Ft World Weekly

As the government shutdown drags on into its second week and the US teeters on the brink of defaulting on its debt, Ben Hall, world news editor, is joined by Richard McGregor, Washington bureau chief, and Edward Luce, chief US commentator, to discuss how badly the Republicans have been damaged by the budget battles and whether they should be worried about the political consequences of their uncompromising stance.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The terrible attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi has refocused the world’s attention on the threat of urban terrorism. Gideon Rachman is joined in the studio by defence and diplomatic editor James Blitz, and down the line from Nairobi by Katrina Manson, east Africa correspondent to discuss whether we are facing a resurgence of global terror.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the world’s leading climate scientists gather in Stockholm to discuss new findings on climate change, Clive Cookson, science editor, is joined by environmental correspondent Pilita Clark and Simon Buckle, policy director at Imperial College's Grantham Institute of Climate Change, to discuss climate sensitivity and the steps that the international community must take to mitigate against global warming.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A week that has seen US president Barack Obama zigzag between diplomacy and military action on Syria and back away from nominating Lawrence Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve has raised questions about the president's leadership. Gideon Rachman and Richard McGregor in Washington join Ben Hall to discuss whether the Obama administration has stalled and whether he is in danger of becoming, very prematurely, a lame duck president.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The German federal election is less than two weeks away, and the consensus among experts is that Angela Merkel will secure a third term in office. As the world’s fourth largest economy, Germany appears socially and financially secure, so what issues will decide the outcome of the vote and how far down the political agenda have developments in Syria fallen as a result? Joining Gideon Rachman are Fred Studemann, comment editor, and Michael Steen, Frankfurt bureau chief.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Barack Obama’s decision to consult Congress before launching any military strikes on Syria came as a surprise to friend and foe alike. How is this political gamble likely to work out and what are the implications for the crisis in Syria and and for the use of American power around the world? Gideon Rachman is joined by James Blitz, diplomatic editor and Richard McGregor, Washington bureau chief, to discuss  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

China's debt has ballooned over the past five years raising questions over the sustainability of such a burden amid slowing growth. Simon Rabinovitch, China correspondent, explains the country's debt dynamics and answers some of the questions FT readers posted on our blog and sent via social media.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India was once seen as a rising superpower and one of the world’s most dynamic economies, but now its rupee is plunging and the economy is stalling. What’s more, this seems to be part of a broader problem in emerging markets, as Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa and Brazil all experience currency jitters. Gideon Rachman is joined by Victor Mallet, New Delhi bureau chief and Ralph Atkins, capital markets editor, to discuss what’s going on and how deep the problems are  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Egyptian army's efforts to clear supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood from camps around Cairo has led to hundreds of deaths and a deepening political crisis. So what is the future for Egypt, and how is the rest of the world likely to react? Heba Saleh, Cairo correspondent, and David Gardner, senior international affairs commentator, join Gideon Rachman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, and his Popular Party are embroiled in a scandal that threatens to bring down the government. The flare-up in the long-rumbling scandal comes at a bad time for Spain, which continues to struggle to revive an economy where unemployment is around 20 per cent. Tobias Buck, Madrid bureau chief, and Tony Barber, Europe editor, join Gideon Rachman to discuss the crisis.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week the French government announced a multi-billion euro programme of investment, designed to boost the economy and President Hollande's flagging poll ratings. In this podcast, Gideon Rachman is joined by Hugh Carnegy, Paris bureau chief and Ben Hall, former Paris correspondent, to discuss a turbulent few weeks in which Mr Hollande has had to fire a cabinet member for dissent, the French government has clashed repeatedly with the European Commission in Brussels and Nicolas Sarkozy has made a flamboyant re-entry into French politics.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What happens to Egypt following the overthrow of the government of President Mohammed Morsi, and how should the world react? Borzou Daragahi in Cairo and David Gardner, FT senior commentator based in the Middle East, join Gideon Rachman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been a nervous few days on Chinese stock markets in the wake of last week's cash crunch, which saw interbank lending rates in China rise to as high as 28 per cent. The Chinese central bank has made reassuring statements, but some commentators have talked about China being on the brink of a new financial crisis. Stefan Wagstyl, emerging markets editor and editor of the FT beyondbrics blog, and Simon Rabinovitch, Shanghai correspondent, join Shawn Donnan to look at the state of the Chinese economy.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does the surprise victory in Iran’s presidential election of Hassan Rohani, the candidate backed by reformists, mean for the country and the region? Roula Khalaf, Middle East editor, and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran join Gideon Rachman  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What prompted the unrest in Istanbul? What does it mean? What does the future hold for Turkish politics and the wider region? Dan Dombey, Turkey correspondent, and Lex's Vincent Boland, a former Turkey correspondent, join Gideon Rachman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Later this week, the presidents of the United States and China will hold a two-day summit, the first since Xi Jinping's elevation to the top job in China. It comes as US-China tensions are fairly high on a number of issues, from cyber attacks to territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. So what are both sides hoping to achieve? Gideon Rachman is joined by James Kynge, editor of FT China Confidential, and Geoff Dyer,who was a Beijing correspondent before his current assignment in Washington.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the Syrian conflict now over two years old and political positions hardening, Roula Khalaf, Middle East editor, James Blitz, diplomatic editor and Beirut correspondent Abigail Fielding-Smith join world news editor Shawn Donnan to discuss the disarray among the Syrian opposition, the relaxation of the EU arms embargo and the impact of Hizbollah fighters.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Under the second Putin presidency, the Russian government seems to have become even harder to deal with, be it in seeking to forge international agreement on Syria, spy scandals, energy diplomacy, or neighbourhood diplomacy. Charles Clover, Moscow bureau chief, and James Blitz, diplomatic editor, join Gideon Rachman to discuss the best ways to understand the Russian government.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prime Minister David Cameron thought that his promise to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership of the EU, and to hold an in-out referendum on British membership in 2017 had bought him domestic political peace. Instead, many in his own Conservative party are agitating for an even harder-line position, and the anti-EU United Kingdom Independence Party is soaring in opinion polls. An eventual British exit from the EU is looking increasingly possible. So what's going on, and what do other Europeans make of it. Quentin Peel in Berlin joins Janan Ganesh and Gideon Rachman in London.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Pakistan prepares to go to the polls in the first transfer of power between one democratically elected government and another since the foundation of the state, optimists say the elections will mark an important turning point for the country. But pessimists point to the background of violence against which the elections are taking place and the continuing parlous state of the economy. To assess this, Gideon Rachman is joined by Victor Mallet, South Asia bureau chief, and Stefan Wagstyl, emerging markets editor  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.