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 EconomistA hardline act to follow: Iran’s presidential election
The supreme leader is consolidating theocratic power and ensuring a hardline legacy. Voters know they have little meaningful choice; many will simply stay…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPresent, tense: Biden and Putin meet
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have much to hammer out today—but don’t expect it to be genial. We examine what is on the table, and how each president will be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPatrons’ taint: Brazil’s pork-barrel politics
President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned on a promise to overturn the country’s political patronage, but as his popularity has slipped he has come to need it. The…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPromises, promises: the G7’s fuzzy climate pledges
Where they are clear, the summit’s commitments do not add much to existing targets; mostly, though, they are woefully short on detail. We pick through the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistStaying powers? The G7’s changing role
For the seven world leaders meeting in Britain the immediate crises are clear. But a broader question hangs over them: how can the G7 maintain its relevance? A…
The Intelligence from The EconomistAn exit wounds: America’s Afghanistan retreat
Air bases have been handed over; America’s remaining troops are shipping out and NATO forces are following suit. Can Afghanistan’s government forces hold off…
The Intelligence from The EconomistYou don’t say: Indonesia joins Asia’s digital censorship
As governments across South-East Asia crimp online freedoms, the region’s healthiest democracy might have been expected to resist the trend. Not so. President…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCriminal proceedings: America’s spike in violence
Piecemeal criminal-justice reforms following last year’s protests are coming up against hard numbers: violent crime is up. We ask what can, and should, be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBallots and bullets: Mexico’s elections
The run-up to the country’s largest-ever election has been bloody; the aftermath will set the tone for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose record so…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPeace out: from bad to worse in Yemen
The Saudi-backed government is hobbled; separatism is spreading; a humanitarian crisis grows by the day. A rebel advance on a once-safe city will only prolong…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCatch-up mustered: Europe’s vaccination drive
The bloc seems at last to have a firm hand on inoculation and recovery—but efforts to engineer even progress among member states are not quite panning out. In…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSwiping rights: Republicans’ vote-crimping bids
A walkout in the Texas legislature is just the most dramatic of broad efforts to restrict voting rights—in particular of minority voters. We examine the risks…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBibi, it’s cold outside: Israel’s improbable coalition
The only thing that unites the parties of a would-be government is the will to oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. What chance their coalition can secure…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFrom the head down: rot in South Africa
Jacob Zuma, a former president, at last answers to decades-old corruption allegations. But graft still permeates his ANC party and government at every level…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCaught in the activists: oil majors’ shake-ups
Activist investors installed green-minded board members at ExxonMobil; Chevron’s shareholders pushed a carbon-cutting plan; a Dutch court ruled Shell must cut…
The Intelligence from The EconomistOn the origins and the specious: the SARS-CoV-2 lab-leak theory
The suggestion that the virus first emerged from a Chinese laboratory has proved stubbornly persistent; as calls mount for more investigation, it has become a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFrom out of thin air: Belarus dissidents' fates
The regime got its quarry—a widely read, dissident blogger and his girlfriend—but faces international condemnation for its piratical means. How to pressure…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTo protect and serve: police reform one year after George Floyd
Protests have followed police killings in America with saddening regularity, but the scope of demonstrations following George Floyd’s murder may mark a turning…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFrom a tax to attacks: Colombia’s unrelenting unrest
Protests that began last month show no sign of abating; our correspondent speaks with Iván Duque, the country’s increasingly beleaguered president. Revelations…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe dust settles: ceasefire in Gaza
After 11 days of fierce fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire beginning in the early hours of Friday morning. But will the quiet last? In July…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGame on: the Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics are due to begin in just over two months. But with coronavirus cases climbing in recent months, 80% of Japanese people want the games to be…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPopulists poised: Italian politics
Italy’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, has been cheered by the markets since taking on the job in February. But a coalition of right-wing populists are waiting…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHot air: emissions reduction
The International Energy Agency has published a report explaining what needs to happen if the world is to get to net zero emissions by 2050. It points to a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFeast and famine: vaccine supply
Though over 10bn doses of covid-19 vaccine may be produced this year, much of the poor world will see little of them. The supply of vaccines is much tighter…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHome front: Israel’s war within
As Israel's war with Hamas has intensified, mob violence between Arabs and Jews within the country has made a tricky situation even more difficult. Is the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPurged: Liz Cheney’s sacking
Liz Cheney had been a rising Republican star. Now the staunch conservative has been purged by her own party. Her removal shows that, even in defeat, Donald…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBaby bust: China’s census
China just unveiled the results of its first census in over a decade. The results are striking, if not surprising: the world’s largest country will soon stop…
The Intelligence from The EconomistRockets over Jerusalem: Israeli-Palestinian violence
Tension in the holy city of Jerusalem has been rising for weeks, amid the attempted eviction of Palestinians and a march by Jewish nationalists. Yesterday it…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNorth poll: Boris Johnson’s election victory
Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, is celebrating a wave of election victories for his Conservative Party in the north of England. But in Scotland…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDown to brash tax: Colombia’s protests grow
