New world of warcraft: how conflict has forever changed
Economist Podcasts
The Economist
4.3 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 29 May 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our outgoing defence editor reflects on how war has changed during the eight years of his tenure. Wars have become easier to start and harder to finish, and the little guy has a better chance than ever before. And our obituaries editor pays tribute to Barney Frank, a trailblazing Democratic congressman.
Watch extended clips from Insider here
Guests and host:
- Shashank Joshi, defence editor
- Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
- Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Topics covered:
- war, technology, Ukraine, Iran
- Barney Frank
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Economist. |
| 0:09.6 | Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist. |
| 0:12.7 | I'm Jason Palmer. |
| 0:18.7 | Today on the show, a parting shot from our outgoing defense editor on the nature of modern war |
| 0:24.3 | and a tribute to the trailblazing congressman Barney Frank. |
| 0:44.1 | Well, eight Palestinians have been killed in Israeli drone attacks across Gaza. |
| 0:46.6 | The strike hit a community kitchen in Dahl. The sky is over Iran, black with smoke. |
| 0:50.2 | It's run by a hospitalization that serves hot meal. |
| 0:59.0 | Russia old-naked lost its long-anticipated attack on Ukraine, striking military posts across the country. |
| 1:01.0 | The last eight years have been, |
| 1:03.0 | an unprovoked war in Europe. |
| 1:05.0 | Following the effects with the rival paramilitary representatives, |
| 1:09.0 | the last eight years have been, to put it, wildly busy. |
| 1:16.8 | Shishong Joshi is our defense editor and incoming Washington Bureau Chief. |
| 1:20.6 | When I started this role in 2018, the biggest questions were over Donald Trump's handling of North Korea, |
| 1:27.8 | and there seemed like a very real risk of war, perhaps even nuclear war, on the Korean |
| 1:33.5 | peninsula. |
| 1:34.9 | That calmed down, and then of course we saw the great withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, |
| 1:43.4 | the debacle of American troops leaving in chaotic fashion |
| 1:47.0 | out of Kabul. And I did remember thinking at the time, God, that was busy, but at least next year |
| 1:52.6 | will be a little bit calmer. At the time, Vladimir Putin's armies were slowly building up on the |
| 1:59.8 | edges of Ukraine, and that is what would come |
... |
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