The Lede

Historian Selena Wisnom and New Lines’ Lydia Wilson discuss how the legacy of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal, as set out in Wisnom’s book “The Library of Ancient Wisdom,” might be an integral part of the West’s cultural heritage, and consider why Mesopotamian history is almost completely overlooked in the modern world. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, economist James Shikwati and New Lines’ North Africa Editor Erin Brown consider the impact of drastic cuts to American aid in Africa with host Kwangu Liwewe, and wonder what the continent’s future might look like without such aid. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week’s episode of The Lede, the acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai for a frank, difficult and moving discussion about the personal impact and wider implications of the war in Gaza.   Produced by Finbar Anderson

Historian Alex Hobson, the Financial Times’ Laura Pitel and New Lines’ Danny Postel join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to explore the optics and impact of Donald Trump’s political showmanship. Further reading: “The Humiliation Is the Point” by Alex Hobson Produced by Finbar Anderson

One of the most pressing questions facing communities from Ukraine to Syria concerns the roles accountability and justice should play in the transition out of periods of conflict. Janine di Giovanni, executive director of The Reckoning Project, joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast after returning from a trip to Syria, as does New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, Ukrainian journalist Mykhaylo Shtekel and New Lines’ Amie Ferris-Rotman join host Kwangu Liwewe to discuss how U.S. President Donald Trump’s upending of established alliances has presented Ukraine with a dilemma that may change the course of its future. Produced by Finbar Anderson

The global geopolitical landscape is changing, but not in the way you might think. In place of traditional armies facing off on the battlefield, or nuclear-backed superpowers, there's a new force: AI. On this week’s episode of The Lede, politician and New Statesman columnist Bruno Maçães, author of “World Builders: Technology and the New Geopolitics,” tells New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai how the battle lines are being drawn in a virtual world — and how the builders of the strongest AI language models will be the true power brokers of the future. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this week’s episode, writer Raphael Cormack tells New Lines’ Finbar Anderson about the mystics who fused elements of the spiritual and the modern to build huge followings from Beirut to New York in the early 20th century, as described in his new book “Holy Men of the Electromagnetic Age: A Forgotten History of the Occult.” Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this episode, Erik Baker, author of “Make Your Own Job: How the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic Exhausted America,” tells New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai how the culture of entrepreneurialism came to dominate modern America. Produced by Finbar Anderson

On this episode of the podcast, New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe discusses the poorly understood BRICS group with Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of heavy sanctions against the group should they pursue a rumored policy of moving away from the U.S. dollar. Produced by Finbar Anderson