The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday this award-winning podcast 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. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page at https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
27 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 24min
Hasta la victoria, quizás: Cuba’s broken economy
Sarah Birke, Cuba reporter, describes how long-term mismanagement and US pressure have hollowed the island’s economy. Natasha Loder, health editor, and Tim Cross, science writer, unpack the booming unregulated peptide trade and its safety and regulatory worries. Ann Wroe, obituaries editor, recounts Chuck Norris’s odd rise to macho-meme fame. Short, sharp looks at crisis, wellness fads and cultural myth-making.
28 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 22min
Algorithm and blues: a watershed social-media verdict
Tom Wainwright, media editor who breaks down the California social‑media verdict and its legal ripple effects. Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor who maps how maritime choke points shape geopolitics. Alex Selby‑Boothroyd, head of data journalism who traces the global rise of animated films. They discuss platform design and liability, strategic sea lanes and risks to trade, and why animated movies now dominate the box office.
30 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 24min
On goal difference: are America and Israel diverging on Iran?
Anshul Pfeffer, Israel correspondent who analyzes Israeli politics and strategy, discusses tensions over US talks with Iran and how American and Israeli aims may be diverging. He explores limits of measuring regime weakness, recent strikes on Iranian missile capabilities, and whether Israel can sustain its campaign without US backing.
40 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 20min
(Another) all-out war: Afghanistan and Pakistan
Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief with field expertise on Afghanistan and Pakistan; Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent explaining oil and inflation links; Caitlin Talbot, digital culture correspondent tracking listening-party trends. They discuss rising cross-border violence and its roots. They cover how oil shocks can push inflation and influence central-bank choices. They explore why listening parties now drive music launches.
53 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 23min
From bad to awful: Trump’s four options in Iran
Gregg Carlstrom, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, explains four fraught paths for US policy in the Iran war. Alizée Jean-Baptiste, Asia podcasts reporter, digs into Thailand’s monk scandals and why reform is so tricky. They also touch on gene-editing in fruit and how CRISPR could change what we eat.
27 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 25min
Who will deal the final blow? Israel, Lebanon and Hizbullah
Gareth Browne, Beirut-based Middle East correspondent for The Economist, gives on-the-ground analysis of Lebanon, Hezbollah and regional security. He discusses recent Israeli strikes, Lebanese anger at Hezbollah, risks of a ground invasion and whether Lebanon’s army or state can confront the militia. The conversation also touches on wider regional tensions with Iran.
62 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 25min
An act of self-harm: Trump’s latest war might be his undoing
Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent who tracks US social trends, and Piotr Zalewski, Turkey correspondent covering Turkish politics. They discuss Trump's risky war in Iran and how it could weaken his leverage. They explore İmamoğlu's trial and Erdoğan's use of foreign policy to distract from domestic backsliding. They also report on Americans sabotaging food-delivery robots amid cultural unease.
54 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 19min
Flagging carriers: war shuffles the Gulf-airline flight deck
Airspace shutdowns and longer routes are reshaping Gulf carriers and forcing costly reroutes. Jet-fuel spikes and refinery disruptions are squeezing airline economics. Plant-based meats face declining demand after early hype and product-quality debates. PDFs may be at risk as AI struggles with their layout, prompting calls to change formats or improve parsing tools.
62 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 21min
Barrel vault: a Nigerian refining giant rises
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent who covered Aliko Dangote and the new Nigerian refinery. Aryn Braun, West Coast correspondent who reports on the Iranian diaspora in California. They discuss Dangote’s massive refinery and its impact on Nigeria and regional energy. They explore Los Angeles’ large Iranian community and its shifting views amid conflict. Other topics include links between serious illness and later offending.
108 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 23min
Let me get this strait: the Iran-war escalation risk
Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent covering Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Don Weinland, China business and finance editor tracking humanoid-robot industry developments. Harry Taunton, audience editor exploring the science of power naps. They discuss the strategic risks around control of the Strait of Hormuz. They look at China’s push into humanoid robots and who is actually buying them. They explain the science and best practice for short daytime naps.
