Gideon Rachman speaks to historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore about his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. They discuss the forces that shaped the region, from the Ottoman Empire and Ataturk to the ongoing tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. Gideon and Simon examine the region's complexities and interconnectedness and whether lessons from the past can offer a glimpse into the future. CLIP: British Pathé

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Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homes

The exodus from Israel

Egypt deploys jets to UAE as Iran war strains Arab alliances

Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

Israel moves to give police powers in occupied West Bank

Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to Vali Nasr, author of Iran’s Grand Strategy and professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, about how the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. After six months of on-off hostilities, Nasr argues, Iran’s core aims are unchanged - ending the US threat and securing economic relief. But Iran now looks to have the upper hand and is using its leverage from controlling the Strait of Hormuz to seek ever more far-reaching concessions from the superpower. Clip: CTV

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Will failure in Iran reshape how the US fights?

Iran’s supreme leader elevates loyalists as he tightens grip

Trump and the failure of the Fafo doctrine

Brinkmanship in the Strait of Hormuz

Israel’s campaign to make southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

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What began as outrage over a senior judge's comments has become one of the most striking youth protest movements India has seen in years. Gideon talks to Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics about why so many young Indians have taken to the streets, what the "cockroach movement" says about the country's economic and educational pressures, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to Narendra Modi's government.

Clip: BBC

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Abhijeet Dipke, the face of India’s victorious ‘cockroach’ protests

India’s ‘Cockroach’ Gen Z has had enough

India should listen to its frustrated youth

Why India’s student protests are different

India’s ‘cockroach’ movement halts protests after minister quits

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner

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Tariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical disputes on global trade with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Clip: Al Jazeera

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Trump vows to deliver ‘beating’ to Iran in retaliation for latest attack

Saudi Arabia joins US strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Ukraine, Iran and how regional wars go global

Donald Trump rebuilds his tariff wall

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Sean McGarrity.

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Gideon talks to Julianne Smith, former US ambassador to Nato about the future of the alliance. There seems to be greater transatlantic agreement on Ukraine, but tensions remain over Europe’s stance on Donald Trump’s war on Iran. So can the alliance survive without the US at the helm? Clip: ANI News

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Nato’s carnival of Trumpian caprice

Why the world trusts China more than America

Ukraine’s drone swarms test Moscow air defences

Nato opens its cheque books in bid to keep Trump engaged

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Gideon talks to Simon Kuper, FT columnist and author of World Cup Fever, about what distinguishes this World Cup from previous tournaments. What role has geopolitics played historically in the World Cup and is there any truth to some of the conspiracy theories surrounding this year's events? Clip: ITV Sport

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Bellingham brace carries England past Norway into World Cup semi-final

World Cup shows US is ‘golden market’ for football, says Major League Soccer boss

How western Europe became a formidable football factory

Why are China and India so bad at football?

Inside the secretive Fifa committee that suspended the US red card

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Marine Le Pen has run for the French presidency several times before, but her chances of winning next year look better than ever. Gideon talks to the FT's Victor Mallet about the source of her growing popularity and what a far-right government would mean for France and the EU. Clip: The Guardian

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Le Pen revives presidential bid echoing Trump

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will run for president

Marine Le Pen’s massive double gamble on presidency

France’s crowded race to replace Emmanuel Macron

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Simon Panayi.

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The war in Iran triggered a new round of conflict between the Hizbollah militia in Lebanon and the Israeli army. More than 4,000 people have been killed and about a million displaced. Lebanon and Israel signed a peace deal in Washington at the weekend to end the fighting, but without Hizbollah’s participation, can the deal hold? Gideon puts the question to the FT's editor Roula Khalaf and Andrew England, the FT's Middle East editor. Clip: This is Beirut

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Lebanon’s deal with Israel sparks backlash

How Hizbollah’s fighters ended up in court

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Doha for talks over US-Iran deal

How Benjamin Netanyahu’s big moment backfired

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Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design is by Breen Turner.

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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