Ft World Weekly

Tensions have been building between Israel, Iran and Hizbollah, Iran's Lebanese ally, over Israel's concerns that its regional foes are looking to exploit the conflict in Syria to build weapons caches and bases close to the Israeli border. Gideon Rachman discusses the recent skirmishes and the risk of further escalation with Mehul Srivastava and Andrew England.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As another scandal breaks over allegations from the former FBI chief James Comey that Donald Trump is 'morally unfit', Gideon Rachman and Demetri Sevastopulo look back at the US president's first year in office and the challenges that lie ahead  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gideon Rachman discusses the growing confrontation between Russia and the west, and the re-election of Hungary's Viktor Orban, a populist leader who represents a challenge to the traditional values of the European Union, with the FT's Neil Buckley and Alex Barker  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The bitter confrontation between Emmanuel Macron and rail workers over plans to overhaul the country's state train operator is the French president’s most perilous gamble so far. Gideon Rachman discusses what is at stake and who is likely to come out the winner with the FT's Ben Hall and David Keohane.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Egyptians voted in a three-day election this week that is virtually certain to hand Abdel Fattah el-Sisi a second term as president. The only contender running against Mr Sisi, a former military chief who came to power in a popularly backed 2013 coup, is an obscure politician who is a self-confessed supporter of the president. Gideon Rachman discusses what the election means for Egypt with the FT’s Heba Saleh in Cairo and Andrew England in London.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump was hoping that the Russia probe would be over by now but, if anything, it is intensifying with the news that Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organisation to turn over documents. Daniel Dombey asks the FT's Demetri Sevastopulo and Ed Luce how damaging this is for the US president and whether an end is in sight.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter with a rare military-grade nerve agent has sent Russia's relations with the west to fresh lows. Ahead of this week's elections, what does this tell us about what we can expect from Vladimir Putin's next term in office? Gideon Rachman discusses this question with the FT's Neil Buckley and Kathrin Hille.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About half of Italians who voted in Sunday’s elections opted for one of the country’s anti-establishment parties and the country must now stitch together a coalition government. Gideon Rachman discusses what happens next with the FT’s Rachel Sanderson and Tony Barber.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

By signalling his intention to remove the two-term limit on China’s presidency, China's strongman Xi Jinping is discarding more than three decades of precedent aimed at institutionalising the peaceful transition of power. Gideon Rachman discusses the implications of the move with the FT's Tom Mitchell and James Kynge.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US president is being outplayed by special investigator Robert Mueller’s chess moves, but unless the Republican Party turns against him, his presidency still looks secure. Gideon Rachman discusses whether the special investigator's patience will pay off in the end with the FT's Ed Luce and Geoff Dyer.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

South Africa's president Jacob Zuma is clinging to power despite intensifying efforts to remove him. Gideon Rachman discusses the ruling ANC's predicament and whether its new leader Cyril Ramaphosa can restore the country's fortunes with the FT's Andrew England and Joseph Cotterill  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After four months of bargaining, Germany is to have a new government. Angela Merkel will remain chancellor and the foreign and finance minister jobs will be occupied by the centre-left SPD. EU officials are delighted with the pro-European tilt of the latest grand coalition. Daniel Dombey discusses what this means for Germany and Europe with the FT's Alex Barker and Guy Chazan  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Turkey’s attack on a prized US ally in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in north-western Syria has opened a new front in Syria’s seven-year-old civil war and highlights the depths to which Ankara’s relations with the US have sunk. Andrew England discusses the implications for Syria, the Kurds, Turkey and the west with the FT's Laura Pitel and Erika Solomon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trade has dominated discussions at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos amid fears that Donald Trump's America-first approach will lead to fragmentation. Gideon Rachman sat down with Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and asked him how worried people should be about the integrity of the global trading system.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

March elections in Italy could see a surge in support for the country’s eurosceptic opposition. Paolo Gentiloni’s ruling Democratic party is trailing both a resurgent centre-right coalition led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in the polls. Gideon Rachman discusses what this means for Italy and the eurozone with the FT's Rome correspondent James Politi  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Angela Merkel struggles to form a new government, Guy Chazan and Fred Studemann join Gideon Rachman to discuss if we are witnessing the end of the Merkel era?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What do Iran's recent anti-government demonstrations mean for the regime of Hassan Rouhani, and for the country's foreign policy? Gideon Rachman discusses the repercussions of the unrest with the FT's Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Andrew England.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How has Donald Trump's first year in office affected America's relationship with the rest of the world? Is he an isolationist, and if so, how do we interpret his assertive policy towards North Korea? Gideon Rachman and Geoff Dyer discuss these questions and look at the US foreign policy challenges of the coming year.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The long-running war in Yemen has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis and the killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the influential former president, this week curtailed a fledgling effort to reach a negotiated solution. Gideon Rachman discusses why the conflict has proved so protracted with the FT's Simeon Kerr and Andrew England.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Disagreement over the future of the Northern Irish border after Brexit has strained Anglo-Irish relations. As the UK's negotiations with the EU approach a crucial stage, could Dublin derail the British government's pursuit of a Brexit deal?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.