

Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files
Global
World-renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour and ex-husband Jamie Rubin, a former US State Department official, unpack today’s defining global crises. Drawing on decades of insider experience in global affairs, reporting from conflict zones, and grilling world leaders, they explain how we ended up where we are – and where we might be going.
Forget about a new world order – right now, there’s no world order. From Trump and Putin to the war in Ukraine, China’s global rise, and chaos in the Middle East, geopolitics has never been more dangerous or unpredictable. The Ex Files provides unparalleled insight into the issues keeping world leaders, and the rest of us, awake at night.
With searing honesty, jaw-dropping stories, and candid humour, this is the foreign policy podcast for our fractured age. They’re no longer married, but when it comes to current affairs, Christiane and Jamie still finish each other’s sentences.
For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com
Forget about a new world order – right now, there’s no world order. From Trump and Putin to the war in Ukraine, China’s global rise, and chaos in the Middle East, geopolitics has never been more dangerous or unpredictable. The Ex Files provides unparalleled insight into the issues keeping world leaders, and the rest of us, awake at night.
With searing honesty, jaw-dropping stories, and candid humour, this is the foreign policy podcast for our fractured age. They’re no longer married, but when it comes to current affairs, Christiane and Jamie still finish each other’s sentences.
For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 18, 2025 • 23min
Q&A: The future of MAGA, life after Trump, and the FIFA Peace Prize
With the first cracks in MAGA’s unity beginning to show, Christiane and Jamie are asked what the future of the movement looks like and whether the Democratic Party will be strong enough to take advantage of those cracks and build a lasting majority.Also on the agenda - the president has threatened to ban several nations from competing in the forthcoming US-hosted FIFA World Cup, as well as claiming he’ll move fixtures away from Democratic states to Republican ones. Is the FIFA Peace Prize that's been awarded to the President an attempt at appeasement?For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Dec 16, 2025 • 31min
2025: The year Trump ripped up the world order?
In this special episode, Christiane and Jamie sum up the impact Trump has had on the world in 2025 - and discuss whether this was the year the rules-based world order was abandoned for good.They run the rule over a chaotic 12 months in foreign policy, examining Trump's impact on major stories from the war in Ukraine to the Middle East, and from the simmering conflict with Venezuela to how Trump managed to light a fuse under US relations with India.Christiane highlights how deal-making has influenced US policy-making like never before, and Jamie attempts to make sense of why European allies are being treated so harshly, as Trump seems determined to welcome Putin and Russia back into the fold.Later, Christiane and Jamie both have a festive recommendation!Contact us at: amanpourpod@global.com For 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

Dec 11, 2025 • 28min
Q&A: Caribbean chaos, Hegseth’s future and time to close US bases in Europe?
In this week’s Q&A, Christiane and Jamie are asked whether the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand could be disbanded over questions of the legality of Trump's bombing of alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean sea.They’re also asked, given the apparent lack of support for Europe against continued Russian aggression, whether it could be time for all US-European bases to be closed.Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it to: amanpourpod@global.com For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod= Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
Dec 9, 2025 • 38min
Does Trump's security strategy paint Europe as the enemy?
The Trump administration has finally published its National Security strategy - and it's left Christiane and Jamie baffled. This week, they discuss why, at a time of war in Ukraine, the President seems so keen to welcome Russia back into the fold, while criticising America's European allies.Plus, Christiane reflects on her recent exclusive interview with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and, one year on from the overthrow of the tyrannical Assad regime, asks how much hope Syrians can have for their future. Can the country's new leader unify a fragmented nation and rescue its dire economy? Christiane and Jamie also discuss what al-Sharaa has to say about his terrorist past, and explain why he's furious with Israel. Later, it's time for this week's Recommendations!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

