The Intelligence from The Economist

Boots off the ground: America’s Afghanistan drawdown

Few believe President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/04/13/joe-biden-gives-up-on-the-war-in-afghanistan-leaving-a-weak-ally?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">withdrawal plan</a> is wise; it is already prompting allied forces to go. We ask about the risks of that untimely vacuum. Much climate-change angst focuses on carbon dioxide, but addressing sources of methane would be an <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/04/03/governments-should-set-targets-to-reduce-methane-emissions?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">easy way</a> to slow warming—and even to save money. And Bhutan’s world-beating vaccination drive took just <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/04/10/bhutan-vaccinated-almost-all-adults-against-covid-19-in-a-week?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one week</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Arms’ reach: Russia flexes at Ukraine border

The troops and hardware piling up at the border are probably just posturing. But look closely: Russia’s military is swiftly getting <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/11/02/russian-military-forces-dazzle-after-a-decade-of-reform?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">better-equipped and better-trained</a>. Outsized <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/04/13/american-inflation-shoots-up-to-26?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inflation numbers</a> in America are partly a statistical quirk—but also a sign of the tricky balance pandemic-era policymakers must navigate. And why you may soon be getting a lift from a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/04/03/flying-taxis-are-about-to-take-off-at-last?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flying taxi</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Fission expedition: nuclear-site attack in Iran

An apparent act of <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/04/12/israel-apparently-strikes-an-iranian-nuclear-facility-again?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sabotage</a> at an Iranian nuclear site, blamed on Israel, has complicated the prospect of America returning to the 2015 nuclear deal; we ask what happens next. Many of Europe’s public-service broadcasters are being <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/04/08/populists-are-threatening-europes-independent-public-broadcasters?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">squeezed</a> by populist movements and illiberal governments. How to keep them independent? And an <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/31/latvias-ancient-poetry-is-getting-its-first-major-translation?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">effort</a> to translate Latvia’s short but dense ancient poems.  For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Plagued by uncertainty: German politics

<p>As the country <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/04/03/germanys-management-of-covid-19-is-growing-shakier?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wrestles</a> with another covid-19 wave, the battle to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel is building. We look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/14/germanys-ruling-party-takes-a-serious-hit-in-two-state-elections?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">political</a> and epidemiological races. Prince Philip was a loyal consort to Britain’s queen for seven decades; our correspondent <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2021/04/09/prince-philip-duke-of-edinburgh-is-dead?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recalls</a> meeting him at a difficult time for the family. And why Kenyans are at last <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/04/08/kenyans-are-starting-to-drink-their-own-coffee?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">indulging</a> in their own coffee.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Like a tonne of bricks: violence in Northern Ireland

<p>The ostensible reason for continuing clashes relates to a well-attended funeral. But the terms of Brexit have <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/04/08/brexit-is-the-catalyst-for-rioting-in-northern-ireland?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">raised tempers</a>, inflaming centuries-old tensions; we ask what might calm them. Alexei Navalny’s condition is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/04/10/does-the-kremlin-want-andrei-navalny-to-die-in-prison?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">worsening</a> in prison: does it really serve the Kremlin’s interests to let him perish? And “poetry slams” are a welcome <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/04/10/spoken-poetry-finds-fans-in-eastern-congo?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">release</a> in the Democratic Republic of Congo. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Clotting factors: the AstraZeneca vaccine

<p>British and European regulators have addressed a possible link with blood clots. Expect more rare side-effects <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/04/07/with-millions-vaccinated-rare-side-effects-of-jabs-are-emerging?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to emerge</a>; what seems clear for now is that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any risks. A new analysis shows that a racist American film from 1915 left a long <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/03/27/how-a-racist-film-helped-the-ku-klux-klan-grow-for-generations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">legacy</a> of racial violence. And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/04/06/the-geeky-origin-of-your-cool-sunglasses?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shady history</a> of the function and fashion of sunglasses.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Deaths spiral: America’s spike in murders

<p>Estimates suggest that last year’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/27/in-2020-america-experienced-a-terrible-surge-in-murder-why?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rise</a> in murder rates was the greatest in perhaps half a century, reversing a long decline; we ask what is behind it. Amid Europe’s woefully slow vaccine rollouts, Serbia <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/04/03/serbia-is-outpacing-nearly-every-country-in-the-eu-at-vaccination?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stands out</a> as an unlikely success story. And the pandemic’s natural experiment on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/04/03/the-benefits-of-part-time-work?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ideal number</a> of working hours.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Crown and thorn: Jordan’s royal ruckus

