The economics of mass deportations

2025-02-04

From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief, sharing hopeful-sounding hints (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/03/syrias-new-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-gives-his-first-interview?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of his vision—but precious little detail. Japan’s economy has been hobbled by low inflation for years; is that now in the past

2025-01-31

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria will reshape the wider region. Our correspondent says few countries have as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/01/21/how-turkey-plans-to-expand-its-influence-in-the-new-syria?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). How will it use its leverage (09:25)? Donald Trump’s enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/01/26/will-americas-crypto-frenzy-end-in-disaster?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) will

2025-01-24

Rachel Reeves has had a rocky start as chancellor of the exchequer. Our editor-in-chief meets her at Davos to dissect (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/01/23/the-rachel-reeves-theory-of-growth?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) her plans for growth. Australia Day is coming up, but do not expect universal merriment: its date has become mired in a culture war (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/01/23/an-angry-culture-war-surrounds-australia-day?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:31). And our “Archive 1945

2024-11-11

Our Russia editor, Arkady Ostrovsky, explains why Vladimir Putin will be relieved at Donald Trump’s victory—and why ordinary Russians may also see it as a lifeline.

Why Volodymyr Zelensky may welcome Donald Trump’s victory: https://econ.st/40HTwMf
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2024-11-07

The American presidential election delivered a mercifully quick and decisive outcome (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/11/06/donald-trump-wins-big-and-fast?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). Our data editor explains why such a tight-seeming race was likely to result in a clear-cut victory. As ADHD prevalence keeps climbing, the science suggests it should be treated not as a disorder but as a spectrum (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/10/30/adhd-should-not-be-treated-as-a-disorder?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)

2024-11-04

Both campaigns have racked up air miles covering the swing states that will decide America’s knife-edge (https://www.economist.com/interactive/us-2024-election/prediction-model/president?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) election. We take a measure of things one day before the vote. The Turkic states of central Asia once depended heavily on Russia; now they are banding together (https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/09/26/turkey-and-central-asia-are-riding-together-again?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to counterbalance it (10.38).

2024-09-18

The explosion of thousands of pagers (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/09/17/do-pager-bombs-presage-escalation-between-israel-and-hizbullah?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) across Lebanon and Syria was an attack on Hizbullah, a Shia militant group which had been trying to evade Israeli surveillance by using these low-tech devices. What will such an escalated attack mean for the region? Why Americans’ obsession with big cars

2024-09-03

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