The World Unpacked: Recent Episodes
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The World Unpacked is a biweekly foreign policy podcast hosted by Sophia Besch that breaks down the hottest global issues of today with experts, journalists, and policymakers who can explain what is happening, why it matters, and where we go from here. Tune in to get smart on foreign policy.
People are worried that AI will automate their jobs. Yet Brian Merchant has interviewed hundreds of workers disrupted by AI, and what he sees isn’t a technological revolution but a centuries-old power struggle: bosses wielding new tech as leverage to deskill and destabilize workers.
Merchant is a tech journalist and critic whose book, Blood in the Machine, gives a sympathetic history of the original Luddites. He joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to explain what 19th century English craftsmen can tell us about AI, why he doesn’t lose sleep over Chinese models, and how to have a better industrial revolution.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Brian Merchant: https://x.com/bcmerchant
Data centers may be the most controversial objects in America. They’re blamed for draining water reservoirs, stressing electrical grids, and driving up utility bills. Communities throughout the country are pushing back and seeking moratoria.
But Andy Masley says this is all wrong—that data centers aren’t especially resource-hungry. Through his dogged research and insistence on putting numbers in context, Andy has emerged as the most influential debunker of data center myths.
He joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to compare ChatGPT prompts with microwaving a burrito and explain why a bestselling book overestimated AI’s water use by one thousand times.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Andy Masley: https://x.com/AndyMasley?lang=en
NATO’s future remains in doubt as Donald Trump again threatens to pull U.S. troops from Europe. But the practical stakes of these debates aren’t always clear. What military capabilities does Europe stand to lose? How long would it take to replace them? And how might Russia exploit any gap?
Sophia Besch, a German expert on European defense policy who has worked inside NATO, joins The World Unpacked to explore U.S. pullout scenarios — up to and including Russian attacks on the Baltics. She and host Jon Bateman dig into Europe's historic rearmament, its chance to invent a new way of war, and why peace in Ukraine could unleash new dangers.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/preview/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/how-europe-fights-russia-without-the-us
Host: Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest: Sophia Besch: https://x.com/SophiaBesch
The U.S. and Israel just fought a second war over Iran's nuclear program—and one of the world's leading nuclear experts says America lost. Iran's uranium stockpile sits fully intact in tunnels too deep to reach, and Tehran walked away with more leverage in nuclear talks.
James Acton, a physicist and longtime analyst of Iran’s program, joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to give a detailed update on this crisis. Has the new supreme leader already decided to build a weapon? How quickly could Iran “break out” or “sneak out” to the bomb? And why does Acton now expect more wars—followed by a nuclear detonation?
Host: Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest: James Acton: https://x.com/james_acton32?lang=en
A U.S.-China war over Taiwan would be catastrophic for all sides and the world. Preventing such a war requires understanding how it might unfold—from start to finish—including worst-case scenarios.
How much warning would there be? Where might China strike first? Which countries join the fight? Can Taiwan defend its coasts? Would nuclear threats determine the outcome?
Charles Hooper is a retired U.S. general who served as one of the Pentagon’s top China strategists and spent years living in the country. He joined Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to give a step-by-step scenario for the war that no one wants.
Find the episode transcript, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/how-a-us-china-war-would-unfold
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Charles “Hoop” Hooper: https://x.com/LTG_CHooper
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Understanding China Through Military Engagement
09:54 How a Taiwan Conflict Could Begin
20:27 U.S. and Allied Responses
35:04 Global Economic Impact
39:03 Taiwan's Defense Prospects
47:14 Nuclear Escalation Risks
52:28 Avoiding Conflict and Looking Ahead
The wars unleashed by October 7th have left the Middle East deeply fractured—Iran battered and defiant, Gaza destroyed, Israel militarized, the Gulf insecure and divided. And an even bigger disruption lies just ahead: the oil revenues that built the modern Arab world will halve by 2050, forcing countries to redesign themselves.
Marwan Muasher—a former foreign minister of Jordan and now a VP at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace—joins The World Unpacked to make sense of a region in flux. He explains why Washington should get tougher on Israel, Gulf countries may already have peaked in power, and the end of oil could be a good thing.
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Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/in-the-new-middle-east-no-one-is-in-charge
Host: Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest: Marwan Muasher: https://x.com/MarwanMuasher
Theo Baker is no ordinary college senior. His student newspaper articles brought down Stanford’s president. Now he’s written a book about the making of the young tech elite.
How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University reveals the “Stanford within Stanford”—the unofficial pipeline linking Silicon Valley investors to top students. It’s a pathway to power unlike any other, fueling the AI gold rush and remaking Stanford itself.
Theo joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to debate the deeper meaning of Stanford’s tech ties. Is it a normal and necessary part of capitalism, or a devil’s bargain corrupting education? And what does Stanford’s story say about other civic institutions fighting for their souls as AI eats the world?
Host:
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Guest:
Theo Baker: https://x.com/tab_delete
Russia’s surprising recent Internet shutdown did more than disrupt daily life: it also crippled the regime’s own communications and propaganda. It’s one of a series of strange events—from a diminished Victory Day parade to crackdowns on businesspeople and celebrities—that suggest growing disorder and confusion within the Russian state.
Alexandra Prokopenko, a former Moscow insider who quit over the Ukraine War, says that Vladimir Putin has lost focus on running the country. She joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to explain the erosion of Russia’s social contract and share stories from her new book From Sovereigns to Servants: How the War Against Ukraine Reshaped Russia’s Elite.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Alexandra Prokopenko: https://x.com/amenka
There’s been remarkably little public debate about a potential U.S. attack on Cuba. President Trump said last week that he “will be taking over” Cuba “almost immediately”—and similar threats led to military action in both Venezuela and Iran.
Javier Corrales, a political scientist at Amherst College and the son of Cuban exiles, joins The World Unpacked to game out this crisis. Javier and host Jon Bateman discuss Cuba’s economic vulnerability, its political staying power, and why Trump might wind up making a deal with the Castros very similar to one made by Barack Obama.
Host: Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest: Javier Corrales: https://x.com/jcorrales2011
AI-powered bots and slop content are everywhere now, making it harder to tell who’s human. Will the Internet become so bot-ridden that it’s simply unusable? Or will people be forced to prove their identities online—giving up privacy and eroding democracy?
Nick Pickles battled bots at Twitter and is now chief policy officer at Tools for Humanity, the Sam Altman-founded startup that reads eyeballs with an Orb. On this episode of The World Unpacked, Nick joined host Jon Bateman to explore the brewing authenticity crisis, the geopolitics of privacy, and the surprising legacy of a 1993 New Yorker cartoon.
Elon Musk is one of the most influential figures of our era. He remade the space, car, social media, and AI industries. He shaped the Ukraine War. He helped put Donald Trump back in office and became Washington’s most powerful official. How can one CEO alter the fate of multiple nations—and what does that say about our world?
A provocative new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, argues that Musk has pioneered a new form of capitalism that fuses technology with political power. On this episode of The World Unpacked, authors Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff explore Musk’s historical meaning and debate the politics of technocracy with host Jon Bateman.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Benn Tarnoff, Quinn Slobodian
The world is still making sense of Viktor Orbán’s historic election loss in Hungary—a small country with outsized global significance. Why were Orbán’s generational efforts to stack the electoral deck not enough to prevent his landslide defeat? Is this a warning sign for right-wing populists in America, Europe, and elsewhere who’ve modeled their own movements on Orbán’s?
Tom Carothers, a top democracy scholar with deep ties in Hungary, joins Jon Bateman on a special episode of The World Unpacked. Tom explains why Orbán lost, why his successor Peter Magyar isn’t the anti-Orbán that many assume, and why “electoral autocracies” around the world are less stable than they seem.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Tom Carothers: https://carnegieendowment.org/people/...
Think tanks—the non-profit research centers that try to influence policy—are strange and mysterious places. Depending on who you ask, think tanks are invaluable sources of expertise, intellectual hired guns serving powerful interests, or relics of a bygone era when facts mattered and political leaders actually read things.
Tino Cuellar is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a premiere foreign policy think tank. He joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to pull back the curtain on this hidden world. Tino takes on the skeptics and makes an impassioned case for an “idea sector” independent of government and industry—even in the age of AI.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Tino Cuellar
President Trump was meant to fly to Beijing this week for major trade talks, but instead he’s staying home to manage the Iran War. It’s an apt metaphor for America’s decades-long failure to refocus on Asia and reckon with China’s rise. Does Trump have a plan for dealing with America’s top rival? If so, what is it?
Ali Wyne is a perceptive analyst of U.S.-China competition and author of America’s Great Power Opportunity. He joined Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to explain why Beijing hasn’t saved Iran; what Washington’s bipartisan “consensus” on China still misses; and how Trump should negotiate when he finally sits down with Xi Jinping.
The U.S. is fighting its first full-scale AI war in Iran — but key details remain largely hidden from Americans and the world. Which military decisions are being automated? How well does AI really perform on the battlefield? Can guardrails prevent fatal errors? Katrina Manson’s timely and deeply reported new book, Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare, lifts the lid on this hidden world. In this episode of The World Unpacked, Katrina tells host Jon Bateman about the creation of America’s AI war machine, the rise of Palantir, and the fully autonomous weapons already being tested.
Host:
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Guest:
Katrina Manson — https://x.com/KatrinaManson
The Iran War marks the second time in two months that Donald Trump decapitated a country without real legal justification. But is this any different from the many times that past U.S. presidents—and other great powers—have violated international law?
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed almost a week ago — so who’s running the country? Will Iranians seek change in the streets, despite the brutal crackdown they faced in January? Could Kurdish militias march on Tehran under U.S. and Israeli air cover? Should Westerners trust exiled oppositionists like former crown prince Reza Pahlavi?
Karim Sadjadpour is one of the few people who can answer these questions. On this special episode of The World Unpacked, Karim and host Jon Bateman go inside Tehran’s power structure as the Islamic Republic faces one of the greatest crises in its 47-year history.
Just weeks after ousting Venezuela’s leader, Donald Trump is now courting crises on two other continents. Trump’s quest to own Greenland continues to roil Europe, while the Middle East braces for war as a U.S. armada barrels toward Iran.
In this episode of The World Unpacked, Sarah tells host Jon Bateman why systemic corruption looks nothing like how we picture it, how anti-corruption advocates are co-opted as enablers, and what to say if someone asks you for a bribe. There’s a gnawing feeling in America and the West that a self-serving elite has corrupted society’s rules in its favor. The Epstein files have finally pulled back the curtain on hidden ways that powerful people network together to advance their own interests and evade accountability.
The same populist forces that brought Donald Trump to office could also enable a politician from the progressive left to succeed him. How would a president in the vein of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Zohran Mamdani change U.S. foreign policy and the world?
Americans have been deeply dissatisfied with the economy for many years, even as standard metrics continue to show strength and prosperity. This gap between popular and elite thinking has helped populism surge and sparked intense debates about whether old economic assumptions—and policies—need wholesale revision.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here
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The Paveway bomb, invented by Texas Instruments in the 1970s, was the first truly precise munition. It revolutionized America’s air campaign in Vietnam and allowed whole new kinds of “limited” U.S. wars in Libya, Iraq, Serbia, and beyond.
But Paveway’s true legacy was psychological: it seduced generations of U.S. leaders into believing that tactical precision creates strategic victories with few costs.
Jeff Stern, an intrepid chronicler of modern conflict, tells this story in his new book The Warhead: The Quest to Build the Perfect Weapon in the Age of Modern Warfare. He joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to explore the past, present, and future of precision warfare.
You’ve probably heard of “lab-grown meat,” the sci-fi-sounding idea of 100% real meat made without animals. Yet few people understand how close this vision is to becoming reality—and how much it could change the world. A healthier, more efficient meat source could soon rewire global supply chains and help catalyze a new bioeconomy.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/the-global-race-to-reinvent-meat?
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
Drones are no longer the future of war. They’re now a defining weapon in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and beyond—altering the course of conflicts and reshuffling the balance of military power. The pace of change has caught many by surprise, with state and non-state groups racing to mass-produce, diversify, and protect their rapidly evolving drone arsenals.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/every-war-is-now-a-drone-war?
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The Trump administration apparently seeks regime change in Venezuela and may soon attack the country. But American leaders have so far refused to openly state their intentions, stifling public debate on the momentous choice ahead.
In an urgent conversation you won’t hear elsewhere, the last U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela makes a forthright case for ousting President Nicolás Maduro—with American force, if necessary.
Ambassador James Story joins The World Unpacked to argue that Venezuela isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan. Host Jon Bateman asks him tough questions about post-war security, regional blowback, and whether the U.S. has a vital interest in Venezuela.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/testing-the-case-for-regime-change-in-venezuela?
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The new U.S. National Security Strategy is the clearest and boldest statement of President Donald Trump’s global vision. It reveals U.S. plans to dominate Latin America, transform politics in Europe, and seize commercial opportunities in Asia. Leaders around the world are closely studying this document.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/decoding-trumps-foreign-policy-blueprint?
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The AI boom is the biggest investment mania in decades, channeling trillions of dollars into data center infrastructure. If investors bet right, they may usher in technological breakthroughs that produce vast wealth. If they’re wrong, they could crash the U.S. stock market, trigger a recession, and spread financial contagion globally.
Ed Zitron was among the first to call AI a bubble. His unsparing deep dives into AI finances are must-reads, even for his critics. In a spirited back-and-forth on The World Unpacked, Ed and host Jon Bateman debate Wall Street’s “unhealthy relationship” with Nvidia, if China has its own AI bubble, and whether ChatGPT should give tax advice.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/ais-biggest-skeptic-sees-a-bubble?
Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman
We’re living through an era of information disruption. Novel technologies like AI and social media are unleashing pent-up social and political energies—releasing floods of new information and triggering intense battles for narrative control.
While most analysts focus on small pieces of this puzzle, Alicia Wanless is a pioneering “information ecologist” who seeks to map the entire system. Her new book is The Information Animal: Humans, Technology, and The Competition for Reality.
In a lively new episode of The World Unpacked, Alicia and host Jon Bateman discuss what 2025 has in common with 1625, how novels spark civil wars, and why our frantic efforts to tame information often do more harm than good.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/why-information-refuses-to-be-controlled?
