Donald Trump says Venezuela’s people are “free again”, now that its dictator has been removed. But freedom remains far from certain. Join Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, Edward Carr, deputy editor, and a panel of our expert journalists as they analyse America’s dramatic intervention, consider what lies ahead for Venezuela, and examine what this reveals about Mr Trump’s vision for American power abroad.

The editor-in-chief of the Economist discusses her most controversial interview yet

It has been a good year for China. The country is winning its trade war with America. China is mastering new technologies and becoming an even more fearsome competitor in global markets. But it faces problems, from youth unemployment and repeated purges at home, to growing resentment over its vast trade surplus abroad. Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, our deputy editor, sit down with David Rennie, our geopolitics editor, and senior international correspondent Alice Su to assess China’s economic and geopolitical power, probing the country’s strengths and weaknesses.

Sir Keir Starmer was meant to be the man who rescued the political mainstream. After the chaos of Brexit and Labour’s wayward radicalism during the Corbyn years, his serious-minded pragmatism was supposed to restore structure and serenity to Britain. But the country is floundering, Sir Keir’s poll numbers have collapsed and insurgent parties on the left and right sense a historic opportunity. Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, sits down with the British prime minister to ask him what his project really stands for, whether centrism is doomed and if Britain—a country with a history of pioneering political change—can find a new path forward.

Plagued by corruption and weakened on the battlefield, Ukraine now risks being beaten at the negotiating table, too. If it does not show that it is willing to talk peace, it risks losing American support. Why is Volodymyr Zelensky suddenly so vulnerable to pressure? What is the mood among Ukrainian soldiers? And what should Ukraine’s allies do now? Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, deputy editor, dissect the latest peace plan. Along with our correspondent in Kyiv and other colleagues, they explain why—despite helping to soften an earlier Russia-friendly proposal—Europe is failing Ukraine in its hour of greatest need.

Nicolas Pelham, our Middle East correspondent, and Adam Roberts, our digital editor, are just back from a rare reporting trip to Tehran. They join our top editors in the studio to discuss what they learnt from an interview with Iran's foreign minister and consider the future of the Islamic Republic. After 46 years of theocracy and a brief but bruising war, where does power now lie? What are the regime’s nuclear ambitions? And with the prospects of a succession crisis, has Iran been permanently weakened—or is it storing up trouble?

This year President Donald Trump has demolished long-standing norms and upended decades-old institutions at breathtaking speed. The old world order is finished—and in 2026 the contours of what will replace it will emerge. In the week we publish our new edition of The World Ahead, our future-gazing guide to the coming year, our top editors consider what 2026 will reveal about the future of Western liberal democracies, the reshaping of global power structures, the outlook for the world economy and the impact of new technologies.

Xi Jinping’s bet that dramatic escalation is the way to win a trade war

Donald Trump insists that his tariffs are a triumph. These “beautiful” duties are going to make America richer, he says—but what is their real impact? Six months on from “Liberation Day”, Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and a panel of The Economist’s top editors weigh the consequences of Mr Trump’s trade war. Join them as they review the global response to the tariffs, explain corporate America’s reluctance to speak out and consider the lasting effects on global commerce and American prosperity. Zanny unpicked some of these issues with Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, in a recent interview. Highlights from their discussion will feature in this episode. Their complete conversation will be available to watch after the show.

Donald Trump insists that his tariffs are a triumph. These “beautiful” duties are going to make America richer, he says—but what is their real impact? Six months on from “Liberation Day”, Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and a panel of The Economist’s top editors weigh the consequences of Mr Trump’s trade war. Join them as they review the global response to the tariffs, explain corporate America’s reluctance to speak out and consider the lasting effects on global commerce and American prosperity. Zanny unpicked some of these issues with Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, in a recent interview. Highlights from their discussion will feature in this episode. Their complete conversation will be available to watch after the show.