Shows / The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist
Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday the winner of "Best Daily Show" at the 2026 British Podcast Awards, picks three stories shaping your world—the big shifts in politics, business and culture, plus things you never knew you needed to know. On Saturdays, download The Weekend Intelligence to dive deep into a single story, vividly told.
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Episodes
The Intelligence from The EconomistRevolution Song: Myanmar’s unending war
Deep in the mountains along the Thai border, a bloody civil war rages. Our correspondent gives us rare insight into one of the world’s oldest insurgencies…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Fighting chance: Ukraine prepares for counter-offensive
The top-secret plan to pierce Russia’s defenses and reclaim territory could unfold any day now. We ask why this moment, in particular, could prove crucial…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A cut above the West: America’s astounding economy
Contrary to the groaning of both Republicans and Democrats, the economy is still the world’s largest. How has this success been sustained? We ask why choosing…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A tough transition: unrest in Sudan
Clashes in Khartoum have turned deadly as two rival military factions fight for power. As the conflict escalates, a transition to civilian rule could be in…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Never-ending storeys: rebuilding Turkey
It will be years until the country recovers from February’s devastating earthquakes—but progress toward that goal will determine whether President Recep Tayyip…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Make the world’s money go ‘round: a bunged-up IMF
The International Monetary Fund is sitting on oodles of cash, but failing to disburse it. We examine why China’s lending practices are putting the IMF on a…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
File-sharing: America’s huge intelligence leak
A trove of once-secret documents is proving an embarrassment to both America and its allies, and a danger to Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive. The tech…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Hard pact to follow: the Good Friday Agreement at 25
The famed power-sharing deal did its work of sharply reducing sectarian violence, but a quarter-century on it has led to depressingly dysfunctional politics…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Home economics: housing markets’ future
Many people think that with inflation and interest-rate rises abating, the worst effects on housing markets might be over. Not so fast. A study that reignited…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Space invaded: video games’ stunning growth
These days the gaming industry takes in much more than the global cinema box office. We ask how things are changing, from gamers’ demographics to the games’…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Situation reporter: Evan Gershkovich’s detention
Russia’s arrest of a Wall Street Journal correspondent is heading toward a diplomatic crisis—and will certainly chill foreign reporting in the country. It is…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Arraigning on his parade: the charges against Donald Trump
Perhaps the only surprising thing about the former president’s arraignment was that it was not followed by big demonstrations—but he did take to the airwaves…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
What he wants, what Xi wants: Macron in China
On his visit to Beijing Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, has much to balance: his peacemaking ways, a more hawkish travel partner and the commercial…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Get-rich-quick scheming: India and Indonesia
There are similarities between the two economies set to be the fastest-growing this year—but their paths to greater prosperity will not look like those that…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Charge d’affair: Donald Trump indicted
For the first time in history, a former American president faces arrest. Mr. Trump denies the charges, but what could this mean for the 2024 presidential…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Time’s up: America debates TikTok’s future
Links with China and allegations of surveillance have highlighted the threat that the social-media app may pose to national security. There is bipartisan…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
The Gulf narrows: Iran-Saudi relations
The two regional rivals have negotiated a deal, ending a seven-year lapse in diplomatic ties. Elsewhere, though, Iran remains aggressive. We ask what to make…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Over the Finnish line: NATO set to grow
After ten months of haggling, the military alliance is gaining a new member: Finland. We ask why a historically neutral country has switched tack, and what…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Bibi bump: Israel’s unrest flares
Protests against proposed judicial reforms have intensified. Could Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu succumb to the pressure at last? Pregnant Russians are…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Iraq, a hard place: 20 years after the invasion
America invaded Iraq 20 years ago this week. Today Baghdad is bustling, violence across the country is less frequent, but these gains have come at a horrific…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A bit Fed up: central banks’ dilemma
Central banks face a painful tradeoff: raise rates too quickly and risk banking-sector instability. Raise them too slowly and risk continued high inflation…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Not shy and not retiring: pension reform in France
Emmanuel Macron narrowly survived two no-confidence votes, sparked by his pushing a pension-reform package through the legislature without bringing it up for a…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Stopping the spread: how to fix the banks
Silicon Valley Bank. Signature Bank. Credit Suisse. The world’s banks look wobbly, leading to fears of broader economic pain. Our economics editor explains how…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Bear backed: Xi heads to Moscow
The visit of Xi Jinping, China’s president, to Moscow may seem like the solidifying of a simple, anti-Western alliance. But China is walking a delicate line to…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Felling through the cracks: rainforests in crisis
The economics are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world vastly outweigh those of felling trees. We travel to the Amazon and find that…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Puts Bibi in the corner: Israel’s protests
Proposed legislation that would hobble the judiciary has led to relentless demonstrations—and exposed a rift in Israeli society that has become dangerous to…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
One Tory building: Rishi Sunak’s mission
From today’s national budget to hardline immigration legislation to international defence pacts, Britain’s prime minister is working hard to extract his Tory…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Starched rival: Turkey’s opposition candidate
After internecine drama, the opposition-party alliance has picked their man. The bookish, mild-mannered Kemal Kilicdaroglu may be the best possible president…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
End run: Silicon Valley Bank
An old-fashioned bank run has caused American regulators to intervene in a big way to save the bank’s depositors. We ask what went wrong, and what risks the…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A vote for Ukraine: why Estonia’s election matters