Pressure on the king’s half-brother may represent a mere family feud, but Prince Hamzah’s complaints <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/04/05/a-feud-in-jordans-royal-family?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resonate</a> with the country’s people. We ask what will happen next. Study the fast-growing list of India’s billionaires: who has joined it and who has left are <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/27/who-are-indias-newest-billionaires?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signs</a> of the country’s shifting economy. And an indigenous group’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/03/27/how-a-canadian-indigenous-group-could-outwit-nimbys?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tall order</a> in Vancouver’s property market. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

He said, Xi said: America-China ructions

The Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/03/20/a-hostile-meeting-sets-the-tone-for-us-china-relations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">early moves</a> suggest no “reset” in relations; we recall a time when the game of ping-pong brought the countries back to the table. Although economics has transformed in the past quarter-century, the way it is taught has not; we examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/03/20/efforts-to-modernise-economics-teaching-are-gathering-steam?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">efforts</a> to rewrite the textbooks. And a forgotten <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2021/02/26/disco-se-aagay-fused-synth-pop-and-the-sounds-of-the-subcontinent?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">album</a> by British-Pakistani teenagers gets another lease of life. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffe</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Battle acts: France beefs up its forces

After years of peacekeeping and counter-insurgency campaigns, the country is getting <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/31/the-french-armed-forces-are-planning-for-high-intensity-war?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tooled up and trained up</a> for serious military conflict. The “baby bust” brought on by the pandemic has changed global population predictions; we look into the <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/03/27/the-economics-of-falling-populations?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">down sides</a> of a world with fewer people. And the Benin Bronzes have become a <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/04/03/the-looted-benin-bronzes-should-be-returned?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">focal point</a> for the art world’s restitution push. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Cresting: India’s second covid-19 wave

<p>Case numbers are on the rise—at a more worrying rate even than the first wave. We ask why, and what is being done to slow the spread. As revenues at wildlife-tourism spots have dried up, so has security—and now poaching is even more rampant than before. And scientists’ increasingly audacious bids to see around corners. </p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Takeaway lessons: Deliveroo’s listing disappoints

<p>The <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/03/29/deliveroos-listing-is-less-appetising-than-hoped?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tepid debut</a> of Britain’s dominant food-delivery app signals doubts not only about the gig economy but also about London’s ability to lure tech-firm listings. Chinese officials <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/03/27/cloud-seeding-will-not-solve-chinas-water-shortages?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">love to deploy</a> “cloud seeding” to water the country’s parched lands, but even if it works, it distracts from better water-management policies. And why tweets so often come back to <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/03/27/whatever-you-tweet-may-be-used-against-you?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">haunt their authors</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

High threat-count: boycotts in China

<p>Western fashion brands are in Chinese consumers’ crosshairs, the victims of political wranglings over sanctions and human-rights issues—a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/27/china-boycotts-western-clothes-brands-over-xinjiang-cotton?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spat</a> that may soon consume other industries. A striking number of people in the criminal-justice system have had traumatic brain injuries; our correspondent investigates how much <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/03/27/a-huge-share-of-prisoners-have-brain-injuries-they-need-more-help?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">that link</a> has been overlooked. And why the audio app Clubhouse has stormed the Middle East.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The smell of gas: insurgency in Mozambique

<p>In a province that is home to a massive natural-gas project, a long-simmering insurgency has burst into horrific violence; we ask why the government <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/18/america-designates-a-new-branch-of-islamic-state-in-mozambique?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seems to have lost control</a>. Our correspondent visits Minneapolis, where the police officer accused of murdering George Floyd <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/2255538166d2e6f3c6097c2c4df4e0be?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">goes on trial</a> today. And the existential threat to a bird that has forgotten <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/17/extinction-looms-for-a-bird-that-has-forgotten-how-to-sing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how to sing love songs</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Growth and stagnation: Bangladesh’s first 50 years

The country has empowered its women, established itself as a garment-industry powerhouse and vastly improved public health—but its politics <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/27/as-it-turns-50-bangladesh-is-doing-well-despite-its-politicians?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remains troubled</a>. The pandemic has not reduced average global happiness, but rather <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/03/20/the-pandemic-has-changed-the-shape-of-global-happiness?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reshaped it</a>: the old are more content and the young less so. And a look at the <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/03/24/the-jumbo-traffic-jam-on-the-suez-canal?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staggering costs</a> of the Suez Canal blockage. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Export-control panel: the EU meets on vaccines