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On November 5, the Supreme Court heard the most globally consequential oral arguments in years as Trump’s trade war faces a final legal reckoning. The Court will either strike down most of Trump’s tariffs, undercutting him in trade talks, or else hand U.S. presidents previously unimagined new powers over the global economy.
Peter Harrell is a top trade expert and lawyer fighting the tariffs on behalf of 207 members of Congress. He joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to take stock of the ever-changing tariffs, peer into the Justices’ decision-making process, and predict the fallout for America and the world.
Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/trumps-dollar200-billion-tariff-showdown-at-the-supreme-court?
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A House of Dynamite, a new Netflix film, may be the most realistic depiction of a nuclear crisis ever made. Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim partnered with Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) to capture the intimate details of the U.S. national security state as a president (Idris Elba) and his advisors confront the riskiest 19 minutes in human history.
Oppenheim, the former president of NBC News, joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked. They discuss Trump’s missile defense plans, the filmmaking process, and Hollywood’s surprising influence on nuclear policy—from Dr. Strangelove to Crimson Tide.
Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here.
Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.
MS-13 brought El Salvador to its knees and has spread to a dozen other nations, doing battle with presidents as much as rival gangs. Yet despite its infamy, MS-13 is poorly understood: It has little in common with the cartels, traffickers, or mafias that it’s often lumped in with.
What is the violent logic behind MS-13, and why has it grown steadily more powerful during both crackdowns and truces? Has President Nayib Bukele’s unprecedented brutality finally turned the tide against MS-13 in El Salvador, and does he have a plan for what comes next? If it takes an autocrat to slay a gang, should countries trade one beast for another?
Steven Dudley, author of the award-winning book MS-13: The Making of America’s Most Notorious Gang, joins Jon Bateman for a gripping new episode of The World Unpacked.
Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here.
Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.
The end of USAID was among the biggest early controversies of President Donald Trump’s second term. The world watched in horror as Elon Musk’s DOGE took a chainsaw to U.S. foreign assistance, placing millions of lives at risk with brutal across-the-board cuts.
But few people realize how much has changed since then. Behind the scenes, aid money was largely restored—for now. And instead of making grandiose fraud accusations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun embracing aid in public, laying out promising plans to address problems long recognized by technocrats.
Rachel Bonnifield is a leading global health expert and proud member of the NGO ecosystem denounced by Trump officials—yet she admires much of their new strategy. She joins The World Unpacked to make a surprising case for many Trump reforms, while also warning of risks, including the potential for more disruptions in the coming months.
Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here.
Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has just convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup to nullify his 2022 election loss. The country’s judicial system and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a polarizing figure whom the co-conspirators had sought to assassinate, acted boldly, sentencing Bolsonaro to twenty-seven years in prison.
Brazil is now the global leader in democratic accountability for “self-coups,” a once-rare phenomenon that has surged recently, even in places such as South Korea and the United States. That’s why the world is watching Brazil’s grand experiment—especially in Washington, where President Donald Trump has levied massive tariffs to punish what he calls a “witch hunt” against his former ally.
Oliver Stuenkel, a prominent analyst of Brazilian politics, breaks down these events with Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked. Will Bolsonaro’s conviction restore democratic guardrails or further polarize the country? And what does it mean for the United States to intervene in the politics of a fellow democracy with unprecedented levels of economic coercion?
Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here.
Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.
Nate Soares is one of the world’s leading AI “doomers” and co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All—the New York Times Bestseller that everyone in tech is debating. In this debut episode of a revamped The World Unpacked, new host Jon Bateman talks to Nate about his provocative argument that superintelligent AI could destroy all humans in our lifetimes—and how the U.S., China, and other countries should band together to stop it.
What is superintelligent AI and how soon will it emerge? Why are tech companies explicitly aiming to create something that the CEOs themselves—and respected independent experts—acknowledge is an existential threat? Is it feasible for the U.S., China, and other major players in the global AI race to agree to a worldwide freeze on the technology? And how did Nate come to these realizations—and mourn for what he sees as humanity’s possible lost future?
Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here.
Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.
In this episode of The World Unpacked, host Isaac Kardon is joined by Alexander (Sasha) Gabuev, Director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin and one of the world’s leading experts on Russia-China relations. Together, they unpack the growing geopolitical competition in the Arctic—a region increasingly shaped by strategic cooperation between Russia and China, and generally neglected or misunderstood by U.S. policymakers.
This conversation dives deep into the overlooked maritime theater connecting the U.S., Russia, and China. Kardon and Gabuev explore the security implications of a warming Arctic, the dynamics of great power rivalry, the potential limits of the China-Russia partnership, and what’s at stake for the U.S. and its allies.
Article mentioned: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/05/26/trump-greenland-arctic-russia-china-nato-strategy-geopolitics-security/
Subsea cables carry 95% of the world’s data—but remain largely invisible in global policy debates. In this episode, Isaac Kardon is joined by Carnegie experts Jane Munga and Sophia Besch to unpack the geopolitics, economics, and security risks surrounding undersea data infrastructure. From Africa’s digital development to Europe’s hybrid warfare concerns, they explore who owns these cables, why they matter, and how governments can respond to emerging infrastructure threats.
Notes:
- Sophia Besch and Erik Brown, "Securing Europe's Subsea Data Cables," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 16, 2024.
- Jane Munga, "Beneath the Waves: Addressing Vulnerabilities in Africa’s Undersea Digital Infrastructure," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 3, 2025.
How should we understand China’s unique variety of party-state capitalism? In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac Kardon sits down with Dr. Meg Rithmire, a renowned scholar of political economy in China and the James E. Robison Professor at Harvard Business School, to discuss how capitalism functions in a party-state that tries to maintain “rule by market” without ceding too much control to private capital. Their discussion is based on Dr. Rithmire’s chapter in a new volume released from Carnegie called The Life of the Party: Past and Present Constraints on the Future of the Chinese Communist Party. They explore how private capitalists have been important to China’s economy since the 1950s, and how China attempts to exert control over companies to ensure that their activities serve party-state objectives, like Made in China 2025.
Notes:
- Yvonne Chiu, Isaac B. Kardon, Jason M. Kelly, “The Life of the Party: Past and Present Constraints on the Future of the Chinese Communist Party,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 9, 2025.
The world is entering a new nuclear age—one defined by proliferating arsenals, eroding arms control, and rising geopolitical tensions. In this episode, Isaac Kardon sits down with international security expert and Stanton Senior Fellow Ankit Panda to discuss the return of nuclear weapons to the center of global strategy. As Russia issues nuclear threats, China and North Korea expand their capabilities, and emerging technologies like AI reshape the battlefield, the risks of confrontation are growing. Can new approaches to stability and deterrence pull us back from the brink? Learn more in this week's episode of The World Unpacked.
Notes:
- Ankit Panda, The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon (Cambridge: Polity, 2025), https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/04/the-new-nuclear-age-at-the-precipice-of-armageddon?lang=en
As U.S.-China tensions deepen, Beijing is carving out a new role for itself—not just as an economic powerhouse, but as a global security player. What does China’s vision of “comprehensive national security” mean for countries caught in the middle of great-power competition? And how are smaller states navigating the shifting landscape of global security partnerships? In this episode, Isaac Kardon sits down with Sheena Chestnut Greitens to explore how China is providing security assistance to governments around the world—and how Beijing is reshaping the current landscape of international security cooperation.
Notes:
- Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment under U.S.-China Competition,” International Security (Winter 2024-25), https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00504
- Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Vietnam Wants U.S. Help at Sea and Chinese Help at Home,” Foreign Policy (Jan. 2025), https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/13/vietnam-us-strategic-partnership-china-great-power-rivalry/
- Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Playing Both Sides of the US-China Rivalry: Why Countries Get External Security from the US—and Internal Security from Beijing,” Foreign Affairs (March 2024), https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/playing-both-sides-us-chinese-rivalry
In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac B. Kardon sits down with Ashley J. Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Andrew Yeo, Senior Fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution. They explore how the role of overseas bases has changed over time and how the U.S., China, and Russia—among other countries—use them to project power today. Despite advances in technology and long-range weapons, bases remain key to grand strategy, political influence, and sustained military reach.
In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac Kardon is joined by Darcie Draudt-Véjares to explore how the shipbuilding industry is reshaping global security and industrial policy. They discuss Washington's faltering commercial shipbuilding sector, China's rise through state-led integration, and South Korea and Japan’s dominance in high-tech ship production. Can the U.S. rebuild its maritime power—and what lessons can it learn from its global allies?
In President Donald Trump’s second term, Latin America has taken center stage in U.S. foreign policy—but not without controversy. From aggressive deportation flights to economic coercion and even veiled threats of military action, the Trump administration’s confrontational stance is straining relations across the region.
In this episode, Oliver Stuenkel joins Sophia to unpack how these developments are reshaping regional politics and prompting Latin American leaders to reassess their relationship to the United States. Could China emerge as a more stable and attractive partner for countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico? And what would this mean for U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere?
Notes:
- Oliver Stuenkel and Margot Treadwell, "Will Trump's Unpredictable Foreign Policy Boost BRICS?" Foreign Policy, March 24, 2025.
After over a year of devastating conflict, Israel and Hamas reached a three-phase ceasefire agreement in January 2025, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The deal allowed for significant increases in humanitarian aid deliveries, prisoner and hostage exchanges, and discussions for a potential permanent ceasefire.
This episode was recorded on March 11, ten days after the scheduled completion of Phase 1. Since then, the ceasefire has remained in limbo—Israel is pushing to extend Phase 1, while Hamas wants to advance to Phase 2 negotiations, under which a permanent ceasefire would be established. With talks stalled and a spike in resumed violence on March 18, the road ahead remains uncertain, especially as U.S. policy under President Trump continues to shift.
In this episode, Sophia Besch sits down with Zaha Hassan, a Fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program and a human rights lawyer. She previously served as the senior legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during Palestine’s bid for UN membership and is a regular participant in track II peace efforts. Together, they explore the fragile ceasefire in Gaza—its implications, challenges and delays with implementation, and the evolving role of the United States in the region under President Donald Trump's administration.
Notes:
- Zaha Hassan and H. A. Hellyer,Suppressing Dissent: Shrinking Civic Space, Transnational Repression and Palestine-Israel, (Oneworld, 2024).
Nearly a week after the tense Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky, and just days after the Trump administration’s abrupt decision to pause military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, serious questions loom over America’s commitment to Kyiv’s security. At the same time, the White House appears to be exploring a thaw with Moscow—including potential sanctions relief with little in return.
In this episode, Sophia Besch and Dara Massicot unpack the implications of these moves: What message does this send to Ukraine and its European allies? How are European leaders responding? And what does this shift mean for U.S. foreign policy and great power competition?
Notes:
- Dara Massicot, Russian Military Reconstitution: 2030 Pathways and Prospects, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 12, 2024.
What's going on in the Korean Peninsula following the impeachment of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol? How will evolving politics shape Seoul's future relations with North Korea? How will domestic political shifts in the U.S. shape foreign policy and great power relations among Washington, Beijing, Seoul, and Pyongyang?
Asia Program Fellow Darcie Draudt-Véjares and Senior Fellow Chung Min Lee discuss these questions and more in this special feature episode of The World Unpacked.
Rising sea levels and climate-driven flooding are reshaping the global economy, with major implications for the U.S. housing market and the global economy. As millions of homes face increased risk, mortgage defaults could surge, home values may plummet, and financial instability could spread worldwide. Governments will soon need large-scale strategies to relocate coastal populations and manage mounting disaster relief costs.
In this episode, we explore how climate change threatens financial stability and whether the U.S. is facing another housing market bubble. Sophia Besch discusses these questions with Susan Crawford, a senior fellow for Carnegie's Climate, Sustainability, and Geopolitics Program.
Notes:
- Susan Crawford, Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm,(Pegasus Books, 2023).
- Amitov Ghosh, The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis, (University of Chicago Press, 2021).
China’s new AI model, DeepSeek, has rattled markets and raised questions about the global AI race. Meanwhile, just before leaving office, the Biden administration introduced the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion—an ambitious new rule that could reshape how—and who—gets access to advanced AI technologies from the U.S. It is designed to regulate AI exports, strengthen partnerships with allies, and restrict adversaries’ access to advanced AI chips and models.
But with the Trump administration now in power, will this framework survive? The stakes are high: AI chips fuel cutting-edge technologies, and whoever controls them holds the keys to the future of advanced AI systems.
In this episode, Sophia Besch and Technology and International Affairs Fellow Sam Winter-Levy explore what Biden’s new AI framework aims to achieve, how DeepSeek might challenge U.S. AI dominance, and what we might expect from the Trump administration's with respect to AI exports. Will Washington double down on AI restrictions, or will Trump scrap Biden’s framework in favor of a new approach? And with China rapidly advancing, can the U.S. maintain its technological edge?
Notes:
- Sam Winter-Levy, "The AI Export Dilemma: Three Competing Visions for U.S. Strategy," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 13, 2024.
- Sam Winter-Levy, "With Its Latest Rule, the U.S. Tries to Govern AI’s Global Spread," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 13, 2025.
- Matt Sheehan and Sam Winter-Levy, "Chips, China, and a Lot of Money: The Factors Driving the DeepSeek AI Turmoil," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 28, 2025.
- Leopold Aschenbrenner, "Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead," June 2024.
- Jeffrey Ding, Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How Diffusion Shapes Economic Competition, Princeton University Press (2024).
- Benjamín Labatut, When We Cease to Understand the World, Pushkin Press and New York Review of Books (2021).
The Biden administration contends it has left the United States in a better geopolitical position than when it entered office four years ago. In a year-end foreign policy review from Carnegie’s American Statecraft Program, Director Chris Chivvis and Senior Fellow Stephen Wertheim critique Biden's foreign policy legacy and discuss what Trump might do next.
Why has it been so difficult for Biden to restrain Israel and succeed in Ukraine? What might a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal look like? How can the U.S. navigate toward a more stable U.S.-China relationship, despite entrenched beliefs that we are living through a second Cold War?
