The Rachman Review

Gideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman Empire and Ataturk to the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. Gideon and Simon examine the region's complexities and interconnectedness and whether lessons from the past can offer a glimpse into the future. CLIP: British Pathé

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Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homes
The exodus from Israel
Egypt deploys jets to UAE as Iran war strains Arab alliances
Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night
Israel moves to give police powers in occupied West Bank
Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Gideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. After six months of on-off hostilities, Nasr argues, Iran’s core aims are unchanged - ending the US threat and securing economic relief. But Iran now looks to have the upper hand and is using its leverage from controlling the Strait of Hormuz to seek ever more far-reaching concessions from the superpower. Clip: CTV

Free links to read more on this topic:
Will failure in Iran reshape how the US fights?
Iran’s supreme leader elevates loyalists as he tightens grip
Trump and the failure of the Fafo doctrine
Brinkmanship in the Strait of Hormuz
Israel’s campaign to make southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government.

Clip: BBC

Free links to read more on this topic:
Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protests
India’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enough
India should listen to its frustrated youth
Why India’s student protests are different
India’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quits

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government. Clip: BBC

Free links to read more on this topic:
Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protests
India’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enough
India should listen to its frustrated youth
Why India’s student protests are different
India’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quits

Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.

Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical disputes on global trade with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Clip: Al Jazeera

Free links to read more on this topic:
Trump vows to deliver ‘beating’ to Iran in retaliation for latest attack
Saudi Arabia joins US strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq
Ukraine, Iran and how regional wars go global
Donald Trump rebuilds his tariff wall

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 Sean McGarrity.
Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.