European leaders <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/13d763a5838ca85acd2d4ff824ab03ea?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will address</a> the thorny question of <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/24/europes-plans-to-restrict-vaccine-exports-are-dangerous?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vaccine-export controls</a> today. We look at the row with Britain and what it means for the broader relationship with the EU. Our correspondent visits Congo-Brazzaville as the president of nearly 37 years <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/24/congo-brazzavilles-president-is-re-elected-after-his-rival-dies-of-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">triumphs again</a>—at a continuing cost to his people. And research <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/02/20/data-on-inbred-nobles-support-a-leader-driven-theory-of-history?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suggests</a> that Europe’s most inbred rulers were the least adept.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Can’t take a hike: more economic turmoil in Turkey

<p>President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just does not like interest-rate rises. So he has again <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/22/turkey-faces-a-currency-crisis-after-erdogan-sacks-his-central-banker?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sacked</a> a central-bank governor given to imposing them—again, to his own peril. America’s love of free markets extends also to the business of sperm donation; our correspondent discusses the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/03/americas-love-of-free-markets-extends-to-its-fertility-clinics?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">risks</a> that come with so little regulation. And the opera <a href="https://www.economist.com/prospero/2021/03/16/missy-mazzolis-operas-defy-pigeonholing?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">composer</a> who is shaking up stereotypes.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Always be their Bibi? Israel votes, again

<p>It’s the fourth poll in two years, but a stable government is still <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/20/binyamin-netanyahu-hopes-to-win-yet-another-election-in-israel?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far from guaranteed</a>. We examine the firm grip Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu still has on Israeli politics. In the Philippines, children have been cooped up at home for a year—but citizens seem to buy into <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/18/kids-in-the-philippines-have-not-left-their-homes-for-a-year?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the government’s rationale</a>. And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/03/08/making-dough-how-corporate-america-created-the-chocolate-chip-cookie?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real history</a> of the chocolate chip cookie.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Not-purchasing power: boycotts in Myanmar

<p>As demonstrations against February’s coup continue, many are trying a subtler form of resistance: starving army-owned businesses of revenue. We ask whether <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/18/economic-pressure-is-unlikely-to-force-myanmars-junta-to-retreat?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the ploy</a> will work. Snippets of Neanderthal DNA survive in most humans—and they are a <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/02/24/dna-from-neanderthals-affects-vulnerability-to-covid-19?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mixed blessing</a> as regards the risks of covid-19. And, not for the first time, Britain’s census questions <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2021/03/20/britains-census-form-reveals-the-obsessions-of-different-eras?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reveal</a> the preoccupations of a nation.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Another race question: murder in Atlanta

<p>A <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/20/a-gruesome-shooting-in-atlanta-leaves-asian-americans-frightened?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shooting</a> in the city left eight dead, six of them women of East Asian descent. We examine the past and present of anti-Asian sentiment in America. Frontex, Europe’s border-enforcement agency, is <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/03/frontex-the-eus-border-force-swells-in-size?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rising in clout</a> and requisitioning more kit; we look at the closest the bloc has come to having a standing army. And why managers should tackle <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/13/the-secret-to-cutting-corporate-red-tape?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nonsensical workplace rules</a>.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Forces to be reckoned with: Afghan peace talks

Negotiations in Moscow may at last forge agreement between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents; that, in turn, would inform America’s long-promised <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/02/13/if-america-leaves-afghanistan-there-will-be-trouble?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drawdown</a>. The International Criminal Court can investigate crimes against humans, but there is <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/28/is-it-time-for-ecocide-to-become-an-international-crime?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a push</a> to make injury to the environment a high crime, too. And a look at Britney Spears’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/16/why-are-conservatorships-controversial?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conservatorship</a>, a legal arrangement ripe for abuse. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Harms weigh: AstraZeneca vaccine fears

Scattered reports of blood clots have sparked curbs across Europe, even though the jab is almost certainly safe. We take a hard look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/15/eu-countries-pause-astrazenecas-covid-19-jab-over-safety-fears?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the risks</a> in relative terms. After Canada arrested a Huawei executive in 2018, China detained two Canadians—we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/03/08/only-america-can-break-the-deadlock-between-canada-and-china?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hostage diplomacy</a> still playing out. And how “non-fungible tokens” may <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/03/15/non-fungible-tokens-are-useful-innovative-and-frothy?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">benefit digital artists</a> of all sorts. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Earning them: Stripe’s monster valuation

