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Ukraine
Iran
Donald Trump
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China
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Bashar Al-Assad
Hamas
Hassan Nasrallah
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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

Writer Robin Yassin-Kassab joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss why the Syrian revolution succeeded where others failed, what the new state has and hasn't reckoned with one year on, and his new book, "The Blood Between Us: Syria's Revoluti... more

Historian Quinn Slobodian joins Faisal Al Yafai on The Lede to discuss what Elon Musk reveals about a new era of digital capitalism, the fusion of rockets and far-right ideology, and his new book, "Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed," co-authored wit... more

YouTube

Novelist Hannah Lillith Assadi joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the century of Arab exile, the question of what it might mean to forget and the spiritual return at the heart of her new novel, "Paradiso 17."

Produced by Finbar Anderson

YouTube

On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, journalist and historian Michael Smith and New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the strains on the U.S.-U.K. special relationship in the wake of the Iran war... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Quinn Slobodian
Historian and co-author of Muskism, A Guide for the Perplexed
Boston University / Institute for Global Law and Policy
Episode: How Elon Musk Fuses Rockets and Tech To Shape Modern Society
Hannah Lillith Assadi
Author of Paradiso 17
Author
Episode: How a Life in Exile Reshapes the Generations That Follow
Michael Smith
Historian and journalist; former military intelligence officer; defense correspondent for the Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph (journalist)
Episode: Is the Special Relationship Really Special Anymore?
Lydia Wilson
Culture editor at New Lines Magazine
New Lines Magazine
Episode: Is the Special Relationship Really Special Anymore?
Barbara Matejčić
Investigative journalist, author of the piece on the Brčko incident
New Lines Magazine
Episode: The Ethics of Bearing Witness
Jasmin Mujanović
Author and commentator on Balkan politics and nationalism
Author, Bosniaks Nationhood After Genocide
Episode: The Ethics of Bearing Witness
Nada Bakri
Journalist and writer
Journalist
Episode: Why Every Lebanese Crisis Feels Worse Than the Last
Rana Dasgupta
Author of After Nations, The Making and Unmaking of a World Order
Author, Scholar
Episode: How the World Order We Know Came Into Being – and Why It’s Breaking
Anuj Wadhwa
Third-generation owner of Pindi Restaurant in New Delhi
Pindi Restaurant, New Delhi
Episode: How the War in Iran Reached South Asia’s Kitchens

Host

Faisal Yafai
Host of The Lede

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 79 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 States3 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.

Some suggest that episodes could benefit from shorter formats for easier consumption.
Listeners praise the podcast for its quality journalism and depth of discussion on international issues.
The content is seen as thought-provoking, offering insights that challenge conventional perspectives on global affairs.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
How the World Order We Know Came Into Being – and Why It’s Breaking
Q: So I thought we would start with that and why you thought it was so important to tell this particular story.
Rana says we're in a moment where something is breaking, and the book uses stories about the nation-state to interrogate whether a new political order is possible, exploring what might come after and how technology could reshape governance.
How the Iran War Came to the Gulf
Q: For the audience, tell us which strikes you're talking about and why you think they're weird.
We discuss a pattern of strikes that broaden from military targets to civilian infrastructure and energy sites, suggesting a deliberate attempt to widen the cost of conflict beyond conventional military objectives.
Trump Comes to Africa
Q: What do you think went wrong on Washington's side? Was it clumsy diplomacy or bad political reading of the country and the region, or maybe something deeper about how US officials understand African states like Niger?
It's likely a combination of all three factors contributing to the deterioration of relations.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
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Interests
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Lede

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

The discussions focus on a variety of significant global issues, particularly those surrounding geopolitics, colonial histories, authoritarianism, and the socio-political landscapes of the Middle East and North Africa. The content frequently features expert guests from diverse fields such as literature, history, journalism, and political science, who provide deep insights into complex topics like capitalism, contemporary uprisings, and systemic oppression. The podcast stands out for its nuanced approach to current events, often venturing beyond mainstream narratives to explore less commonly discussed perspectives, fostering a more inclusive understanding of global affairs.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Lede?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Lede. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Lede and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Lede get?

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How many subscribers and views does The Lede have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Lede has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Lede?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Lede:

1. Middle East Focus
2. Independent Thinking
3. Empire: World History
4. Hold Your Fire!
5. The Foreign Affairs Interview

How many episodes of The Lede are there?

The Lede launched 5 years ago and published 260 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.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Lede?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Lede from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on The Lede?

Recent guests on The Lede include:

1. Quinn Slobodian
2. Hannah Lillith Assadi
3. Michael Smith
4. Lydia Wilson
5. Barbara Matejčić
6. Jasmin Mujanović
7. Nada Bakri
8. Rana Dasgupta

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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