The roots of Ukrainian nationalism go back to the second world war, when one prominent group sided briefly with Hitler against the Soviet Union. Gideon talks to Princeton academic Kim Lane Scheppele about the legacy of this group and whether any remnants of its ideology still have influence over the country’s politics and military. Clips: NBC, Open Ukraine, Eurovision Song Contest More on this topic: ‘Don’t confuse patriotism and Nazism’: Ukraine’s Azov forces face scrutiny Ukraine s...
May 19, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why do some countries stay poor while others find a rapid path towards growth and development? Economist Stefan Dercon thinks it’s all about the willingness of those in power to prioritise development over protecting their own interests. He explains how he came to this view in conversation with the FT’s Africa editor, David Pilling. Clips: IMF, Africa News More on this topic: Gambling on Development, by Stefan Dercon The Rachman Review: the rising toll of famine and conflict Ethiopia...
May 12, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Russia invaded Ukraine, a group of countries in the global south, including India and South Africa, held back from the chorus of condemnation led by Europe and the US. Gideon discusses why they have adopted a neutral stance with Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institution and Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, chief executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs. Clips: Reuters; Republic World Want to read more? Nato’s eastern front: will the military build-up make Europe safer? Indone...
May 05, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia raised the spectre of nuclear war this week as it struggles to make headway in Ukraine. How seriously should this threat be taken and can Vladimir Putin rely on his friendship with China’s Xi Jinping? Gideon discusses these questions with US political scientist Graham Allison, author of the classic study of the Cuban missile crisis, ‘Essence of Decision’, and of a book on US-China relations, ‘Destined for War’. Clips: ABC, Bloomberg Want to read more? ‘At war with the whole world’: why Pu...
Apr 28, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gideon talks to former World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy about the French election and what political trends in France tell us about nationalism and anti-globalist movements around the world. Clips: France 24 Want to read more? ‘She’s radiant’: what French voters like about Le Pen this time Patriots vs globalists replaces the left-right divide French election polls: the race for the presidency Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subsc...
Apr 21, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a country besieged by war, Ukrainian politicians continued to meet in their parliamentary building, despite the clear threat of attack from Russian troops. Ukrainian MP Dmytro Natalukha shares his experiences of keeping parliament running while Kyiv was under siege. As chairman of Ukraine’s economic affairs committee, Natalukha tells how the country’s economy has been ravaged, and how he expects the war will develop over the coming months. Clips: NBC News, BBC, DW News, CNA Presented by Gideo...
Apr 14, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has put in an unexpectedly strong showing and looks set to go head to head with Emmanuel Macron in the second round of France’s presidential election. Gideon talks to the FT’s Anne-Sylvaine Chassany and Bruno Cautrès of Sciences Po about the issues French voters care about and what happens next. Clips: Reuters, HuffPost, France inter www.ft.com/rachman-review https://play.acast.com/s/therachmanreview Want to read more? French election polls: the race for the...
Apr 07, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gideon talks to Catherine Belton, author of the bestselling book Putin’s People , about who is likely to be influencing the Russian president as he decides whether to step back or press on with the war in Ukraine. Clips: Reuters, BBC Want to read more? Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Turned on the West Germany and Austria plan for gas rationing over payment stand-off with Russia War in Ukraine: what explains the calm in global stock markets? Antigua investigates yacht with ...
Mar 31, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Europe has been united by opposition to Putin’s war in Ukraine, but will this new found unity last and will Russia be permanently isolated? Gideon talks to Alexander Stubb, former prime minister of Finland, about how the conflict is reshaping Europe’s alliances with the rest of the world. Clips: British Pathé Want to read more? Nato to discuss extending Jens Stoltenberg’s term as secretary-general Biden heads for Europe with mission to maintain west’s unity in response to Russia We should...
Mar 24, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ben Hall talks to Rose Gottemoeller, an American diplomat who was deputy secretary-general of Nato from 2016 to 2019, about the kind of deal Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are working towards. Will Ukraine agree to give up its ambitions for Nato membership and pledge neutrality instead? How might the west guarantee its security and could Vladimir Putin tolerate an independent Ukraine? Clips: Sky News, BBC, NBC Want to read more? Ukraine and Russia signal progress in talks How is Ukraine using...
Mar 16, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast How long can the Ukrainians hold out? Will Vladimir Putin be stuck in a never-ending war and how would Russians tolerate that? Might western powers be dragged in? Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, discusses these questions with John Paul Rathbone, defence and security correspondent, and Henry Foy, European diplomatic correspondent and former Moscow bureau chief. Clips: BBC, Nato News Want to read more? Ukraine accuses Russia of Mariupol hospital bombing ‘atrocity’ Russia’s techies f...
Mar 10, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Putin’s war in Ukraine is not going to plan, but it’s as yet unclear how the Russian leader will react to these failures. Gideon talks to strategic expert Lawrence Freedman about what the Russian military can realistically achieve and, in particular, how worried Nato should be about Russia’s decision to put its nuclear weapons on standby. Clips: BBC, CNN Want to read more? Another Stalingrad’: assault on Kharkiv shatters ties that once bound two nations Air power counts for little in Ukra...
Mar 03, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia has confirmed what western powers had long predicted and invaded Ukraine. On the eve of war, Gideon spoke to Sabine Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Russian specialist recently back from Moscow, and to Polina Ivanova, FT correspondent in Kyiv, about the mood in the two capitals. Clips: RT, The White House Want to read more? EU hits Putin’s defence minister and chief of staff with sanctions Putin’s denial of Ukrainian statehood carries dark his...
