Shipping forecast: will America’s blockade work?
4/14/202620 min
After the failure of talks at the weekend, America is now stopping all ships from using Iranian ports and coastal areas. Our correspondent analyses the rationale. Burkina Faso’s government is committing war crimes. And which type of fizzy water tastes best?
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Guests and host:
- Shashank Joshi, defence editor
- Tom Gardner, Africa correspondent
- Jon Fasman, senior culture writer
- Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
- Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
- America, Iran, blockade, Strait of Hormuz, oil
- Burkina Faso, Sahel, jihad, Ibrahim Traoré
- Sparkling water, fizzy drinks, alcohol
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJason Palmer· Host0:00
[reeling sound] The Economist. [upbeat music] Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from The Economist. I'm Jason Palmer.
Rosie Blau· Host0:14
And I'm Rosie Bloor. Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.
Jason Palmer· Host0:20
We've been tracking the growing jihadist threat in the Sahel region for years. It's growing fastest in Burkina Faso, where the ways and means of the charismatic president's crackdown have just been labeled war crimes.
Rosie Blau· Host0:37
And if you're drinking less alcohol than you used to, you may still find that at the end of the day you want to kick back and have a relaxing drink of something. Our correspondent finds his glass half empty and looks for an appropriate replacement. But first... Talks between America and Iran over the weekend could have reshaped a relationship defined by almost half a century of hostility. More realistically, some hoped that at least they'd come up with a deal to buy time and stave off a renewal of fighting. Instead, it ended with a three-minute press conference and no deal.