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The Lede

The Lede

New Lines Magazine 271 Episodes Oct 12, 2026

The Lede is a weekly podcast from New Lines Magazine that explores the biggest ideas, events, and personalities shaping the world. Each episode takes a deep dive into global affairs, culture, and politics, offering in-depth reporting and analysis. The show is produced by New Lines Magazine, an online publication known for its long-form journalism. Listeners can find additional stories on the New Lines website at newlinesmag.com.

Episodes

How 1980s Lebanon Made Today’s Middle East
How 1980s Lebanon Made Today’s Middle East Oct 12, 2026 2536 On the podcast this week, journalist and author Kim Ghattas joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the Beirut of the 1980s offers a prism through which to understand today’s regional rivalries, as set out in her new book, “The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East.” Produced by Finbar Anderson
The Forgotten Moment That Decided Palestine’s Fate
The Forgotten Moment That Decided Palestine’s Fate Oct 5, 2026 3319 On this week's episode of the podcast, historian Rashid Khalidi joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss why Western public opinion on Israel has shifted faster than at any point in a century, whether that shift will reach Washington, and what his conversations with the writer Tariq Ali reveal about the story of Palestine, as set out in their new book, “The Neck and the Sword: Palestine's Unfinished Strug
Why Ethiopia Is at War Once Again
Why Ethiopia Is at War Once Again Sep 28, 2026 1808 Jalale Getachew Birru, East Africa regional expert for Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), and Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to discuss the return of war to Ethiopia, the armed groups uniting against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the regional rivalries fueling the conflict for this month's edition of Global Insights on The Lede. Produced by F
How the Failed Revolutions of the 1970s Remade Our World
How the Failed Revolutions of the 1970s Remade Our World Sep 21, 2026 3053 On the podcast this week, journalist and author Jason Burke joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the wave of leftist violence that swept Europe and the Middle East in the 1970s, why its defeat cleared the ground for Islamist movements, and what the West got wrong about political violence in the decade that followed, as set out in his book, "The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked
Why Every Conflict Is Also a Love Story
Why Every Conflict Is Also a Love Story Sep 14, 2026 2387 On this week's episode of the podcast, journalist and author Sally Hayden joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss reporting on the artificial families formed by Rwandan genocide survivors, secret weddings under Islamic State rule in Iraq, reporting on the ongoing war in Lebanon — and why she believes journalism loses sight of the people at the center of every crisis, as set out in her recent book, “This
How 9/11 Remade America
How 9/11 Remade America Sep 7, 2026 3767 On this week's episode of the podcast, political scientist Shadi Hamid joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss why Osama bin Laden got exactly the overreaction he wanted from 9/11, how 25 years of the war on terror reshaped America and the Middle East, and why he believes a more secular America has become a more polarized one, as set out in his new book with Matthew Kaemingk, “Can Religion Save Democracy
Why We’re in a New Age of Conquest
Why We’re in a New Age of Conquest Aug 31, 2026 2548 On this week's episode of the podcast, Guardian senior international correspondent Luke Harding joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the war Europe is already fighting but won't admit to, the North Korean soldiers dying in the fields of western Russia, and why Trump's second term marks a breach with what America once claimed to be, as set out in his new book "Betrayal." Produced by Finbar Anderson
Listen Again: How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street
Listen Again: How Authoritarianism Came to One Istanbul Street Aug 24, 2026 2716 With the podcast team away until the end of the month, listen again to this episode from earlier in the year. 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 Erdoğan, and why the West so often misr
Listen Again: How Defiance Began at Home in Assad’s Syria
Listen Again: How Defiance Began at Home in Assad’s Syria Aug 17, 2026 4289 With the podcast team away until the end of the month, listen again to this episode from earlier in the year. Loubna Mrie joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss how the Syrian state’s authoritarianism seeped into her early home life, her role in the uprising against Bashar al-Assad and the painful memories brought up in the writing of her new memoir, “Defiance.” Produced by Finbar Anderson
The Wars We’ve Learned To Live With
The Wars We’ve Learned To Live With Aug 10, 2026 2811 As the war in Iran drags on with no end in sight, journalist and humanitarian Arwa Damon joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the human cost of the Iran wars, the neglected conflicts in Sudan and Afghanistan, and why we no longer feel affected by atrocity.
How Crime Built the Modern World
How Crime Built the Modern World Aug 3, 2026 3030 On this week's episode of the podcast, the historian and writer Ryan Gingeras joins Faisal Al Yafai to discuss the making of mafias from New York to Lebanon and Tokyo, how gangsters shaped the modern state, and his new book, "Mafia: A Global History." Produced by Finbar Anderson
Why Israel Keeps Voting and Nothing Changes
Why Israel Keeps Voting and Nothing Changes Jul 27, 2026 2945 Israel goes to the polls in October with a clear majority of voters opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu — and no obvious way to translate that into a government. On this month's episode of Global Insights on The Lede, pollster Dahlia Scheindlin and political analyst Rida Abu Rass join Kwangu Liwewe Agyei to consider the arithmetic of the election, the taboo against governing with Arab parties, and the t

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