Gideon talks to FT Middle East correspondent Raya Jalabi about what she found when she drove from Beirut into Damascus shortly after the toppling of President Assad. What signs are there that the rebel group HTS will be able to manage a peaceful transition of power and end the country’s civil war? Clip: AFP

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Netanyahu and Erdoğan compete to be the Middle East’s strongman

Assad dispatched $250mn of Syria’s cash to Moscow

Now Syria can dream of a future again

Justice for the victims of Assad’s atrocities in Syria

How the Assad family built an empire of fear in Syria

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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One of the most important groups of advisers around Donald Trump are the 'restrainers'. They want to radically reduce America’s commitments to global security alliances. Gideon talks to Dan Caldwell, a leading restrainer and military veteran who believes the Iraq war was a 'monstrous crime'. Clip: Face the Nation

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Foreign Affairs article: Trump Must Not Betray “America First”

The tragedy of Iraq, 20 years on

Nato chief warns Donald Trump of ‘dire threat’ to US if Ukraine pushed into bad peace deal

The west should not succumb to cynical regret over Syria

Trump swoops into Paris as Europe prepares for a more transactional relationship

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to FT contributing editor Kim Ghattas about the rebel advances in Syria that have taken place in the wake of Israel’s bombardment of President Bashar al-Assad’s Hizbollah allies in Lebanon. Will Assad’s backers in Iran and Russia hold firm and can the ceasefire agreement in neighbouring Lebanon hold? Clip: Channel 4 News

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Rebel advances in Syria spell danger for Russia’s Middle Eastern ambitions

Inside Aleppo: the Syrian city captured by rebels

Rebel offensive boosts Turkey’s influence in Syria

Assad is sitting tight as Syria burns

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to Sir Alex Younger, former head of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6, about the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. They discuss Donald Trump’s choice of Tulsi Gabbard for the role of US director of national intelligence and they also consider what Britain needs to do to secure a role for itself in the world order.

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Keir Starmer to urge G20 leaders to ‘double down’ on Ukraine support

Bill Burns and Richard Moore: Intelligence partnership helps the US and UK stay ahead in an uncertain world

Where Trump could surprise on the upside

Ask Shrimsley: how do I keep a relationship special?

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of a best-selling book on Silicon Valley called The Power Law. They discuss the reason why Elon Musk decided to back Donald Trump for president, what the entrepreneur will bring to the Trump administration, and what Musk's businesses stand to gain. Clip: WFAA TV

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Who’s who in the Musk ‘A-team’ vying to shape Trump 2.0

Elon Musk is an unguided geopolitical missile

Valuations at Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI set to soar in new deals

Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, has made a life-long study of China’s leadership. He tells Gideon how an understanding of Communist ideology helps explain Xi Jinping’s decision to roll back on the market reforms of his predecessor Deng Xiaoping. They are also a crucial guide to what could happen next. Clip: Sky News Australia

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US-China relations will depend on which Trump shows up

US Space Force warns of ‘mind-boggling’ build-up of Chinese capabilities

Why Xi Jinping changed his mind on China’s fiscal stimulus

Sinologist Li Cheng: ‘America is not in the mood to study China’

‘Too boring’: Chinese students are sleeping through propaganda

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to his colleague Ed Luce and to Susan Glasser of the New Yorker about what to expect from a second Trump presidency. Clip: Fox News

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How Trump won in maps and charts

Trump’s new world order

Elon Musk’s gamble on Donald Trump pays off

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Samantha Giovinco.

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Gideon talks to Ivo Daalder, a former American ambassador to Nato and chief executive of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, about the potential threat to US democracy if Donald Trump wins next week’s presidential election. Clip: Politico

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How Trump learnt to love big business

Trump is the man who would be king

America isn’t too worried about fascism

Kamala Harris warns of ‘more chaos’ under Donald Trump and vows ‘different path’

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, about her efforts to keep hope alive during a humanitarian catastrophe. Clip: United Nations

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Israel ‘starting to implement’ north Gaza starvation plan, say rights groups 

Hamas chief’s death opens up choice for Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza war

US warns Israel humanitarian crisis in Gaza could threaten military aid

Israel, Lebanon and the mirage of a new Middle East

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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After three years of sanctions, women's lives in Afghanistan are highly restricted and hunger is widespread. So if sanctions have failed, is it time for the outside world to change its approach and re-engage with the country's Taliban rulers? Gideon discusses this question with Saad Mohseni, chair of Afghanistan’s largest television station and co-author of a new book Radio Free Afghanistan, and Afghan women's rights activist Fatima Gailani. Clip: CBS News

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Leaving Kabul: what happened when the Taliban returned

Taliban’s closer ties with UAE signal global divide over Afghan regime

How the Taliban’s return made Afghanistan a hub for global jihadis

Singer Elaha Soroor on her anthem for Afghan women

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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