Latest Interviews
Showing 1–15 of 22 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist6 min
What can Big Macs tell you about the global economy? | The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Simon, Henry, Josh
Conceived by economics correspondent Pam Woodall, the Big Mac Index uses McDonald's standardized burger prices to gauge Purchasing Power Parity and identify currency misalignments across nations. While widely cited in academic research and occasionally utilized for long-term investment strategy, the metric remains largely symbolic for traders and has faced public rejection from countries like Taiwan that actively undervalue their currencies. Despite successes such as predicting the euro's initial overvaluation, the index cannot account for institutional confidence or central bank policies that frequently drive exchange rates away from theoretical PPP values.
- The Economist7 min
Why Le Pen is keeping Trump at a distance | The Economist
Le Pen, Trump, Edward Carr, Adam Roberts, Sophie Pedder
France currently stands as Europe's only power combining significant military spending with the operational will to deploy forces globally, fostering a strong strategic partnership between President Macron and Prime Minister Starmer. Conversely, the rise of the far-right National Rally under Marine Le Pen threatens to fracture the EU's core France-Germany axis by prioritizing national sovereignty over integration, potentially clashing with Berlin on Ukraine policy and demanding fiscal concessions. While Le Pen's administration seeks to reduce EU contributions and rollback regulations, the French public's reluctance toward total withdrawal may force the party to adopt a more restrained, albeit disruptive, approach to European reform.
- The Economist7 min
Should Latin America replicate El Salvador’s President Bukele’s crackdown on gangs? | The Economist
Bukele, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
El Salvador has dramatically reduced its murder rate to levels comparable to Canada by imprisoning 2% of its adult population while systematically dismantling democratic institutions, including the legislature and judiciary, to consolidate power under President Nayib Bukele. This authoritarian security model exploits the distinct economics of extortion, which relies on civilian reporting, unlike drug trafficking operations where high profits from prohibition incentivize continued cultivation and recruitment. While experts debate the exportability of Bukele's tactics, the consensus identifies the legalization of cocaine and the shift from military eradication to financial investigation as the only viable long-term strategies to dismantle illicit trade networks.
- The Economist6 min
How high could the oil price go? | The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Mathieu, Henry
Global oil markets face a structural crisis where a 14 million barrel-per-day supply deficit has eroded the "sanguine" expectation of a quick peace deal, creating a price disconnect that literature estimates would require $167 to $460 per barrel to correct. With production gains from non-conflicted regions proving negligible, the market is currently absorbing this shortfall through record-fast inventory drawdowns of 8 to 10 million barrels daily, driven by pre-war shipments and sanctions-induced cargo displacement. As critical buffers for jet fuel and diesel approach minimum levels and logistical constraints lengthen trade routes, the only remaining adjustment mechanisms involve further depletion of commercial stocks or active demand destruction in major consuming regions like Asia.
- The Economist9 min
The new AI model that’s alarming Washington | The Economist
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Zannie, Daria, Ed, Alex, Dario Amadei
Anthropic has unveiled Mythos, an AI model demonstrating unprecedented cybersecurity capabilities that triggered immediate emergency meetings involving US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell, and major tech executives. To prevent the democratization of these dangerous attack vectors, the company has restricted general access to a select group of partners including Apple and Microsoft, mirroring safety protocols from 2019 while aiming to help firms patch vulnerabilities before the technology leaks. This crisis has catalyzed a shift in the Trump administration's stance, prompting discussions on international coordination and a potential industry-led certification framework to manage the deployment of high-risk AI models.
- The Economist9 min
Will China be the real winner from the Iran war? | The Economist
Edward Carr, David Rennie, Adam Roberts, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Ed
Chinese strategic leadership now prioritizes establishing new economic chokeholds in pharmaceuticals and chemicals while explicitly exploiting Donald Trump's transactional nature to secure high-end chip access, fearing that his potential political decline would empower hawkish rivals like Marco Rubio. This approach is underpinned by a cynical calculation that the United States is losing global favorability and alliance cohesion, prompting Beijing to cautiously normalize relations with Southeast Asian partners and free-ride on the existing US-led security order. Despite acknowledging the need for systemic adaptation, China's strategy remains paralyzed by an internal contradiction, lacking a viable plan for a destabilized "law of the jungle" environment while simultaneously avoiding the risks required to lead a new global order.
- The Economist9 min
What would be the point of an American strike on Iran? | The Economist
Edward Carr, Ed, Shashank, Greg
Two US aircraft carrier strike groups and over 100 fighter jets, including F-22s landed in Israel, have assembled in the Gulf and Mediterranean to execute high-intensity strikes without establishing a large-scale ground presence in Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Analysts warn that the undefined strategic aim—ranging from punitive punishment to coercive diplomacy or regime change—fundamentally determines the conflict's duration and feasibility. Negotiations remain deadlocked over specific nuclear constraints, as Washington seeks a permanent agreement eliminating sunset clauses while Iran resists total uranium enrichment restrictions.
