Asia Abridged: Recent Episodes
Asia Society
The most memorable moments from Asia Society’s acclaimed programming, delivered in 15 minutes or less. We choose the most enlightening, fascinating, and entertaining events and conversations and turn them in to easy-to-digest podcast episodes. If you have a passion for Asia — including arts, culture, current affairs, policy, Asian-American issues, and more — subscribe today.
When President Obama appointed Richard Holbrooke to manage the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan, the assignment seemed like a perfect challenge for the veteran diplomat. Instead, the two men could not see eye to eye before Holbrooke's untimely death in 2010. George Packer, author of a new biography of Holbrooke, explains the fundamental differences between the president and diplomat.
In a lively appearance at Asia Society, Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran would continue to sell its oil to foreign buyers in spite of American pressure, offered to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the U.S, and said that Iran, the U.S., and Saudi Arabia had agreed to a ceasefire in Yemen in 2015 — but Saudi Arabia pulled out at the last minute.
Economist Jesper Koll explains his counterintuitive take on the country's growing prospects — particularly for its youth.
Whether it's on the silver screen, a television screen or your computer screen, Asian and Asian American talent has achieved mainstream status in Hollywood.
Daniel Russel of the Asia Society Policy Institute discusses the limits of President Trump's "mano a mano" approach to solving the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Financier Weijian Shan recounts his experience as a teenager during China's Cultural Revolution and his subsequent arrival in the United States.
A changing global film industry is giving India's filmmakers and actors a chance to be seen by audiences well beyond its borders.
People speaking in this podcast:
Visheh Bhatt, filmmaker: https://twitter.com/VishehB7 Kabir Khan, filmmaker: https://twitter.com/kabirkhankk Zulfiqar Khan, managing director of video streaming platform Hooq: https://www.hooq.tv/ Anil Kapoor, actor and producer: https://twitter.com/AnilKapoor
Michelle FlorCruz, Asia Society: https://twitter.com/mflorcruz
Two Asian immigrants share their stories of coming to the United States, and coming to terms with their undocumented status. As the United States struggles with the question of immigration, hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants — many of whom are Asian — live with an uncertain future.
In this episode of Asia Abridged, Wendy Cutler and Orville Schell tell us why, contrary to President Trump's assertions, Beijing is well-positioned to compete in a trade conflict with the United States.
Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President for International Diplomacy and Security Daniel Russel and former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman explain why the Singapore summit was such a disappointment for the United States and how Kim Jong Un has gained a formidable position in respect to the countries trying to contain North Korea's nuclear program.
Defense and security experts discuss how Artificial Intelligence is changing the landscape of warfare and weapons. With China making a big push on A.I. research, how are competitors like the U.S. and India keeping up?
Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council and a leading expert on Iran, discusses the changes occurring inside Iran and assesses the economic consequences of President Trump’s threats to pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal.
As chief secretary of Hong Kong during the 1990s, Anson Chan had a front-row seat for the territory’s handover from British to Chinese rule. In a recent conversation held at Asia Society, Chan explains why she’s pessimistic that Hong Kong’s autonomy — guaranteed by the terms of the handover — will be able to withstand mainland China’s growing power.
As chief secretary of Hong Kong during the 1990s, Anson Chan had a front-row seat for the territory’s handover from British to Chinese rule. In a recent conversation held at Asia Society, Chan explains why she’s pessimistic that Hong Kong’s autonomy — guaranteed by the terms of the handover — will be able to withstand mainland China’s growing power.
Film industry insiders discuss Hollywood’s slow shift toward diversity and what Asian American communities can do to convince studios that their stories are not only worth telling, but also have huge box office potential.
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl describes her 1974 trip to Cultural Revolution-era China and explains how the recent experiences of real estate developer Zhang Xin epitomize the changes that are occurring in the country.
Asia Society Policy Institute Diplomat in Residence Daniel Russel previews the year ahead for U.S-China relations and explains why ties between the two may suffer in 2018. He also explains why the North Korean nuclear problem is so intractable.
