The most influential books of all time

2026-01-06

President Trump wants Venezuela’s oil. But getting it out of the ground could take years and at least $100bn in investment, as The Economist’s commodities editor, Matthieu Favas, explains.

2025-11-20

Can Gaza be rebuilt? Gregg Carlstrom, our Middle East Correspondent and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss the scale of the destruction in Gaza and why every major plan to rebuild Gaza has stalled.

00:00 – What rebuilding proposals are on the table?
00:59 – How bad is the destruction in Gaza?
02:25 – Could that Egyptian plan work?
06:01 – Can the Israeli–American plan work?
08:16 – What happens in the interim?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3LHyrfA
Sign up to The Economist’s weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #Gaza #Israel

2025-11-12

On the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a British delegation warned Russian generals not to go ahead. Shashank Joshi, our defence editor, speaks to one of those who issued that warning: John Foreman, Britain’s former defence attaché in Moscow. They discuss what it was like to hear his Russian counterparts lie about their intentions in Ukraine, how Vladimir Putin miscalculated the invasion and the weaknesses of Russia’s armed forces.

00:00 – In the room with Russia on the brink of war
02:48 – Was Vladimir Putin lying to his generals?
03:49 – Russian hubris in the full-scale invasion
05:14 – The intelligence “bubble” around Putin
06:40 – The future of the Russian armed forces

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4nSU4H5

Britain’s most recent defence attaché in Moscow on the

2025-10-04

North Koreans are being executed for watching foreign television shows. The Economist interviewed escapees and analysed satellite imagery to investigate Kim Jong Un’s increasingly brutal regime.

2025-09-27

Israel is losing support in America. Polling by The Economist reveals a bipartisan shift, as both Democrats and Republicans question the relationship

2025-09-22

Donald Trump’s net approval rating is in dire straits. And yet, the Democratic Party is even less popular than the president. Robert Guest, our deputy editor, explains why #usa #democrats #politics

2025-09-16

Why can’t governments stop the rise of populist parties and satisfy the markets? Gavin Jackson, our finance writer, explains why politicians face an impossible dilemma: fixing weak economies with only deeply unpopular policies to choose from.

2025-08-01

A growing body of work is exploring the potentially detrimental effects of AI use for creativity and learning. Our AI writer explains why it’s not all doom and gloom on The Intelligence podcast.