The Rachman Review

By Financial Times

Social Sciences

What's The Rachman Review about?

Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist talks to the decision-makers and thinkers who are shaping world affairs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Ukraine’s nationalists and ...

05.19.2022

The roots of Ukrainian nationalism go back to the second world war, when one prominent group sided briefly with Hitler against the Soviet Union. Gideon talks to Princeton academic Kim Lane Scheppele about the legacy of this group and whether ...

The Rachman Review episodes:

05.19.2022 Ukraine’s nationalists and the Azov battalion The roots of Ukrainian nationalism go back to the second world war, when one prominent group sided briefly with Hitler against the Soviet Union. Gideon talks to Princeton academic Kim Lane Scheppele about the legacy of this group and whether ...
05.12.2022 Why do some countries remain poor? Why do some countries stay poor while others find a rapid path towards growth and development? Economist Stefan Dercon thinks it’s all about the willingness of those in power to prioritise development over protecting their own interests. He explains how ...
05.05.2022 Why the global south won’t take sides on Ukraine When Russia invaded Ukraine, a group of countries in the global south, including India and South Africa, held back from the chorus of condemnation led by Europe and the US. Gideon discusses why they have adopted a neutral stance with ...
04.28.2022 Putin’s nuclear threat and China ‘friendship’ Russia raised the spectre of nuclear war this week as it struggles to make headway in Ukraine. How seriously should this threat be taken and can Vladimir Putin rely on his friendship with China’s Xi Jinping? Gideon discusses these questions ...
04.21.2022 Le Pen, patriots and the anti-globalist movement Gideon talks to former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy about the French election and what political trends in France tell us about nationalism and anti-globalist movements around the world. Clips: France 24 Want to read more? ‘She’s radiant’: what ...
04.14.2022 “That was frightening as hell”: Ukrainian MP on working in a warzone In a country besieged by war, Ukrainian politicians continued to meet in their parliamentary building, despite the clear threat of attack from Russian troops. Ukrainian MP Dmytro Natalukha shares his experiences of keeping parliament running while Kyiv was under siege. ...
04.07.2022 French presidential election too close to call Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has put in an unexpectedly strong showing and looks set to go head to head with Emmanuel Macron in the second round of France’s presidential election. Gideon talks to the FT’s Anne-Sylvaine Chassany and Bruno ...
03.31.2022 Putin and his entourage Gideon talks to Catherine Belton, author of the bestselling book Putin’s People, about who is likely to be influencing the Russian president as he decides whether to step back or press on with the war in Ukraine. Clips: Reuters, BBC ...
03.24.2022 How Putin’s war is reshaping Europe’s alliances Europe has been united by opposition to Putin’s war in Ukraine, but will this new found unity last and will Russia be permanently isolated? Gideon talks to Alexander Stubb, former prime minister of Finland, about how the conflict is reshaping ...
03.16.2022 What would a Ukraine peace deal look like? Ben Hall talks to Rose Gottemoeller, an American diplomat who was deputy secretary-general of Nato from 2016 to 2019, about the kind of deal Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are working towards. Will Ukraine agree to give up its ambitions for ...
03.10.2022 Where is the Ukraine conflict heading? How long can the Ukrainians hold out? Will Vladimir Putin be stuck in a never-ending war and how would Russians tolerate that? Might western powers be dragged in? Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, discusses these questions with John Paul ...
03.03.2022 Ukraine failures tarnish Putin’s aura of invincibility Putin’s war in Ukraine is not going to plan, but it’s as yet unclear how the Russian leader will react to these failures. Gideon talks to strategic expert Lawrence Freedman about what the Russian military can realistically achieve and, in ...
02.24.2022 Russia invades Ukraine Russia has confirmed what western powers had long predicted and invaded Ukraine. On the eve of war, Gideon spoke to Sabine Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Russian specialist recently back from Moscow, and to ...
02.17.2022 How Russia’s Ukraine threat galvanised western alliances After a week of frenetic diplomacy, the Ukraine crisis has yet to be resolved. But it has had a significant impact on reshaping western alliances. Gideon talks to Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank, ...
02.10.2022 Drone warfare and the battle to control the skies Governments and militias around the world, from Ukraine to Ethiopia, have a new and powerful weapon at their disposal: armed drones. Gideon talks to Ulrike Franke of the European Council on Foreign Relations about how this is changing the balance ...
02.03.2022 Is the Orban era coming to an end? Gideon talks to Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay about his chances of overcoming the powerful political machine created by Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party in April's elections. Clips: Fox News, Reuters Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com ...
