The Economist Asks

The Broadway legend has entertained audiences for four decades. He tells Anne McElvoy why he combines acting and activism and how he became a late-life TikTok sensation. And the star of “Homeland” reveals the personal story that inspired him to highlight Europe’s refugee crisis. Also, he gives us a burst of song from his days working with the late Stephen Sondheim.

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The new year presents President Biden with a raft of foreign-policy challenges – from Russian troops on Ukraine’s border, to an aggressive China in the Taiwan Strait. Host Anne McElvoy asks a leading geopolitical thinker how the United States will face the tests to its power in 2022. Plus, the author of “The Revenge of Geography” assesses America’s willingness to go to war and the influence domestic factors will have on diplomacy.

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We look back to some of our favourite moments and guests from the past 12 months—featuring conversations about how our work lives are changing and business is transforming. From technological breakthroughs to shifting workplaces, you’ll hear from six guests we wanted to revisit—Kai-Fu Lee, Joanna Coles and Melora Hardin, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Indra Nooyi, and Ray Dalio. Also features a calming gift of meditation for all our listeners. Anne McElvoy hosts.

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The designer is rethinking sustainability and style, but can luxury fashion really be green? She talks to Anne McElvoy about making sought-after handbags out of recycled plastic bottles and biodegradable leather and assesses whether renting clothes is the solution to the environmental impact of changing trends. And which political heavyweight – known for handbagging – inspired her to go into business? 

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The sculptor is one of the most recognisable figures in contemporary art. Over his four-decade career, how have conversations about representation and appropriation changed? He talks to Anne McElvoy about cancel culture and the risks of tokenism for creative institutions. The Turner prize winner also assesses whether public art needs to be popular and the controversy around his use of the blackest black ever created.

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In a rare interview, the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service spells out his plans to modernise MI6. He tells Anne McElvoy and Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s defence editor, why China is his most pressing priority. The spymaster wants to recruit diverse talent, but how is he encouraging ethnic minorities to join the ranks? And what does “C” make of his big-screen counterpart “M” in the James Bond films?

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The former House majority leader and Virginia congressman assesses whether the Republican Party needs Donald Trump to win. The one-time rising star of the GOP talks to Anne McElvoy about the lessons learnt from losing his seat to a Tea-Party challenger. Is bipartisanship broken or can his old frenemy President Joe Biden fix it? 

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In 1956 the Suez Crisis forced the Egyptian-born cookery writer and her Jewish family to flee Cairo for London. She tells Anne McElvoy why she collected the recipes of fellow refugees to keep the flavours of home alive and what food tells us about stories of migration. The octogenarian author of “A Book of Middle Eastern Food” and “Med” spills the secrets of her kitchen – from embracing mistakes to what to cook for the festive season. 

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When covid-19 lockdowns shuttered his productions, the renowned satirist vented his frustrations in a new form – a mock-epic poem called “Pandemonium”. He talks to Anne McElvoy about seeking inspiration in the works of John Milton and how to find humour in difficult days. Is any joke out of bounds for the creator of the television shows “The Thick of It” and “Veep” and what’s on his pick-me-up reading list?

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Host Anne McElvoy asks the founder of Multiverse why he thinks apprenticeships are the best route into the workplace and whether the education policies of former British prime minister Tony Blair, his father, mean too many young people go to university. He reflects on growing up in the spotlight and what proximity to power has taught him. And is there the tech entrepreneur’s dress code?

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