This week’s episode of Global Insights on The Lede looks at the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, with insight from Itamar Mann, a professor at the University of Haifa’s Faculty of Law, New Lines’ Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Global Insights host Kwangu Liwewe. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Nov 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 127
On this week’s episode of the podcast, Middle East cultural expert Diana Darke joins New Lines’ Lydia Wilson to discuss the unacknowledged influence of Islamic architecture on medieval buildings throughout Europe. Further reading | A New Theory: European Cathedrals Show Traces of Ancient Egypt Produced by Finbar Anderson
Nov 22, 2024•47 min•Ep. 126
One week after the American election, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai is joined by the novelist and commentator Hari Kunzru for a discussion on the changing currents of American society and culture, the author’s recent novels, and Kunzru’s new introduction to the Edward Said classic “Culture and Imperialism.” Produced by Finbar Anderson
Nov 15, 2024•52 min•Ep. 125
Throughout 2024, The Lede has covered a number of elections. Few of them are likely to be as consequential as the reelection of Donald Trump in the United States. A panel of New Lines editors discuss what Trump’s victory means both for America and around the world. Further reading: The Threat Trump Poses Is Real, but Democrats Must Learn Through Defeat Produced by Finbar Anderson...
Nov 08, 2024•55 min•Ep. 124
Once again, the debate over whether or not Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might be a threat to the future of America’s democracy is dominating the narrative around November’s knife-edge election. But that debate, political scientists John Sides and Sheri Berman tell New Lines’ Danny Postel, is unlikely to be where the election is actually won or lost. Produced by Finbar Anderson Additional research by Santiago Ospina Celis
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 123
In this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, Gazan journalist Abeer Ayyoub tells New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe about a recent trip to Cairo, Egypt, to which her sister has recently fled from Gaza. Ayyoub also tells Liwewe about her parents’ decision to stay in the beleaguered northern part of Gaza. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Oct 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 122
This week’s episode of The Lede welcomes back returning guest Ece Temelkuran, whose book “How To Lose a Country,” has just been republished with the subtitle, “The Seven Steps From Democracy to Fascism.” Temelkuran joins Faisal Al Yafai to test the pulse of global democracy and consider the rise of fascism since her last appearance on the podcast. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Oct 18, 2024•50 min•Ep. 121
In this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai is joined by The Wall Street Journal’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, Yaroslav Trofimov, for a discussion about modern Ukraine and Trofimov’s new novel, “No Country for Love,” set in the country’s turbulent early 20th century. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Oct 11, 2024•57 min•Ep. 120
In this week’s episode, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai discusses the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and the outsize role the Hezbollah leader had in the Arab world and Israel with the magazine’s Middle East Editor Kareem Shaheen and Yair Wallach, a reader in Israeli studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Further reading: The Day After Hassan Nasrallah Produced by Finbar Anderson...
Oct 04, 2024•54 min•Ep. 119
On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, the executive director of the joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, Winnie Byanyima, joins New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe to examine the global response to the mpox outbreak in Africa, and how it relates to the continent’s past and ongoing struggle against HIV. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Sep 27, 2024•30 min•Ep. 118
On this week’s episode of The Lede, renowned professor of Holocaust and genocide studies Omer Bartov of Brown University joins New Lines’ Lisa Goldman to discuss his recent trip to Israel and how his position in the debate on genocide has fundamentally changed. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Sep 20, 2024•58 min•Ep. 117
For this first episode of the new season of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai sits down with journalist Paul Caruana Galizia, whose mother was murdered in Malta as a result of her reporting, to discuss the importance of investigative journalism and the terrible price it can exact. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 116
As The Lede takes a summer break, listen again to one of our favorite conversations from the past year, which was shortlisted in the International Women's Podcast Awards. This week, we go back to a conversation between Zahra Hankir, author of “Eyeliner: A Cultural History,” and New Lines’ Ola Salem about the fascinating history of the humble eyeliner. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Sep 06, 2024•42 min•Ep. 115
As Global Insights on The Lede takes a summer break, listen again to one of our favorite episodes from the past year. We published this episode about the rise of toxic masculinity in Kenya and South Africa following the murders of two Kenyan women this January, with insight from South African author Rosie Motene and Caroline Kimeu, The Guardian’s East Africa global development correspondent. Produced by Patrick Hagan and Finbar Anderson
Aug 30, 2024•29 min•Ep. 114
On this week’s episode of The Lede, sociologist Eman Abdelhadi and David Faris, author of “It’s Time To Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics,” join New Lines’ Danny Postel in Chicago to discuss the ongoing battle to determine the future of the Democratic Party. Further reading: Kamala’s Progressive Skeptics Produced by Finbar Anderson...
Aug 23, 2024•42 min•Ep. 113
Ex-Pentagon adviser Jasmine El-Gamal sits down with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede for a wide-ranging discussion that covers her time working as a translator during the Iraq War and at Guantanamo Bay, the unique perspective she gained working as an adviser to the Pentagon for three U.S. defense secretaries, and Joe Biden’s failures on Gaza. Further reading: Lost and Found in Guantanamo Bay Produced by Finbar Anderson...
Aug 16, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 112
Lebanon is no stranger to conflict. For many of its citizens, a vicious 15-year civil war and a short but brutal war with Israel in 2006 are within living memory. Now, another conflict simmers on the country’s southern border with Israel and threatens every day to expand across the country. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai speaks to Lebanese translator and writer Lina Mounzer to understand what the atmosphere in Lebanon is like under the threat of a new war, and political analyst Faysal Itani for his ...
