The Lede

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

Losing Control? An Iranian and an Israeli on the Recent War

Whatever their initial war aims, the political consequences of the 12-day Iran-Israel war might not have been foreseen by either side, academic Nahid Siamdoust and political analyst Ori Goldberg tell New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on Global Insights on The Lede.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

The Inside Story of a Scandal at the White House

White House reporter Alex Thompson joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss “Original Sin,” his bestselling book, co-authored with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, on the cover-up that hid Joe Biden’s declining health from the public and the devastating political fallout that resulted from it.
Produced by Finbar Anderson

The Online Movement Ensnaring Young Men

Reporter James Bloodworth joins New Lines’ Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss how developments in technology have left young men vulnerable to online personalities from Andrew Tate to Jordan Peterson, his own experience navigating masculinity in the 2000s, and his new book, “Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere.”
Produced by Finbar Anderson

Why the Middle East’s Autocrats Are Losing Their Grip

Fawaz Gerges joins New Lines' Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on why the Middle East is so often misunderstood, as set out in Gerges’ new book, “The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East.”
Produced by Finbar Anderson