Podcast
Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files
Hosted by Global · EN
World-renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour and ex-husband Jamie Rubin, a former US State Department official, unpack today’s defining global crises. Drawing on decades of insider experience in global affairs, reporting from conflict zones, and grilling world leaders, they explain how we ended up where we are – and where we might be going.
Forget about a new world order – right now, there’s no world order. From Trump and Putin to the war in Ukraine, China’s global rise, and chaos in the Middle East, geopolitics has never been more dangerous or unpredictable. The Ex Files provides unparalleled insight into the issues keeping world leaders, and the rest of us, awake at night.
With searing honesty, jaw-dropping stories, and candid humour, this is the foreign policy podcast for our fractured age. They’re no longer married, but when it comes to current affairs, Christiane and Jamie still finish each other’s sentences.
Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com
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Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Q&A: The most unpopular US conflict ever & why is Trump so hostile to journalists?
Today00:21:11Summary readyHow do you challenge a president who calls you fake news and walks out? Christiane reflects on the futility of confrontational questioning, and why she'd rather ask Trump how he became who he is.Jamie argues the Iran war is the most unpopular US military conflict he can remember, with no rally-around-the-flag effect and no stated objective successfully achieved. Could it lead to an uprising or ‘Arab Spring’ in the US, with Trump’s actions driving a potential midterm reckoning?Plus, Hamas has signalled willingness to disarm as part of a Gaza deal, but is this a sign of real progress or another false dawn in the peace process? Jamie unpacks what Tony Blair's Northern Ireland playbook might look like in Gaza and why none of it matters without an Israeli government willing to allow a Palestinian state.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryImran Khan: how did a national hero become a 'political prisoner'?
2d ago00:41:30Summary readyImran Khan - the legendary cricketer and former Prime Minister - has now spent three years in a Pakistani prison. The UN says he is being held in solitary confinement in 'inhumane' conditions, something the Pakistani government denies. His supporters insist the charges are politically motivated.In this episode, Christiane speaks to Khan's son, Kasim, about what it's like to go months without hearing from a father known to be suffering serious health problems. She and Jamie are also joined by Zulfikar Bukhari, a former Minister in Khan's government, on the geopolitics of his imprisonment and why President Trump hasn't done more to help.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryQ&A: India's 'Cockroach' Protests, Ukraine's path to NATO & another term for Trump?
1w ago00:23:13Summary readyA 22-year-old international student launched India's "Cockroach Party" and has successfully forced the education minister to resign. Christiane and Jamie unpack how a tongue-in-cheek protest movement exposed widespread exam corruption, won government reparations, and may signal the beginning of the end of Modi's unchallenged power.They also explore whether Putin's apparent weakness makes NATO membership for Ukraine more realistic. Jamie explains why the answer is still no, but why Kazakhstan's president telling Putin to "freeze the war now" matters more than people realise.Plus, Trump wore a "Trump 2028" cap to the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Even if he was joking, does floating a third term normalise the erosion of constitutional limits?Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryTrump’s Saudi nuclear deal: what was he thinking?
1w ago00:34:16Summary readyHas Trump fired the starting gun on a nuclear arms race in the Middle East? His controversial deal with Saudi Arabia has sparked alarm - but is it already on the brink of collapse, after the President said it hinges on the Gulf nation normalising relations with Israel?Christiane and Jamie unpick the agreement and its long-term consequences for the region and the world. They highlight how Iran will weaponise the deal for propaganda - asking why Riyadh should be allowed to enrich uranium while Tehran cannot - and look at whether Trump's standoff with Iran risks becoming another Forever War. Plus, Christiane reveals the growing desperation of ordinary Iranians who are struggling to afford to eat as they live under the continued threat of US airstrikes.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryQ&A: Chaos at the ICC, Hegseth's testosterone screening & Christiane responds to Iran critics
2w ago00:32:27Summary readyThe ICC is in crisis. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has threatened to dismantle the International Criminal Court 'brick by brick', and with Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan now facing sexual misconduct allegations and a vote on his future, the institution has never looked more vulnerable. Christiane and Jamie discuss whether the Trump administration really might try to destroy the court, and what that would mean for international justice.They also tackle Pete Hegseth's decision to introduce testosterone screening for all US servicemen. Is there an irony in policing hormone levels when transgender troops were forced out of the military just last year?Plus, Christiane responds to her critics on Iran: why do some accuse her of being too sympathetic to the Islamic Republic, while others say she's too close to the exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi? And is there any realistic prospect of the UK rejoining the EU, a decade on from Brexit?Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryDid Zelensky just sabotage his own war effort?