Aug 09, 2024•42 min•Ep. 111
In 100 episodes on The Lede over five seasons, we have had the pleasure of interviewing politicians, authors, academics, thinkers, explorers and plenty of journalists. To celebrate our 100th episode, we held a live event in front of an audience to discuss how the United Kingdom is viewed from an outsider’s perspective. Our guests were the foreign correspondents Barbara Serra and Michael Peel as well as a returning panelist, satirist Karl Sharro. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Aug 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 110
On this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, host Kwangu Liwewe discusses the inexorable rise of soccer stars of African origin with former Nigeria player Segun “The Mathematical” Odegbami and soccer journalist Ponga Liwewe. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Jul 26, 2024•33 min•Ep. 109
On this week’s episode of The Lede, host Faisal Al Yafai catches up with New Lines Politics Editor Danny Postel from Milwaukee, where Postel has been attending the Republican National Convention. Their conversation comes after a momentous week in U.S. politics that not only saw an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, but also the announcement of Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as Trump’s running mate for the upcoming presidential election. Al Yafai also talks to Me...
Jul 19, 2024•40 min•Ep. 108
On this week’s episode of The Lede, veteran journalist Mark Danner joins New Lines’ Politics Editor Danny Postel for a discussion on Donald Trump, Joe Biden and the possible autocratic future looming ahead for America. Further reading: The Mass Psychology of Trumpism — Watch the accompanying video here The United Auto Workers Rejected Trump. Members Aren’t So Sure How the War in Gaza Is Shaping the 2024 Elections — And the Future of the Democratic Party A Deliberate Political Madness? Produced b...
Jul 12, 2024•54 min•Ep. 107
On this episode of The Lede, veteran CNN correspondent Hala Gorani sits down with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai for a discussion on identity and belonging following the publication of her new memoir, “But You Don’t Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging.”
Jul 05, 2024•45 min•Ep. 106
In this edition of Global Insights, New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson sits down with host Kwangu Liwewe to discuss the upcoming election in the United Kingdom, which despite potentially heralding a change in government for the first time in 14 years, seems to be a bit lackluster. Produced by Finbar Anderson
Jun 28, 2024•23 min•Ep. 105
On this week’s podcast, Cambridge University academic Shruti Kapila, author of “Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global Age,” sits down with New Lines’ Surbhi Gupta to discuss the shock Indian election result and what it means for the future of the world’s largest democracy. Further listening: The War on India’s Free Press — With Manisha Pande, Samar Halarnkar and Surbhi Gupta India’s Political Hinduism — With Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and Surbhi Gupta Further reading: Why the Ind...
Jun 21, 2024•37 min•Ep. 104
While the conflict in Gaza plays out on a tiny strip of land a fraction of the size of Los Angeles, its impact on the wider Middle East region has been huge. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai speaks to the Guardian’s Ruth Michaelson, Chloe Cornish of the Financial Times and independent journalist Tara Kangarlou to assess how the war has changed the political and economic landscape in Turkey, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Further listening: Living in a State of Hopelessness: On...
Jun 14, 2024•41 min•Ep. 103
On June 8, 1924, two climbers set off for what they hoped would be the first-ever summit of Mount Everest. As the mist closed in around them high up the mountain, they would never be seen alive again. A century later, the mystery of whether they reached the top continues to inspire fascination and debate, but is perhaps not the most interesting thing about the doomed expedition, anthropologist and former National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis tells New Lines’ Finbar Anderson on thi...
Jun 07, 2024•44 min•Ep. 102
In the two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian influence in Africa was at a low ebb. But that’s all changed, New Lines Global News Editor Amie Ferris-Rotman tells Kwangu Liwewe on this week’s Global Insights on The Lede. Ferris-Rotman and Liwewe discuss Russia’s past in Africa and its more recent neocolonialist enterprises on the continent, as well as the private military companies acting as Russia’s enforcers and how Russian influence compares to the “long, slow game” played...
May 31, 2024•28 min•Ep. 101
Veteran Mexican correspondent Alma Guillermoprieto joins New Lines’ Danny Postel on The Lede for a discussion about how the upcoming election in Mexico is actually not about the two leading candidates, her sadness about the current situation in Nicaragua, and her secret — the celebrated journalist is not interested in politics. Produced by Finbar Anderson
May 24, 2024•44 min•Ep. 100
On this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines' Lydia Wilson sits down with extremism researcher Elizabeth Pearson, whose book “Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation,” was published in December 2023. Pearson explains how her research challenged established thinking around extremism, and how she came to the understanding that misogyny and masculinity play a much bigger role in the radicalization process than has been previously thought. Produced by Finbar Anderson...
May 17, 2024•37 min•Ep. 99
On this week’s episode of The Lede, New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai sits down with Jasmin Mujanović for a discussion on nationhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the genocide of the 1990s, its current political challenges and Mujanović’s argument for a liberal democratic future in Bosnia. Mujanović dissects his new book, “The Bosniaks, Nationhood After Genocide,” which explores the evolution of Bosniak identity after the Bosnian War, and why the country’s postwar settlement needs to change. Produced...
May 10, 2024•56 min•Ep. 98