- The Economist10 min
What would Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve look like? | The Economist
Kevin Warsh, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Henry, Zannie, Archie
President Trump has nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh as the next Chair, contingent on the White House removing a Senate blockade led by Senator Tom Tillis regarding the investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh's proposed strategy, termed "Warshonomics," seeks to lower interest rates by coupling an anticipated AI-driven productivity surge with balance sheet contraction to offset inflationary risks, despite his historical reputation as a hawk. While experts predict Warsh will implement a slightly more dovish policy yielding one or two rate cuts, his ability to align the FOMC with President Trump's demands remains a significant governance risk complicated by potential political backlash.
- The Economist9 min
Why are ICE agents targeting Minneapolis?
The administration targeted the Democratic stronghold of Minneapolis for immigration enforcement to politically polarize voters and challenge officials like Governor Tim Walz, despite the city's small immigrant population creating logistical challenges for meeting enforcement quotas. This strategy follows disputed border agent shootings, including the killing of Alex Preti, where conflicting narratives between officials and video evidence have fueled public opposition and shifted polling toward abolishing ICE. As Minnesota leaders face federal investigations and federal agents preempt local inquiries, escalating tensions between state and federal authorities are driving potential government shutdowns while large protests continue in freezing conditions to contest the administration's monopoly on defining the facts.
- The Economist8 min
How Netanyahu’s rival would end Israel’s war in Gaza
Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
Candidate Yair Gantz frames the upcoming Israeli election as a pivotal choice between internal tribalism and a national renaissance, arguing that the current crisis stems from fabricated animosity rather than genuine policy differences. While positioning his security stance as more hawkish than Prime Minister Netanyahu's by holding the incumbent responsible for the October 7 failures, he pledges to annihilate Hamas and implement a "Gaza 2.0" vision that explicitly rejects a Palestinian state as an existential threat. Gantz plans to launch a diplomatic tour of Arab leaders to reposition Israel regionally, emphasizing pragmatic improvements in Palestinian dignity over statehood while prioritizing the defeat of Hamas as the prerequisite for any future rebuilding efforts.
- The Economist6 min
Binyamin Netanyahu on how Israel justifies its war in Gaza
Binyamin Netanyahu, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
In a strategic discussion regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends Israel's military conduct as a necessary defense of modern civilization against radical Islam while disputing casualty ratio claims by citing specific urban warfare constraints. Conversely, the dialogue highlights a growing international backlash regarding civilian losses and presents a counter-narrative warning that Israel's operational approach risks long-term isolation and reputational damage in Western democracies. The exchange concludes by contrasting Israel's successful hostage recovery operations with allegations of Hamas atrocities, framing the dispute as a fundamental clash over global security values and the legitimacy of proportional force.
- The Economist10 min
Is China the new superpower?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Ant, David, Ed, Alice
The analysis examines the People's Liberation Army's advanced regional military capabilities and manufacturing dominance while highlighting severe internal economic stagnation, including three years of deflation and rising youth unemployment. Although China lacks the global projection power of the United States, its strategic focus on national security and superior hypersonic technology positions it to dominate the Indo-Pacific region. Experts conclude that while Beijing will achieve significant geopolitical strength, its long-term stability faces challenges from domestic discontent and an overreliance on foreign markets that it cannot fully control.
- The Economist7 min
Why doesn’t the UK become closer to the EU?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
Analysts predict Prime Minister Starmer will gradually pivot to a pro-EU stance by 2028–2029, driven by strong public support for closer ties that has outlasted the domestic political trauma of Brexit. Concurrently, the government has successfully reduced net migration to approximately 200,000 annually through stricter visa rules, though rising asylum claims continue to fuel a public perception of failing border control. This stabilization of migration figures may enable a political shift toward accepting free movement with the EU within three years, provided internal European instability does not undermine cooperation.
- The Economist9 min
What we know about the Ukraine peace plan
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Olly, Ed, Shashank, Zannie, Chris
Emerging from Geneva talks, a draft treaty to partition Ukraine has evolved from a 28-point plan to an 18-point document featuring relaxed military caps and the potential removal of constitutional bans on NATO membership. While special representative Steve Witkoff allegedly advised Russian negotiators on pressure tactics and leaked communications cast suspicion on the security of the process, key disputes remain regarding the status of Donbass, the enforceability of vague US security guarantees, and the exclusion of European military forces. Analysts warn that despite the removal of restrictive weapon bans, the proposed framework relies on unenforceable terms and creates a strategic vacuum for Ukraine's post-war defense.
- The Economist10 min
Were we wrong about Trump's tariffs?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr, Henry, John, Ed
Recent trade policies have established the highest tariff levels in ninety years, creating a significant gap between announced rates and effective collection due to supply chain shifts and business cost absorption. While the U.S. economy experienced its weakest half-year growth since 2012 with rising inflation, political dynamics are shifting toward protectionism across both parties despite bipartisan opposition from key figures like Mitch McConnell. Experts warn that arbitrary policy implementation and entrenched lobbying interests will likely create long-term structural damage and market isolation, even if an immediate recession is avoided.