Join them for a wide-ranging conversation on the most pressing issues facing the United States and the world.
Shownotes:
- The Economist, Chris Chivvis: Talks Between Russia and Ukraine would Save Lives
- Financial Times, Stephen Wertheim: It's Time for Europe's Magical Thinking on Defence to End
- The Guardian, Chris Chivvis: Admitting Ukraine to NATO Would be a mistake for both Ukraine and NATO
- Global Asia, Stephen Wertheim: Asia Should Encourage 'Trump the Peacemaker'
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, U.S. China Relations for the 2030s: Toward a Realistic Scenario for Coexistence
As we enter this new year of 2025, Sophia Besch sits down with President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Tino Cuéllar. They take a step back at the year and look at the big themes and trends that are likely going to determine and underlie the discussions of the year ahead, from technology to political economy, democratic governance, and global power dynamics.
Notes:
- Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, Ecco, 2008.
- James C. Scott, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, Yale University Press, 1999.
- Álvaro Enrigue, You Dreamed of Empires, Riverhead Books, 2024.
Over the past decade, China has emerged as a powerhouse here, producing the majority of key clean energy technologies. What does this mean for the United States, and for the race towards net zero emissions? In this episode, Sophia Besch and Fellow Milo McBride talk about the strategies the U.S. could deploy to better compete in the clean energy revolution. They unpack how innovative technologies could not only help close the clean energy gap with China but also redefine America’s role in the global energy landscape. They also explore how the incoming Trump administration might approach the U.S.-China race for clean energy dominance—and what all of this means for American allies abroad.
Notes:
- Milo McBride, "Catching Up or Leaping Ahead? How Energy Innovation Can Secure U.S. Industrial Stature in a Net-Zero World," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 19, 2024.
- Jonas Nahm, Collaborative Advantage: Forging Green Industries in the New Global Economy (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Credits:
- Host: Sophia Besch
- Executive Producer & Audio Engineer: Heewon Park
- Videographer: Cameron Zotter
What can the elections of 2024 tell us about the state of democracy worldwide? This year has seen a flurry of elections across democracies, sparking debate among analysts about their implications for global democratic health.
As the year draws to a close, Sophia sits down with Thomas Carothers, Director of the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at Carnegie and leading expert on democracy and international politics. Their conversation unpacks key theories like the "bonfire of incumbents," and explores the narratives shaping our understanding of this pivotal election year.
- Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point, (Crown, 2023).
- Thomas Carothers, "Three Conclusions from the Global Year of Elections," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 18, 2024.
Host: Sophia Besch
Executive Producer & Audio Engineer: Heewon Park
Videographer: Cameron Zotter
Our modern global trading system is broken. How can we fix it?
We seem to have moved beyond the free trade consensus of the globalization era. Few politicians today still publicly support the assumption that trade, unrestricted by national borders, makes everyone more prosperous. Under President Trump, the United States has wielded tariffs and industrial policy to reshape the international trade order to better serve American interests, and the Biden administration has upheld and doubled down on many of these. But these interventions do not yet add up to a new trade policy consensus.
This week's episode dives into a provocative new argument: in order to achieve freer trade, the world needs more trade interventions. What is global trade policy doing wrong? What new trade rules are needed to create a system that both harnesses the benefits of free trade and preserves nations' freedom to direct their economies? And what policy interventions might help foster this future of freer trade? Sophia discusses these questions and more with Michael Pettis, a nonresident Senior Fellow for Carnegie China and expert on China's economy.
- Michael Pettis and Erica Hogan, "Trade Intervention for Freer Trade," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, October 3, 2024.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, the future of the transatlantic alliance hangs in the balance.
Europe Inside Out's new host Rym Momtaz is joined by Sophia Besch and Christopher Shell to unpack the reasons behind his victory and its implications for EU-U.S. relations.
Original episode page on Europe Inside Out here.
What if the future of global power dynamics and, the question of winners and losers in the US-China competition could hinge on one body of water – the Indian Ocean? As geopolitical tensions rise and great powers vie for influence in the Indo-Pacific, the Indian Ocean is emerging as an increasingly critical theater of international relations.
What is clear is that U.S.-China tensions are heightening the strategic importance of maritime security. How are these dynamics changing the geopolitical environment of the Indian Ocean? How are island nations responding to the increased interest in their regional waters, and how will they shape great power competition more broadly? Sophia Besch and nonresident scholar Darshana Baruah discuss these questions and more in this week's episode.
Notes
- C. Raja Mohan, Samudra Manthan: Sino-Indian Rivalry in the Indo-Pacific (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2012).
- Darshana Baruah, The Contest for the Indian Ocean: And the Making of a New World Order (Yale University Press, 2024).
Why is meaningful change in U.S. foreign policy is so difficult to achieve? This question is especially relevant with the U.S. presidential election just weeks away now, and analysts and policy makers all over the world are discussing how a Trump or Harris presidency might shift American foreign policy in the years to come.
But how likely is it that we will see meaningful change at all? Historically, it has been incredibly challenging for presidential administrations to break away from entrenched foreign policy paths —even when the need for change seems obvious. Presidencies often start with a declaration of pivots and major strategic reorientation, these then get ground down by powerful bureaucracy, political pressures and human tendency to preserve the status quo. When change does happen, leaders often pay a high political price for it. Take, for instance, the example of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In the end, it took two decades and much internal pushback before President Biden was able to officially make this happen - even though the decision had long had significant public support.
In this week's episode, Sophia Besch sits down with Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim to discuss their research that dissects how strategic foreign policy change does happen despite pressures to maintain the status quo—and what it would take for the next American president to enact such a change.
Notes:
- Christopher S. Chivvis et al., Strategic Change in U.S. Foreign Policy, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 24, 2024.
- Stephen Wertheim, "How Kamala Harris Should Put America First—for Real," New York Times, October 21, 2024.
- Christopher S. Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim, "America's Foreign Policy Inertia: How the Next President Can Make Change in a System Built to Resist It," Foreign Affairs, October 14, 2024.
- Rebecca Friedman Lissner, "Wars of Revelation: The Transformative Effects of Military Intervention on Grand Strategy," Oxford University Press, 2021.
Following Sunday's controversial presidential election, Kais Saied has secured his second term in office. While this result was widely anticipated, it raises deeper questions about the trajectory of Tunisia's democracy. Tunisia was once seen as the shining success of the Arab Spring – a beacon of democratic hope. But now, like several of its neighbors, it finds itself grappling with rising authoritarianism, weakened institutions, and disillusioned voters.
Today, we’re not just looking at Tunisia’s election results, but also exploring what these trends tell us about the state of democracy in the wider region. How did Tunisia arrive at this point in its democratic trajectory? What does this mean for the future of political reform, governance, and stability in North Africa and beyond?
In this episode, Sophia Besch discusses these questions and more with Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program and expert on Tunisia’s political and economic reforms.
Notes:
- Sarah Yerkes, "How Tunisia's President Has Used the Law to Secure His Election Victory," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 24, 2024.
In the fight against climate change, a controversial new idea is gaining traction: solar geoengineering. Solar geoengineering, or solar radiation modification, is an emerging technology that aims to reflect sunlight back into space to cool planet Earth. In a world that is struggling to bring about the behavioral and political changes needed to reduce climate change, an innovative tech approach might seem like an alluring silver bullet.
But the reality is not so simple. In this episode, Sophia sits down with Cynthia Scharf, a senior fellow at the International Center for Future Generations and former senior strategy director for the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative. They discuss solar geoengineering's risks and promises, as well as its implications for geopolitics and conflict.
The Middle East and North Africa region is witnessing a fierce competition among the world’s current “great powers”—the U.S., Russia, and China. These three countries are all seeking to extend their influence in this region. But the ways they're engaging—with varying degrees of success—are as complex as the region itself.
This week on the show, Sophia digs into the data with Amr Hamzawy, a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. Trade and foreign direct investment, arms exports and military deployments – they all tell a story of shifting alliances, economic competition, and strategic maneuvering, and they raise important questions about how the US, China and Russia are shaping the future of the region.
Is American dominance in the region fading? What do Chinese and Russian spheres of influence look like? And how are the countries of the Middle East and North Africa navigating the complex web of great power competition?
Just a few weeks ago, French President Emmanuel Macron took a risky political gamble. After the European Parliament elections revealed gains for the far-right party National Rally, Macron called a snap nationwide election three years earlier than required. Macron hoped to use this election to push back on the right-wing gains and restore power to the center. But others worried that Macron had become overconfident–perhaps even arrogant. They feared that instead of clarifying France’s support for the center, Macron’s snap election could end up handing over a parliamentary majority to the National Rally and deepen the right-wing capture of French politics.
This week on the show, Sophia explores the results of this election with Tara Varma, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. While indeed in the first round of voting, the far right dominated, this second round saw the a new electoral coalition of left wing parties come in first, Macron’s party second, and the far right third. No party has a majority and so the question is: what comes next? What do the election outcomes mean for Macron, for the future of French politics, and for European leadership and NATO?
- Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration(New York: Vintage Books, 2011).
NATO’s 75th anniversary summit is coming up in Washington DC next month. With the war in Ukraine ongoing, Kyiv has sought to join NATO for a while now. But the alliance has been reluctant to grant official membership, which led to a tense summit last year. So, this time around, the US government and its Allies have been working hard to identify summit deliverables beyond Ukraine’s NATO membership. Still, it’s hard to picture a summit where Ukraine’s future will not be the number one agenda item.
This week on the show, Senior Fellow Eric Ciaramella joins Sophia to discuss the upcoming 75th anniversary NATO summit—and what it might mean for Ukraine. They unpack how NATO allies are thinking about their support to Ukraine two years into the war, what the summit may be able to deliver for Ukraine short of official NATO membership, and what we should look out for in the months following the meeting.
- Eric Ciaramella, "Envisioning a Long-Term Security Arrangement for Ukraine," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 8, 2023.
- Nicole Gonik and Eric Ciaramella, "War and Peace: Ukraine's Impossible Choices," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 11, 2024.
- Mary E. Sarrotte, Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021).
Just a few days ago, over 300 million voters across 27 countries were called to vote in the European Parliament elections. These elections take place every five years, and sometimes people have a tendency to dismiss them as symbolic elections that don’t matter much in practice. But the lead-up to the vote this year has been particularly intense: as the war in Ukraine rages on, countries all across the continent face rising nationalist and nativist sentiment, and far-right parties expect to make gains in the Parliament, the stakes of the 2024 EU elections loom high.
This week on the show, Director of Carnegie Europe Rosa Balfour joins Sophia to unpack the European Parliament elections – how exactly do they work, what do the outcomes mean for the future of European policy, and why should the US care?
- Charting the Radical Right's Influence on EU Foreign Policy, ed. Rosa Balfour and Stefan Lehne, April 18, 2024.
- Rachel Kleinfeld, "Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 5, 2023.
On May 14, 2024, the Biden administration announced $18 billion dollars worth of tariffs on a range of Chinese imports from “strategic sectors," which include electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, critical minerals, steel and aluminum, semiconductors, solar cells, and medical products. This is the latest episode in Washington’s controversial trade war with Beijing, launched by Donald Trump in 2018 and continued under this administration.
Jon Bateman, a senior fellow in Carnegie's Technology and International Affairs Program, joins Sophia to unpack President Biden’s new tariffs — what are they, and what do they tell us about Washington’s evolving relationship with Beijing? What does this latest escalation in the trade war between China and America mean for both countries’ allies? And what are the implications of this for the future of U.S. economic and climate policy?
As China ramps up its military capabilities and tensions persist in the Taiwan Strait, there are growing concerns about the risk of conflict that could involve the United States. But it’s not just Taiwan that could spark conflict. China’s increasingly assertive presence is felt everywhere in the South China Sea from the Philippines to Malaysia.
How will these conflicts develop? What do we know about China’s maritime strategy, and what lessons can we draw from Beijing’s behavior in the South China Sea for the country’s global ambitions? And how are countries in the region managing the rivalry between China and the U.S.?
Isaac Kardon, a senior fellow for China studies in Carnegie's Asia Program, joins Sophia to unpack the rising tensions in the South China Sea and the geopolitics of China’s maritime disputes.
- Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac Kardon. (2024, March 15). "Playing Both Sides of the U.S.-Chinese Rivalry." Foreign Affairs
After months of gridlock, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed the long-awaited foreign aid package into law, which includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine. With the war still ongoing, this comes at a critical point for the Ukrainians in fighting Russian forces. But after months of delay, how much has been lost in the waiting? What will be the effects on the battlefield? And how are Ukraine, Russia, and Ukraine's allies preparing for what is ahead?
Dara Massicot, a senior fellow in Carnegie's Russia and Eurasia Program, joins Sophia on the show to unpack the war effort in Ukraine.
In the late hours of Saturday, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in an unprecedented direct attack on Israel. There was limited damage as Israel and its allies intercepted most of them before reaching Israeli airspace. Now, the United States and allies have urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in its response to avoid further escalation. But with the conflict in Gaza still ongoing, this latest attack from Iran is causing many to fear that a wider regional war is coming.
Joining The World Unpacked’s new host Sophia Besch is Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow in Carnegie's Middle East Program and one of the leading experts on Iran, to unpack Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel and what comes next.
Winners and losers—every major transition has them. For the world to meet its climate goals, it needs to undergo a partial shift away from traditional meat and toward alternative proteins. But who would be the winners and losers of a global protein transition? In Episode 6, we investigate what this transition might look like and what it could mean for national security and geopolitics.
There’s a lot to learn from the lobster. Its transformation from disdained prison food to fine-dining delicacy reveals how culture shapes our palate and how people could start to get a taste for food that does less damage to the planet than a bacon cheeseburger. In Episode 5, we look to the future of alternative proteins—from bean burgers to lab-grown nuggets—and ask what it would look like to live in a world less centered on traditional meat production.
The soybean is more than just a humble legume—it’s a major geopolitical player that feeds the international meat market, shapes trade wars, and transforms economies. In Episode 4, we tell the story of how the soybeans that feed pigs around the world have shaped the geopolitical behavior of what some call “the Meat Triangle”: the United States, Brazil, and China.
