - something he has left the door open to in the past.They also debate how damaging this crisis could be for Trump in the long-term, while Christiane gives her thoughts on why so many modern journalists fail to subscribe to her mantra of being “truthful, not neutral”. Plus Jamie reveals why he never worked in the Obama administration, even though he worked for fellow Democratic Presidents Clinton and Biden. And the pair also take your questions on who might make for the strongest Democrat candidate at the next Presidential election, and on whether Europe should be doing more to support Ukraine. Have a question for a future bonus episode? Email it to amanpourpod@global.com or follow us on socials: @amanpourpod

What can end the famine in Gaza? Can President Trump get through to Benjamin Netanyahu? And an unprecedented Israeli report accuses Netanyahu's government of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory. They're just a few of the topics Christiane and Jamie discuss on this week's episode, as Trump's visit to the UK comes to an end and the starvation continues in Gaza.They also look at the state of the 'special relationship' between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and debate whether the UK still holds any sway over America when it comes to Middle East policy.Plus Christiane reports on the chances of a new nuclear deal with Iran after the Iranians returned to the negotiating table last week, and explains why Nato allies - including President Trump - appear to be finally running out of patience with Putin over the war in Ukraine.

In this week's Q&A bonus episode, Christiane and Jamie discuss why American voters elected Donald Trump to the White House instead of Kamala Harris - and what they’d ask if they were to interview the president themselves.They also answer your questions on why third party Middle Eastern nations seem to do so little to help resolve the war in Gaza, what those countries could do to constructively support peace, and why the Palestinian cause cannot be ignored.Have a question for a future bonus episode? Send it to amanpourpod@global.com!

The row over The Epstein Files is one that President Trump is still struggling to shake off. But just how damaging is it for his credibility, and where does his disappointed MAGA base turn next? Christiane and Jamie analyse whether Trump is going to suffer long-term damage from this scandal, and wonder whether the Files will ever be released in full.Christiane also points out the irony of Trump - one of the most prominent purveyors of conspiracy theories in the last decade - now being criticised by the same supporters who have gladly peddled his conspiracies for the last few years. Plus Christiane and Jamie trace the history of these theories in the US, right back to the 1960s and conspiracies around JFK's assassination and the CIA.They also react to Trump's recent decision to sell more US weapons to Ukraine, and Christiane issues her strongest call yet for an end to the Gaza War, and the slaughter of innocent civilians, plus the return of the hostages. Contact us at: amanpourpod@global.comFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

In this week's Q&A bonus episode, Christiane and Jamie discuss whether America is going back to the era of Senator Joe McCarthy's witch-hunts under President Trump - and whether the current President will be the author of his own downfall in the way the controversial Republican Senator was in the 1950s. They also answer your questions on the chances of a peace deal in the Middle East, whether the ICC - International Criminal Court - has any authority in 2025, and on whether Israel and America's strikes on Iran can be justified, now we have a better understanding of how much damage was done to Iran's nuclear facilities. Have a question for a future bonus episode? Send it to amanpourpod@global.com!