Morgan Stanley economist Ruchir Sharma talks about what might happen if China’s government experiences a recession, and explains why India has so many good companies.
Asia Society Policy Institute Diplomat in Residence Daniel Russel looks back on President Trump’s Asia policy during his first nine months in office and tells us what to look for in the months ahead.
Asia Society Policy Institute Diplomat in Residence Daniel Russel looks back on President Trump’s Asia policy during his first nine months in office and tells us what to look for in the months ahead.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani discusses his country's ongoing conflict, the Taliban insurgency, and why he's one of the few world leaders who has been happy with Donald Trump.
Movie legend Jackie Chan has appeared in more than 150 films dating back to 1962, and he’s performed his own stunts in almost all of them. In this episode, Chan talks candidly about his most famous scene — and other stunts he says he honestly thought might kill him.
As Donald Trump threatens to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif — who was instrumental in negotiating the agreement — discusses what will happen if Trump delivers on his threats.
Asia Society Policy Institute Diplomat in Residence Daniel Russel explains why, despite President Trump’s rhetoric, U.S. policy toward North Korea hasn’t changed as much as people think. He also explains why North Korea has a nuclear weapon that it “can’t use.”
The Rohingya Muslims have long been a stateless persecuted minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. But over the past few weeks, their plight has gone from bad to worse as they’ve endured widespread rape and killing, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the country. In this episode, Debra Eisenman explains how it got to this point.
There are more than 35 million slaves around the world today — more than at any time in human history — and two-thirds of them are in Asia. In this episode, human trafficking expert Matt Friedman describes the ways in which people are lured into modern-day slavery on the continent — and what can be done about it.
Though the cult of Mao Zedong has long subsided, there has been speculation that a personality cult is being crafted around Chinese President Xi Jinping, which comes amidst a sweeping crackdown on dissent. But is the public buying it? In this episode, former New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief Ed Wong speaks with the Center on U.S.-China Relations' Orville Schell about China’s “adaptive authoritarianism," the prospects for political change, and relations with the United States in the age of Trump.
In a time when representation and diversity are at the forefront of conversation in Hollywood and media, Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ has attracted a lot of attention. In this episode, Kwan and director Jon Chu discuss the challenges that come with working on the first big budget film about the Asian American experience.
In spite of a steady stream of sanctions and international condemnation, North Korea continues to develop and test increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, and may soon be able to strike the continental United States with a nuclear missile. In this episode, analysts Sue Mi Terry, Danny Russel, and Chung-in Moon look at the realistic options for dealing with the crisis.
Two years after Iran agreed to a historic nuclear deal, President Donald Trump’s hard line stance on the country is raising fears that diplomatic gains may be reversed and Iranian hardliners emboldened. In this episode, analysts John Limbert, Karim Sadjadpour, and Gary Samore look at the status of the nuclear deal, its context in domestic Iranian politics, and the broader U.S.-Iran relationship.
Despite greater opportunities in cities across the country, more than 20 million Indian women disappeared from the labor force between 2005 and 2012, which is creating a major drag on India's economy. In this episode, New York Times journalist Ellen Barry explores the cultural, historical, and economic factors that explain India's missing women workers — and what can be done about the issue.
Howard French, former New York Times China correspondent and author of the new book Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power, discusses China's territorial ambitions, and how they harbor potential for conflict with the United States — especially in a "very dangerous period" over the next 10 to 15 years.
Padma Lakshmi is perhaps best known as the veteran host of the popular television show Top Chef. But long before she became a public figure, Lakshmi was an Indian-American kid living in 1970s New York — a city whose culinary diversity cultivated her love of both Indian street food and bacon cheeseburgers. In this candid conversation, Lakshmi discusses her New York roots, her Desi identity, the Indian food she’s dying to see on Top Chef, and why she has no love for Disney princesses.