What is cattle laundering—and how are big meat companies involved with it? Episode 3 explores the phenomenon of the smuggling and sale of illegal cattle throughout the Amazon and tells the story of how the meat industry uses its power to undermine climate goals.
Tractors blocking government buildings. Manure piled on highways. The birth of a populist political party. In the Netherlands, government regulations on agriculture’s nitrogen emissions have sparked backlash from Dutch farmers. In Episode 2 of Barbecue Earth, we tell the story of this quarrel. It holds lessons for all countries, in Europe and beyond, that are facing rising agricultural populism as they begin to implement stricter environmental regulations on farming.
In the United States, agriculture plays by a different set of rules than other sectors. With its lax child labor laws and lack of environmental restrictions, the American farming industry operates in a uniquely under-regulated environment. Why? Episode 1 of Barbecue Earth explores the history of agricultural exceptionalism and how it impacts North Carolina residents living close to factory farms.
The third episode, "Trouble in the Blue House," dissects the corruption scandal often called "South Korea's Watergate." When former President Park Geun-hye was first elected in 2013, she held widespread conservative support and was internationally celebrated as the country's first female president. No one could have predicted that just 5 years later, she would end up embroiled in a corruption case that would leave her disgraced, impeached, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Although not without its controversy, Park Geun-hye's impeachment shows how anti-corruption movements can pursue accountability and reform while protecting democratic norms.
The second episode, "Seeing the Monster," explores what some call the biggest corruption scandal in history—Brazil's Lava Jato scandal. The story begins at a small gas station in southern Brazil, where a single arrest for bribery in 2013 unleashed a domino effect that would topple hundreds of business executives, imprison a former head of state, and impeach the sitting president. The aftermath of the scandal shows how important it is for anti-corruption movements to not only expose corruption, but also to provide constructive ways to address it.
What is corruption in democracies? How has it changed over time? And, in what forms does it emerge in our society today? Episode 1, 'If Men Were Angels, We Wouldn't Need Government,' answers these questions through the lens of case studies in the United States, including the political scandal of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have eroded controls on influence-peddling, and other frequent tools used by leaders and groups to receive preferential treatment in the U.S. system of government.
The global hunger crisis has reached unprecedented levels. Violent conflict, economic shocks from the war in Ukraine, and accelerating climate change have exacerbated food shortages in many parts of the world. According to the World Food Program, 828 million people—one in ten people on Earth—are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. More than 345 million face extreme food insecurity, a figure that is more than double the number in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CARE USA President and CEO Michelle Nunn joins Stewart on the show to discuss the many facets of the global hunger crisis and assess how NGOs and policymakers alike can best address food shortages worldwide.
Since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed tough global sanctions against Russia. Numerous sectors, individuals, and entities have been targeted for helping Russia’s war efforts. But despite these aims, the Kremlin has been successful in finding ways to evade these sanctions.
Joining the show to assess Russia’s sanction-evading strategies and how to counter them is Jodi Vittori, a nonresident scholar in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment, as well as the co-chair of the Global Politics and Security program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She's a leading expert on corruption, state fragility, illicit finance, and U.S. national security. Prior to joining Carnegie, she served in the U.S. Air Force, where she advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was assigned to NATO’s only counter-corruption task force.
Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the Eastern European nation of Moldova has been one of the countries most vulnerable to the war spilling over its borders. With the threat of Russia looming, the European Political Community, or EPC, will be holding its summit in that country this week, hoping to demonstrate its solidarity with the threatened nation, which includes the breakaway region of Transdniestria.
Philip Remler, a former US diplomat who served with the State Department and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) who is now a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment, joins Stewart to unpack the situation in Moldova and its relationship to the war in Ukraine.
- Philip Remler. (2022, August 2). "Transdniestria, Moldova, and Russia's War in Ukraine." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Philip Remler. (2021, May 17). "Inventing Crisis in Moldova: All Geopolitics Is Local." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
On May 14th, Türkiye will have its presidential and parliamentary elections. It will be a pivotal moment in Turkish politics with implications for the world concerning NATO, the war in Ukraine, Syrian refugees, and more. The highly contested race between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will be one to watch.
Could this be the end of Erdoğan's two-decade rule?
Alper Coşkun, a senior fellow with Carnegie’s Europe Program who was a career diplomat in the Turkish foreign service, joins Stewart to discuss what factors will shape the election and what to expect from either leader.
- Alper Coşkun. (2023, February 15). "Türkiye’s Earthquakes Revealed the Paralysis of Its State." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Alper Coşkun. (2023, February 1). "Sweden’s NATO Problem Is Also Turkey’s NATO Problem." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Alper Coşkun. (2022, December 19). "Turkey’s New Disinformation Law Affects More Than Meets the Eye." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Alper Coşkun and Sinan Ülgen. (2022, November 14). "Political Change and Turkey’s Foreign Policy." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest assessment report. The news is not good, which makes it somber reading on this year’s Earth Day. Scientists warn that critical components of the Earth system may be approaching tipping points, and that crossing these thresholds could generate sudden and irreversible changes that themselves increase warming. Given this trajectory, what else might we do? Some scientists and policymakers are contemplating an unconventional approach to limit warming, called solar climate intervention.
Kelly Wanser, the executive director of SilverLining, joins the show to unpack the idea of solar climate intervention and the research efforts happening both in the United States and internationally.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently leads the most right-wing government in the country’s history since returning to power after winning last year’s election. Following an attempt by Netanyahu to weaken the Supreme Court, outraged Israeli citizens began protesting out of concern for the country’s democratic future. So, where does Israel go from here?
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s American Statecraft Program and host of Carnegie Connects, returns to the show to unpack the ongoing Israeli political turmoil. A veteran State Department negotiator and analyst, Aaron also examines with Stewart the broader implications for democracy in Israel.
- Aaron David Miller. (2023, March 30). "Israel Is Somewhere It’s Never Been Before." Foreign Policy.
- Aaron David Miller. (2023, March 26). "Why Biden Won't Lash Out Against Netanyahu - for Now." Haaretz.
- Aaron David Miller. (2023, February 23). "Netanyahu Faces His Own ‘Israeli Spring.'" Foreign Policy.
While TikTok might be one of the world’s most popular social media apps, it has raised national security concerns among U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration. With the app now facing a nationwide ban, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before Congress amid heightened U.S.-China tech tensions. Could this be the end of TikTok?
Returning to the show is Jon Bateman, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program and author of U.S.-China Technological “Decoupling”: A Strategy and Policy Framework. He joins Stewart to unpack the drama over the possibility of a nationwide TikTok ban and how it fits into the broader picture of U.S.-China strategic competition.
In Nigeria’s pivotal election, the so-called godfather of Lagos and Nigeria’s kingmaker, Bola Tinubu, snatched victory. This comes amid calls of election fraud from the opposition parties and their two candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Tinubu nonetheless faces compounding crises amid persistent security threats in Nigeria and a flailing economy dependent on oil revenues. Yet Nigeria also holds great potential as Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy with a young population looking for a reason to remain in Nigeria if the conditions improve.
Ruth Maclean, the West Africa bureau chief from the New York Times, joins Stewart to unpack Nigeria’s consequential election and where the Giant of Africa goes from here. The two discuss the immediate crises Tinubu must confront early on in his presidency, how to solve Nigeria’s endemic brain drain, and the reverberating effects the new president will have in West Africa.
Days before Russia illegally and brutally invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a “no limits” partnership, demonstrating their deepening relations. It has been a year since Putin’s full-scale invasion on February 24 and the relationship between China and Russia seems as strong as ever. While Xi has proposed a peace plan and wishes to remain neutral in the war, China has still yet to condemn Russia for the invasion. Meanwhile, Western officials are looking at the visit from Beijing’s most senior foreign policy official, Wang Yi, to Moscow this week as an indication of China’s continued support of Russia.
Alexander Gabuev, one of the world’s foremost analysts of the Sino-Russian relationship, joins Stewart on the show to unpack how that relationship has changed since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago and the vision Xi and Putin share for a new world order. As the incoming director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Alexander also discusses the future of Russia as a nation as well as how the war might end.
- Alexander Gabuev. (2022, August 9). "China's New Vassal." Foreign Affairs.
On January 1, 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in for the third time as Brazil’s president with the challenge of leading a deeply divided country. Just a week later, on January 8, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and the presidential palace. But Brazil is far from being the only country experiencing threats to its democracy, as other countries across Latin America are currently dealing with turmoil.
Joining Stewart this week is Matias Spektor, a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program and a professor at the School of International Relations at FGV in Sao Paul, to unpack what to expect from Lula’s meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House this week. Matias will also discuss Lula’s global and regional aspirations for Brazil and the political trends facing Latin America.
Gailherme Fasolin and Matias Spektor. (2022, November 7). "What Lula's Return Means for the Amazon." Foreign Affairs.
The tanks are heading to Ukraine! After facing pressure from European and international allies, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced this week that Germany will supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Following this, President Joe Biden announced the United States will send M1 Abrams tanks to the frontlines as well. The new supplies of tanks will aid Ukraine against Russia as the war nears the one-year mark.
As the war in Ukraine continues, the EU is having to confront its own defense and security architecture with Germany playing a central role.
Sophia Besch, a fellow in Carnegie’s Europe Program, joins Stewart to talk about Germany’s decision to supply tanks to Ukraine and what lies ahead for European defense.
Sophia Besch. (2023, January 18). “To Really Modernize Its Armed Forces, Germany Needs a Long-Term Increase of the Regular Defense Budget.” 49security.
Sophia Besch. (2022, December 21). “EU Defense and the War In Ukraine.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Sophia Besch and Liana Fix. (2022 November 21). “Don’t Let Zeitenwende Get Derailed.” War on the Rocks.
Halfway through his term in office, President Biden has achieved significant accomplishments in 2022. The administration marshalled support around Ukraine to hold off the Russian invasion. It also passed major legislation to boost semiconductor production to compete with China, while also making great strides to be a leader in the fight against climate change.
At the same time, the Biden administration still has major hurdles in the new year: a long war in Ukraine, little progress on negotiations with Iran, and the U.S. House of Representatives with the Republican Party at the helm.
In the first episode of 2023, Nahal Toosi, Politico’s senior foreign affairs correspondent, talks to Stewart about Biden’s successes and challenges in the last year and what’s on the horizon for U.S. foreign policy in the new year. Nahal also hands Biden his foreign policy report card for the last year.
We’re excited to announce that The World Unpacked will resume its regular schedule with new episodes every other week. Happy New Year!
Reading from episode:
Nahal Toosi. (2022, October 23). “‘Frustrated and powerless’: In fight with China for global influence, diplomacy is America’s biggest weakness." Politico.
At eight billion people, humanity has reached a major demographic milestone. Yet with a growing population, questions arise over whether nations can keep up. While developed Western countries struggle to take care of aging populations and low birth rates, many developing countries need to find answers to support a booming young population ready to work.
Jack Goldstone, a political demographer and a professor of public policy at George Mason University, joins the show to talk to Stewart about the world at eight billion, the regional trends in population growth and decline, and how governments around the world can meet the moment to promote human flourishing across the globe.
This week, world leaders and delegates have gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to commence COP27. Despite the intensified calls for wealthier countries to deliver on reparations and help climate-vulnerable countries with the impacts of climate change, geopolitical and economic realities may complicate these objectives. Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and surging global inflation, climate diplomacy has taken a back seat to other pressing issues. So, what can we expect from COP27?
Joining The World Unpacked’s new host Stewart Patrick is Dan Baer, the senior vice president for policy research at Carnegie, to unpack what’s happening on the ground at COP27 and the state of climate action.
Want more on the ground coverage of COP27? Make sure to follow Dan Baer, Amr Hamzawy, Zainab Usman, and Olivia Lazard on Twitter for updates from Egypt!
Europeans are bracing for one of the toughest winters yet. As Europe levied tough sanctions on Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is punching back by using its energy exports as leverage over Europe, plunging the continent into a spiraling energy crisis.
Doug welcomes back Judy Dempsey, editor-in-chief of Strategic Europe, from Carnegie Europe to talk about Europe’s dire energy crisis, divisions within the EU ranks over energy policy, and whether Europe is in for a long and dark winter.
This week, we also say goodbye to our host Doug as he moves on to an exciting new opportunity. But don't go anywhere! The World Unpacked will go on with a new host after a short break. Make sure to subscribe so you know when a new episode comes out!
- Rosa Balfour. (2022, September 8). European Unity Can Endure the Winter of Discontent. Carnegie Europe
- Judy Dempsey. (2022, July 19). Europe's Continued Commitment to Ukraine Hinges on Germany. Carnegie Europe
Europeans are bracing for one of the toughest winters yet. As Europe levied tough sanctions on Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is punching back by using its energy exports as leverage over Europe, plunging the continent into a spiraling energy crisis.
Doug welcomes back Judy Dempsey, editor-in-chief of Strategic Europe, from Carnegie Europe to talk about Europe’s dire energy crisis, divisions within the EU ranks over energy policy, and whether Europe is in for a long and dark winter.
This week, we also say goodbye to our host Doug as he moves on to an exciting new opportunity. But don't go anywhere! The World Unpacked will go on with a new host after a short break. Make sure to subscribe so you know when a new episode comes out!
- Rosa Balfour. (2022, September 8). European Unity Can Endure the Winter of Discontent. Carnegie Europe
- Judy Dempsey. (2022, July 19). Europe's Continued Commitment to Ukraine Hinges on Germany. Carnegie Europe
From Russia’s increased military activity to more dire warnings about climate change in the region, the Arctic has been drawing prominent attention in the news lately. A few weeks ago, President Biden announced that he will name a U.S. ambassador to the Arctic to solidify U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy in the critical region. Meanwhile, Russia’s war in Ukraine has muffled what was once a ripe area of cooperation for science and exploration between Russia and the West, all while China has sought to make its own mark in the region as a so-called “near-Arctic state.”
Paul Stronski, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program, joins Doug on the show to talk about the geopolitics in the Arctic, who the key players are in the region, and whether states can cooperate on key issues such as climate change, trade, and more.
