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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Episodes
Mentioned books
34 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 21min
Crude awakening: Iran oil shock
Rachana Shanbhogue, business affairs editor explaining how Iran’s strikes on energy and shipping ripple through oil, gas, inflation and markets. Josh Roberts, capital markets correspondent unpacking Britain’s student-loan system and why repayment rules left graduates stuck. Hollie Berman, news editor describing New York’s unexpected line-dancing revival and its appeal to younger crowds.
78 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 25min
Escalation: Middle East war widens
Henry Tricks, US technology editor who covers AI and defence policy, and Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent with on-the-ground reporting, discuss a widening Middle East war. They cover rapid regional strikes and Lebanon’s new front. They debate the Pentagon’s use of AI, Anthropic’s contract limits and the ripple effects for contractors.
75 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 29min
War with Iran: Middle East in flames
Gareth Browne, Dubai-based reporter who filed a vivid first-person dispatch. Gregg Carlstrom, regional correspondent tracking Gulf responses and escalation. Nicolas Pelham, on-the-ground analyst of Iran and its leadership. They discuss Iran’s leadership loss and succession. They describe missile and drone strikes across the Gulf. They outline how Gulf states are reacting to unprecedented instability.
46 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 23min
Bot the difference: AI’s absence in economic data
Alex Domash, an economics correspondent who studies productivity and AI adoption, outlines why macro data so far shows little AI impact. Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, an Africa reporter on regional security, explains a brutal Nigerian attack and the murky interplay of jihadists and bandits. Jon Fasman, a culture correspondent, tells the offbeat life of Maine lobsterman Virginia Oliver and her fierce independence.
14 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 25min
Poised and confused: the will-he-won’t-he of Iran strikes
Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent reporting on Iran’s military build-up and regional risks. Annie Crabill, senior digital editor tracing America’s fraught path from founding to civil war. Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor recommending films and critiquing TV like Bridgerton. They discuss possible US strikes on Iran, how diplomacy might still avert conflict, America’s 250th-era tensions, and sharp entertainment picks.
24 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 24min
Chapo, Mayo, Mencho: another Mexican kingpin falls
Sarah Birke, Mexico City bureau chief who covers politics and security, explains El Mencho's capture and the likely surge of cartel violence. Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia editor who reports on war’s domestic effects, describes how daily life and the economy have shifted under four years of conflict. Short, sharp takes on cartel fragmentation, wartime resource shifts, and life in modern Russia.
10 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 21min
A world-changing war: four years in Ukraine
Oliver Carroll, Kyiv-based correspondent who reports eyewitness scenes; Shashank Joshi, defence analyst on military tech and strategy; Edward Carr, geopolitical analyst at The Economist. They discuss the human cost and frontline realities. They examine changing warfare: drones, transparency and attrition. They debate Europe’s rearmament, global supply links and the challenges to any viable peace.
9 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 21min
When the levy brakes: Trump’s tariffs struck down
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent, on why Agatha Christie's plots and productivity stick. Aaron Connelly, Asia diplomatic editor, on One Nation’s surge and strains in Australia’s conservative coalition. Rachana Shanbhogue, business-affairs editor, on the Supreme Court striking down most of Trump’s tariffs and the messy fallout for trade, businesses and politics.
28 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 22min
The arrest is history: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Ann Wroe, obituaries editor who distills lives into poignant sketches. Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent versed in Gulf diplomacy. Sonny Loughran, Britain writer covering the royal family. They discuss Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest and its strain on the monarchy. They unpack a bitter Saudi–UAE rift and its regional economic and military spillovers. They reflect on Jesse Jackson's life and political legacy.
23 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 26min
The splitting image: Yoon verdict will deepen divisions
Noah Sneider, East Asia bureau chief who covers South Korea, explains how Yoon Suk Yeol's life sentence has intensified political splits and shaken party dynamics. Alex Domash, an economics correspondent who tracks AI and labour markets, discusses whether white-collar roles are really at risk and which job types are changing. They focus on South Korea’s polarisation and AI’s reshaping of white-collar work.
