Latest Interviews

Should covid-19 vaccines be mandatory?

Natasha Lodo

Debate over mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies intensifies as approximately 30% of U.S. adults remain unvaccinated, creating a polarized divide between public health advocates and those defending bodily autonomy. While jurisdictions like Italy and U.S. states such as California have implemented employer mandates and federal testing requirements, the nation lacks a uniform national strategy due to constitutional limitations and stark political opposition. Historical precedents from the smallpox era and mixed results from financial incentive programs suggest that future vaccine mandates will remain highly localized, varying significantly by state politics and legal frameworks.

Henry Kissinger: how Biden should handle China

Henry Kissinger, Biden

Henry Kissinger outlines a precarious escalation in US-China tensions, warning that mutually exclusive narratives on hegemony and interference require a foundational agreement to exclude high-tech warfare and enforce mutual restraint. He evaluates the Biden administration's diplomatic tone as an improvement over the previous era, yet notes that its approach remains a strategic balancing act between domestic political pressures and the urgent international necessity of coexistence. Kissinger concludes that the unique challenge of sustaining a relationship between a democratic United States and a "Confucian Marxist" China demands the explicit definition of specific issues rather than reliance on a rules-based order that is not currently applied to Beijing.

Mass extinction: what can stop it?

Katrine Brahek

Experts warn that human reliance on deteriorating ecological networks, with one million species at risk of extinction, poses an immediate threat to global food security and climate stability. While advanced technologies like AI-powered trail guards and satellite imaging have improved monitoring and anti-poaching efforts, these tools remain ineffective without robust political will and enforceable policies. The failure to meet the 2020 Aichi conservation targets highlights an urgent need for governments to transition from vague goals to funded, ground-level interventions to prevent a catastrophic ecological collapse.

Did covid-19 leak from a Chinese lab?

Natasha Loda

One year after the COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths and trillions in economic damage, scientists continue to debate whether the virus emerged via natural zoonotic spillover or escaped the Wuhan Institute of Virology. While early dismissal of the lab leak theory was fueled by political rhetoric, recent shifts and confirmed past genetic engineering capabilities at the facility have compelled intelligence agencies to investigate further despite China's obstruction of raw data. Experts maintain that a natural origin remains the most probable scenario, yet the inability to access withheld information means the virus's true source may remain an unsolved mystery for decades.

Can Brazil Survive Bolsonaro?

Bolsonaro, Joe Biden, Lula, Sarah Maslin

Set against Rio de Janeiro's backdrop of systemic corruption, high police violence, and pandemic-driven healthcare strain, President Jair Bolsonaro navigated a political crisis marked by Brazil's highest global death toll in April 2020 and a catastrophic rise in Amazon deforestation. Although his 2018 election capitalized on anti-corruption sentiment and evangelical support through an initial emergency welfare program, his approval ratings have since collapsed below 30% due to soaring unemployment, the withdrawal of economic aid, and failed anti-corruption reforms that protect his family. As the nation approaches the 2022 presidential rematch between Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, democratic institutions like the Supreme Court continue to check executive overreach while analysts warn of escalating tension between the military, the government, and long-term democratic stability.

Why trophy hunting helps protect animals

Dan, Johnny, Marina Lamprecht

Proponents of regulated trophy hunting in Namibia and Zimbabwe argue that the industry generates tens of millions of dollars annually to fund conservation, support over 770,000 households, and prevent wildlife extinction in areas where photo tourism is unviable. By retaining local control over land use and enforcing strict government quotas, these regions report significant rebounds in species such as the white rhino and lion while funding essential community projects like school meals. Conversely, critics warn that corruption in poorly governed nations often diverts revenue, leading some conservationists to call for international funding models that protect habitats without relying on controversial hunting practices.

How covid-19 exposes systemic racism in America

Trevor Phillips, Jason Stanley

One year after George Floyd's murder catalyzed global protests, discussions have shifted toward structural racism's role in health and technology, highlighted by pandemic-era data showing Black patients faced nearly double the mortality risk due to medical device miscalibration and facial recognition errors. Experts characterize these disparities as systemic issues arising from unexamined biases in research and design rather than individual malice, noting that light-skin calibration in pulse oximeters led to critical misdiagnoses while flawed algorithms caused mistaken arrests. Resolving these inequities requires institutions to confront unconscious biases and restructure underlying systems, a complex process hindered by the difficulty of assigning blame to systems without clear individual villains.

