Rephonic
Artwork for The Lede
Gaza
Israel
Syria
Ukraine
Iran
Donald Trump
United States
Middle East
Russia
Gaza War
Democratic Party
Human Rights
Hezbollah
China
Bashar Al-Assad
Hamas
Hassan Nasrallah
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Turkey
Immigration

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes263Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Lede

Latest Episodes

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist Yeganeh Torbati joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the multiple revolutions stolen from the Iranian people by their rulers, why the Islamic Republic has thrived under sanctions and survived war, how the... more

On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist and author Suzy Hansen joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how ordinary people experience authoritarianism in the 21st century, what a decade spent in one Istanbul neighborhood reveals about Turkey under... more

YouTube

On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, human rights lawyer Sari Bashi and journalist Sara Cincurova join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss sexual violence against detainees in Israeli prisons and in Russian captivity in Ukraine; why men... more

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

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Middle East Focus
Middle East FocusMiddle East Institute
Hold Your Fire!
Hold Your Fire!International Crisis Group
Foreign Policy Live
Foreign Policy LiveForeign Policy
Politics Theory Other
Politics Theory OtherPolitics Theory Other
The Foreign Affairs Interview
The Foreign Affairs InterviewForeign Affairs Magazine

Recent Guests

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
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

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 82 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 States4 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.

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
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

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.

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?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Lede, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Lede?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Lede, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

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. Hold Your Fire!
3. Foreign Policy Live
4. Politics Theory Other
5. The Foreign Affairs Interview

How many episodes of The Lede are there?

The Lede launched 5 years ago and published 263 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.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Lede?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Lede. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Lede?

Recent guests on The Lede include:

1. Sari Bashi
2. Sara Cincurova
3. Quinn Slobodian
4. Hannah Lillith Assadi
5. Michael Smith
6. Lydia Wilson
7. Barbara Matejčić
8. Jasmin Mujanović

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.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days