The Rachman Review

Andrew England, the FT’s Middle East editor, speaks to Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, about Iran’s escalating crisis. Can diplomacy prevent a war between the Trump administration and Tehran? What are the prospects for reform of the increasingly unpopular Islamic regime in Iran? Clips: Channel 4 News; CBS

Free links to read more on this topic:
US and Iran set to meet in Oman as Middle East tensions spiral
‘The game is over’: critics of Iranian regime seize on killings to push for change
Iran’s people stand to lose whether or not talks succeed
Arab and Muslim powers mount last-ditch effort to avert US-Iran conflict

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Presented by Andrew England. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Bill Gates tells Gideon that a climate of fear has taken hold in the US business community under the Trump administration: “People are afraid to speak out about being afraid to speak out.” He discusses falling aid budgets, why philanthropy cannot replace government funding, and an ambitious new collaboration with OpenAI to improve access to healthcare in Africa. Gates also reflects on the more destabilising uses of artificial intelligence and his past association with the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clips: NBC4, Bill Gates

Free links to read more on this topic:
Bill Gates and OpenAI back $50mn AI rollout in African health clinics
Tech titans lined up for Trump’s second inauguration. Now they’re even richer
Bill Gates and Sergey Brin among newly released Epstein photos
Bill Gates warns aid cuts risk big increase in child deaths

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.
Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, received a standing ovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos after warning that the global order has entered a period of “rupture”. In a post-speech interview with Gideon, Carney reflects on how globalisation went wrong — and on what can still be salvaged through deeper co-operation among countries and institutions that share common values. Interview and clips courtesy of the World Economic Forum

Free links to read more on this topic:
Mark Carney warns of ‘rupture’ to global order as Donald Trump rattles allies
Donald Trump’s ‘wrecking ball’ set to touch down in Davos
Republicans begin to push back against Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland
America’s barbarians inside the gates

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.
Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Breen Turner and Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon speaks to Finland’s president about how to resolve the stand-off between Europe and the US over Greenland. Alexander Stubb describes the dispute as the "most difficult issue he has faced since taking office", arguing that discreet “back office” diplomacy, rather than public grandstanding, is the best way forward. He also touches on Ukraine, applauding the transatlantic alliance’s achievements so far but cautioning that the Greenland row is beginning to sap momentum from efforts to advance peace talks.. Clips: DWS; BBC

Free links to read more on this topic:
Greenland is ground zero for Arctic ‘Great Game’
How the Greenland deployment of a few European troops enraged Donald Trump
Trump’s Arctic ambitions torch the most important US asset
Russia knocks out power, heating and water to Ukraine’s freezing capital

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe
Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Famine, mass killings and the collapse of basic government services have pushed Sudan into what the UN now calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As regional powers across the Middle East fuel the conflict by backing rival factions, civilians have largely been left to fend for themselves. Gideon speaks to Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair and Sudan expert Alex de Waal to understand how the country reached this point — and where the country and its people go from here. Clips: Sky News; Africa News

Free links to read more on this topic:
There is already an answer to securing Sudan’s future
US rebukes backers of Sudanese paramilitary force behind ‘horrific’ atrocities
The human cost of a world without rules
How the UAE-Saudi Arabia alliance ruptured
Israel’s Horn of Africa gamble raises tension with Arab and Muslim rivals

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.