Dec 4, 2025 • 20min
Q&A: Global financial crash, Trump's Mamdani meeting & pardon for Netanyahu?
In this week’s Q&A, Christiane and Jamie are asked about Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to the Israeli president for a pardon from the long-running corruption trial he faces, for which he’s pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery and fraud. Is a pardon really in the Israeli public interest, as he claims? They’re also quizzed on the increasingly discussed possibility of another global financial crash. How likely is such a crash and what would its impact on global geopolitics be? Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it to: amanpourpod@global.com For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod= Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Dec 2, 2025 • 38min
Is Pete Hegseth ordering war crimes in the Caribbean?
With Congress now formally looking into accusations that the War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has asked US forces to carry out illegal orders in the Caribbean, Christiane and Jamie explain the background to the story and examine those allegations in detail. Why does the Trump administration seem so obsessed with launching a full-blown military campaign against Venezuela? And what are the consequences if Hegseth has been ordering his troops to commit war crimes? Christiane also gives her reaction to President Macron's controversial announcement that he is reintroducing military service in France. Decades after most Western nations ended conscription and compulsory national service, she and Jamie discuss whether this is a step that other nations, such as the US and the UK, should follow, given the ongoing threat posed by Russia. Jamie also reveals what Andriy Yermak - Zelensky's recently departed Chief of Staff - was like to work with, and he and Christiane assess whether we are any closer to reaching a genuine peace deal for Ukraine. And as always, they wrap up with this week's Recommendations! 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

Nov 27, 2025 • 25min
Q&A: Trump’s “bullying” of reporters, the Saudi Crown Prince & arrests over the Epstein Files?
In this week’s Q&A, in the wake of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, Christiane and Jamie are asked how the US should best deal with regimes that, despite condemnable human rights records, remain important strategic allies.They’re also asked why President Trump gets away with his consistently rude treatment of journalists, Christiane noting a recent but already infamous incident in which the President angrily hushed a female journalist: “Quiet, piggy”.Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it to: amanpourpod@global.com For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPod=Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Aman

Nov 25, 2025 • 36min
Why is Trump trying to make Ukraine sign a "surrender document"?
Why does Trump think he can force Ukraine to accept a “peace plan” that hands Putin almost everything he wants? In this episode, Christiane explains why the latest US-backed proposals and Trump's pressure campaign are so problematic - and gives her very personal reaction to the fast-moving negotiations.And as high-stakes talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US take place in Abu Dhabi, Christiane and Jamie look at how Europe and Zelensky are fighting back against the Trump-Russia plan - and whether the US can be convinced to continue supporting Ukraine if the war drags on into next year. Later, Christiane and Jamie react to Trump and Mamdani's surprising first meeting in the Oval Office, plus they explore how tech bros have muscled their way into US politics, and they wrap up with this week's recommendations!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

Nov 20, 2025 • 23min
Q&A: Trump’s Epstein Files U-turn & the “dark money” controlling politics
In this week’s Q&A, Christiane and Jamie are asked to explain the potential rationale behind Donald Trump’s U-turn on the Epstein files. The bill ordering the release of the files has passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate, with Trump’s blessing… despite him recently labelling congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene a “traitor” for supporting the motion.They’re also asked about the “dark money” used by donors to control politicians and influence policy. What can be done to increase the transparency of policy decision-making and reduce any potential conflicts of interest?Have a question for a future Q&A episode? Send it to: amanpourpod@global.com For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPod=Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Nov 18, 2025 • 38min
Bosnia 30 Years On: How Did The Genocide End?
Christiane reflects on the 30th anniversary of the end of the Bosnian War, revealing why current world leaders could learn valuable lessons from how that conflict ended when it comes to Ukraine and the Middle East. She and Jamie also explain what made the US military intervention in Bosnia so successful, and why it didn't turn into a repeat of the Vietnam War, as some had claimed it would. Plus, as Trump continues his crackdown on immigration, has the president just run into his toughest opponent yet? With hundreds more arrests made by ICE officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend, Christiane and Jamie discuss what the impact could be of Catholic and Christian leaders across America joining the Pope in criticising Trump as he attempts to continue his mass deportations. And don't miss this week's recommendations!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


