Ones and Tooze
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy economics columnist Adam Tooze, a history professor and a popular author, is encyclopedic about basically everything: from the COVID shutdown, to climate change, to pasta sauce. On our new podcast, Tooze and FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi will look at two data points each week that explain the world: one drawn from the week’s headlines and the other from just about anywhere else Tooze takes us. Check out Adam Tooze’s column at https://foreignpolicy.com/author/adam-tooze/.
Episodes
Mentioned books
105 snips
Apr 10, 2026 • 58min
The Energy Crisis
A wide-ranging take on an Iran-driven energy shock and how it echoes Suez and 1970s oil crises. They probe supply chokepoints, market integration, and renewable supply-chain geopolitics. A deep dive into Hungary's politics examines national capitalism, ties with Russia and China, and why populist leadership attracts global admirers.
54 snips
Apr 6, 2026 • 39min
Interview with Iran Expert Ali Vaez
Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project and Iran politics scholar, joins to unpack Tehran’s post-strike power shifts and new hardline figures. He discusses Iran’s resilient command networks, contingency ‘mosaic’ plans, and risk tolerance. Talks cover negotiation channels, Tehran’s cost calculus, regional fallout, and how Iran might rebuild militarily and seek external partners.
29 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 39min
The Economics That Drove the Tiananmen Square Protests
Adam Tooze, Columbia history professor and Foreign Policy economics columnist, offers a compact historical-economic take on the 1989 Tiananmen protests. He traces inflation, overheating growth, and widening socioeconomic displacement. He maps policy responses, Deng's 1992 pivot, US-China reintegration, and how those shifts shaped China’s long-term political-economy.
63 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 31min
The Enduring Impact of the War in Iran
Adam Tooze, Columbia history professor and economics columnist, brings wide-ranging analysis to the Iran war's fallout. He discusses Gulf states' differing roles, Dubai's commercial resilience, why Gulf oil exporters invest in renewables, and how China and airlines may be affected. Short, sharp takes on global coalitions, supply-chain risks, and who wins or loses economically.
76 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 55min
Iran and Habermas
Adam Tooze, Columbia history professor and foreign policy economics columnist, offers sweeping analysis of Iran’s escalation and global oil market shocks. He explores Strait of Hormuz risks, war insurance costs, and Iran’s strategic advantages. He then turns to Jürgen Habermas, outlining his ideas on the public sphere, communicative action, and critiques of technocracy.
117 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 49min
China’s Five-Year Plan
Adam Tooze, Columbia professor and Foreign Policy economics columnist, offers sharp historical and economic perspective. He unpacks China’s new five‑year plan, its modest 4.5% growth target, and how planning shapes projects, green goals, and tech priorities. He also touches on demographics, housing risks, and why planners frame targets as realistic rather than crisis‑driven.
115 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 51min
The War on Iran
A deep look at how a U.S.–Israeli war on Iran could spread across the region and reshape global markets. They discuss munitions limits, costly missile defenses, and the offense versus defense imbalance. Energy risks for oil, gas and fertilizer markets get attention, along with broader regional economic fallout and the strategic posture of China.
85 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 42min
What a War With Iran Might Look Like
A deep conversation about what a U.S. war with Iran might actually look like, from missile math and interceptor shortfalls to risks of mining the Strait of Hormuz. They walk through military options, retaliation scenarios, and how intelligence blind spots shape decisions. The discussion also covers naval vulnerabilities and how China and Russia might respond.
116 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 59min
Trump's Economy, One Year On
A sharp rundown of tariff impacts, immigration shifts, and large federal workforce cuts in year one of a new administration. They trace how these moves affected manufacturing, tax processing, and housing affordability. The conversation also covers crypto's political role and a country report on Dutch politics, labor patterns, and chip-industry strengths.
120 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 49min
The AI Economy
A deep dive into Big Tech pouring roughly $650 billion into AI and what that capital shock means for growth and local economies. Discussion of whether this investment is a short-term boom, a bubble, or a transformative shift with uneven winners. A separate look at Germany’s years of stagnation, political responses, and shifting European industrial and defense alignments.
