The Rachman Review

Gideon talks to the FT’s Middle East editor Andrew England about his recent visit to Iran in the aftermath of some of the worst unrest since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Iran’s reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and its growing trade with Russia may help the regime survive, but relations with the west have plummeted and hopes for a revival of the nuclear deal look bleak.Clips: Reuters; BBCRead More on this topic:Exiled son of Iran’s last shah steps up to lead galvanised diasporaSaudi rapprochement with Iran is an exercise in buying timeIran agrees to reinstall IAEA cameras at nuclear facilitiesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal tells Gideon why he believes Israel is on course for a full-blown constitutional crisis. The Netanyahu government’s plan to curtail the power of the judiciary, he says, will remove democratic checks and balances that are crucial for the survival of a liberal democracy. Opponents include business, the military and the country's intellectual elite, as well as many middle-class Israelis who will not accept the proposed changes.Clips: Anadolu Agency; NBCProtests by Israeli reservists raise stakes in battle over judicial changesIlliberal democracy comes to IsraelUS defence secretary cuts short trip to Israel ahead of mass protestsSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to academic and writer Denise Dresser about President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s autocratic tendencies and why she thinks the leader she once voted for is dismantling democracy in Mexico. Clips: France 24, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Amlo’s strongman act is weakening MexicoThousands protest in Mexico against cuts to electoral watchdogMexico’s former security chief convicted in US of helping cartel smuggle drugsSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist talks to Gideon about his efforts to keep global development goals alive amid rising geopolitical tensions. They discuss shrinking aid budgets, climate, technology, China-US tensions and whether Gates remains an optimist about the future.Bill Gates warns Ukraine war is sapping Europe’s foreign aid budgetsElon Musk’s Twitter is ‘stirring up’ digital polarisation, says Bill GatesBill Gates loves trashSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Miller moved to the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in 2010 as a volunteer for the US Peace Corps. Now an FT correspondent in Kyiv, he tells Gideon about how the eastern city came to play a central role in the war and how he sees the conflict unfolding in the coming months.Clips: CNNMore on this topic:A 12-year journey to the heart of the war in Ukraine‘Hell. Just hell’: Ukraine and Russia’s war of attrition over BakhmutBehind the Money podcast: ​​The costs of Russia’s invasion of UkraineHow Ukrainian photographers captured a year of conflictRussia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updatesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode in our special series, Gideon talks to war historian Hein Goemans about what it would take to end the fighting in Ukraine. FT podcast surveyMore on this topic:A year of war in Ukraine has left Europe’s armouries dryMilitary briefing: Russia prepares Ukraine spring offensiveThe keyboard warriors on Ukraine’s digital front lineRussia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updatesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of a three-part series, Gideon talks to Ukraine MP Lesia Vasylenko about what it was like to wake up in a country at war, how Ukrainians surprised the world with their fightback, and the need for reparations and justice for the victims of Russia’s war crimes.More on this topic:FT podcast surveyVolodymyr Zelenskyy demands ‘wings for freedom’ as UK pledges fighter pilot trainingMilitary briefing: what the west’s shifting red lines mean for UkraineRussia’s budget deficit soars as energy revenues slump by almost halfRussia’s invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updatesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Martin Wolf, the FT’s chief economics commentator, about his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism. They discuss why the post-war settlement between democratic governments and their people is no longer fit for purpose and what can be done to restore our faith in it.More on this topic:FT podcast surveyMartin Wolf: in defence of democratic capitalismThe great disruption has only just begunCEOs beware: cost-cutting isn’t the same as growthSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Filipino people are paying a heavy price for regional tensions between China and the US, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr tells Gideon. He explains how he hopes to steer clear of conflict, build up the economy and focus on mitigating the economic damage caused by climate change.Clips: Inquirer.netMore on this topic:Ferdinand Marcos Jr says Taiwan tensions ‘very, very worrisome’ for PhilippinesUS military deepens ties with Japan and Philippines to prepare for China threatChina and Philippines vow to handle maritime tensions with ‘friendly consultations’US vice-president visits Philippine island off contested South China SeaSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The war in Ukraine has had dire consequences for millions of people beyond Europe. Gideon talks to David Miliband, IRC president, about why Putin's challenge to the world order must not go unpunished.Clips: CNNMore on this topic:Geopolitics threatens to destroy the world Davos madeWar in Tigray may have killed 600,000 people, peace mediator saysHow the law finally caught up with notorious human trafficker KidaneSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.