- Paul Stronski. (2021, March 29). Russia in the Arctic—A Critical Examination. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Paul Stronski. (2021, May 17). A Fresh Start on U.S. Arctic Policy Under Biden. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
From Russia’s increased military activity to more dire warnings about climate change in the region, the Arctic has been drawing prominent attention in the news lately. A few weeks ago, President Biden announced that he will name a U.S. ambassador to the Arctic to solidify U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy in the critical region. Meanwhile, Russia’s war in Ukraine has muffled what was once a ripe area of cooperation for science and exploration between Russia and the West, all while China has sought to make its own mark in the region as a so-called “near-Arctic state.”
Paul Stronski, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program, joins Doug on the show to talk about the geopolitics in the Arctic, who the key players are in the region, and whether states can cooperate on key issues such as climate change, trade, and more.
- Paul Stronski. (2021, March 29). Russia in the Arctic—A Critical Examination. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Paul Stronski. (2021, May 17). A Fresh Start on U.S. Arctic Policy Under Biden. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Influence operations are not a new or even recent phenomenon, but in today’s digital age, it is spreading faster and farther than ever before. From the spread of Covid vaccine misinformation to Russia’s propaganda campaign against Ukraine, the urgency to combat influence operations, such as disinformation, is critical. All the while, authoritarian governments like Russia and China are at the forefront of this issue, strategically framing the global approach to align with their anti-democratic vision.
Joining Doug this week is Alicia Wanless, director of the Partnership for Countering Influence Operations at Carnegie, to unpack her path-breaking research on the information environment. She has more than a decade of experience researching and analyzing propaganda and information warfare. In this episode, Alicia also discusses her work in helping to counter disinformation campaigns in Ukraine and how authoritarian countries are taking the lead in developing the global approach to disinformation.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Alicia Wanless. (2022, March 28). "One Strategy Democracies Should Use to Counter Disinformation." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Jacob N. Shapiro and Alicia Wanless. (2021, December 28). "Why Are Authoritarians Framing International Approaches to Disinformation?" Lawfare.
- Alicia Wanless. (2021, September 22). "What's Working and What Isn't in Researching Influence Operations?" Lawfare.
Influence operations are not a new or even recent phenomenon, but in today’s digital age, it is spreading faster and farther than ever before. From the spread of Covid vaccine misinformation to Russia’s propaganda campaign against Ukraine, the urgency to combat influence operations, such as disinformation, is critical. All the while, authoritarian governments like Russia and China are at the forefront of this issue, strategically framing the global approach to align with their anti-democratic vision.
Joining Doug this week is Alicia Wanless, director of the Partnership for Countering Influence Operations at Carnegie, to unpack her path-breaking research on the information environment. She has more than a decade of experience researching and analyzing propaganda and information warfare. In this episode, Alicia also discusses her work in helping to counter disinformation campaigns in Ukraine and how authoritarian countries are taking the lead in developing the global approach to disinformation.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Alicia Wanless. (2022, March 28). "One Strategy Democracies Should Use to Counter Disinformation." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Jacob N. Shapiro and Alicia Wanless. (2021, December 28). "Why Are Authoritarians Framing International Approaches to Disinformation?" Lawfare.
- Alicia Wanless. (2021, September 22). "What's Working and What Isn't in Researching Influence Operations?" Lawfare.
China, India, and Pakistan have all possessed nuclear weapons for decades and kept each other in check through mutual deterrence. New technology, different leaders, and a shifting geopolitical landscape have also led to the constant development and transformation of each country’s nuclear capabilities. China in particular has ramped up its own nuclear arsenal as it seeks to take on the United States, while still keeping a wary eye on neighboring India.
Ashley J. Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at Carnegie, has mapped the evolution of the nuclear strategies and arsenals for all three of these powers in his groundbreaking report, Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia.
Ashley joins Doug on the show to unpack the transformation of the three major nuclear powers in Asia and how the United States can respond to a Chinese state acquiring more powerful nuclear weapons.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar
Read Ashley’s report.
The last few months saw a buzz of activity in Asia. The Biden administration just launched its signature Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to jumpstart trade relations with regional partners. Meanwhile, China stirred the pot as it inked a controversial pact with the Solomon Islands. And just a few weeks ago, members of the G20 convened in Bali, while news of the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe shocked the world.
At the forefront of the recent developments in the Asia Pacific has been State Department Counselor Derek Chollet. Counselor Chollet returns to The World Unpacked to talk about his trip with Secretary Blinken to Asia, Shinzo Abe’s legacy, U.S.-China competition, and more.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar
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Tomorrow, President Biden heads to Saudi Arabia as part of his much-anticipated trip to the Middle East. Countering Iran, resetting Saudi Arabia’s relations with Israel, the civil war in Yemen, and, of course, skyrocketing oil prices, are all on the table. Yet Americans across the aisle have been quick to condemn Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia for lending legitimacy to a regime accused of human rights abuses in Yemen and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Can the United States still lead with its democratic values while cooperating with authoritarian regimes?
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program and the host of Carnegie Connects, joins Doug this week to unpack Biden’s complicated visit to Saudi Arabia and the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. A veteran State Department diplomat, Aaron also gives his take on how and if the United States can still lead with its values in the 21st century.
- Aaron David Miller. (2022, July 7). "What to Expect From Biden's Big Middle East Trip." Foreign Policy.
- Aaron David Miller. (2022, June 23). "Opinion: Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince rehab project." CNN.
- Aaron David Miller. (2022, May 5). "Opinion: What Biden needs to get if MBS wants to reconcile." CNN.
It’s a little over four months into Putin’s war in Ukraine with no immediate end in sight. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has pumped out state propaganda to lift up public morale, while some Russians have turned to alternative media platforms like YouTube for outside information or have sought refuge and escape through fiction novels.
Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at Carnegie based in Russia, discusses life under Putin’s regime today, Russian public opinion, this week’s NATO summit, and the prospects of a post-Putin Russia.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Andrei Kolesnikov. (2022, May 26). “Putin Against History.” Foreign Affairs
- Andrei Kolsesnikov. (2022, June 15). “Putin the Emperor: From Annexing Crimea to Restoring the Empire.” Russia Post.
- Andrei Kolesnikov. (2022, June 7). “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Why the Russian Public is Tired of the War in Ukraine.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Andrei Kolesnikov. (2022, May 24). “Russia’s Unlucky Past Has a Stranglehold on Its Future.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Andrei Kolesnikov. (2022, May 18). “Putin Has Finally Given Russians a Goal: “Victory.”” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Andrei Kolesnikov. (2022, April 19). “Putin’s War Has Moved Russia From Authoritarianism to Hybrid Totalitarianism.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Last month, new photos and documents surrounding China’s internment camps in Xinjiang came to light. These documents further exposed China’s efforts against the minority Uyghur population through forced labor, sterilization, and even torture. Holding China’s suppression campaign together is a sophisticated mass surveillance infrastructure comprised of advanced facial recognition, mobile phone tracking, and more.
BuzzFeed’s Megha Rajagopalan, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage on Xinjiang, helps Doug unpack the significance of the leaked documents, how China’s campaign against the Uyghurs has evolved in recent years, and China’s intricate mass surveillance apparatus.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- The 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner in International Reporting: Megha Rajagopalan, Alison Killing and Christo Buschek of BuzzFeed News. (2021). The Pulitzer Prizes.
During World War II, there were six significant naval powers: the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan. However, compared to the other powers, the economic and shipbuilding might of the United States was far superior and proved to be a decisive factor in securing an Allied victory. The end of the war reset the global balance of power and left the United States as the unquestionable superpower.
Paul Kennedy, the J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History and director of international security studies at Yale University, joins Doug to unpack his latest book, Victory at Sea: Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II, and the lessons drawn for today’s great power competition on the high seas.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
You can order a copy of Victory at Sea: Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II, here.
The United States, India, France, and other major players all share interests in the Indian Ocean, making the region geopolitically important. While some of these countries developed policies that prioritized and engaged with the island nations that call the region home, the United States focused its priorities elsewhere. The recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands only further demonstrates China’s growing presence as the main competition for the United States in the region. President Biden’s first trip to Asia since taking office starts tomorrow, and the stage is set for him to emphasize the United States’ commitment to reprioritizing the region.
Darshana Baruah, a fellow in Carnegie’s South Asia Program where she leads the Indian Ocean Initiative, joins Doug to unpack the strategic significance of the Indian Ocean region.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Darshana M. Baruah. (2022, May 2). “The Strategic Importance of the Indian Ocean.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The U.S.-China tech relationship has always been complex and intertwined. In the last few years, the United States and China have been undergoing a partial “decoupling”. With the two countries reducing their technological interdependence between each other, we could end up with two separate, competing technological domains. So, what does a decoupling in tech look like? And how should the United States decouple to make sure it comes out on top?
Jon Bateman, a fellow in Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program who was a former intelligence officer in the Defense Department, joins Doug to unpack his new report on U.S.-China tech decoupling.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Jon Bateman. (2022, April 25). “U.S.-China Technological “Decoupling”: A Strategy and Policy Framework.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Ukraine’s military resistance has defied Russian forces since the invasion began almost two months ago. The war has underscored the Russian military’s vulnerabilities as tanks have been stopped in their tracks while Russian warships are on alert after the sinking of Russia’s Black Sea flagship, the Moskva. But why has the Russian military not met expectations? That’s the question analysts have been trying to answer, while countries like China are closely observing the conflict as they mull over their own military capabilities.
In this episode, Charles Hooper, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, joins Doug to unpack lessons drawn from Ukraine and what they might mean for the future of warfare.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Elliot Ackerman. (2022, March 24). “Ukraine’s Three-to-One Advantage.” The Atlantic.
Last week, Russian and Ukrainian officials arrived in Istanbul, Turkey for the latest round of peace talks amid the ongoing crisis. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cornered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan into a difficult dilemma. As a NATO member, Turkey is trying to balance its support for Ukraine without aggressively provoking Russia.
Alper Coşkun, a senior fellow with Carnegie's Europe Program who was a career diplomat in the Turkish foreign service, joins Doug to unpack Turkey’s unique role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasLFarrar.
- Alper Coşkun. (2022, March 24). “What the Russian War in Ukraine Means for the Middle East.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Alper Coşkun. (2022, January 18). “Strengthening Turkish Policy on Drone Exports.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
China has found itself in a predicament ever since President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine a month ago today. President Xi Jinping has stated China’s neutral stance on the war but when it comes to the coverage of the invasion, the Chinese media has mostly aired pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation while often censoring pro-Ukraine information.
Emily Feng, NPR’s Beijing correspondent, joins Doug to unpack China’s perspective on the unfolding Russia-Ukraine crisis.
- Face the Nation. Chinese ambassador says condemning Russia for Ukraine invasion "doesn't solve the problem" [Video]. YouTube.
- Qin Gang. Opinion: Chinese ambassador: Where we stand on Ukraine. Washington Post.
Putin's war of choice has been met with harsh sanctions and global condemnation from heads of states, institutions, ordinary citizens, and the soccer world. The world of soccer has put up a united front to protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The reaction from the players, clubs, fans, and governing bodies of the world's game have put into focus the soft power soccer brings to world affairs.
Roger Bennett, acclaimed soccer pundit and co-host of the Men in Blazers Podcast, joins Doug to unpack the intersection of geopolitics and soccer. Be sure to follow and subscribe to the Men in Blazers.
The global rise of authoritarian power has become a troubling trend. Today’s autocrats are better equipped to undermine the state of democracies. This battle for power between autocratic and democratic societies will determine the future of freedom around the world.
Moisés Naím, an acclaimed columnist and a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, joins Doug to unpack his new book, The Revenge of Power.
You can order a copy of Naím's new book, here.
For the past two decades, American foreign policy has been entangled in major conflicts in the Middle East, but the Biden administration has signaled a shift toward Asia. Despite the pivot to other pressing global challenges, the region still plays a crucial role in America’s grand strategy. So, what is the United States’ game plan for the Middle East?
Maha Yahya, the director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, joins Doug to unpack the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East
With the imminent threat of a Russian attack on Ukraine looming, the United States is urging for more diplomacy between the West and Russia. The crisis has put the spotlight on the relationship the United States has with its European allies at a time when a unified front on Russia is preferred. Although the focus has been primarily on what’s unfolding in Ukraine, it isn’t the only foreign policy challenge that awaits the United States this year.
Counselor to the U.S. Department of State Derek Chollet joins Doug to unpack the ongoing Ukraine crisis and the challenges and successes for the Biden administration's foreign policy.
- Fiona Hill. Putin Has the U.S. Right Where He Wants It. New York Times.
- RussianPerspective. Putin's famous Munich Speech 2007 [Video]. YouTube.
The New Year is looking to be nothing short of busy as President Biden will begin his second year in office. From the ongoing crisis with Russia and Ukraine to focusing on U.S.-China relations, foreign policy is expected to be a big focus for the Biden administration. These foreign policy issues and several others could also play a crucial role in the 2022 midterm elections. So, what will this year bring for Biden’s foreign policy?
In the first episode of the New Year, POLITICO reporter and anchor of the National Security Daily newsletter Alex Ward joins Doug to unpack the major foreign policy issues Biden faces in the New Year. Plus, Alex hands out grades for Biden's first year in office. Be sure to subscribe to the National Security Daily newsletter for more national security and foreign policy reporting.
- George Perkovich and Karim Sadjadpour. What's at Stake in the Iran Nuclear Talks. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza. Welcome to 2022. POLITICO Playbook.
- Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey. Did 2021 expose America's limits? National Security Daily.
With an increased buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, the threat of a Russian invasion has alarmed the United States and its NATO allies. For years, Russia and Ukraine have clashed along the border, especially as Ukraine has shifted more toward the West instead of aligning itself with Russia. Last Tuesday, President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video call where Biden sought to de-escalate tensions. If tensions continue to escalate, will Ukraine be facing a full-on invasion?
In this episode, Ukrainian native and Tufts University Professor Oxana Shevel joins Doug to unpack the Russia-Ukraine border standoff.
- Coffee or Die Magazine. Ukrainians Prepare for Russian Invasion [Video]. YouTube.
