The Lede

China’s Rise, American Reckoning

The recent meeting of global leaders in Beijing, foremost among them Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was a major moment in modern geopolitics. New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai asks whether it could also signify the rise of a new multipolar world order, and an end to decades of global American dominance.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Listen Again: The True Impact of USAID Cuts on Africa

Listen again to this episode of Global Insights on The Lede, in which economist James Shikwati and New Lines’ North Africa Editor Erin Brown consider the impact of drastic cuts to American aid in Africa with host Kwangu Liwewe, and wonder what the continent’s future might look like without such aid.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Listen Again: Gaza and the Fall of Western Idealism

Listen again to the acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad in conversation with New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai for a frank, difficult and moving discussion about the personal impact and wider implications of the war in Gaza.
Further reading: The Courage and Death of Anas al-Sharif by Kareem Shaheen

How Central Europe Became the Frontier Between Russia and the West

Historian Luka Ivan Jukić joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to unpack the idea at the heart of his new book, “Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an Idea.”
They explore how the concept of Central Europe — revived during the Cold War by the novelist Milan Kundera — still shapes the way nations like Poland, Hungary and Croatia see themselves today. And in the shadow of the Ukraine war, that identity is much more than purely symbolic.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

We Can’t Agree on What Free Speech Means. Here’s Why

The historian and writer Fara Dabhoiwala joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the complex history of free speech and the irreconcilable tensions in the ideas that underpin it, as set out in his new book “What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea.”
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Syria After Sweida

Robin Yassin-Kassab, co-author of “Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War” and author of the novel “The Road From Damascus,” and journalist and New Lines contributor Zaina Erhaim join New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss the recent violence in southern Syria, Israeli bombing, and what they mean for the country’s future.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

East Africa’s Authoritarian Turn

Tanzanian rights campaigner Maria Sarungi-Tsehai and Mary Kambo of the Kenya Human Rights Commission join New Lines’ Kwangu Liwewe on the podcast to discuss the political violence both women have directly experienced and the increasing repression in the region.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Ukraine on the Precipice

Is Ukraine on the precipice? The Financial Times’ Ukraine correspondent Christopher Miller and New Lines’ Amie Ferris-Rotman join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss Donald Trump’s recent 50-day ultimatum, Russia’s response and shifting attitudes to the conflict in Europe.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

What Iran Wants

Historian and podcaster Afshon Ostovar joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the ideology and strategy of Iran, its recent conflict with Israel and what the future might hold for the Islamic Republic.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

A Mamdani State of Mind

Was Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York city’s mayoral election a transformation for progressive politics in the United States and abroad, or a local poll that is unlikely to mark a wider shift? New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai is joined by the magazine’s Online Editor Christin El-Kholy, Politics Editor Danny Postel and South Asia Editor Surbhi Gupta.
Produced by Finbar Anderson