The calculus of the cold war is back, but there are new variables in the equation—namely China’s growing arsenal. We look at how three-way deterrence could work. Two years after America’s schools reopened their doors, a terrifying proportion of students are still skipping class (10:13). And what a slew of rickshaw apps says about India’s technological backbone (15:38). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.e...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min
The absolute numbers remain troubling but a close look at statistics reveals that, across American cities, fewer people are being killed. That democracy is good for a country’s economy is taken as orthodoxy—but given the time and costs to make the transition, the reality is a bit more complicated (09:38). And why Britain’s government is in hock to the country’s hobbyists (15:38). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by goi...
Sep 04, 2023•22 min
The president is using racist hate-mongering as both a rallying tool and a distraction mechanism. It is the oldest trick in the autocrat playbook and it proving effective. Why are some Americans flocking to start new lives in Europe (10.36)? And, a tribute to a Ukrainian pilot who made the case for his country to get F-16 fighter jets (18.03). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceo...
Sep 01, 2023•26 min
Putsches in Africa are becoming more common and there appears to be a trend . Are there more to come and is there any hope of restoring democracy? Lebanon’s tourism sector is bringing foreign money back into the economy, but it’s not trickling down (10:27). And, the American right is propelling a new song to chart-topping popularity (16:44). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoff...
Aug 31, 2023•23 min
Three months into the counteroffensive, the military is reaping the fruits of several months of drone development. But as the war continues, will it be able to scale up its capacity and outpace Russia? New international laws cracking down on Caribbean tax havens seem to be working (10:03). And politicians reignite an old debate on official language use in Spain (17:21). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www....
Aug 30, 2023•25 min
Owing to a host of deep-rooted economic and political challenges, it could be the only G7 economy to contract this year. How might it turn the tide ? More people want flashy, bigger electric vehicles , but are the added environmental costs counterproductive (10:00)? And examining the decline in Mandarin learning (18:18). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. S...
Aug 29, 2023•25 min
From Japan to South Korea, from China to Taiwan, family structures are becoming less traditional. More premarital cohabitation, single parenthood and two-income households are influencing demographics—with worrying consequences. And we pay tribute to 50 years of hip-hop. The New York -born genre is taking the world by storm, and picking up new influences along the way (9:22). Additional music “ HIP-HOP ” courtesy of RayZa. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , t...
Aug 28, 2023•30 min
The alliance was always based more on common fortunes than common interests. We ask what to make of the six new members, and whether the bloc’s motley nature undermines its purpose. Regulation has struggled in an era when children can become “influencers”, but it is starting to catch up (9:36). And remembering Bindeshwar Pathak , who realised India’s future depended on toilets (16:28). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription ...
Aug 25, 2023•25 min
History would suggest that the crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane was an assassination. Our correspondent considers what the supposed death of the Wagner Group’s leader means for Ukraine—and what it says about Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Indonesia has fostered a more moderate version of Islam that it would now like to export (9:58). And meeting an indigenous pioneer of Peruvian pop (16:21). For full access to print, digital, and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscripti...
Aug 24, 2023•21 min
Arranging friendly media coverage, giving handouts to voters, stifling opposition rallies: once again the country’s ruling party has put its thumb on the scales . It has to, after decades of failed governance. Our correspondent visits fire-ravaged Lahaina in Hawaii, finding equal parts shock and anger among residents (10:32). And the curious rise of Britain’s self-pitying lawmakers (18:38). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscrip...
Aug 23, 2023•26 min
Once again, fears are ripping through the industry—this time starting from a firm once thought too big to fail. In an economy so dependent on housebuilding, that will have wide-ranging consequences . We take a ride in one of the autonomous taxis that have flooded onto San Francisco’s streets (10:22). And crunching the numbers on Antarctica’s worrisome dearth of sea ice (19:40). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going...
Aug 22, 2023•27 min
Ecuador and Guatemala faced similar preoccupations with violence and corruption —one of Ecuador’s candidates was assassinated on the campaign trail—but their electoral outcomes were very different. What does that reveal about the region? Once rare in America, leprosy is on the rise again, particularly in Florida (8:04). And how Singapore leads the charge for “alternative proteins” (14:08). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscript...
Aug 21, 2023•21 min
For weeks, the regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to undo the putsch by force. But appetite for a military response—the ultimate deterrent in a coup-prone region—seems small and waning. Russia’s rouble has become one of the world’s worst-performing currencies, and there are not many good options to rescue it (09:40). And a tribute to an American pioneer of consumer-product safety (16:22). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscript...
Aug 18, 2023•24 min
The region is home to most of the world’s known lithium. Given the mineral’s usefulness in batteries and electric vehicles, could it be on the cusp of a commodities boom ? Germany’s auto industry is at risk. Volkswagen , one of its biggest carmakers, should be worried (10:27). And, England’s World Cup successes could change the face of women’s football (18:06). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist...
Aug 17, 2023•25 min
As the death toll surpasses 100, we report from Maui where fires have ravaged the island in the deadliest American wildfire in over a century. Why was this one so catastrophic ? The plummet of coca prices in Colombia is messing with the market (09:58). And northern Europe fights to preserve its local languages in schools (17:09). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on...
