What America and Iran want from negotiations | The Economist

2026-03-22

Former CIA analyst in Iraq, Elissa Slotkin, reveals what she learned from the war on terror. In an interview with The Economist, the current Democratic senator for Michigan explains how the protracted conflict more than two decades ago allowed America’s adversaries to get ahead.

#unitedstates #foreignpolicy #geopolitics #usa

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2026-03-20

Tucker Carlson is one of the most attention-grabbing figures in American politics. For years he was an ardent supporter of Donald Trump, but since the outbreak of the war in Iran he has become one of the president’s most vocal critics. In a conversation with The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Tucker Carlson discusses the fallout of the Iran war and whether Trump betrayed America First over the Iran war.

#Trump #Israel #Iran #maga

00:00 Should President Trump have pushed back against Israel over the Iran war?
02:20 How will the Iran war change the politics of Israel in America
03:50 How is the Iran war affecting support for MAGA?
04:41 Has Donald Trump betrayed America First?
06:30 Does Carlson consider himself a Zionist?

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2026-02-05

Is the internet helping cults thrive? The Economist’s News editor, Carla Subirana Artús, and co-host of The Intelligence podcast, Rosie Blau, explore how social media has helped cults gain large numbers of new followers.

00:00 – How is the internet changing how cults operate?
01:06 – How many cults actually exist today?
02:06 – What actually is a cult?
04:57 – How dangerous are online cults?
05:31 – What can be done to stop cults?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4agEboW
Social media are helping cults to recruit and control members: https://econ.st/4adXmzH
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2026-01-30

Under Donald Trump, ICE and Border Patrol are trampling constitutional freedoms and behaving like paramilitary organisations. The killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has become a test of how the federal government inflicts violence on America’s streets. Mr Trump appears to be retreating—but what does that mean for his immigration goals and the agencies that some fear could one day become the president’s personal militia? And what does it tell us about the health of America’s democracy?

00:00 – How Donald Trump wields power
00:48 – Are the events in Minneapolis a pivotal moment for America?
03:10 – Is ICE a serious threat to American democracy?
06:51 – Could this mark a shift in Donald Trump’s political strategy?

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4qUCxke

2025-12-13

Could geothermal soon overtake nuclear power? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, our Global energy & climate innovation editor and winner of the Energy Writer of the Year Award 2025, speaks to Alok Jha, host of the Babbage podcast, about long-neglected geothermal energy and the new suite of technologies that could finally see it rolled out across the world.

00:00 — Why Has Geothermal Energy Been So Limited Until Now?
01:25 — What Is Geothermal Energy and Where Does the Heat Come From?
03:10 — What’s Driving the New Optimism Around Geothermal Power?
05:42 — Which New Technologies Could Make Geothermal Work Everywhere?
08:53 — How Close Are We to Commercial-Scale Geothermal Power?
10:27 — What Are the Remaining Risks and Roadblocks to Global Adoption?

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2025-12-08

Is an insurgency brewing in Syria? Gareth Browne, our Middle East correspondent, joins Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, to discuss Syria’s fraught transition one year after Assad’s fall and whether another uprising might be on the horizon.

00:00 – Could Syria face a new insurgency?
00:28 – What fault lines are emerging in Syria?
02:27 – How is the transition feeling on the ground?
03:25 – What are the economic and political challenges?
05:23 – What kind of state is being built?
06:47 – Is Syria heading toward a new authoritarian structure?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/48KC4t3
An insurgency may be brewing against Syria’s new leaders: https://econ.st/3YkID0h
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#TheEconomist #Syria #Assad

2025-12-05

The Labour party stormed to victory in last year’s UK general election, following a long period in the political wilderness, but their popularity has collapsed since they took office. Like their European counterparts, they are facing pressure from the left and right. Our editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes sat down with Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to discuss his plans to address the country’s problems and what he makes of the rise of the insurgent Reform UK party.

Watch the full interview to hear how he hopes to meet the moment.

00:00 The fate of centrist politics
00:50 Reform UK’s policies
04:40 Britain’s relationship with the European Union
07:24 How Keir Starmer would sum up his politics on a bumper sticker

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2025-10-25

Why don’t Russia and China fear the West? David Rennie, our geopolitics editor, examines how Europe and America are being confused and divided by their rivals.