Since 2006, Mexico has been locked in a deadly war on drugs. As drug cartels grow increasingly emboldened with their attacks on civil society, the pressure is on Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to rein in what seems to be a forever war. Meanwhile, corruption penetrates all levels of Mexico’s government while the conflict is a significant push factor for thousands of Mexicans fleeing to the U.S. border. This comes amid recent talks between U.S. and Mexican officials to revamp their security cooperation to address these and other issues.
In this episode, Beatriz Magaloni joins Doug to unpack Mexico’s war on drugs and how the violent conflict finds its way home to the United States.
- Beatriz Magaloni. "Institutionalized Police Brutality: Torture, the Militarization of Security and the Reform of Inquisitorial Criminal Justice in Mexico."
- Beatriz Magaloni. "Living in Fear: The Dynamics of Extortion in Mexico’s Drug War."
- Beatriz Magaloni. "The Beheading of Criminal Organizations and the Dynamics of Violence in Mexico."
- Beatriz Magaloni. "Presidential Approval and Public Security in Mexico’s War on Crime"
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in the highly anticipated virtual summit earlier this week with the hopes of bringing down tensions between the two countries. Yet the two leaders came out of the virtual summit with no official joint statement or agreement on any big sticking points. So where does the U.S.-China bilateral relationship stand on Taiwan, trade, climate, and more?
This week, Evan Feigenbaum joins Doug to unpack the Biden-Xi summit and where the U.S. and China go from here.
This week, over 30,000 participants are anticipated in Glasgow, Scotland to kick off COP26. The climate conference hosted by the United Nations is a critical moment for nations to address the fight against climate change in order to avoid catastrophic consequences. The expectations for the two-week conference are high as world leaders and delegates are expected to commit to ambitious climate goals that will prevent the global temperature from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In this episode Olivia Lazard joins Doug to unpack key developments from the climate conference thus far and how the EU and United States can still take the lead on climate.
- Olivia Lazard, "The Need for an EU Ecological Diplomacy," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Olivia Lazard, "The EU's Deforestation Package: A Test for Taking the Green Deal Global," Strategic Europe
Last week, North Korea unveiled a variety of weapons during an exhibition which included their newest developed “hypersonic missile”, Hwasong-8. This recent exhibition was one of the biggest displays of North Korean weapons in the last couple of years, and the country’s leader, KimJong-un, made it clear that he will continue to build up their military forces. It comes at a time when the United States is pushing for North Korea to return to nuclear disarmament talks, but so far the country has rejected starting any negotiations.
This week, Ankit Panda joins Doug to unpack the state of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and what it means for U.S. policy toward North Korea.
- Ankit Panda, "North Korea's New 'Hypersonic Missile': Not A Game Changer Just Yet", 19FortyFive
- Ankit Panda, "Why North Korea's New Cruise Missile Matters", Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Toby Dalton and Ankit Panda, "Lessons From the Iran Deal for Nuclear Negotiations With North Korea", Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
From the recent announcement of China banning all crypto-related activities to El Salvador legalizing Bitcoin as its currency, cryptocurrency has been making headlines. The rapid growth of crypto has caused countries to reevaluate their approach to adopting digital currencies. Some have welcomed the push towards crypto while others are wary about its overall effect on the global financial system.
This week, New York Times reporter Ephrat Livni joins Doug to unpack cryptocurrency and what this means for the global financial system.
- Ephrat Livni and Amy Qin. (September 24, 2021). China Cracks Down Harder on Cryptocurrency With New Ban. The New York Times.
- Ephrat Livni and Oscar Lopez. (September 7, 2021). El Salvador’s Adoption of Bitcoin Is Off to a Rocky Start. The New York Times.
On September 26, Germans will cast their votes in the federal election that will decide the next chancellor of Germany as Angela Merkel steps down from office. Whoever wins will have to contend with a host of challenges, from an emboldened Russia, to climate change, and keeping a fraught EU bloc together amid democratic backsliding on the continent. But perhaps more importantly, can anyone replace the steady handed Merkel who steered the European continent for the last nearly two decades?
Judy Dempsey from Carnegie Europe joins Doug to unpack the German elections and the future of Europe in the post Merkel era.
Judy is the editor in chief of Strategic Europe where you can get more insights and commentary on European foreign policy.
- Judy Dempsey, "Germany's Vote Should Set the Pace for Europe", Strategic Europe
- Judy Dempsey, "Europe's Looming Unpredictable Autumn", Strategic Europe
- Judy Dempsey, "The Europe Angela Merkel Leaves Behind", Strategic Europe
- Yascha Mounk, "The World Won't Miss Angela Merkel", The Atlantic
Twenty years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States’ longest war has ended with the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan completed. Thus, a new chapter between the United States and a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has begun. It has also begun conversations around the current state and future of America’s foreign policy.
This week, Stephen Wertheim joins Doug to unpack the state of America’s foreign policy and role in the world following the conclusion of the longest U.S. war.
Stephen is the author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy. Read the latest from Stephen:
End the Imperial Presidency
The ever-ready answer for failures in Afghanistan: More war
Joe Biden's Perfect Foreign Policy Storm
The legacy of 9/11
As the United States was completing its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban rapidly took control of Afghanistan last week. Thousands of Afghans are trying to escape the country as their futures and hopes are looking uncertain. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies are left figuring out what comes next with the Taliban back in power.
This week, a former senior adviser to the National Security Council of Afghanistan joins Doug to talk about the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and what it means for Afghans.
Southeast Asia holds vast economic significance to not just the United States but to the world. But the pandemic has strained the region’s recovery with the delta variant surging, while global supply chains have been stretched to the limit. Meanwhile, the United States is looking to reinforce its ties with Southeast Asia as China makes its own moves in the region.
Economist Trinh Nguyen joins Doug to talk about the region’s battle with the virus and why the global economic recovery depends on Southeast Asia.
Follow Trinh for more insights on emerging Asia and watch her latest interview on CNBC about Southeast Asian economies.
Crisis has struck Cuba and Haiti in recent weeks. In Cuba, thousands of protestors have flooded the streets in unprecedented demonstrations amid a dire economic situation and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Haiti has plunged into further turmoil following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse at the hands of highly trained assassins, as rivals jockey for power and gangs sew chaos across the island nation.
This week, Foreign Policy columnist Elise Labott joins Doug to talk about how both crises unfolded, where the two Caribbean countries go from here, and how the United States should respond.
- Elise Labott, “Biden’s Missed Opportunity in Cuba,” Foreign Policy
- Elise Labott, “How to End Haiti’s Terminal Despair,” Foreign Policy
On June 25, a much anticipated report from the U.S. government on UFOs was released to the public. The nine-page report examined 144 cases of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), or more commonly known as UFOs. Only one UAP case in the report was able to be identified with confidence, while the others remain unidentified. The report has captivated the public as well as government officials, who are taking the findings seriously from a national security standpoint.
Joining Doug is Washington Post reporter Shane Harris to unpack the findings in the UFO report and what it means for U.S. national security.
- Guardian News. Pentagon officially releases 'UFO' videos [Video]. YouTube.
- Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
- Roland Emmerich. Independence Day [Film]. 20th Century Fox.
- Shane Harris and Missy Ryan. U.S. unable to explain more than 140 unidentified flying objects, but new report finds no evidence of alien life. The Washington Post.
On June 21, Ethiopia held a historic national election, but millions of Ethiopians couldn’t vote with the country in the midst of a civil war. Backed by Eritrean soldiers, Ethiopia’s military has been in conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a regional political party that broke off from Ethiopia last November. And just this week, Tigrayan forces have taken back the regional capital of Mekelle from the Ethiopian army. Both sides have been accused of violating human rights, and the war has forced thousands from their homes.
Joining Doug is Carnegie’s Africa Program director, Zainab Usman, to unpack what Ethiopia is facing after holding a national election.
Iranians head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president. While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has largely favored one candidate, calls for a boycott have taken root among many grassroots Iranian activists. Meanwhile, the United States and Iran continue to negotiate the revival of the Iran nuclear deal.
Iranian journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad joins Doug to unpack the Iranian elections and what they mean for the world.
- Masih Alinejad, The Wind In My Hair
- My Stealthy Freedom
- Masih’s Instagram profile
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Geneva on June 16. Tensions between the United States and Russia are high in the aftermath of Russia’s involvement in Belarus’ hijacking of a commercial airliner and a string of devastating cyberattacks. Will the summit lead to progress, or will personal animosity and geopolitics continue to mire the bilateral relationship?
Joining Doug for his first episode as host are Andrew Weiss and Alex Gabuev. Bringing both American and Russian perspectives, Andrew and Alex unpack what to expect from the summit.
The recent Colonial Pipeline attack was yet another example of the escalating threats in cyberspace as many Americans experienced long lines at gas stations amid fears of shortages after a ransomware attack. This incident just comes months after the likely Russian government-sponsored SolarWinds hack that compromised thousands of government and company platforms. Meanwhile, the Facebook Oversight Board recently upheld its ban on former President Donald Trump.
With all these disruptions in the digital realm, the line between what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior online—and who should manage cyberspace—has never been blurrier. Companies are exercising their private authorities, paying off ransoms and managing challenging content moderation decisions. Have governments ceded too much ground to the private sector, and is there a way to build a more organized structure to make these groundbreaking decisions in cyberspace?
Jon Bateman, a fellow at Carnegie’s Cyber Policy Initiative, joins Laura to tackle the growing governance challenges in the technology sector.
More the 100 days into his administration, President Biden has faced a fraught moment for democracy. Within the last year, protests for racial equity have underlined the challenge of systemic racism in the United States, while dubious claims of election fraud culminated in the shocking assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Across the globe, the military’s grip in Myanmar holds firm after a coup, while the Kremlin put political dissident Alexei Navalny behind bars. With Biden making democracy promotion a key element in his address to Congress last week, can democracy make a comeback?
Ashley Quarcoo, a senior fellow at Carnegie, joins Laura to discuss the task of bolstering democracy at home in the United States and abroad.
Read Ashley's latest work:
"Can Biden Revive Democracy at Home and Abroad?"
"The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. Democracy"
"Reversing the Tide:Towards a New US Strategy to Support Democracy and Counter Authoritarianism"
While the Biden administration has signaled an openness to reviving the Iran nuclear deal, whether that is possible is far from certain. An alleged Israeli attack on the Natanz nuclear facility and Iran’s response pledging to enrich uranium at even higher levels have only raised the stakes for new talks in Vienna.
Cornelius Adebahr, a nonresident fellow with Carnegie Europe, sits down with Laura to unpack the complex negotiations, European leaders’ vital role to revive the JCPOA, and the prospects for a deal.
Read Cornelius' latest pieces:
Europe Is Late but Crucial in U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks
Where's Europe on the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Europe’s vaccine distribution has come under fire in recent weeks, jeopardizing the continent’s recovery and its relationships with important partners worldwide. Meanwhile, European leaders are reckoning with an emboldened China, while also welcoming the Biden administration’s new tone on the transatlantic alliance.
Rosa Balfour, the director of Carnegie Europe, joins Laura to discuss how Europe can manage the pressures of the moment.
Read Rosa's latest pieces:
"Against a European Civilization: Narratives About the European Union"
"European Leaders Are Facing Their Armageddon"
As President Biden seeks to affirm America’s alliances and partnerships in Asia, countries in the region are jostling over maritime dominance in the Indo-Pacific. Marked by strategic choke points and vital shipping routes, the Indo-Pacific has long played a pivotal role in geopolitics and the flows of global trade.
Darshana Baruah, an associate fellow and the director of Carnegie’s Indian Ocean Initiative, joins Laura to discuss the future of the Indo-Pacific and the power politics at play in the region.
Since his inauguration, President Joe Biden has put a hold on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, sanctioned Saudi officials for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and pledged to end US support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen. Taken together, these measures indicate that the administration is recalibrating the relationship between the US and its Gulf partners.
Frederic Wehrey, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program and former U.S. Air Force officer with tours across the Middle East, joins Laura to discuss a rethink of security assistance in the Persian Gulf. The two also discuss how Fred’s experiences on the ground in Libya and Iraq have shaped his outlook on US military support in the region.
Read more from Fred:
“How Joe Biden Can Rein in Donald Trump’s Reckless Middle East Policy,” in Politiico
“‘Our Hearts Are Dead.’ After 9 Years of Civil War, Libyans Are Tired of Being Pawns in a Geopolitical Game of Chess,” in Time
“China's Balancing Act in Libya,” in Lawfare
The coup in Myanmar on February 1 took the world by surprise as the military arrested civilian officials, including Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in November 2020. Many in the international community have condemned the coup, and thousands of protestors have taken to the streets this week.
Sana Jaffrey, a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Asia Program, joins Laura to talk about how Myanmar got to this point and how the region and the West are responding.
On January 18, opposition leader Alexei Navalny returned to Russia following his near fatal poisoning. Immediately after his arrival, he was arrested, prompting massive protests over the following weeks.
Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow center, joins Laura to discuss who took to the streets, what the protests mean for Putin’s regime, and what the future of the opposition movement looks like with Navalny in prison.
To learn more:
Follow Alexander Gabuev on Twitter
On GPS: Diplomatic Fallout from the Navalny Protests featuring Alexander Gabuev
On GPS: Russians take to the streets featuring Alexander Gabuev
The New Face of Russian Protest by Alexander Baunov
Russian Protest in the Age of Online Transparency by Andrei Kolesnikov
Makila James was the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Swaziland and later served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa and the Sudans until her retirement from the Foreign Service last year.
In this week’s episode, Makila and Laura discuss the Biden administration’s priorities in Africa, as well as recent elections in Uganda and upcoming elections in Somalia. The two take a close look at democratic trends and how Africa’s youthful population is looking for America to engage.
On December 17, 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest corruption and poor economic conditions. His death sparked mass popular protests in Tunisia that quickly carried over to other countries in the Middle East.
Tunisia is often hailed as the success story of the Arab Spring. The protests that shook the country led to the ousting of long-time president Ben Ali in January 2011 and resulted in democratic elections. Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East program, joins Laura to discuss the country’s progress – and challenges – over the last decade.
In a special end of year episode, Laura examines the most significant developments of 2020 in three key regions: Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
First, Evan Feigenbaum and Laura talk about the development of regional trade deals, the India-China border dispute, and the shaky way forward for US-China relations.