Aug 16, 2023•24 min
The former president has been hit with a new set of charges, under a catch-all racketeering act that has been used to prosecute everyone from rappers to teachers. It’s Mr Trump’s fourth indictment , but perhaps the most unusual. Ukraine’s new, surprisingly effective innovation: the “ candy bomb ” (10:10). And, the most expensive American cities to live alone (17:30). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.eco...
Aug 15, 2023•23 min
Despite cosying up with Russia and accusing America of trying to topple him, the newly re-elected president now appears to be flirting with old allies. But there is reason to be sceptical. A global survey shows that liberal values may not be catching on as some expected (09:54). And, have scientists found the biggest animal that ever lived (18:36)? For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intellig...
Aug 14, 2023•24 min
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman says a presence in top-level global sport is one route to modernising; critics call the effort a distraction from the country’s appalling human-rights record. Brazil’s government is pushing reforms that are clearly calming investors , who had fretted about a return to ruinously spendthrift policies (9:20). And how speedy “first-person-view” drones are changing the fight in Ukraine (16:25). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , tr...
Aug 11, 2023•25 min
An appalling record compared with much of the rich world is not just down to drugs and guns. We ask what changes, both in policy and philosophy, might reduce the death toll. A heat-transporting ocean current in the Atlantic could soon be on the wane—or switch off altogether (10:08). That would have disastrous consequences . And musing on airborne etiquette for business travelers (18:09). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscriptio...
Aug 10, 2023•23 min
Big-money legislation to bring microprocessor manufacturing to the country is off to a reasonable start —but dominance of the industry is and will probably remain distant. Britain was once a leading light when it came to international aid; we ask why that reputation is now in tatters (tk:tk). And exploring all the funny noises coming from electric vehicles (tk:tk). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.econo...
Aug 09, 2023•22 min
The Economic Community of West African States may yet try to restore President Mohamed Bazoum militarily. Either way, Niger’s status as a bulwark against jihadism is threatened. America’s Republican hopefuls are courting Moms for Liberty, a pressure group with some outlandish ideas; we meet a few of them (10:51). And the design principles of a good flag (19:33). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economis...
Aug 08, 2023•28 min
As diplomatic efforts played out in Saudi Arabia our correspondent recounts travels along the nearly unbroken front line of the war—finding frustrated but determined soldiers and exhausted, fearful civilians. We examine the row around Japan’s plan to release wastewater from the Fukushima disaster (09:21). And how rosé wine became summertime’s go-to tipple (15:39). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.econom...
Aug 07, 2023•22 min
As the tech giant approaches its 25-year anniversary, there are questions of just how much more it can possibly grow . Investors are used to stratospheric returns. Is it time to manage expectations? Nested behind the appearance of social discontent in France is an economy that is actually thriving (10:51). And, a tribute to a true man of the woods (19:02). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/...
Aug 04, 2023•27 min
The industrial arms race is on. For many political reasons, countries with the means are throwing billions of dollars into local industries. But when will leaders realise that it might harm their economies? Japan’s refugee policy was already stringent, but now the country is cracking down on asylum seekers even more (10:26). And, how Oppenheimer has reignited Los Alamos's tourist appeal (18:22). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital sub...
Aug 03, 2023•26 min
The former American president is facing a new set of unprecedented legal challenges linked to his claims that he won the 2020 election. These charges are perhaps the most serious ones yet, but how will they affect his campaign? A closer look at China’s economic figures suggest that their post-pandemic recovery has been more modest than expected (09:49). And, sneaking pianos into Iran (17:59). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscr...
Aug 02, 2023•25 min
The country is not new to seclusion, but under the aegis of the pandemic, Kim Jong Un tightened borders even more. His regime has enjoyed the extra control, but are things finally opening up? The world’s biggest rice exporter is banning rice exports and the developing world is going to feel the heat (10:13). And, a new approach to dairy – without cows (14:39). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist....
Aug 01, 2023•22 min
Following years of military takeovers in the region, Niger is the West’s last solid ally in the Sahel. But with this coup, and growing alignment with Russia, these relations are in jeopardy. Why is a policy to decongest London proving such a politically divisive issue (10:49)? And, a deep dive into a Canadian lake shows that humanity may be entering a new epoch (17:01). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www....
Jul 31, 2023•24 min
A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a brutal roundup of young men by a wildly popular, social-media-savvy president . The streets may be safer, but now it is El Salvador’s democracy that is in danger—and neighbouring countries’ leaders may take lessons from its budding autocrat . For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelli...
Jul 28, 2023•26 min
Russia’s axeing of the Black Sea grain deal reveals a war machine running out of options. We explore how to get the deal back on track . A month-long mystery surrounding China’s absent foreign minister has grown deeper : now his memory is being scrubbed from official websites (10:15). And literary criticism has lost its claws —gaining a newfound civility that is bad for readers (16:37). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription...
Jul 27, 2023•24 min
Military types need not wait until mass movements of troops to know a conflict is coming. We examine a raft of subtle and not-so-subtle market moves that would precede a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. France’s quiet volte face on the extent of NATO and the European Union will reshape European security (12:04). And how scrapyards are becoming efficient, lucrative disassembly lines (19:41). For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist , try a free 30-day digital subscription ...
Jul 26, 2023•27 min
