The world at war

War is raging in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, while tensions are rising between China and Taiwan. What is driving this surge in global conflict, how should we respond and where, if anywhere, are the prospects for peace? Gideon is joined by Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6; Tom Tugendhat, the UK’s new shadow foreign secretary; and Kim Ghattas, FT contributing editor and author of Black Wave. They discuss how today’s conflicts are connected, the risk of further escalation and the importance of ending a war well. This episode is an edited recording of an event organised by FT Weekend Festival. Clip: CBS NewsFree links to read more on this topic:Trump envoys take Ukraine peace proposal to meeting with PutinTrump envoys hold talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv after meeting Putin in MoscowRussia launches missile strikes against Kyiv as pause in raids endsWhy the US and Iran keep escalatingLebanon warns of ‘dangerous escalation’ after Israeli strikesSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is calling for an “economic D-Day” for the Iranian regime while threatening secondary sanctions on countries that do business with the country. Will this be more effective than previous attempts at economic pressure? What impact will this have on US relations with China? And how will energy markets react? Sasha Polakow-Suransky, executive opinion editor, speaks with Emma Ashford, Stimson Center senior fellow and Foreign Policy columnist, about Washington’s latest Iran sanctions push dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. Clip: CBS NewsJoin us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London, and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.Free links to read more on this topic:US launches further strikes on Iran as conflict flares upEnergy price surge hits bond markets as European gas reaches three-year highDonald Trump says US will hit Iran ‘hard’ as conflict reignites Scott Bessent: an economic D-Day is coming for IranScott Bessent threatens Iran’s economic partners with more sanctionsIs China’s ‘wise camel’ the winner from the US-Iran war?Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Sasha Polakow-Suransky. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UN is choosing a new secretary-general at a time when it’s struggling to remain relevant. Sidelined in the wars in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East, and facing a severe funding crisis, the organisation is under growing pressure. This week, guest host Alec Russell speaks to Thant Myint-U, a former UN official, author and the grandson of former UN secretary-general U Thant, about the challenges its new leader will face. Clip: AP ArchiveFree links to read more on this topic:António Guterres on the future of the UNSuperpowers are discovering their limits, says UN chiefThe new world order? Every man for himselfWanted: a leader to rescue the UNNuclear watchdog chief pitches ‘leaner’ UN in secretary-general bidSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts Join us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.Follow Alec on X @alecurussellPresented by Alec Russell. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman Empire and Ataturk to the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. Gideon and Simon examine the region's complexities and interconnectedness and whether lessons from the past can offer a glimpse into the future. CLIP: British PathéJoin us at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday, September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London and spend the day with FT journalists and leading voices across business, politics, economics, culture and the arts. FT podcast listeners can save 10% off tickets with the code FTPODCAST. Click on this link to find out more.Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanWant more? Free links:Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homesThe exodus from IsraelEgypt deploys jets to UAE as Iran war strains Arab alliancesFar-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each nightIsrael moves to give police powers in occupied West BankFar-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each nightSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. After six months of on-off hostilities, Nasr argues, Iran’s core aims are unchanged - ending the US threat and securing economic relief. But Iran now looks to have the upper hand and is using its leverage from controlling the Strait of Hormuz to seek ever more far-reaching concessions from the superpower. Clip: CTVFree links to read more on this topic:Will failure in Iran reshape how the US fights?Iran’s supreme leader elevates loyalists as he tightens gripTrump and the failure of the Fafo doctrineBrinkmanship in the Strait of HormuzIsrael’s campaign to make southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’ Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen TurnerFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government.Clip: BBCFree links to read more on this topic:Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protestsIndia’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enoughIndia should listen to its frustrated youthWhy India’s student protests are differentIndia’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quitsSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen TurnerFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government. Clip: BBCFree links to read more on this topic:Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protestsIndia’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enoughIndia should listen to its frustrated youthWhy India’s student protests are differentIndia’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quitsSubscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen TurnerFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical disputes on global trade with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Clip: Al JazeeraFree links to read more on this topic:Trump vows to deliver ‘beating’ to Iran in retaliation for latest attackSaudi Arabia joins US strikes on Iran-backed militias in IraqUkraine, Iran and how regional wars go globalDonald Trump rebuilds his tariff wallSubscribe 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 Sean McGarrity.Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Julianne Smith, former US ambassador to Nato about the future of the alliance. There seems to be greater transatlantic agreement on Ukraine, but tensions remain over Europe’s stance on Donald Trump’s war on Iran. So can the alliance survive without the US at the helm? Clip: ANI NewsFree links to read more on this topic:Nato’s carnival of Trumpian capriceWhy the world trusts China more than AmericaUkraine’s drone swarms test Moscow air defencesNato opens its cheque books in bid to keep Trump engagedSubscribe 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.Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gideon talks to Simon Kuper, FT columnist and author of World Cup Fever, about what distinguishes this World Cup from previous tournaments. What role has geopolitics played historically in the World Cup and is there any truth to some of the conspiracy theories surrounding this year's events? Clip: ITV SportFree links to read more on this topic:Bellingham brace carries England past Norway into World Cup semi-finalWorld Cup shows US is ‘golden market’ for football, says Major League Soccer bossHow western Europe became a formidable football factoryWhy are China and India so bad at football?Inside the secretive Fifa committee that suspended the US red cardSubscribe 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.Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.