2w ago00:38:23Summary readyUkrainian President Zelensky has shocked allies by sacking his Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, just as his country seemed to be gaining momentum in its grinding war with Russia. Christiane and Jamie discuss whether this is a reckless gamble that could fracture Ukraine's war effort at the worst possible time, and what it signals both to Kyiv's Western backers and to Moscow.Meanwhile, Donald Trump has delivered a speech heavy with accusations of historic election interference ahead of the Midterms. Christiane and Jamie ask whether the President is already building a 'rigged election' narrative to explain away a poor Republican result. Is this a repeat of the 2020 playbook, and do any American voters still believe him?Plus Christiane gives her take on the latest developments in the US-Iran conflict which is in danger of becoming a full-blown hot war once again.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryQ&A: Lindsey Graham's legacy, UK's new PM and why is a 'trash can' standing for office?
3w ago00:24:01Summary readyWith the death of Lindsey Graham, Christiane and Jamie examine what's been lost - and what his career revealed about the bargain so many Republicans have made: suppress what you believe to stay relevant, and hope it's worth it. On the Iran war, they discuss that promise made by the US and Israel for Iranian liberation - so why is the regime now more entrenched than ever? Plus, as Andy Burnham prepares to become Britain's seventh Prime Minister in ten years, what kind of relationship can he realistically have with Trump? Christiane and Jamie also discuss Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's resignation over an undeclared £5 million “gift” and the upcoming by-election that he’ll be contesting against Count Binface.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
SummaryWas Iran Plotting To Assassinate Trump?
3w ago00:39:41Summary readyHow real is the alleged Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump? Is it a genuine assassination plan, or another case of Israeli intelligence getting it wrong? Christiane and Jamie unpick the story and ask whether this reporting is accelerating the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire and Memorandum of Understanding.They also explain why the two sides have started firing on each other again, how long the Strait of Hormuz might stay closed, and whether the unexpected death of Lindsey Graham could shift the trajectory of Trump's foreign policy.Plus: Christiane's verdict on last week's NATO summit and why the rise of the far right in Europe poses a direct threat to the future of the alliance.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
SummaryQ&A: Is this America's most humiliating war in history?
4w ago00:27:34Summary readyTrump says the Iran ceasefire is over - so how worried should we be about a return to full-scale war? Christiane and Jamie break down the latest tit-for-tat strikes and explain why the Iran War is even more humiliating for the US than Vietnam or Afghanistan.Plus, Christiane and Jamie discuss Trump’s interference in the World Cup… and how the US still lost to Belgium! They also assess the far-right Marine Le Pen's path back to eligibility for the French presidency, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's resignation over an alleged £5 million “gift”, and Denmark's pointed reminder at the NATO summit that it will defend "every single inch" of its territory - Greenland included.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Summary250 Years Of America: Is Trump Tearing It Apart?
Jul 700:36:02Summary readyAmerica has just marked 250 years of independence, but how much does the world's superpower really have to celebrate? Christiane explains how Trump is remaking the Land of the Free in his own image, and she and Jamie ask whether the President is doing irreversible damage to the US at home and abroad.They examine how the First Amendment right to free speech is under attack, and why America's closest allies are losing trust in a President whose behaviour they can't predict. But it's not all doom and gloom: Christiane reveals why the World Cup is giving her cause for hope.Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.Follow us on social media @amanpourpodFor more content, please follow us:Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpodX: https://x.com/AmanpourPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-PresentsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social
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