Latest Interviews
Showing 31–41 of 41 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist7 min
What is the future of the British monarchy?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Catherine Nixey
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III assumes the throne amid a rapid surge in domestic approval ratings and significant global concern regarding the future cohesion of the Commonwealth. The monarch faces the immediate challenge of overcoming a legacy of personal controversies and establishing a distinct constitutional identity while attempting to distance himself from the monumental stature of his mother. Despite widespread speculation about slimming down the royal family, the institution is expected to endure as the transition solidifies Britain's status as a mid-sized nation with a shortened reign ahead.
- The Economist16 min
War in Ukraine: The Economist interviews Tony Blair
Tony Blair, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair characterized Vladimir Putin as a detached autocrat who has dismantled Russian democracy to build personal wealth while predicting his eventual downfall and Ukraine's future integration into the European Union. Blair critiqued Western strategic retreat in Africa and the Middle East, arguing that bureaucratic inefficiency has allowed China and Russia to expand their influence despite local preferences for Western ties. He urged Europe to accept short-term economic sacrifices to supply Ukraine with offensive weaponry and warned that the 21st century's defining geopolitical challenge lies in managing the United States' complex relationship with China without pushing Beijing into an alignment with Moscow.
- The Economist24 min
War in Ukraine: The Economist interviews President Zelensky
Zelensky, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Economist editor-in-chief Jeremy Paxman traveled to Kyiv to interview President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the war's trajectory, victory conditions, and critical gaps in Western military support. Zelensky asserts that Ukraine will fight until the last city while criticizing insufficient Western sanctions and inconsistent aid from Germany and the United States compared to the consistent backing of the United Kingdom. The President further warns of potential chemical weapon deployments by Russia and argues that a post-war resolution requires a decisive victory rather than compromises that threaten Ukraine's sovereignty.
- The Economist9 min
Malala: what Ukraine’s invasion means for girls’ education
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai addressed global crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other regions, emphasizing that war creates irreversible damage and urging leaders to redefine humanitarian funding to explicitly include education. She highlighted a critical digital gender gap exacerbated by conflict and called for strict international dialogue with the Taliban regarding women's rights, advocating for the release of frozen Afghan reserves to support economic recovery. Ultimately, Yousafzai asserted that quality education is fundamental to peace and stability, demanding that current educational bans in conflict zones be treated as urgent global priorities.
- The Economist14 min
Bill Gates: How to fund the green revolution
Bill Gates, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Bill Gates outlines the necessity of achieving net-zero emissions through massive technological innovation to solve hard-to-abate industrial sectors like steel and aviation, rather than relying solely on behavioral change. He argues that a $2 trillion global investment strategy must prioritize public R&D funding and venture capital to eliminate the green premium, with the United States serving as the essential exemplar and primary buyer to drive down costs. While carbon taxes remain politically elusive, the path forward requires governments and corporations to shift from symbolic actions to substantive financing of real decarbonization technologies alongside historical emission reductions.
- The Economist8 min
Covid-19: Bill Gates predicts the end of the pandemic
Bill Gates, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Bill Gates warns that the pandemic's global economic and health toll has surpassed earlier projections, prompting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pivot its resources toward financing the manufacturing and distribution of six promising vaccine candidates. While Phase III trials project 80% to 90% efficacy by September, Gates emphasizes that securing $10 billion to $12 billion is critical to overcoming current funding gaps and ensuring low-cost access for developing nations without which global herd immunity remains unattainable. He further cautions that achieving the estimated 30% to 60% vaccination coverage needed to halt transmission by late 2021 depends heavily on sustained US leadership, as the decline in multilateral cooperation and rising debt risks in emerging markets threaten to exacerbate existing inequalities and economic instability.
- The Economist10 min
Covid-19: what will happen to the global economy?
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr
The pandemic has triggered the deepest global recession since the 1930s, establishing a permanent "90 economy" where behavioral shifts rather than lockdown mandates drive lasting contraction in sectors like tourism and manufacturing. While the United States has retreated from global coordination, China is expanding its digital financial influence, though a full displacement of the US dollar remains a prolonged process due to historical inertia. Concurrently, developing nations face acute vulnerability from debt burdens and export shocks, while youth unemployment risks causing long-term labor market scarring that necessitates diversifying supply chains rather than abandoning globalization.
- The Economist10 min
Covid-19: what you need to know about the second wave
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Slavea Chankova
Experts anticipate recurring, localized waves of the virus driven by specific vulnerable populations until a vaccine achieves herd immunity. Governments are expected to prioritize targeted restrictions over broad lockdowns to mitigate economic fallout, though compliance may wane as public fatigue sets in. Simultaneously, unprecedented scientific collaboration contrasts with weak multilateral coordination on trade and travel, while authoritarian regimes leverage the crisis to consolidate power and democratic institutions face heightened risks regarding civil liberties and election security.
- The Economist24 min
David Miliband on the future of liberalism
David Miliband, Zanny Minton Beddoes
David Miliband critiques the current global political landscape by diagnosing a triad of broken economic, cultural, and political contracts that have fueled populist movements across Europe and the United States. He advocates for a revitalized social democracy offering concrete solutions to inequality, while urging the West to maintain a unified front in managing relations with China and resolving refugee crises through enhanced international cooperation rather than isolationism. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the International Rescue Committee's operational challenges and a strategic call for "peacemaking" to address the root causes of modern displacement.
- The Economist35 min
Steve Bannon debate at The Economist #OpenFutures festival
Steve Bannon, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Julissa Arce, Daniel Franklin
Steve Bannon articulates a strategy of economic nationalism that prioritizes immigration restrictions and trade protectionism to reclaim American jobs, while defending European populist leaders like Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini as legitimate defenders of national sovereignty. He characterizes China as a totalitarian rival in an economic war and frames the Paris Climate Agreement as a geopolitical failure, arguing instead that the true threat to the working class lies in the convergence of automation and genetic engineering. This worldview drives a broader mission to deconstruct the administrative state and appoint conservative judges who can dismantle regulatory overreach, positioning Donald Trump as the essential vehicle to break the "medieval theology" of free trade.
- The Economist8 min
Women and the Saudi revolution
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Noor Shabib, Hoda al-Halaissi
Led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia is executing a rapid top-down modernization strategy that lifts social restrictions like the ban on women driving while simultaneously centralizing political power and suppressing dissent. Although these reforms aim to diversify the oil-dependent economy by integrating the majority-female university graduate workforce, they face significant risks from religious puritans, rival royals, and a volatile youth population whose aspirations remain unmet by the regime's refusal to democratize. The success of this delicate balancing act is critical, as a stable, moderate Saudi Arabia could significantly enhance regional security and offer a counter-narrative to extremist interpretations of Islam globally.