01.27.2022 The Ukraine crisis: a view from Moscow Russia’s military build-up on its border with Ukraine has set off alarm bells and led to a flurry of transatlantic diplomacy. Gideon talks to Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, about what President Vladimir Putin is seeking to ...
01.20.2022 What would a Ukraine conflict look like? Diplomacy has so far failed to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and many fear that war is imminent. Gideon discusses the remaining diplomatic possibilities and, if they fail, what a war might look like, with Samuel Charap, a political scientist ...
01.13.2022 The rising toll of famine and conflict Gideon talks to David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, about the organisation’s 2022 watchlist, which reveals that people in 20 countries, representing 10 per cent of the world’s population, are at risk or in dire need of humanitarian ...
01.06.2022 Sudan’s painful struggle for democracy Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/c2a23023-df6b-49ed-af06-149bb0b35237 Three years of demonstrations have proved the Sudanese people’s strong desire for democratic change after decades of military rule. But this week the latest attempt to secure a peaceful transition foundered ...
12.23.2021 Gideon and his team review 2021 Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/03234d8d-0548-4e84-b7c9-5ed87b2b7a57 For the last podcast of 2021 and to review the year, Gideon Rachman is joined by his FT colleagues Martin Wolf and Gillian Tett. We’re coming to the end of a ...
12.16.2021 The underside of globalisation Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/ce91ffd7-0549-4187-8dda-61b20548d2c8 Gideon talks to Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the ways in which global powers try to exert influence over others in an interconnected world. Mark ...
12.11.2021 Cyber power: a moment of reckoning Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/402578f3-6ad6-45f8-8340-cb1e809fe95b In this special interview, Sir Jeremy Fleming, head of the UK signals intelligence agency GCHQ, talks to FT editor Roula Khalaf and FT correspondent Helen Warrell about cyber threats from China ...
12.02.2021 Is Russia on the brink of war with Ukraine? Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/34bb8aee-612e-4b2e-ab59-0d11518e1d82 Gideon talks to Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about Russia’s military build-up on the Ukraine border and about how policymakers in Nato and ...
11.25.2021 China and the US: competition or conflict? Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/c40abc3c-5a4b-4ebe-9f24-82241f2939f5 Gideon talks to former White House official Evan Medeiros about the recent summit between the US and Chinese presidents. Was the relative cordiality of the meeting a sign of reconciliation or ...
11.18.2021 COP26: success or failure? Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/f1dbd73c-381c-475b-8b22-fa07abd6d92f Gideon talks to Simon Mundy, author of Race For Tomorrow, about how he would assess global efforts to tackle climate change in the wake of this month’s gathering of world leaders ...
11.11.2021 Poland’s challenge to the EU Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/e66fa8b7-7b92-4497-8585-cf43e8cd41fc Poland’s judicial reforms have put it on a collision course with the EU over human rights and the rule of law. Can the bloc adapt to accommodate its more awkward members ...
11.04.2021 COP26: climate goals at stake in Glasgow Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/07579093-643e-4300-87c3-3b3e6b36526b Gideon talks to Leslie Hook, the FT’s environment correspondent, about what to expect from the UN climate change conference in Glasgow. Will determination to give teeth to the Paris accord survive ...
10.28.2021 Israel’s new political landscape Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/7dd6de54-58d0-4a5f-9c74-d599b513a668 Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, finally left office this year. He is now on trial on corruption charges and Israel is ruled by the most diverse coalition in its history. ...
10.21.2021 Great power rivals of the 21st century Gideon talks to historian Paul Kennedy about how long America’s period as the world’s most powerful nation can last in the face of a rising China. Clips: British Pathé See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
10.14.2021 American democracy under pressure Gideon discusses the strength of America’s political system with Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the foreign policy magazine The National Interest. Are fears about the Republican party’s commitment to democracy justified, and can Joe Biden win back the support of white, ...
10.07.2021 Populations on the move Gideon talks to Parag Khanna, founder and managing partner of FutureMap, a global strategic advisory firm, and author of a new book on mass migration called Move: the forces uprooting us. Clips: PBS, Channel 4 News See acast.com/privacy for privacy ...
09.30.2021 Germany’s traffic light coalition Gideon talks to Ulrike Franke of the European Council on Foreign Relations about Olaf Scholz’s election win, his Social Democratic party’s likely alliance with the Greens and Free Democrats, and whether this will lead to a change of direction for ...