<p>The firm got in early providing online-payment software to tech startups. Now it’s the most valuable Silicon Valley darling yet. We look at its future prospects. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/20/andrew-cuomo-faces-a-reckoning-for-a-pandemic-related-cover-up?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">raft of allegations</a> and widespread calls to quit; our correspondent reckons he will not go anywhere without a fight. And the Kabul <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/13/plastic-surgery-is-thriving-in-afghanistan-to-the-outrage-of-some?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">beauty trend</a> that keeps growing.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Redrawing the map: a fragmented Syria

As the country marks ten years of civil war, the economy is crippled; it <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/13/ten-years-of-war-have-broken-syria-into-pieces" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has broken up</a> into statelets and ethnic enclaves that may never be reunified. Violence against women is sparking a global wave of protest. We examine why it is more widespread, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/03/11/violence-against-women-is-a-scourge-on-poor-countries" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more damaging</a>, in the poor world. And the creature that can <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/03/08/an-animal-that-can-regrow-its-entire-body?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shed its entire body</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Casting the net wider: remaking the welfare state

<p>As the Biden administration fires a $1.9trn pandemic-relief bazooka, we consider how governments might <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/03/06/how-to-make-a-social-safety-net-for-the-post-covid-world?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rethink welfare</a>: providing more-flexible benefits, investing in human capital and acting as an insurer against the gravest risks. The simple pleasure of human touch, so constrained of late, is not an emotional luxury—it’s a <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/20/the-pandemic-made-the-world-realise-the-importance-of-human-contact?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">physical need</a>. And why it’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/03/13/making-up-new-words-is-easy-getting-them-used-is-harder?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">so hard</a> to coin a word.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Nuclear inaction: the legacy of Fukushima

The cleanup effort in and around the melted-down power plant is still progressing, but rebuilding communities—and, crucially, trust—is proving <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/03/06/the-fukushima-disaster-was-not-the-turning-point-many-had-hoped?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more difficult</a>. As Rupert Murdoch turns 90 we look at how his businesses <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/06/rupert-murdoch-prepares-to-hand-over-his-media-empire?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are faring</a>, and how they are likely to be run by his heirs. And the Victorian strongman who was arguably the world’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/03/01/the-worlds-first-fitness-influencer-was-a-victorian-strongman?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first fitness influencer</a>. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Whither permitting? Vaccine passports

<p>Formalising systems to divide the vaccinated from the unvaccinated is neither as risky nor as useful as many people think. In any case, vaccine passports are coming. On the anniversary of Tibet’s uprising, we examine how pressure on Tibetan Buddhism is rising, with <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2021/02/13/as-in-xinjiang-china-is-tightening-its-grip-in-tibet?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dark parallels</a> to Uyghur Muslims’ plight. And why it’s time to <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/02/27/time-to-end-duty-free?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">close the gate</a> on duty-free shopping.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Reconciled to it: America’s stimulus bill

<p>Thanks to a parliamentary contortion called reconciliation, the $1.9trn covid-relief plan is likely to sail through—we examine what is in it and what its passage <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/03/07/how-joe-biden-got-his-sizeable-stimulus-bill-through-the-senate?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">portends</a> for lawmaking in the Biden era. Unrest is unusual in Senegal, but citizens are <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/293131be3fe9d60523ebbc6dd0c2e5c3?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">out in force</a>; we ask about the roots of the protest mood. And what ever happened to <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/02/17/how-the-iphone-killed-the-custom-ringtone?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bespoke ringtones</a>?</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Despair and disparities: covid-19 consumes Brazil

State and local pandemic responses are scattershot; a national effort is all but nonexistent. A creeping sense of fatalism makes for peril far beyond the country’s borders. Aggregate American jobs numbers are promising, but our correspondent digs deeper to find <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/27/the-pandemic-has-pushed-working-mums-out-of-the-labour-force?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how much harder</a> women have it in the labour force. And <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/b5cfd61c1cbee98c213154d26400aeae?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the interview</a> set to widen Britain’s royal rift. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Rubber-stamping ground: China’s parliament meets

<p>The National People’s Congress kicked off with two big signals of Beijing’s intentions: a <a href="https://espresso.economist.com/6147246665001872dd5a886d418f990c?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">return</a> to economic-growth targets and a plan to eradicate Hong Kong’s vestiges of democracy. On the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, Pope Francis hopes to give succour to the country’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/04/the-pope-is-heading-for-iraq-where-christians-remain-afraid?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">beleaguered Christians</a>. And the continued <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2021/02/06/even-before-covid-19-nightclubs-were-struggling?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tribulations</a> of the nightclub scene.</p><p>For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>