The Rachman Review

‘Regime roulette’ in Venezuela: Is Greenland next?

Now that the Trump administration has fully embraced the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ - a policy claiming the western hemisphere as a US sphere of influence - which country will be next in the line of fire? Gideon discusses this with Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group consultancy, which has just published its top risk report for 2026. Free links to read more on this topic: Venezuela and the trouble with the Donroe doctrine [https://on.ft.com/3LAQWT2] Greenland’s future must be decided by island and Denmark, Starmer warns Trump [https://on.ft.com/4jt4PiC] Donald Trump’s imperial Venezuela folly will leave America no richer [https://on.ft.com/4puNOGf] The gangs, goons and guerrillas running swaths of Venezuela [https://on.ft.com/49fb4mY] No, Trump is not a fascist [https://on.ft.com/4qhB5ba] 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 Simon Panayi and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

2025: a year of chaos and confusion

Gideon and guests look back at 2025 as well as forward to the year ahead in an FT Live discussion for the Global Boardroom. Donald Trump set the tone of world politics this year from his tariff wars to his efforts to make peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, while also bombing Iran and threatening Venezuela. In a bid to make sense of the contradictions, Gideon is joined by Leslie Vinjamuri, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Dan Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher school at Tufts university in Boston, and James Crabtree, author of an acclaimed book on Modi's India and a forthcoming book on US-China tensions in the Pacific. Clip: PBS Free links to read more on this topic: When business and democracy don’t mix [https://on.ft.com/459r0Ev] The AfD’s love-in with Maga [https://on.ft.com/3YkJyhD] Open source could pop the AI bubble — and soon [https://on.ft.com/48GRJuy] China is making trade impossible [https://on.ft.com/4j2JsVj] 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 Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/gideonrachman.bsky.social], @gideonrachman [https://twitter.com/gideonrachman] Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com [https://www.ft.com/content/1e628806-8922-4ea7-a08d-7fa115ef9bce] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Trump takes aim at South Africa

Donald Trump has accused South Africa of carrying out a genocide against its white population. He also says the nation does not deserve to be a member of the G20, which it hosted last month. FT Africa editor David Pilling - standing in for Gideon - puts these allegations to two South Africans, Lawson Naidoo, a civil society activist, and Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, a foreign policy expert. What is the state of race relations in the country and how are South Africans reacting to the allegations? Clip: CNN Free links to read more on this topic: South Africa arrests Kenyans working at US-run Afrikaner ‘refugee’ centre [https://on.ft.com/4pjl1Vf] The ‘pampered princess’ accused of trafficking South Africans to Russia [https://on.ft.com/4p1NvT9] How South Africa’s underworld infiltrated its government [https://on.ft.com/4alMuSj] South Africans question future of Black empowerment policies [https://on.ft.com/4iYfRw0] South Africa’s credit rating upgraded for first time in two decades [https://on.ft.com/4p0JfTU] Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe. Presented by Devid Pilling. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/gideonrachman.bsky.social], @gideonrachman [https://twitter.com/gideonrachman] Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com [https://www.ft.com/content/7d8bbbc8-15b7-49e1-abb6-2532c85201e9] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Europe’s rocky relations with Donald Trump

Gideon talks to Jens Stoltenberg, Nato's former secretary-general, about Ukraine and Europe's strategic priorities after recent scathing criticism from US president Donald Trump over its failure to end the war: ‘They talk but they don’t produce.’ Clip: Politico Free links to read more on this topic: The White House’s rupture with the western alliance [https://on.ft.com/4oKqQdP] Trump pushes for ‘free economic zone’ in Donbas, says Zelenskyy [https://on.ft.com/48MUgSJ] Friedrich Merz offers to host Ukraine talks so deal not done ‘above Europe’s head’ [https://on.ft.com/4oNUdvW] Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ that Donald Trump wants to trade for peace [https://on.ft.com/48DYQCw] Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com [https://www.ft.com/content/40b12ae8-30a1-4876-875c-9af7d7be7ab8] 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 Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Follow Gideon on Bluesky or X @gideonrachman.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/gideonrachman.bsky.social], @gideonrachman [https://twitter.com/gideonrachman] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Splits in the Maga movement

Gideon talks to Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest, about the rows over racism, Epstein and Israel that have broken out in Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement. Clips: Tucker Carlson, Right wing watch, Dana Loesch Free links to read more on this topic: Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign from Congress after clash with Donald Trump [https://on.ft.com/4iANOTn] Trump’s Maga coalition fractures over far-right interview [https://on.ft.com/48w1Fpn] Maga vs AI: Donald Trump’s Big Tech courtship risks a backlash [https://on.ft.com/48yyTV0] Donald Trump’s Maga base split over handling of Jeffrey Epstein files [https://on.ft.com/448cL2x] 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 Breen Turner and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com [https://www.ft.com/content/3afeb45f-d730-4725-904b-7ca1c63be941] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.