Feb 24, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a week of frenetic diplomacy, the Ukraine crisis has yet to be resolved. But it has had a significant impact on reshaping western alliances. Gideon talks to Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank, about the impact of the Russian threat on US ties with Europe, and on Nato and the EU. Clips: The White House, Sky News Want to read more? Poland prepares for possible influx of refugees fleeing Ukraine Top finance watchdog urges west to ‘think twice’ abo...
Feb 17, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Governments and militias around the world, from Ukraine to Ethiopia, have a new and powerful weapon at their disposal: armed drones. Gideon talks to Ulrike Franke of the European Council on Foreign Relations about how this is changing the balance of power and causing growing concern about civilian casualties. Clips: WSJ, CBS,Sky News Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 10, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gideon talks to Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay about his chances of overcoming the powerful political machine created by Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party in April's elections. Clips: Fox News, Reuters Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 03, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s military build-up on its border with Ukraine has set off alarm bells and led to a flurry of transatlantic diplomacy. Gideon talks to Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, about what President Vladimir Putin is seeking to achieve, and whether he can realise these goals without launching an attack on Ukraine. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 27, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Diplomacy has so far failed to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and many fear that war is imminent. Gideon discusses the remaining diplomatic possibilities and, if they fail, what a war might look like, with Samuel Charap, a political scientist at the Rand Corporation think-tank in Washington. Clips: Sky News, CBS News Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 20, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gideon talks to David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, about the organisation’s 2022 watchlist, which reveals that people in 20 countries, representing 10 per cent of the world’s population, are at risk or in dire need of humanitarian aid, and the situation is getting worse. What has gone wrong and are there any solutions? Clips: DW, Live Aid, Reuters IRC’s 2022 Emergency Watchlist David Miliband’s speech to the Council on Foreign Relations Read a transcript of thi...
Jan 13, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/c2a23023-df6b-49ed-af06-149bb0b35237 Three years of demonstrations have proved the Sudanese people’s strong desire for democratic change after decades of military rule. But this week the latest attempt to secure a peaceful transition foundered with the resignation of Abdalla Hamdok, interim prime minister. Gideon Rachman discusses what happens next with London-based journalist Yousra Elbagir and Muzan Alneel, a writer based i...
Jan 06, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/03234d8d-0548-4e84-b7c9-5ed87b2b7a57 For the last podcast of 2021 and to review the year, Gideon Rachman is joined by his FT colleagues Martin Wolf and Gillian Tett. We’re coming to the end of a tumultuous year, which began with the unprecedented storming of the US capitol by supporters of Donald Trump. And which ends with a pandemic still raging, inflation on the rise and Vladimir Putin threatening to invade Ukraine. Audio: ...
Dec 23, 2021•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/ce91ffd7-0549-4187-8dda-61b20548d2c8 Gideon talks to Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the ways in which global powers try to exert influence over others in an interconnected world. Mark Leonard is author of The Age of Unpeace: How Connectivity Causes Conflict. Clips: Reuters, BBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 16, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/402578f3-6ad6-45f8-8340-cb1e809fe95b In this special interview, Sir Jeremy Fleming, head of the UK signals intelligence agency GCHQ, talks to FT editor Roula Khalaf and FT correspondent Helen Warrell about cyber threats from China and other state actors, the global competition for data and the "Snowden effect" on spy agencies. Clips: IISS, NBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 11, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/34bb8aee-612e-4b2e-ab59-0d11518e1d82 Gideon talks to Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about Russia’s military build-up on the Ukraine border and about how policymakers in Nato and the EU are responding. Clips: Nato News; VOA; BBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 02, 2021•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/c40abc3c-5a4b-4ebe-9f24-82241f2939f5 Gideon talks to former White House official Evan Medeiros about the recent summit between the US and Chinese presidents. Was the relative cordiality of the meeting a sign of reconciliation or are the two powers heading towards a military confrontation? Clips: The White House, Deutsche Welle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 25, 2021•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/f1dbd73c-381c-475b-8b22-fa07abd6d92f Gideon talks to Simon Mundy, author of Race For Tomorrow , about how he would assess global efforts to tackle climate change in the wake of this month’s gathering of world leaders in Glasgow. Clips: Bloomberg; NBC; ABC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 18, 2021•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/e66fa8b7-7b92-4497-8585-cf43e8cd41fc Poland’s judicial reforms have put it on a collision course with the EU over human rights and the rule of law. Can the bloc adapt to accommodate its more awkward members or should it take a hard line? Gideon discusses the problem with Catherine De Vries, a professor of political science who specialises in the EU and is based at Bocconi University in Milan. Clips: BBC, Euronews. European Co...
Nov 11, 2021•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/07579093-643e-4300-87c3-3b3e6b36526b Gideon talks to Leslie Hook, the FT’s environment correspondent, about what to expect from the UN climate change conference in Glasgow. Will determination to give teeth to the Paris accord survive the global energy crisis? Clips: UN; ITV News; Reuters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 04, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com https://www.ft.com/content/7dd6de54-58d0-4a5f-9c74-d599b513a668 Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, finally left office this year. He is now on trial on corruption charges and Israel is ruled by the most diverse coalition in its history. Gideon discusses Israel’s new political landscape with Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. Clips: IsraeliPM, Reuters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Oct 28, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gideon talks to historian Paul Kennedy about how long America’s period as the world’s most powerful nation can last in the face of a rising China. Clips: British Pathé Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 21, 2021•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