Demonstrations initially against tax reform have bloomed—and turned violent. The reforms have been shelved, but the protests now threaten President Iván…
The Intelligence from The EconomistWho’s to say? Facebook, Trump and free speech
The social-media giant’s external-review body upheld a ban on former president Donald Trump—for now. We ask how a narrow ruling reflects on far broader…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCache and carry: American states’ gun-law push
Today another state will enact a “permitless carry” law—no licence, checks or training required. We ask why states’ loosening of safeguards fails to reflect…
The Intelligence from The EconomistStrait shooting? The growing peril to Taiwan
A decades-old policy of “strategic ambiguity” is breaking down; we ask about the risks and the stakes of a potential Chinese bid to take Taiwan by force. The…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe turn at a century: Northern Ireland’s anniversary
The province’s largest party aligned with Britain has lost its leader; in the 100 years since the island was split it has rarely seemed so close to reuniting…
The Intelligence from The EconomistIlliberal-arts degrees: Hungary’s universities seized
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s proudly “illiberal democracy” has nobbled nearly every institution. Now that his ruling party will run the higher-education…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA word in edgewise: Turkey, Armenia and genocide
In calling the 1915 campaign against Armenians a genocide, President Joe Biden has rekindled tensions that never really faded—and has perhaps delayed a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA great deal to be desired: Europe-Britain trade
Europe’s parliament has overwhelmingly voted to extend a stopgap trade agreement. But the rancour behind the vote, and the deal’s thin measures, say much about…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSPAClash: the buzz and the bust
Special-purpose acquisition companies offer a novel way for companies to list on stockmarkets. We look behind the buzz, and something of a recent bust, to…
The Intelligence from The EconomistExtremist prejudice: rebranding Navalny
Russian courts’ bid to designate opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s movement as a terrorist organisation is unsurprising: it fits a narrative of increasing…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCarbon date: Biden’s climate summit
President Joe Biden laid out ambitious emissions targets yesterday, but in order to be taken seriously on climate change, America has some reputation…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGrowth negligence: India’s covid-19 failings
Mass gatherings and in-person voting continue, even as new case numbers smash records and fatalities spiral in public view. We ask how a seeming pandemic…
The Intelligence from The EconomistInsuperable: Europe’s football fiasco
A “Super League” plan wrong-footed fans, clubs, even governments. We examine what the failed bid says about the sport’s economics. We return to the George…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA case rests, a city does not: Derek Chauvin’s trial
The former police officer involved in George Floyd’s death awaits a verdict. What would conviction mean in a case emblematic of a far wider racial-justice…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLai of the land: Hong Kong’s democrats quashed
Some of the territory’s most outspoken activists—from media mogul Jimmy Lai to “father of democracy” Martin Lee—have been sentenced. We look at what’s left of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe path of increased resistance: Myanmar
Protests against February’s military coup are only growing, even as the army becomes more murderous. The economy is paralysed. What can be done to put the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBoots off the ground: America’s Afghanistan drawdown
Few believe President Joe Biden’s withdrawal plan is wise; it is already prompting allied forces to go. We ask about the risks of that untimely vacuum. Much…
The Intelligence from The EconomistArms’ reach: Russia flexes at Ukraine border
The troops and hardware piling up at the border are probably just posturing. But look closely: Russia’s military is swiftly getting better-equipped and…
The Intelligence from The EconomistFission expedition: nuclear-site attack in Iran
An apparent act of sabotage at an Iranian nuclear site, blamed on Israel, has complicated the prospect of America returning to the 2015 nuclear deal; we ask…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPlagued by uncertainty: German politics
As the country wrestles with another covid-19 wave, the battle to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel is building. We look at the political and epidemiological…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLike a tonne of bricks: violence in Northern Ireland
The ostensible reason for continuing clashes relates to a well-attended funeral. But the terms of Brexit have raised tempers, inflaming centuries-old tensions…
The Intelligence from The EconomistClotting factors: the AstraZeneca vaccine
British and European regulators have addressed a possible link with blood clots. Expect more rare side-effects to emerge; what seems clear for now is that the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDeaths spiral: America’s spike in murders
Estimates suggest that last year’s rise in murder rates was the greatest in perhaps half a century, reversing a long decline; we ask what is behind it. Amid…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCrown and thorn: Jordan’s royal ruckus
Pressure on the king’s half-brother may represent a mere family feud, but Prince Hamzah’s complaints resonate with the country’s people. We ask what will…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHe said, Xi said: America-China ructions
The Biden administration’s early moves suggest no “reset” in relations; we recall a time when the game of ping-pong brought the countries back to the table…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBattle acts: France beefs up its forces
After years of peacekeeping and counter-insurgency campaigns, the country is getting tooled up and trained up for serious military conflict. The “baby bust”…
The Intelligence from The EconomistCresting: India’s second covid-19 wave
Case numbers are on the rise—at a more worrying rate even than the first wave. We ask why, and what is being done to slow the spread. As revenues at…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTakeaway lessons: Deliveroo’s listing disappoints
The tepid debut of Britain’s dominant food-delivery app signals doubts not only about the gig economy but also about London’s ability to lure tech-firm…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHigh threat-count: boycotts in China
Western fashion brands are in Chinese consumers’ crosshairs, the victims of political wranglings over sanctions and human-rights issues—a spat that may soon…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe smell of gas: insurgency in Mozambique
In a province that is home to a massive natural-gas project, a long-simmering insurgency has burst into horrific violence; we ask why the government seems to…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGrowth and stagnation: Bangladesh’s first 50 years
The country has empowered its women, established itself as a garment-industry powerhouse and vastly improved public health—but its politics remains troubled…