09.23.2021 The Biden administration and the world Joe Biden says "relentless diplomacy" will be at the heart of American foreign policy. But the Aukus pact with Britain and Australia, reached without consulting other allies, angered European leaders, notably France’s Emmanuel Macron. Derek Chollet, counsellor at the state ...
09.16.2021 Trudeau's future on the line in Canada's election Gideon talks to Darrell Bricker, author of several books on Canadian politics and CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, about Canada’s upcoming federal election. With the vote opening on September 20th, the two discuss what led to this early election, the ...
09.09.2021 Covid and the end of the post 9/11 era Gideon talks to Thomas Wright, director of the Center on the US and Europe at the Brookings Institution, about the aftermath of a global crisis when ‘no-one was home’ on the international leadership side. Clips: Global News, NBC News and ...
09.02.2021 America’s Afghan legacy Sarah Chayes, a writer and former journalist who worked as a special adviser to the US military leadership in Afghanistan, talks to Martin Sandbu about what will be the legacy of America’s 20-year involvement. Clips: White House; ITV News; ABC ...
08.26.2021 Peru’s triple crisis Years of political instability, the world’s highest coronavirus death rate, and the recent election of leftwing President Pedro Castillo have plunged Peru into crisis. Michael Stott, FT Latin America editor, talks to Oswaldo Molina, executive director of think-tank REDES and ...
08.19.2021 Iran under Raisi How will Iran’s new president tackle growing disillusionment at home, a potentially hostile regime on its eastern border and negotiations to revive the nuclear deal? Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, discusses what we can expect from Ebrahim Raisi ...
08.12.2021 Can climate damage be repaired? Gideon Rachman talks to Professor Sir David King about the string of environmental disasters across the globe this summer. With the IPCC report this week confirming that climate change is accelerating, Sir King says that it is no longer enough ...
08.05.2021 Is Lebanon a failed state? Gideon Rachman talks to Chloe Cornish, the FT’s Middle East correspondent, on how decades of misgovernance have led to Lebanon’s current political, economic and social crisis. Chloe recounts how the year since the explosion in Beirut, the country’s capital city, ...
07.29.2021 Ecocide: a new weapon in the fight to save the planet Pilita Clark talks to Philippe Sands, human rights barrister, professor, author and an expert in international law who recently co-chaired a panel that produced a legal definition of the crime of ‘ecocide’. He says there is growing support for the ...
07.22.2021 India, China and the contested border The foreign ministers of India and China have held talks amid an enduring standoff that has opened up new fault lines over Asia’s future. Meanwhile, the US has shown a growing interest in its alliance with India, despite concerns about ...
07.15.2021 How much trouble is Bolsonaro in? Gideon talks to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas foundation in São Paulo about Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro. His government’s failure to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and recent corruption allegations have caused Bolsonaro's popularity to ...
07.08.2021 South Africa’s pivotal moment Gideon talks to Judith February, South African lawyer and journalist, about the case against former president Jacob Zuma. His refusal to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption during his nine years as president set a crucial test for the country’s ...
07.01.2021 Can Germany atone for its colonial-era genocide? Gideon speaks to Esther Muinjangue, a former chair of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation, and Franziska Boehme, a professor of political science, about the decades-long journey towards official recognition of Germany’s colonial-era atrocities in Namibia as genocide and why the apology ...
06.24.2021 Coming to terms with Putin's Russia Gideon talks to Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution about the recent US-Russia summit and what the former presidential adviser sees as the best way to deal with a state 'run by operatives' who don't play by the rules. See ...
06.17.2021 Martin Wolf on G7 opportunities missed Gideon talks to Martin Wolf, the FT’s chief economics commentator, about the pressing problems requiring international co-operation, and asks him if, in light of the G7 summit, the west is up to the task. Review clips: The Guardian, WION See ...
06.10.2021 Can Asian prosperity survive US-China rivalry? South-east Asia has enjoyed a long period of sustained economic growth. But is this endangered by rising tensions between the US and China? Gideon puts this question to James Crabtree, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in ...
06.03.2021 Belarus: more than a moral dilemma The decision by Belarus to divert a plane to Minsk to arrest a dissident journalist was intended to send a message to opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko, whose 27 years in office have seen him dubbed Europe’s last dictator. However, ...

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