The Economist Asks

The leading man who made his name playing the baddie talks to Anne McElvoy about what makes the best villains and his recent memoir “Putting the Rabbit in the Hat”. The star of HBO’s “Succession” says why the series struck a chord during the Trump presidency and what links the two powerful patriarchs Logan Roy and Shakespeare’s King Lear. Also, have young actors lost the craft of theatre?

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Is work-life balance possible at the top? Host Anne McElvoy asks the former chief executive of PepsiCo how she juggled family commitments with leading a Fortune 500 company. She shares her lessons on mixing business with politics – and how should top companies respond to criticism that they pay too little tax? And why did she plump for a corporate career when she could have been a rock star?

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This year’s award celebrates two journalists working in countries where the screws are tightening on media freedom. Host Anne McElvoy asks Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Russia’s Dmitry Muratov how they are defending the free press. The editor of Novaya Gazeta explains why he has dedicated his medal to murdered colleagues and the co-founder of Rappler shares how she fights back in the face of online trolling. 

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Fourteen years after “The Sopranos'' ended, the creator of the hit TV series explains why his show is reaching new and younger audiences. Host Anne McElvoy asks whether mobsters have a moral compass and why audiences root for the patriarch Tony Soprano? The Hollywood veteran talks about bringing the story back to life in the prequel movie “The Many Saints of Newark” and why it should be enjoyed in a cinema, not at home.

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Are Western alliances fraying? Anne McElvoy asks the retired four-star US General about the diplomatic fallout from the AUKUS deal. As Chinese jets menace Taiwan, would the US go to war to defend the island? The former commander of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan ponders whether the Taliban could become America’s counter-terrorism allies. And could you follow the General’s lead and exist on one meal a day? 

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As trade tensions flare, Anne McElvoy asks the former chief Brexit negotiator about the state of relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Can the two sides end a stand-off about the Northern Ireland protocol? The author of “My Secret Brexit Diary” reveals why he wants to be the next president of France. And, after four years of tussles with Britain, would he still call himself an Anglophile? 

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Host Anne McElvoy reviews the German Chancellor’s 16-year leadership with Wolfgang Nowak, a political veteran who advised Angela Merkel's predecessor, and asks what made her such a phenomenal politician. And as the race to replace Angela Merkel draws to a close, Anne talks to security expert Claudia Major about the domestic and foreign challenges awaiting her successor. 

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As President Biden pushes to get more Americans fully jabbed, Anne McElvoy asks the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration whether America’s vaccine mandates will work. The author of “Uncontrolled Spread” discusses the failures in handling the covid-19 pandemic and the efficacy of booster shots. And, what is the best temperature to cook a steak?

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Should the West engage with the Taliban? As Afghans and the Western alliance adjust to Afghanistan's new reality, Britain's chief of the defence staff talks to Anne McElvoy about the speed of the takeover and the future of Taliban rule. He also reflects on the mistakes of the war and assesses the terror threat as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

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Anne McElvoy asks the Japanese-American writer whether war criminals can be brought to justice. The author of “Intimacies” reveals why she drew inspiration from the international criminal courts as well as the interpreters who work in them, the power of language and the pitfalls of mistranslation. The daughter of immigrants to the US talks about where she feels most at home and the secret to marital bliss.

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