Home Podcasts Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files
Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Global 103 Episodes Jul 23, 2026

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. 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.

Episodes

Q&A: Chaos at the ICC, Hegseth's testosterone screening & Christiane responds to Iran critics
Q&A: Chaos at the ICC, Hegseth's testosterone screening & Christiane responds to Iran critics Jul 23, 2026 32:27 The 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
Did Zelensky just sabotage his own war effort?
Did Zelensky just sabotage his own war effort? Jul 21, 2026 38:23 Ukrainian 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 Trum
Q&A: Lindsey Graham's legacy, UK's new PM and why is a 'trash can' standing for office?
Q&A: Lindsey Graham's legacy, UK's new PM and why is a 'trash can' standing for office? Jul 16, 2026 24:01 With 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 prep
Was Iran Plotting To Assassinate Trump?
Was Iran Plotting To Assassinate Trump? Jul 14, 2026 39:41 How 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 St
Q&A: Is this America's most humiliating war in history?
Q&A: Is this America's most humiliating war in history? Jul 9, 2026 27:34 Trump 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
250 Years Of America: Is Trump Tearing It Apart?
250 Years Of America: Is Trump Tearing It Apart? Jul 7, 2026 36:02 America 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 closes
Q&A: US and Israel’s ‘special relationship’, the World Cup and who polices Trump’s board of peace?
Q&A: US and Israel’s ‘special relationship’, the World Cup and who polices Trump’s board of peace? Jul 2, 2026 25:33 Nearly four months after the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted, how are the many Asian countries dependent on its oil managing? Christiane and Jamie also discuss the US's potential decline as a world power, and its success as host of the FIFA World Cup - despite the odds.Also, given the UN inquiry that declares Israel as the perpetrators of genocide, at what point does the US reconsider its "special
Is Putin panicking?
Is Putin panicking? Jun 30, 2026 36:00 Putin has publicly admitted that Ukraine's strikes are causing real damage inside Russia. With fuel being rationed in Siberia and supplies in Crimea running out, Christiane and Jamie discuss how worried Putin is, and whether this is the beginning of real pressure on Moscow.They also discuss Venezuela's devastating earthquake which has exposed a country incapable of dealing with crisis. With the US
Q&A: Trump's staying power, the rise of the far-right & Israel's nuclear double standard
Q&A: Trump's staying power, the rise of the far-right & Israel's nuclear double standard Jun 25, 2026 23:44 Christiane and Jamie contrast the political accountability between presidential and parliamentary systems - why does Donald Trump remain while Keir Starmer falls?Plus, could Syria, Lebanon, and Israel ever cooperate to eradicate Hezbollah? Or has that moment already passed? And, what of Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal? Christiane and Jamie also discuss the far-right threat sweeping Europe, fro
Iran deal on a knife-edge, Trump vs Netanyahu & yet another UK Prime Minister resigns
Iran deal on a knife-edge, Trump vs Netanyahu & yet another UK Prime Minister resigns Jun 23, 2026 41:48 The US and Iran have held their first round of peace talks, but has there really been any progress? Is Tehran actually likely to allow nuclear inspectors back in? And has Trump's approach left America in a weaker negotiating position than when this all started? Christiane and Jamie cut through the diplomatic noise and explain what's really happening behind the scenes as both sides try to reach a d
Q&A: Musk the trilionaire, the two-state solution and is Trump cashing in?
Q&A: Musk the trilionaire, the two-state solution and is Trump cashing in? Jun 18, 2026 31:59 Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire - but should we celebrate or worry? Christiane and Jamie debate how his leap from electric cars and SpaceX into owning the public square, gutting USAID, and bankrolling Europe's far right represents a concentration of power no single individual should hold. They also examine whether Trump's final-term decisions are driven by ideology or personal
Who won the Iran War?
Who won the Iran War? Jun 16, 2026 41:47 The war in the Middle East has stopped, but can either the US or Iran genuinely claim victory? Christiane and Jamie unpick what the Memorandum of Understanding actually includes, what it conspicuously leaves out, and why the deal could still collapse if the two sides can't agree on the nuclear question long-term.Christiane reveals what her contacts inside Iran are telling her about the potential f

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