Next, Rosa Balfour joins Laura to discuss about European cooperation on coronavirus, the continued migration crisis, and the challenges 2021 may bring for UK-EU relations.
Finally, Aaron David Miller and Laura look at how the pandemic impacted the Middle East, tensions between Iran and the US, and the glimmer of hope offered by the normalization between Israel and several Arab states.
Despite close proximity, Latin America is a historically overlooked area of U.S. foreign policy. Muni Jensen, who co-hosts the Altamar podcast, joins Laura to discuss the incoming Biden administration’s likely priorities in the region, such as economic reform, climate change, and the impact of U.S.-China competition on Latin America.
The two also talk about the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic, protests highlighting economic and social inequality in Argentina and Colombia, and political turmoil in Peru.
Tensions between the US and China have been escalating for years, with a downturn accelerating during the Trump administration. Given fundamental differences in worldviews and continued economic competition between the two countries, how likely are changes under President-elect Biden?
Today, Laura speaks with Paul Haenle, the director of Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. They talk about Beijing’s view of the US election, Biden’s policy options, and the prospects for regional cooperation under new US leadership.
Learn more:
The World is Responding to A Changing China
China in the World Podcast
Programming note: The World Unpacked will take a short break to celebrate Thanksgiving. We’ll be back with a new episode on December 3rd. Stay safe and healthy!
Democrats and Republicans are more divided than ever when it comes to assessing threats facing the United States and how America should engage in the world, according to findings of the 2020 Chicago Council Survey.
Ivo Daalder, the president of the Chicago Council, joins Laura for a discussion about the survey’s findings. The two talk about how coronavirus impacts foreign policy attitudes, the future of NATO and US global leadership, and how deep political polarization manifests in the way we view the world.
Read more about the survey here.
On September 1, 2020, more than twenty journalists worldwide learned they had unwittingly joined a Russian influence operation. One of them was Laura Walters, a journalist who had recently become a freelancer as she moved from New Zealand to London. Laura explains her interaction with Peace Data, the red flags she missed, and her reaction to learning that she had been involved in a Russian disinformation campaign.
Then, Alicia Wanless, director of Carnegie's Partnership for Countering Influence Operations joins the show to do a deep dive into the world of foreign disinformation campaigns. Alicia and Laura discuss why influence campaigns have long targeted journalists, how non-experts can spot bots and trolls, and what the policymaking community should do to address this growing threat.
Read more:
- "I was part of a Russian meddling campaign," by Laura Walters
- "How Journalists Become an Unwitting Cog in the Influence Machine," by Alicia Wanless and Laura Walters
- Victim of Russian Influence Operation Offers Cautionary Tale video
Last month, Bahrain and the UAE moved to normalize relations with Israel, signing a peace deal dubbed “The Abraham Accords.” Veteran Middle East peace negotiator Aaron David Miller joins Laura to talk about what the newly signed deal really means for Middle East peace.
Aaron and Laura discuss the likelihood of future deals in the region, how Iran views the move, and where the deal leaves the Palestinian cause. They also examine how U.S. policy toward the Middle East may change depending on the outcome of November’s election.
Read more from Aaron:
Arab-Israeli progress seemed impossible. That’s because of old assumptions.
Good News for the Gulf and Israel Mean Bad Tidings for the Palestinians
Don’t let the United Arab Emirates play us the way Mohammed bin Salman did
The Middle East Just Doesn’t Matter as Much Any Longer
Success in the UAE-Israel Accord Is Good News for Everyone Except the Palestinians
Rosa Balfour, the director of Carnegie Europe, joins Laura to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented to Europe by the coronavirus pandemic.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Rosa and Laura talk about regional challenges facing Europe, including Brexit, rising anti-EU sentiments, and the protests in Belarus, along with foreign policy challenges, like Europe’s role in the U.S.-China standoff and countering a resurgent Russia. They also talk about Europe’s evolving leadership role in the world.
Read Rosa’s piece on the future of Europe as part Carnegie’s new digital magazine, “The Day After: Navigating a Post-Pandemic World.”
Author Kim Ghattas joins Laura as part of Carnegie’s new digital magazine, “The Day After: Navigating a Post-Pandemic World.”
Kim and Laura discuss how countries across the region are handling the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating economic and social impacts. As we look ahead to a post-pandemic world, they talk about what governments should ask themselves to help mitigate the damage, the contrasting views from Tehran and Riyadh, and the hope of the region’s youth.
To read Carnegie’s digital magazine, click here.
Bishop Garrison, Director of National Security Outreach at Human Rights First, joins Laura for a wide-ranging discussion about how human rights issues impact policymaking at home and abroad.
They talk about the evolution of norms and values, how government leaders grapple with sometimes competing goals, and the role of nonprofit, corporate, and civil society actors in promoting human rights. Bishop also tells Laura about his work supporting former U.S. military translators in Iraq and Afghanistan, the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on national security, and what makes him hopeful for the future.
Reading list:
An Appeal to the National Security Community to Fight Racial Injustice
Congress Must Act to Protect Those Who’ve Supported Us in Syria
Veterans Praise Bipartisan Legislation Providing Lifelines to Afghan Allies
In late June 2020, Beijing passed a new national security law for Hong Kong. Among other things, the law carries harsh penalties for acts of secession, subversion of the government, and collusion with foreign powers. It also tightens government oversight of media outlets and NGOs. And it creates parallel law enforcement and judicial channels in the city that answer to Beijing.
Shibani Mahtani, the Hong Kong bureau chief for the Washington Post, joins Laura to talk about what the changes mean for the people of Hong Kong and the city's identity as a cosmopolitan center of global commerce.
Read more from Shibani here.
In October 2019, millions of Lebanese demonstrators took to the streets to protest widespread corruption amid deteriorating economic conditions. Since then, the economy has plunged into free fall, with simultaneous banking, currency, and public finance crises.
Laura talks to Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, about what Lebanese citizens are experiencing, how the country’s economy got to the breaking point, and what meaningful reform would look like.
Programming note: This episode of The World Unpacked was taped one day before this week’s tragic set of explosions in Beirut, which killed more than 100 people and wounded thousands more. While the full details of the incident are still becoming known, we have added a brief addition from Maha about how this week’s tragic events are likely to impact the country’s already fragile state.
Read more from Maha:
All Fall Down
At A Breaking Point
A Storm of Imperfection
Lebanon’s Economic Crisis: A Ten Point Action Plan for Avoiding a Lost Decade
In the months since George Floyd’s murder by the police, protests have erupted across the US and spread around the world. Demonstrators are not only standing in solidarity with Black Americans but also confronting systemic racism and legacies of colonialism in their own societies.
This week, Laura speaks with Carnegie visiting scholar Ashley Quarcoo about how Western democracies must address the role racism plays in undermining the legitimacy of their institutions and the strength of their global example.
Note: Both Ashley and Laura recorded this podcast from home, so children playing upstairs made some unexpected cameos. Please excuse any imperfect audio.
Read more from Ashley:
Global Democracy Supporters Must Confront Systemic Racism
Three Takeaways on the Protests for Racial Equality
In January, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced sweeping reforms to the country's constitution, resulting in the surprise resignation of his entire cabinet. The 200+ amendments make a number of changes, including outlawing gay marriage, increasing the minimum wage, and removing term limits for the Russian presidency. The amendments were put to a referendum, with voting taking place June 25 - July 1.
Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow and the chair of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, joins Laura to discuss what the referendum results suggest about Russian support for Putin and his ideology.
Read more from Andrei:
The Eternal Putin
Putin’s Majority 3.0
Did Putin Just Appoint Himself President for Life?
Planning for a (Not-So) Post-Putin Russia
What Are Russians Protesting About?
The coronavirus pandemic, coupled with a massive reduction in global demand for oil, has left Saudi Arabia in a dire economic state. MBS has been forced to sideline his ambitious Vision 2030 plan while implementing a series of austerity measures that could undermine the regime’s stability. Add in pressing foreign policy challenges, including the humanitarian disaster in Yemen and the complexities of the US-Saudi relationship, and the kingdom is facing a perfect storm.
This week, Laura talks to Yasmine Farouk about how the kingdom and MBS can weather the storm. They discuss Saudi Arabia's rapid and effective containment of the coronavirus, the implications of the country’s economic downturn, and how it should best navigate its foreign policy struggles.
Additional reading:
Updating Traditions: Saudi Arabia’s Coronavirus Response
Saudi Arabia: Aid as a Primary Foreign Policy Tool
Managing the coronavirus has been a challenge for both democracies and authoritarian regimes. In particular, the pandemic has further exposed the inequities and lack of trust present in many democratic countries, including the United States, where protests against police brutality and systemic racism come amid the wreckage of COVID-19.
This week, Laura sits down with Rachel Kleinfeld to talk about how the coronavirus pandemic is amplifying worrying trends worldwide, including a rise in autocratic power grabs, increased polarization, and the reemergence of nativist rhetoric. The two also talk about the links between the pandemic and the protests in the United States and how to leverage pockets of progress.
Jen talks to longtime diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter about his book, The Ambassadors: America's Diplomats on the Front Lines.
Paul talks about four diplomats - Ryan Crocker in Afghanistan, Anne Patterson in Pakistan and Egypt, Robert Ford in Iraq and Syria, and Chris Stevens in Libya - who “do the hardest things in the hardest places.” Paul talks about the role of America’s diplomats in the wars in the Middle East, from running local government, directing drone strikes, nation-building, and risking their lives on the front lines. Jen also asks Paul about the hollowing out of the State Department and the implications for foreign service.
During the past several years, large-scale protests by citizens against their governments have erupted all over the world. Jen talks to Kai Thaler about what drives protest movements, the methods they employ, and how governments respond. As protests continue to evolve, what should we watch for?
In her recent book, Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East, Emmy-winning journalist and New York Times bestseller Kim Ghattas examines the unraveling of the modern Middle East and why it started with the pivotal year of 1979.
Kim joins Jen to discuss how the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran has changed over the last forty years, how it has impacted other states in the region, and how the U.S. killing of Qasem Soleimani may impact regional tensions.
The World Unpacked will return soon with new episodes breaking down the biggest topics in foreign policy. In the meantime, we’ll continue releasing pre-recorded episodes every two weeks. Stay safe and healthy!
Guest host Jarrett Blanc talks to Carnegie President Bill Burns. They discuss how the coronavirus pandemic will impact foreign affairs and how to deploy disciplined American diplomacy to mitigate its impacts. They also discuss the new afterword in the paperback edition of Bill's memoir, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal.
In October 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced she would not run again. Since then, her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has struggled to find a successor to lead the party and the country. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel's preferred successor, won a party leadership election in 2018, but has since failed to establish her authority. In February 2020, Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her resignation as CDU leader, leaving the party in a familiar crisis of leadership. Jen talks to Judy Dempsey about what differentiated Angela Merkel from other German leaders and where the country will go next.
This week, we're saying goodbye to Jen and our executive producer, Lauren, as they both move on to exciting new opportunities. But don't worry—the show will go on! We'll be releasing an episode every two weeks for the next couple of months, and then will be back with an exciting new season after that. Stay tuned for more!
If there's a topic in foreign policy you'd like us to unpack, tweet @CarnegieEndow with #WorldUnpacked.
Our executive producer Lauren Dueck turns the tables on Jen, and puts her in the hot seat to talk about the state of the 2020 democratic primary race, the major foreign policy topics that might factor into the presidential election, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of President Trump.
In a shocking move during his annual state address, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced sweeping reforms to the Russian constitution, giving power to the parliament and taking it away from the presidency. Afterwards, his entire cabinet resigned, including long time ally Dmitri Medvedev. Commentators have speculated about Putin's objectives, but no one yet knows what comes next. Jen talks to Washington Post Moscow Correspondent Isabelle Khurshudyan about what these changes might mean for the Kremlin.
The Coronavirus outbreak has sparked fear around the world, leading to quarantines, transportation shut downs, and disrupting trade, travel, and more. Reports are now emerging that the Chinese government initially tried to cover up the outbreak, threatening doctors and forcing whistleblowers to recant their statements. How has the initial response changed? And what does Coronavirus mean for China going forward? Jen talks to James Palmer about the domestic and international reaction, and what it means for Chinese citizens.
Waad al-Kateab was a college student in Aleppo when she picked up a video camera to document the Syrian revolution. She kept filming when she met and married her husband and had her first child. She kept filming when the Assad regime laid siege to her city, and when the Russian Air Force started bombing hospitals. Waad's husband, Hamza al-Kateab, became the last doctor running the last hospital in Aleppo.
Waad's footage became the Oscar nominated film, For Sama, which tells the harrowing story of the siege of Aleppo in the form of a letter from mother to daughter. Jen talked with Waad about why she started filming, and why she and her husband chose to stay.
To learn more about Waad al-Kateab's advocacy, visit ActionforSama.com. For more information about the film visit ForSamaFilm.com
President Trump's recently announced peace deal might be dead on arrival, but it may still create facts on the ground that make the two-state solution impossible. Jen talks to Marwan Muasher about what Jared Kushner's "deal of the century" means for Israel, Palestine, and the United States.
Reports of China's repression of its Uighur minority have been trickling out for years, but recently leaked documents tell the story of sweeping and systematic campaigns of detention, cultural genocide, brainwashing, and forced labor. Jen talks to James Palmer about what he's learned about the situation on the ground, what the example of Xinjiang has meant for the Hong Kong protestors, and what consequences these two crises have had for China on the world stage.
The U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani has upended Iraq's already fragile political system. How do Iraqis see the escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran? Jen talks to Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad about how Iraqis see the conflict, and what it means for Iraqi society.
Note: Ghaith called us from Istanbul, and was joined by his cat, who you'll hear on this recording.
Last week Donald Trump ordered a drone attack that killed top Iranian general Qassim Suleimani. On Tuesday, Iran retaliated by firing a dozen ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. military forces. On Wednesday, President Trump declared an end to the escalatory spiral with Iran. But is it really over? Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour about what Iran might do next.
Jen talks with Jarrett Blanc about the blockbuster report by the Washington Post, revealing hundreds of scathing interviews with U.S. officials involved in the war in Afghanistan.
