Our Podcasts, Ourselves

The year 2023 was a difficult one for the podcast industry. Hundreds of producers have been laid off, and some of the most critically acclaimed shows have been canceled. A drop in advertising revenue accounts at least in part for the retrenchment, but it’s not the whole story. When the popularity of podcasts soared in the United States, the corporate world invested heavily. Nearly a decade later, the margins have disappointed these profit-driven behemoths.

Despite the downturn, Foreign Policy’s podcast lineup is expanding. It includes shows about espionage, diplomacy, economics, and climate change. Some are interview-driven, while others are scripted narratives. All of the shows line up with FP’s overall mission: to help our subscribers better understand how the world works. As the end of 2023 approaches, we asked our audio producers to choose their favorite podcast episodes from the past year. Below is what they came up with.

1. Grading Biden’s Middle East policy

Foreign Policy Live

Interview shows work best when the host is innately curious and also empathetic, tough, focused, and steeped in the material. On FP’s flagship podcast, Foreign Policy Live, editor in chief Ravi Agrawal is all of those things as he engages with some of the most interesting figures in world affairs. Agrawal has interviewed a series of experts and officials since the war in Gaza erupted in October, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former U.S. negotiator Aaron David Miller. But the one that stands out is his conversation with Rashid Khalidi, a Columbia University professor and the author of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance.

2. Trillion-Dollar Sticker Shock? Let’s All Get Over It.

Ones and Tooze, Episode 95

Addressing crises around the world, from climate change to poverty, will require spending many trillions of dollars. Yet the “t” word remains taboo among politicians. On this episode, co-hosts Adam Tooze and Cameron Abadi discuss the benefits of public spending on a massive scale and why governments need to embrace it. Their show, Ones and Tooze, examines one or two data points each week that shape the world.

3. How Men Are Trying to End Gender-Based Violence in South Africa

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, Season 4, Episode 3

This show on women entrepreneurs around the world puts women at the center of each episode. But in this one, men are the focus—specifically male allies in South Africa who have made it their mission to address gender-based violence. South Africa often ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for women. The episode examines the broader impact of sexual violence on women, not just physically and psychologically but also economically.

4. In Cod We Trust

The Catch, Season 3, Episode 1

This season of our show on the perils of overfishing takes host Ruxandra Guidi to an island off the coast of Norway, where locals walk around with rifles to ward off polar bears. Norway’s fishing industry has been affected by a range of geopolitical and environmental issues, including the war in Ukraine and climate change. As in previous seasons, Guidi focuses on one particular sea creature: the cod fish.

5. Top Negotiator for Hollywood Writers Traces Steps That Led to a Deal With Studios

The Negotiators, Season 3, Episode 4

The Hollywood writers’ strike this year hampered production of movies and television shows for months and ended up being one of the longest in the industry’s history. This episode features an extended interview with Ellen Stutzman, the assistant executive director of the Writers Guild of America West and the union’s chief negotiator. Many of the guild’s demands were met during months of grueling talks. On each episode of The Negotiators, a collaboration with Doha Debates, a mediator or troubleshooter tells the story of one high-level negotiation.