The world’s biggest military donor to Ukraine, relative to GDP, is Estonia. Kaja Kallas, its prime minister, just won a resounding victory in an election that…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Not so Pacific: the frightening prospect of war over Taiwan
The risk of a Sino-American war over Taiwan appears to be growing. Our diplomatic editor assesses the frightening prospects and possible damage. Mexicans…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Home affairs: America’s revealing property market
Economists and politicians around the world are consumed with one question: is the world headed for a recession, or a relatively soft landing? We’ll tell you…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Bakhmut point: Ukraine readies a counter-offensive
Ukraine is using a torrent of Western arms and training to prepare for a spring offensive. We learn why being on a corporate board of directors—or recruiting…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Hedge of allegiance: South Africa’s diplomatic shift
A policy of ambiguity is swiftly shifting; the country is falling into a Sino-Russian orbit at just the time it needs the most help from Western allies. How…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Seed of doubt: venture capital tightens up
A slump in tech is driving investors to rediscover old ways. Out are the cash-splashing long bets; in are smaller, profitable, strategic firms. Nigeria’s…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Losing the threads: Bangladesh
Shifts in the garment industry, which powered development in the country, represent one risk; meagre currency reserves are another. Yet nothing so imperils…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
The belt buckles up: China’s grand plan slims
The Belt and Road initiative to encircle much of the world with Chinese-funded, Chinese-built infrastructure is growing leaner and more penny-wise. But its…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Let’s remake a deal: Brexit and Northern Ireland (again)
Since Brexit’s earliest days, the trade status of Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland have been a perilous sticking point. We examine…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Has Obi won, can Obi? Nigeria’s elections
Excitement still surrounds the spoiler candidate Peter Obi, whose down-to-earth ways appeal to a large constituency of fed-up youths. We look at the early…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A year of war: a Ukraine special
After a year of a conflict that was predicted to last just days, we examine the battle lines—seeing an opportunity for Ukraine that may not come around again…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
The prices fight: conflicting views on inflation
Markets seem to think the worst is over; central bankers are not so sure. We ask why determining the trajectory of inflation is so difficult. Millions of…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Fire and grim tone: Putin’s and Biden’s speeches
President Joe Biden’s riposte to the bellicose speech of his counterpart Vladimir Putin was a study in contrast. We examine their views on Ukraine and ask how…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
The air of their ways: South Asia’s crippling pollution
Particulate matter is shortening lives and hobbling economies in the region. We ask how policy changes and international collaboration could mitigate the…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
What it is in aid of: Syria’s earthquake response
The country’s war-torn north-west has been getting far less aid than it needs in the earthquakes’ aftermath. We investigate the dilemma of lifting long-running…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Give fast, spry young: the new philanthropists
Charitable giving is being disrupted by the same youthful tech folk who got rich disrupting other sectors: these days it is fast, data-driven and…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Independence fray: Scotland’s leader steps down
Nicola Sturgeon is bowing out after shaping a party that has defined itself on the notion of Scottish independence. What now for Scotland and for Britain more…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Haley to the chief? A long-shot candidacy begins
Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and UN ambassador, has declared her 2024 presidential candidacy. We assess her chances and survey the field…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
End-Gulfed: Preparing for a post-oil future
The petrostates of the Gulf are modernising their economies, growing more tolerant and liberalising their social contracts as they prepare for a world run on…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Toil and rubble: a report from Turkey
Our correspondent visits town after devastated town. Poorly enforced building codes are one clear factor in the rising death toll—and a political backlash…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
A chance at renewal: Nigeria’s coming election
Young voters are fired up and the electoral system has been strengthened, but Nigeria’s challenges are considerable. We explore why this month’s vote offers an…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Long division: America’s busy state legislatures
America’s Congress may be gridlocked, but its state legislatures certainly aren’t. The laws they’ll pass this year will probably impact more people more…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Bot the difference: AI and the future of search
The race for AI supremacy is on. Microsoft, Google, Baidu and a host of smaller firms are all placing bets on the technology’s future. Which version emerges on…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Race against time: rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria
Amid unthinkable destruction and loss of life, we examine the factors that will frustrate relief efforts following earthquakes in an already troubled region…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Tony isn’t blinkin’: Sino-American relations, post-balloon
American fighters shot down a balloon that China says was monitoring the weather, but America insists was spying. It was a minor incident, but it highlights…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Bold eagle: America's industrial evolution
As part of The Economist’s new series on the remaking of the country's economy, our correspondent looks at the Biden administration’s audacious industrial…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Poll fishing: Peru’s persistent protests
The country remains riven by unrest since the “self-coup” and subsequent arrest of its president in December; only an early election might bring a return to…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Troubled shares, troubles shared: Adani and India Inc
The Adani Group, one of India’s biggest conglomerates, has come under fire from a tiny American research firm. A successful secondary share sale amid a rout in…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Not shy about retiring: strikes in France
Fixing the complex, creaking pension system remains central to President Emmanuel Macron’s agenda of reforms. But leaving it alone is central to French…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Didn’t protect or serve: Tyre Nichols’s killing
The response to the death of the 29-year-old has differed from that of previous cases of police killings; we ask what the tragedy indicates about how America…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Tunnel, no lights: South Africa’s crumbling infrastructure
South Africa’s infrastructure—its ports, railways and power grid—are struggling and poorly managed. Ordinary South Africans are increasingly fed up. We profile…