Omission accomplished: why the Iran-war cycle spins on

<p>From <a href="economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/07/2…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">impasse in Iran</a> to still-unresolved conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, a trend is clear: President Donald Trump’s scant, early plans for peace do not actually forge a path to it. Our correspondent says that in the driverless-car future, it will often be Chinese AI <a href="economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/07/23…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">behind the wheel</a>. And remembering <a href="economist.com/obituary/2026/07/23/wally-funk-w…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wally Funk</a>, who never relinquished her ambition to become an astronaut. </p><br><p><em>Watch extended clips from Insider, plus our full Elon Musk interview, </em><a href="economist.com/interactive/insider/previews?utm…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em> </em></p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent</li><li>Don Weinland, China business and finance editor</li><li>Ann Wroe, obituaries editor</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Iran war, Strait of Hormuz, diplomacy</li><li>China, AI, driverless cars</li><li>Wally Funk, astronauts</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><br></p>

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