The Rachman Review

Donald Trump has said the US military action against Iran may be coming to an end. If so, what would it have achieved and where does this leave the key question of safe passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? Gideon discusses the consequences of the war for the US and its allies with Philip Gordon of the Brookings Institution. Clip: NBC News

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Trump threatened to stop weapons for Ukraine unless Europe joined Hormuz coalition

Shutting Hormuz is a template for China in Taiwan

Iran could emerge from the war stronger and more dangerous

UK to host coalition talks on securing Strait of Hormuz

One battle after another: Netanyahu’s new security doctrine

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Viktor Orbán has been a thorn in the side of the EU and a favourite of Donald Trump. But his party is now behind in the polls ahead of next month’s Hungarian elections. So could this mark the end of the Orbán era? Gideon discusses this with Zsuzsanna Végh, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund. They also discuss Orbán's close relationship with Russia and hostility to Ukraine. Clip: APT

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ECB warns Hungary’s seizure of Ukraine cash risks euro credibility

Hungarian opposition groups quit to make way for Orbán challenger

Kremlin backs covert campaign to keep Viktor Orbán in power

The riches of Viktor Orbán’s home village

How Viktor Orbán’s oligarchs reaped billions in public contracts

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon discusses the Iran war with defence analyst Jack Watling, author of Statecraft - The New Rules of Power in a Divided World. Why did the US fail to foresee the need to protect the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route? What options are there to bring the war to a close?

Clip: NYT

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Iran vows retaliation against energy sites across Gulf after largest gasfield hit

Trump ally warns US economy not strong enough to cope with Iran war

Iran still seen capable of escalating attacks on Gulf’s energy

Israel says it has killed Iran’s top security official 

Top US counterterrorism official resigns over war against Iran

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Opus Dei, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Antonia Cundy uncovers the cultural and political influence of a controversial Catholic organisation in America. Opus Dei exists to help people get closer to God, but some members say they found other agendas – and unexpected harm – entangled in that spiritual mission. The first episode of Untold: Opus Dei launches March 25. 

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Gideon speaks to Sir Simon Gass, a former UK ambassador to Iran, about why the formidable destructive power of the US and Israel has failed to dislodge the Islamic regime. They discuss how long the war can continue as well as likely outcomes for the US, Iran and the Gulf region. Clip: Middle East Eye

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Trump’s Venezuela strategy has failed in Iran 

Iranians rethink the price of regime change

Iran official says new supreme leader is ‘fine’ despite absence from view

Drones, lasers and radars: Middle East war spurs hunt for cheaper air defence

Taco on Iran will come too late for Trump

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon discusses the US and Israeli war against Iran with Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. What are the war aims, can they be achieved and where does this leave the future of the region and its relations with Israel? Clips: CBS; CNN

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Gulf insurance costs soar 12-fold despite Trump guarantee

Trump has no realistic plan for Iran’s future

Military briefing: how Iran could wage a new ‘tanker war’

The cynical opportunities of ‘Epic Fury’

The influencers leaping to Dubai’s defence

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon discusses the state of peace talks on Ukraine with Boris Johnson at a conference organised by the Yalta European Strategy group in Kyiv. The former UK prime minister offers his view of what needs to be done to bring an end to the conflict: put more pressure on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Otherwise, we are “setting a course for years more of conflict”. Clip: BBC

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy says war in Ukraine at ‘beginning of the end’

European leaders express solidarity with Ukraine as US hangs back

Ukraine’s economy shows grit amid lasting war damage

Europe re-arms as US slows defence spending

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon talks to Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister of Canada, about different approaches to negotiating with the Trump administration. They also discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, her new role as adviser to President Zelenskyy and how to pressure Russia into ending the conflict. Clip: US Department of State

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Why Rubio failed to repair the transatlantic rift

Carney’s new global order needs a huge shift in political will

Russia-Ukraine talks yield ‘some progress’ on ceasefire, says Zelenskyy

Europe’s path to security without the US

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Gideon talks to American political scientist Stephen Walt about the phrase ‘predatory hegemon’ that he coined to describe the US administration under Donald Trump. What are the risks and benefits of this policy for the American people, and for those who formerly considered themselves staunch allies? Clip: The White House

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A post-Trump restoration is still possible

Why Maga loathes London

Trump and the normalisation of deviance

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, speaks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, about Iran’s escalating crisis. Can diplomacy prevent a war between the Trump administration and Tehran? What are the prospects for reform of the increasingly unpopular Islamic regime in Iran? Clips: Channel 4 News; CBS

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US and Iran set to meet in Oman as Middle East tensions spiral

‘The game is over’: critics of Iranian regime seize on killings to push for change

Iran’s people stand to lose whether or not talks succeed

Arab and Muslim powers mount last-ditch effort to avert US-Iran conflict

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Presented by Andrew England. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.