The Rachman Review

German businessman Joerg Wuttke has been an observer of China since the 1980s, watching it evolve from backwater to superpower. He talks to Gideon about US-China rivalry and how Europe can find its place as a trading partner to both powers. Clip: CNBCFree links to read more on this topic:China launches large-scale military exercises around TaiwanChina’s Xi Jinping tells top global CEOs to use their influence to defend tradeChina is suffering its own ‘China shock’BASF’s Joerg Wuttke: ‘The essence of China is this warrior’Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanSubscribe 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.Read a transcript of this episode

Gideon talks to Russia experts Catherine Belton and Arkady Ostrovsky about Vladimir Putin’s goals. They discuss his early ambition to restore Russia’s status as a global superpower. And they go on to analyse why, after a quarter of a century in power, Putin may see his best chance yet of achieving that goal - at a cost of hundreds of thousands of Russian lives. This episode is an edited recording of an event organised by Intelligence Squared that took place in central London earlier this month.Free links to read more on this topic:The age of the strongmanTrump, Putin, Xi and the new age of empireUS agrees maritime ceasefire deal with Ukraine and RussiaUkraine ceasefire: what is Vladimir Putin’s game?Russia trained officers for attacks on Japan and South KoreaSubscribe 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.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Thirty years ago Mexico made a fateful decision to open its economy and engage with the US. Now that decision is being tested by Donald Trump’s tariff threat. Gideon talks to Mexican economist Luis de la Calle about the impact this could have on his country's economy and that of the US. Clips: ABC News; Claudia Sheinbaum PardoFree links to read more on this topic:How Trump could destroy his own political movementHalf of Mexico’s exports to US risk steep tariffsMexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum is riding high on Donald Trump’s trade warChina delays approval of BYD’s Mexico plant amid fears tech could leak to USSubscribe 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 X @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Europe is facing its biggest defence challenge since the second world war. This is compounded by the destabilising impact of US tariffs. So how is it measuring up? Gideon puts this question to Arancha González Laya, dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Science Po and a former foreign minister of Spain. Clip: Emmanuel MacronFree links to read more on this topic:EU retaliates after Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs take effectTrump is making Europe great againHow Europe can take up America’s mantleSweden to expand arms and space capabilities without USSubscribe 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.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Canada’s Liberal party will elect a new leader this weekend and Chrystia Freeland is running to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister. Donald Trump’s belligerence towards his northern neighbour seems to have restored the party’s popularity ahead of a general election this year. Chrystia tells host Gideon Rachman that Canadians are sticking together and that they have some strong cards to play.Follow Gideon on X @gideonrachman or Bluesky @gideonrachman.bsky.social.Gideon Rachman is the chief foreign affairs commentator at the Financial Times. You can find his column here. Want more? Free links:Donald Trump’s tariffs loom suddenly through the fog of trade warEurope has bought Zelenskyy some timeDonald Trump warns tariffs will cause ‘a little disturbance’ in defiant speechPresented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen TurnerRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon tests the mood in Kiev three years after the Russian invasion as the Trump presidency upends previous tenets of international politics. He talks to Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko and Oleksandr Khomiak, director of Drone Space Labs, a defence start-up. Clip: European CommissionFree links to read more on this topic:Ukraine agrees minerals deal with USUS drives Ukraine war measure through UN with Russian backingVolodymyr Zelenskyy’s toughest battle beginsNow is the time for Europe really to step up on UkraineSubscribe 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 X @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon dissects US vice-president JD Vance’s incendiary speech at the Munich Security Conference with German businessman Mathias Döpfner. They discuss the state of the transatlantic relationship and how Donald Trump’s actions towards Russia and Ukraine could mark a turning point. They are then joined by FT colleague Laura Pitel to talk about Döpfner’s media empire Axel Springer and the cancellation of federal government subscriptions to the Politico Pro news service. Clip: The White HouseFree links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump calls Volodymyr Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’ as US rift with Ukraine deepensVance’s real warning to EuropeHow Europe can defend itself without US helpEurope’s dependence on US tech is a critical weaknessDonald Trump opens the door to Vladimir Putin’s grandest ambitionsSubscribe 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 X @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon talks to Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University in the US, about why it’s no longer possible to trust America and what the rest of the world can expect from the Trump presidency. Clip: CBCFree links to read more on this topic:Tariffs won’t bring back America’s unipolar moment'Cost and chaos’: Donald Trump’s metal tariffs sweep across corporate AmericaTrump is giving a green light to corporate corruption abroadTrump is forcing Europe to a reckoning on UkraineTrump, Putin, Xi and the new age of empireSubscribe 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 X @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon talks to Andrew England, the FT's Middle East editor, about the US president's 'crazy' plan for a takeover of the Gaza Strip. And he talks to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid about the prospects for his country as it finally returns to peace and stability.Free links to read more on this topic:Middle East and Europe condemn Donald Trump’s plans to take over GazaDonald Trump’s Gaza plan resurrects grandiose Middle East playbookThe deceptively negotiable Donald TrumpSubscribe 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 X @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com