The Rachman Review

How much should we care about wars that are not in our neighbourhood? What role can countries not directly involved play in paving the way for a more peaceful world? Gideon discusses these questions with India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar, Lana Nusseibeh, minister of state for foreign affairs for the United Arab Emirates, and Finland’s foreign minister, Elina Valtonen. The discussion was recorded at the Kultaranta conference in Finland. Clip: CNNJoin Gideon live on Saturday, June 20 at the FT's inaugural NYC Weekend FestivalFree links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump says US will not invest in $300bn fund for IranBrussels approaches Kremlin over potential Ukraine talksA fragile Iran peace follows a war without victorsThe long way back from the Iran energy shockHow the US-Iran deal came togetherSubscribe 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

Where should Britain stand in the great power struggle between the US and China? Does the special relationship with Washington mean anything anymore or do all roads lead back to Europe? Gideon discusses these questions with Ben Judah, former special adviser to deputy prime minister David Lammy.Clip: Channel 4 NewsFree links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump warns US will soon hit Iran ‘hard’ againWill Trump abandon Taiwan?It is time for a European Security Council Britain re-entering the EU ‘an inevitability’, says Treasury ministerPutin and Trump don’t have the cardsSubscribe 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

What is life like in the Iranian capital and is the regime ready to compromise to achieve a lasting peace? Gideon discusses the mood in Tehran and the changing political landscape in the country with the FT’s Tehran correspondent, Najmeh Bozorgmehr. Clips: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg.Free links to read more on this topic:Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis ready to pay Strait of Hormuz transit feesOne killed and dozens hurt in Iranian strike on Kuwait airportBenjamin Netanyahu faces backlash after Donald Trump callWhy Iran fears a deal today means more war tomorrow Iran is beating Trump at the art of the dealSubscribe 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

Gideon talks to Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the career of Demis Hassabis and his AI company, Google DeepMind. They discuss the growing backlash against AI, why people are worried, and what governments can do to mitigate the risks of the coming technological revolution. Clip: WSJFree links to read more on this topic:OpenAI’s foundation to spend $250mn on research into AI’s impact on economyPope’s appeal can’t change the AI race’s risky logicAI guardrails stripped from Meta and Google models in minutesHow AI threatens the giants of consulting AI companies are just companiesSubscribe 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

Gideon talks to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on Greece as a leading shipping nation. They discuss Greece’s recovery from the financial crisis of 2015, how to achieve European strategic autonomy and the best way to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. Clip: France 24Free links to read more on this topic:Three supertankers attempt Strait of Hormuz crossingAmerica owes its European allies a defence roadmapProtests spread in Africa as fuel crisis deepensUAE says drone strike caused fire at nuclear plantTipping point looms for global energy crisisSubscribe 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

Gideon Rachman speaks to James Crabtree, former head of the Asia programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and author of The Perimeter, about Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, his first in a decade. What do Washington and Beijing hope to gain, and what does the trip reveal about the evolving balance of power between the world’s two leading superpowers?Free links to read more on this topic:Donald Trump’s plan to discuss Taiwan arms sales with Xi Jinping rattles Asian alliesTrump is up against China’s great wall of confidenceTrump’s war has given China an economic openingTrump, Xi and the bid for a ‘grand bargain’ between superpowers  Trump prepares to press Xi on Iran war Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Nisha Patel. Sound design is by Breen TurnerFollow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon talks to Lloyd Austin, who served as US defence secretary under the Biden administration, about the need to adapt to new forms of warfare, accusations that he presided over a ‘woke military’ and how he headed off a nuclear threat from Russia in the early days of the Ukraine conflict. Clip: APFree links to read more on this topic:US pauses ‘Project Freedom’ as Trump seeks way out of Hormuz impasseUS warns Europe of delays to arms shipments as Iran war drains stockpilesPentagon to pull 5,000 soldiers out of Germany in dispute over Iran warDonald Trump’s Iran war has cost $25bn, Pentagon saysOur inaugural FT Weekend Festival in NYC is quickly approaching! Join John Lithgow, Orna Guralnik, Jancis Robinson and more on Saturday, June 20 at Spring Studios or online — as the FT Weekend comes to life for one unforgettable day. Register now and as a podcast listener save 10% off using our code FTPodcast— this is the Saturday you won’t want to miss it.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.Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachmanRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Gideon talks to Dmytro Kuleba, former Ukrainian foreign minister, about the current state of Russia’s war against Ukraine. What would it take to break the stalemate and how has the conflict been impacted by the US-Israeli attack on Iran? Clips: DW; ReutersFree links to read more on this topic:Vladimir Putin pares back Victory Day parade over fear of Ukrainian strikes US ambassador to Ukraine to leave over differences with Donald TrumpUkraine’s drone pilots hit Russian targets from 500km awayToxic rain falls on Russian city after refinery blazeSubscribe 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

Those who do not study history may be destined to repeat it . . . and lose money. The Story of Money is a new podcast from The Financial Times exploring the past to see where the next opportunities — and disasters — may lie. Hosted by FT columnist Gillian Tett and FT Alphaville editor Robin Wigglesworth, The Story of Money explores the history of global finance through the people, ideas, events, and institutions that have shaped it. From unregulated frontier banking experiments in 19th-century America to institutionalised debt forgiveness in ancient Mesopotamia, The Story of Money traces how financial systems evolve — and why familiar patterns often repeat — offering context for everything from market cycles to emerging AI trends.Watch episode 1: They are history’s geniuses. But were they any good at investing?