Podcast Summary: Economist Podcasts – "Country of the year: The Economist’s pick for 2025"
Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Jason Palmer, Rosie Blore
Featured Guests: Chris Lockwood (Deputy Foreign Editor), Josie Delap (Middle East Section Editor), Hal Hodson (Americas Section Editor)
Episode Overview
This episode of The Intelligence explores The Economist’s annual “Country of the Year” pick for 2025. The hosts and guests recap a tumultuous year in global politics and economics, reflect on big geopolitical events, and chronicle the internal debate and final decision about which country improved most remarkably over the year.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Setting the Scene: 2025 in Review
[02:04–03:54]
- Rosie Blore and Jason Palmer recall 2025’s major events:
- Donald Trump’s second term as US president reignites global uncertainties
- Ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war, ongoing war in Ukraine
- Leadership changes worldwide (Canada, Netherlands, Nepal, South Korea)
- Pop culture moments and societal trends amid political turmoil
2. Defining "Country of the Year"
[03:54–05:43]
- Chris Lockwood explains the award:
- Quote:
“What we do when we choose our country of the year is choose the country that we think has improved the most. And obviously, this has been a year in which most countries have gone backwards, not forwards. And the reason for that is simply Donald Trump.” [03:54] - "Improved" means “better than it was before in some very marked way.” Criteria are flexible: economic, political, cultural, or geopolitical. It’s not ‘Best Country,’ but ‘Most Improved.’
- Quote:
3. The Nomination Process
[05:43–06:44]
- Lockwood describes how staff worldwide nominate candidates:
- Everyone on editorial replies with suggestions—sometimes leading to “hobby horses being flogged to death.”
- Moldova mentioned as a routine plucky contender, but ultimately not showing enough improvement.
4. This Year’s Contenders
[06:44–09:33]
- Canada:
- Mark Carney credited with stability and resisting Trump, but the country ultimately declined overall; nominated mostly for not declining as much as others.
- Brazil:
- Saw democratic progress: a coup attempt’s prosecution for the first time—progress for democratic maturity, but not enough for the title.
- South Korea:
- Economic and political volatility at start of year; overcame turmoil, impeached former president, democratic recovery, stabilized foreign relations, major stock market surge.
- Noah Schneider (East Asia Bureau Chief) highlights:
“South Korea’s stock market has surged 60, 70% on the year on the back of chip makers powering the AI boom. And all the while, its cultural reach keeps on expanding.” [09:07] - Ultimately, recovery from "self-inflicted wounds" leads editors to look elsewhere.
5. The Finalists: Syria vs. Argentina
[09:51–14:56]
Syria’s Case (Josie Delap)
- Assad regime, after 13 years of brutal dictatorship and civil war, is overthrown in Dec 2024.
- Ahmad Al Shara, controversially a former Al Qaeda commander, becomes leader.
- Initial fears of Taliban-style rule or renewed violence prove unfounded.
- Relations with Gulf States and the US improve.
- Sanctions waived; economic recovery starts.
- Significant problems persist: massacres, sectarian tension, power concentrated in Shara’s hands, minorities insecure.
- Quote:
“If you are looking for a country where a year ago things were indescribably worse and which has improved over the last year, I think it’s hard to top Syria.” [12:23]
Argentina’s Case (Hal Hodson)
- Chronic inflation and poverty have plagued Argentines for decades due to Peronist policies.
- President Javier Milei implements radical reforms in 2025, drastically cutting inflation (~120% to ~20%) and reducing poverty (~30pp reduction).
- Policies endorsed in midterm elections.
- Sets a powerful global example of economic reform through electoral support.
- Quote:
“There is no one in Argentina whose life has not been incredibly negatively influenced by the chronic inflation ... this was the year 2025 when you started to see his [Milei’s] policies have a really huge impact.” [12:57] - “Not only is this important for Argentines, it's important for the entire world because it shows that it is possible for fiscal discipline and normal economics to win at the ballot box.” [14:20]
6. Deliberation and Decision
[15:41–18:22]
- Chris Lockwood weighs both cases:
- Argentina: “If this were a prize for most improved economy, no question it would be Argentina. It’s one of the most remarkable turnarounds we've seen ... And the markets don’t like them and people don’t like them. And one, of course, the most interesting points about the Argentine pitch is that the people, the voters, backed these reforms rather than throwing them out.” [15:48–16:31]
- Syria: “But the fact remains that the lot of your average Syrian, compared to where it was a year ago, is just so much immeasurably better, that this counts for a very great deal.” [17:13]
- Ultimately, “In the past year, 3.5 million Syrians have returned to their homes, and that’s a statistic that is very hard to beat. So congratulations, Josie. We won’t need to have you back next year.” [18:06]
- Winner: Syria
7. Reactions and Reflections
[18:22–19:16]
- Josie Delap:
- “This is an award for country of the Year. It's not for Government of the Year, it's not for Leader of the Year. There are many, many problems in Syria ... But the people of Syria did not turn on each other.” [18:23]
- Hal Hodson:
- “You can't overlook that. And economics at the end of the day is abstract. People don’t feel it in the same way as they feel not being killed, not being tortured ... I fully accept the worthiness [of Syria].” [18:46]
8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “If it was the best country, it would probably be Finland every time, and everyone would get incredibly bored.” – Chris Lockwood [04:42]
- “South Korea emerged from the year stronger. Its democracy worked as designed... And in the meantime, South Korea’s stock market has surged 60, 70% on the year on the back of chip makers powering the AI boom.” – Noah Schneider [08:57–09:09]
- "The country is still deeply divided along sectarian lines and there have been two horrific massacres over the course of the last year. Shara continues to rule in a way that concentrates power around him." – Josie Delap [11:45]
9. Bonus Segment – The Economist Educational Foundation
[19:57–24:51]
- Educational Foundation highlighted for fostering news literacy worldwide.
- Jason Palmer visits Meridian High School as students discuss how to discern credible news sources.
- Gemma Papworth (teacher): “It’s very up to date, it’s very topical ... it just gets them thinking more about the world and sort of their place in it, but also the ability to question it and be savvy in the sense that I’m not just going to take this as fact.” [23:34]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 02:04 — Year in review: major global events
- 03:54 — What does “Country of the Year” mean?
- 06:44 — Shortlist: Canada, Brazil, South Korea
- 09:51 — The finalists: Syria vs. Argentina
- 14:56 — Deliberation and reflections on both cases
- 18:05 — Winner announced: Syria
- 19:57 — Educational Foundation (bonus content)
Conclusion
The episode offers a compelling journey through a year of global upheaval, ultimately rewarding Syria for its transformation from a nation torn by dictatorship and civil war to one showing signs of hope, however imperfect. The decision underscores the editorial principle that tangible, dramatic improvements in the wellbeing of ordinary people outweigh even the most impressive economic recoveries when recognizing “country of the year.”