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Iran
United States
Ukraine
Donald Trump
Russia
Middle East
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Democratic Party
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Hezbollah
China
Bashar Al-Assad
Hamas
Hassan Nasrallah
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Turkey
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This is The Lede, the New Lines Magazine podcast. Each week, we delve into the biggest ideas, events and personalities from around the world. For more stories from New Lines, visit our website, newlinesmag.com

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Latest Episodes

Journalists Chloe Hadjimatheou and Sarah Dadouch join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss what the story of former Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad reveals about power and the people who wield it, and their new podcast series “We Call Her Emma.”... more

On this week's episode of the podcast, constitutional law scholar Marcus Gadson joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the Declaration of Independence at 250, why Americans have never agreed on what liberty means, and how the country's oldest arguments — o... more

YouTube

On the podcast this week, Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper, author of “World Cup Fever” and co-author of “Soccernomics,” joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss the politics of the 2026 World Cup, why he says America "isn't just Trump," ... more

YouTube

On the podcast this week, journalist Patrick Gathara and public health expert Tolbert Nyenswah join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei on Global Insights to discuss Kenya's decision to host an Ebola quarantine facility, the geopolitics of disease, and the deadly ou... more

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Recent Guests

Simon Kuper
Author of World Cup Fever and co-author of Soccernomics
Financial Times
Episode: Soccer, Power and the Politics of America’s World Cup
Tolbert Nyenswah
Public health expert, Africa CDC (interviewed on Ebola outbreak)
Africa CDC
Episode: How a New Pandemic Exposes the Geopolitics of Disease
Patrick Gathara
Kenyan journalist and commentator
New humanitarian news organization (editor)
Episode: How a New Pandemic Exposes the Geopolitics of Disease
Negar Mortazavi
Returning guest and Iran expert
New Lines Magazine
Episode: The Winners and Losers of the Iran Peace Deal
Hannah Lucinda Smith
Journalist and author of Hinterlands, Journeys Through Europe's Unfinished Frontiers
The Lede / New Lines Magazine
Episode: How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Yeganeh Torbati
New York Times reporter and co-author of Stolen Revolution
New York Times
Episode: How Revolutionary Iran Became a Mafia State
Suzy Hansen
Author of From Life Itself, Turkey and Istanbul in the Age of Erdoğan
Author
Episode: How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street
Sari Bashi
Internationally renowned human rights lawyer
Committee Against Torture / Former Global Research Director at Human Rights Watch
Episode: The War Crime No One Wants To Name
Sara Cincurova
Reporter who has covered sexual violence in Ukraine, Libya and Venezuela
Independent journalist (based in Ukraine)
Episode: The War Crime No One Wants To Name

Hosts

Faisal Al Yafai
Host of The Lede; affiliated with The Lede / New Lines Magazine; regular moderator and interviewer.
Kwangu Liwewe Agyei
Co-host featured on episodes covering global insights and policy analysis.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 83 ratings
  • A Necessary Counterpoint on Doctor Dahesh

    Finbar — I appreciated your interview and the tone you brought to the conversation. It’s clear you’re genuinely interested in getting to the truth, and that’s precisely why I’m writing this.

    Having now read both the European and U.S. editions of Dr. Raphael Cormack’s book, I felt it was important to share a documented counterpoint directly. I previously posted the following open letter on what appeared to be his public Facebook page. It was removed the next day. I am reposting it here for the r... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mario Henri Chakkour
    United States5 months ago
  • Conventional capitalist ideologues rehash tired neoliberal tripe!

    Podcast Addict
    2
    Harold N.
    a year ago
  • Great Journalism

    New Lines Podcast and Magazine are a highly recommended source of quality international news.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    benrem
    Canada2 years ago
  • Insightful and thought provoking

    A welcome addition to the geopolitical podcasts that is refreshingly different from the standard Anglo/Western worldview. Using the Middle East as a launching point, this podcast expands horizons to important discussions about social, political and historical forces that shape our world today. One suggestion is to keep the episodes shorter (under 30 minutes) to be commuter friendly - can be broken into multiple episodes. Another suggestion is to add a current news update tying to the episode... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Almond1
    United States4 years ago
  • Excellent podcast

    Fantastic podcast with important discussions on SWANA/MENA issues!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Swarz Seawalker
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Delivers important discussions on SWANA/MENA issues with depth and rigor.
Provokes thoughtful, sometimes challenging perspectives; tends to broaden horizons on Middle East and SWANA issues.
A nuanced counterpoint with thorough documentation that challenges conclusions and highlights methodological balance.
High-quality international news with strong recommendations for global insights.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Soccer, Power and the Politics of America’s World Cup
Q: Do you think England can win or at least reach the quarters given their current form and history?
England remains a strong, top-five football nation with a realistic chance at the later stages, though performance depends on how they adapt to continental play and avoid old pitfalls.
How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Q: You suggested that based on your hinterlands experience, a war is coming in some form. Could you explain how you see that unfolding and what the protagonist of this war might be?
The conflict is already present in various non-traditional forms, with alliances and rival blocs forming around NATO and the EU versus a broader Axis of Upheaval led by Russia, China, and Iran, and Turkey occupying a nuanced middle ground within these dynamics.
How Europe’s Hinterlands Became Its Front Line
Q: There's a lot to unpack, but I guess let's start with the one that listeners would have picked up on: what are these values roughly that the West needs to hold on to?
Freedom of speech, liberal democracy, and pluralism are the core values, with pluralism being especially important as Europe confronts migration debates and the rise of autocratic tendencies in nearby regions.
How Elon Musk Fuses Rockets and Tech To Shape Modern Society
Q: Why do you frame Musk as a symptom of broader social and economic changes rather than a unique outlier?
Because Musk embodies the convergence of state-backed demand, private capital, and frontier technologies, which together reveal how contemporary capitalism has reorganized around platform logic, mass-scale capital, and a new social contract that rewards risk and promises a future, even as it disrupts traditional labor and political processes.
How the World Order We Know Came Into Being – and Why It’s Breaking
Q: What do you think the chief problems with the current nation-state configuration are?
Dasgupta explains that the nation-state is not disappearing but is failing to deliver the freedoms and economic security it promised, with global power shifting among empires and new technologies altering the balance of sovereignty.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Lede

What is The Lede about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A globe-trotting, idea-forward current affairs show that centers on geopolitics, economics, technology, and global governance through rigorous interviews with historians, journalists, economists, and authors. Episodes frequently explore how power, policy, and narrative shape world events—from tech oligarchy and state strategy to energy security, conflicts, and transnational corruption. Notable strengths include a consistently policy-focused, evidence-driven approach and guests who offer deep context and nuanced analysis. Listeners likely include professionals seeking rigorous, globally aware perspectives on contemporary issues and the forces that drive them.

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How many listeners does The Lede get?

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Which podcasts are similar to The Lede?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Lede:

1. Hold Your Fire!
2. The LRB Podcast
3. Ones and Tooze
4. The Foreign Affairs Interview
5. Makdisi Street

How many episodes of The Lede are there?

The Lede launched 5 years ago and published 269 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Lede?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on The Lede?

Recent guests on The Lede include:

1. Simon Kuper
2. Tolbert Nyenswah
3. Patrick Gathara
4. Negar Mortazavi
5. Hannah Lucinda Smith
6. Yeganeh Torbati
7. Suzy Hansen
8. Sari Bashi

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