As we enter a mammoth election year on either side of the Atlantic, Power Play looks back on the highlights from our interviews in 2023 to set the scene for the big geopolitical stories of 2024. In this week's bumper New Year edition, host Anne McElvoy takes a tour through the best of Power Play since the podcast launched last September, talking to some of the most influential figures in the United States, Europe and beyond. We'll hear from prime ministers, business leaders, diplomats and genera...
Jan 04, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Taiwan, political parties are entering the final stint of a lively campaign as voters prepare to go to the polls in a presidential election on 13 January. With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is at the precarious juncture of the South and East China seas, buffeted by geo-strategic gusts as China maintains its claim on sovereignty. In this special edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Vincent Chao, a prominent figure from the incumbent pro-independence party, hoping to win an un...
Dec 14, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast As negotiators from nearly 200 countries enter the final week of climate talks at COP28 in Dubai, all eyes will be on the big players and who moves first. In this week’s special edition of Power Play from Dubai, host Anne McElvoy talks to one of the most influential figures in the talks — John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate. A close ally of President Joe Biden and veteran of climate negotiations over several decades, the former secretary of state has the ear of this year'...
Dec 07, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The diplomatic caravan is rolling into Dubai for this year’s COP — the United Nations' round of global climate talks. Scores of world leaders and luminaries — including King Charles and the pope — from nearly 200 countries are due to attend, alongside an estimated 70,000 delegates. What are the chances of a meaningful agreement emerging at COP28? In this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Mark Carney, the U.N.’s special envoy for climate finance and action. He's banging the...
Nov 30, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thomas Heatherwick’s designs have become icons in his home city of London, including the eye-catching cauldron at the 2012 Olympic Games and the reimagined Routemaster bus. The British designer's projects have popped up around the world — and not without controversy. In this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Heatherwick about his mission to change the way our cities and urban areas are built. His new book "Humanise" implores mayors and town planners around the world to rep...
Nov 23, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel’s most senior diplomat – Michael Herzog, the ambassador to the U.S. – is in the eye of a diplomatic storm in the country that is Israel’s most vital ally. He insists that a ceasefire "would invite the next war." In this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Ambassador Herzog about Israel's raid on Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital, how long the conflict is likely to last and the U.S.'s discussions with Israel on what happens after the war. Anne is then joined by POLITICO’s “Powe...
Nov 16, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast One month after war broke out between Israel and Hamas, the solidarity of European leaders is being tested. Nowhere more so than in Greece, on the EU's southern border, which has traditional ties to Israel and Arab states. On this week’s edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his concerns about the war in the Middle East, Greece's proximity to the region, and the prospect of increasing humanitarian aid via a sea corridor. They also discuss ...
Nov 09, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over 100 leading figures from the biggest tech companies and governments across the globe have assembled for Britain’s two-day AI Safety summit. The UK hopes the event will galvanize power players into agreeing common aims to regulate the growth of artificial intelligence. In this early edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the risks and opportunities posed by AI, as well as other pressing global issues. Anne is then joined by POLITICO’s "Powe...
Nov 01, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the Middle East crisis deepens, how should the West react to a growing sense of unease about the world order? On this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy speaks to Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Europe's leading digital publisher, Axel Springer (POLITICO's parent company). His new book, "Trade Trap," calls for a new approach to free trade between democracies. He believes we are experiencing a "war of systems, and it is truly a battle between democracies and autocracies." Anne is also joi...
Oct 26, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast The carnage on the streets of Gaza and mounting tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbours presented a bleak and chaotic backdrop for President Biden’s impromptu visit to Tel Aviv. Is this a conflict on the brink of exploding across the region? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA and four-star general who led coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has co-authored a new book, "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare...
Oct 19, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The horrific events unfolding in Israel have sent shockwaves around the world. As the death toll mounts from Hamas' deadly attacks and Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza, how will the ensuing conflict alter the power balance of the Middle East and its alliances? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Ron Prosor, Israel's ambassador to Germany. Prosor has also served as the Israeli Ambassador to the UK and Permanent Representative to the UN. She also talks to Fleur Has...
Oct 12, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast The crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives is resonating far beyond Washington, not least in Ukraine, where the durability of America's commitment to the war effort has been thrown into doubt after future funding was omitted from its recent stopgap funding deal. Can Ukraine and its allies in Europe go it alone without agreement on further aid from Congress? And is America’s foreign policy shifting away from the days of spreading liberal democracy? In this week’s episode of Power Play, host ...
Oct 05, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The exit of the most powerful player at News Corp has made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. At 92, Rupert Murdoch has decided to step down as executive chairman, making way for his son Lachlan. But will much change, given Rupert Murdoch's reputation for being close to the action? In this week's episode of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Michael Wolff, long-time chronicler of the Murdoch empire and biographer. His latest book, "The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty,...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this inaugural episode of POLITICO's new global podcast Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to the man who hopes to be Britain's next prime minister, Keir Starmer. In a wide-ranging interview on global affairs, the Labour leader reveals his concerns about China. He warns that the U.K. needs to “wean itself off” China “when it comes to trade, commerce and technology.” Starmer also tells Anne what he thinks about Donald Trump, Joe Biden, the war in Ukraine and his vision for a "clean energy all...
Sep 21, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast POLITICO's new weekly transatlantic podcast Power Play is officially coming to your podcast feed on Thursday, September 21! Hosted by renowned British journalist Anne McElvoy, Power Play takes listeners inside the minds of those who wield power to better understand the choices they face. The show features guests at the top of their fields in government, business, civil society and more — accompanied by the expert analysis of journalists across POLITICO's newsrooms globally, giving listeners the ...
Sep 01, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an exclusive interview for POLITICO's forthcoming podcast Power Play, Richard Moore, chief of the UK's Secret Intelligence Service — MI6 — speaks to Anne McElvoy about how the culture of agencies like MI6 is changing. Recorded in Prague, a city that shaped the outcome of the Cold War, Moore shares revealing insights into MI6's approach to Russia, China and other threats to the West. Britain's chief spy explains why he believes the West needs to commit to a battle for freedom and against autho...
Jul 19, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