How to deal with big tech

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Martin Chavez, Amy Klobuchar, Anne

Senator Amy Klobuchar argues that the concentrated market power of tech giants like Google, Apple, and Meta stifles innovation and harms consumers, prompting her to advocate for a comprehensive "competition policy" that includes stricter antitrust enforcement, privacy regulations, and content moderation mandates. Highlighting recent bipartisan lawsuits and hearings that exposed harmful fee structures and misinformation risks, she proposes legislation to prevent app store gatekeepers from blocking cheaper payment options while aligning US standards with European precedents. Klobuchar warns that without these proactive measures to restore fair competition, the United States faces a future where dominant platforms control essential markets and threaten democratic institutions just as the AT&T breakup once did.

Covid-19: how many people have died?

Sondre Ulvand-Solstad

The Economist's statistical model revises global pandemic mortality to approximately 10 million deaths, significantly exceeding official counts due to severe underreporting in developing nations and specific outliers like Russia. By analyzing 121 demographic and geographic indicators, the study reveals that current daily death spikes, particularly in India, signal a shift where the virus is driving mass mortality in less internationally connected regions. These findings reclassify several countries based on excess deaths while noting that demographic age structures and reduced transmission of other infectious diseases create complex regional disparities in fatality rates.

Is Myanmar a failed state?

Following a February 1st military coup that has resulted in over 780 deaths and 3,800 arrests, the junta has detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on multiple charges while facing a nascent civil war as the Bamar majority joins ethnic militias in armed resistance. Although international sanctions and diplomatic pressure from the West have targeted senior generals, robust intervention remains blocked by veto power wielded by China and Russia, who prioritize regional infrastructure and strategic arms sales. Consequently, Myanmar risks becoming a failed state plagued by collapsing health systems, uncontrolled drug production, and cross-border refugee flows, while the military inherits a devastated economy despite its current control.

Alexei Navalny: will the West stand up to Russia?

Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Shashank Joshi

Vladimir Putin has escalated tensions by re-detaining opposition leader Alexei Navalny and deploying over 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border to signal domestic strength and test Western resolve. While the United States and its allies respond with targeted sanctions against intelligence operatives and diplomatic expulsions, experts warn that these measures have thus far failed to alter Kremlin behavior or prevent the intimidation of Ukraine. The West now prepares for a severe security crisis and fresh sanctions should Moscow pursue further aggression or annexation in the Donbass region, marking a critical shift in European security dynamics.

The Trial of the Chicago 7: fact v drama

Aaron Sorkin

In an *Economist Asks* podcast discussion regarding his Oscar-nominated film *The Trial of the Chicago 7*, writer Aaron Sorkin defends the use of artistic truth over strict journalistic accuracy to highlight parallels between 1968 protests and 2020 racial justice demonstrations. Sorkin justifies specific narrative compressions, such as condensing Bobby Seale's four-day ordeal into a single sequence and reassigning a Vietnam casualty reading to Tom Hayden, as necessary dramatic choices to preserve the emotional core and ideological tension between incrementalism and revolution. He concludes that while these creative liberties alter the historical timeline, they ultimately serve the film's thesis without distorting the spirit of the actual events.

How AI is transforming the creative industries

Tom Standage

Experts at the event analyzed how AI acts as a collaborative tool that reshapes the creative arts landscape rather than simply displacing human artists. Key figures such as artist Mario Klingermann and Professor Marcus de Sautoy highlighted the emergence of new roles like data curators while addressing urgent legal challenges regarding intellectual property and voice mimicry. The consensus points toward a future where these technologies foster unprecedented forms of artistic expression, though the industry must navigate significant ethical and regulatory transitions to protect current creators.

The remote-working revolution: how to get it right

Donna Sarkar, Calum Williams

Experts analyze the permanent integration of remote work, highlighting divergent global adoption rates and emerging legal complexities regarding tax liability and employment jurisdiction across nations like Finland and France. The discussion further examines operational risks such as workplace inequality, where junior staff face hurdles in networking and ergonomic safety, prompting corporate policy shifts including salary adjustments and office space reductions. Ultimately, the convergence of evolving national legislation and internal employer frameworks aims to establish sustainable boundaries for working hours, digital privacy, and future organizational structures.

Can vaccine passports kickstart the economy?

Helen Joyce

Governments worldwide are deploying vaccine passports to accelerate economic recovery and restore civil freedoms, with Israel's "Green Pass" serving as a primary model driving a projected 7.5% growth rate. While these digital credentials facilitate access to venues and travel, their implementation faces significant hurdles including the risk of viral transmission from new variants, deepening socioeconomic inequalities along generational and racial lines, and serious civil liberties concerns regarding data privacy. Experts warn that without robust transparency and sustained vaccine efficacy, these temporary measures could evolve into permanent mechanisms that further entrench disparities between wealthy and developing nations.