The World Unpacked will be back in January.
NATO played a pivotal role in the arms control treaties that kept a lid on the tensions of the Cold War. But arms control treaties are expiring, and recently, French President Emmanuel Macron described NATO as "brain dead". Jen talks to former NATO deputy secretary general Rose Gottemoeller about Turkey, Ukraine, New START, and NATO's future.
When Iranians took to the streets to protest an abrupt hike in gas prices, the government turned off the internet. When it came back on, the world saw the devastating aftermath of the deadliest crackdown in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
Why was the crackdown so severe? And what role dis U.S. sanctions really play in bringing the protests about? Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour about what the unrest means for the Iranian regime and for U.S. strategy.
The World Unpacked is on hiatus this week. For our U.S. listeners, Happy Thanksgiving!
If there's a topic in foreign policy you'd like us to unpack, tweet @CarnegieEndow with #WorldUnpacked.
Growing protests are raging across South America. From Ecuador to Bolivia to Venezuela to Chile, the region is experiencing the largest outbreak of unrest in decades.
What is prompting these protests? Why are they happening now? And what does it say about leadership in the region? To help us better understand, Moisés Naím joined Jen in the World Unpacked studio.
Go deeper: In a recent article for Foreign Affairs, Moisés explains why Latin America was primed to explode.
The Chinese government’s long held strategy to control dissent within their borders has had enormous impact on members of the media—particularly foreign media.
Jen sat down Charles Hutzler, the former Beijing bureau chief at the Wall Street Journal, who has spent more than 20 years reporting in Beijing. He describes how even during massive social changes in China, the government’s view of media’s role has not changed.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi shaped and led ISIS, defining its brutal ideology and establishing himself as a "caliph of all Muslims". What does his death mean for ISIS? Jen talks to Carnegie expert H.A. Hellyer about how Baghdadi shaped the ideologies of extremism, and what can be done to reverse the tides of radicalization.
Go further: https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/28/conditions-that-created-isis-still-exist-pub-80219
Protestors around Lebanon have already won many victories, including the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. But can a deeply sectarian government really start afresh? Jen talks to Marwan Muasher about what the protestors are looking for and whether or not they're going to succeed.
Carolyn Forché was an acclaimed twenty-seven year old poet in 1977 when a stranger persuaded her to travel to El Salvador, a country on the brink of war. What she saw there, recounted in her recent memoir, What You Have Heard Is True, changed her life and caused her to question everything she thought she knew about American foreign policy. Jen talks to Carolyn about what she saw, what she learned, and how the dynamics and dilemmas she so vividly portrays have re-emerged in Central America and U.S. immigration policy.
Interpol conjures up images of shady agents in sharp suits, jetting around the world to capture international criminals. But recently the international police agency has come under fire, as autocratic regimes around the world have used its Red Notice system to harass and arrest political exiles. Has Interpol become just an international extension of the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jin Ping? Should the organization be reformed? Or is the criticism too harsh for a one hundred year old organization with a history of tracking criminals across borders? Jen talks to New York Times reporter Matt Apuzzo about where things went wrong, and how they could get back on track.
Mohammad Bin Salman rose to power with the promise of reform and liberalizing Saudi society. The war in Yemen and the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi have changed his reputation dramatically - but has he suffered any real consequences? Jen talks with Yasmine Farouk about MBS's ambitions, recklessness, brutality, and miscalculations.
Tens of thousands of Indonesians took to the streets last week to protest a series of controversial moves undertaken by President Jokowi and his government. While Indonesians are no stranger to protests, these demonstrations come less than five months after Jokowi was re-elected with 55% of the vote. Jen talks to Dan Slater about why voters have turned against a seemingly popular, democratically-elected leader.
The United Nations General Assembly has gathered world leaders since 1945. But while presidents and prime ministers stage dramatic speeches in the hall, much of the real diplomatic work takes place on the sidelines. How does UNGA really work? What thorny issues are diplomats tackling this week? And what will we remember from this year's meeting? Jen talks to Carnegie expert Salman Ahmed, who has almost twenty years of experience at the UN.
Hong Kong has been in turmoil for months, as residents in their millions continue to take to the streets. What started as a protest against an extradition bill has grown into a full blown movement for democracy. As the protests have grown, the central government has deployed disinformation strategies to shape public perception of what's happening on the ground, and has accused the United States of fomenting the unrest. How have the protests changed since they started this summer? How has the Chinese government's response evolved? And how do ordinary people in Beijing think about the protests? Jen talks to Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times, who has been reporting from the ground in both Hong Kong and Beijing, about what might change Beijing's calculations in the future.
Kashmir has been contested land since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. It has been a flashpoint for political tension and the site of multiple wars. But last month, the Indian government made a bold move, changing the Indian constitution and revoking the special status of Indian-occupied Kashmir – which was also India’s only Muslim-majority state. At the same time, they shut down telecommunications, arrested political leadership, and moved in thousands of additional troops. What does all of this mean for Kashmiris? And will we see another armed conflict between India and Pakistan?
Jen talks to Paul Staniland about where the conflict came from, and where it might go next.
On Monday, U.S. negotiators signaled that they had nearly finalized a long-sought agreement that is a step toward ending the American conflict with the Taliban. What does the deal contain? And does it really mean that the war in Afghanistan is over? Jen talks to Jarrett Blanc and Frances Brown about the long peace process ahead.
Read: Jarrett's Washington Post oped, "We Need to take the Best Deal We Can Get in Afghanistan"
Like most of DC, we're going to take a few weeks off this August. We'll be back in September with more episodes. If there's a topic in foreign policy you'd like us to unpack, tweet @CarnegieEndow with #WorldUnpacked.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest the ban on opposition candidates in the upcoming Moscow city council elections. More than two thousand people have been arrested since the protests started, and opposition leaders, including Alexei Navalny, have been detained. What do these protestors want? And what might they mean for Putin’s political future?
Jen talks to Carnegie Moscow Center expert Alexander Gabuev about what's motivating the demonstrators, and why the government has cracked down so forcefully.
In light of the horrifying shootings this weekend in the United States, and the ongoing conversation about the role of white supremacist ideology in at least one of these attacks, we’re re-sharing Jen’s recent conversation with terrorism and law enforcement expert Lisa Monaco from earlier this summer. Jen and Lisa talked about how law enforcement has approached the problem of white supremacist violence, what she learned from the experience of fighting Islamic extremists online, and the role of social media companies.
In the darkest days of the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union created, together, a way to control nuclear weapons. As the President Trump withdraws from the hallmark INF treaty and other agreements teeter on the brink, that system is on life support. How did we get here? Jen Psaki talks to Pranay Vaddi and Connor O'Brien about how to save arms control.
While the loud, public conflict between the United States and Iran rages on, a secret war has been waged in the shadows for years. How dangerous is the cyberwar between the two countries? And how has the digital battlefield changed? Jen Psaki talks to Jon Bateman about the tools and strategies of both countries have developed, and what an all-out cyberwar would look like.
As Boris Johnson gears up for a probable victory in the British leadership election, can he deliver the Brexit deal that Theresa May failed to achieve? And what's the status of the U.S.-UK relationship after Trump's spat with now former British ambassador Sir Kim Darroch? Jen Psaki talks to Peter Kellner about May's legacy, the future of Brexit, and Johnson's promised trade deal with Trump.
Read more:
When Unstoppable Boris Meets Impassable Brexit
A Post-Brexit Election Is Looking Like Boris Johnson’s Best Bet
Facial recognition has moved beyond matching two grainy photos. Abundant, networked cameras, cheap data storage, and powerful AI has made biometric surveillance more invasive than ever. China has built a massive surveillance state designed to monitor and incarcerate Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, and now Chinese firms are trying to sell those same tools to countries in the Gulf. But they're not alone. U.S. firms, like IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft, also spy a lucrative new market. Jen talks to Buzzfeed's Megha Rajagopalan about how this technology has changed, how it is being used around the world, and how it might be regulated.
Read more of Megha's reporting:
- Facial Recognition Technology Is Facing A Huge Backlash In The US. But Some Of The World’s Biggest Tech Companies Are Trying To Sell It In The Gulf
- Here’s How China Uses An App To Repress Muslims
- China Has Also Been Targeting Foreigners In Its Brutal Crackdown On Muslims
- US Universities And Retirees Are Funding The Technology Behind China’s Surveillance State
Donald Trump just became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot inside North Korea. How did we get here? Is Trump's cozy relationship with Kim Jong-un enough to get a deal done? And what's going to happen next? Jen talks to Carnegie expert Toby Dalton about how to keep track of the dizzying roller coaster of the U.S.-North Korea relationship.
The people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets in the largest protests the city has ever seen. A controversial extradition treaty sparked demonstrations that have lasted for weeks, but now that the bill has been withdrawn, what's keeping protesters on the streets? What does Hong Kong’s long-simmering dispute with Beijing boil down to? And what does the showdown between protestors and Hong Kong’s leaders mean for the city’s future? Jen talks to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout to get a sense of how things look on the ground.
Khartoum erupted in violence on June 3, as its transitional military government attacked and killed more than 100 peaceful protestors. But didn’t Sudan just oust a dictator? What’s happened since then? And what can the international community do help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe?
Jen talks to Amr Hassan Sayed about Sudan's protests, the complicated political forces colliding on the ground, and how the civilian protestors are learning the lessons of the Arab Spring
White supremacist terrorism has gone global. Racially motivated mass murderers have targeted Muslims worshipping in New Zealand, Jewish synagogues in Pittsburgh and San Diego, church goers in South Carolina, and kids at a summer camp in Norway. Many of these attackers were radicalized online, and have claimed inspiration from each other. Are we watching the rise of a new international terrorist network? And what tools do we need to fight it? Jen talks to Lisa Monaco, who served as President Obama’s homeland security adviser, about how the United States should apply the lessons learned in fighting other terrorist networks
The United States is negotiating with the Taliban to end the longest war in U.S. history. But this isn’t the first time we’ve been at the table with them. What keeps us mired in this long, bloody, and complicated conflict? And is there actually a path out of it? Jen talks to Jarrett Blanc, who led negotiations with the Taliban as the Obama administration’s acting Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, about what the Trump administration is getting right.
Production assistance on this episode comes from Douglas Farrar
As women of color take the lead in national security, how are they changing the conversation and the culture of the foreign policy community? Jen talks to Mareena Robinson Snowden and Bonnie Jenkins about their careers in nuclear policy, how more diverse voices lead to better policy outcomes, and how the culture of the national security community must grow to better foster inclusion and representation.
Follow Bonnie Jenkins' organization, Women of Color Advancing Peace (WCAPS) on Twitter at @WCAPSnet, and online at wcaps.org
Production assistance on this episode comes from Alma Burke
The Trump administration has been has been ratcheting up the pressure on Iran over the past few weeks. As Trump and Zarif trade insults on Twitter, the United States has accused Iranian proxies of firing a missile into Baghdad and sabotaging oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Washington has responded by deploying an aircraft carrier and bombers to the region. What is each side hoping to get out of the escalating tensions? Could this brinkmanship spiral into a war that no one wants? Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour and Suzanne Maloney about what it would take to get to the negotiating table.
President Trump said the Islamic State was defeated after they lost the last territory of their self-declared caliphate. But then they claimed credit for the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, and elusive ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi appeared for the first time in five years, in a video praising the attack. Is ISIS really beaten, or are they just regrouping? Jen talks to Brett McGurk, former U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, about these questions and more.
Read Brett's recent op-ed in Foreign Affairs about U.S. strategy in Syria, and his piece in the Washington Post about a GI Bill for diplomacy
Today we're unpacking the news coming out of Venezuela. Jen talks to Moisés Naím about where the crisis in Venezuela came from, the showdown between Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, and why countries like Cuba, Russia, and the United States are so invested in what happens there. Listen to get smart on what's really happening in Venezuela.
Read Moisés' piece on Venezuela's suicide here.
This is the first episode of a three-part special series on sanctions—a 101 course on how sanctions work and how policymakers should use them. This episode, Jen talks with her Jarrett Blanc about what sanctions are and how they work. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions.
We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRPsaki
Milan chats with Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj, star of the hit Netflix show, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. In the season finale of Patriot Act, which aired on March 17, Minhaj turned his focus to the Indian general elections. In just half an hour, Minhaj covered topics ranging from Narendra Modi to the Congress Party’s corruption scams to the rising tide of nationalism—all with his trademark satirical humor. Milan speaks with Hasan about what it’s like commenting on Indian politics as a member of the Indian diaspora, why the 2019 election is a battle for the soul of India, and how forwards on a family WhatsApp group convinced him to do a show on Indian politics.
Check out Milan's weekly podcast, Grand Tamasha, at grandtamasha.com
Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour and Kim Ghattas about the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and how it shapes the Middle East. This episode originally aired on March 30, 2018. We'll be back with a new name, a new look, and new episodes on May 9.
879 million Indians head to the polls in the largest elections in history. Jen talks to Milan Vaishnav, host of Grand Tamasha, about what's at stake in the 2019 Indian general election. To learn more, check out Milan's explanation of the Indian elections, and listen to more election analysis on Milan's weekly podcast on Indian politics, Grand Tamasha.
What does Trump’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights mean for Israel, Syria, and the region? And what groundwork does it lay for Jared Kushner’s rumored Middle East peace plan? Jen talks to Marwan Muasher about his view on the prospects for peace, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future.
In our first ever live show, Jen talks to Carnegie President Bill Burns about his new book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal. They talked about his thirty-five year career in diplomacy, what it's like to meet with Muammar Qaddafi and Vladimir Putin.
Jen talks with Andrew Weiss and Balázs Jarábik about Ukraine five years after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and a week before the Ukrainian presidential elections.
Don't forget to register for our live show! It's on Tuesday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. at our Washington, DC office. Register here - it's free to attend, and books will be available for purchase.
We're is taking a hiatus this week as we recover from the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, but we’ll be back in your feed next week! In the meantime, don’t forget to register to attend our first live show! It’s at our Washington DC headquarters at 11am on Tuesday, March 26. I’ll interview Bill Burns about his new book, The Back Channel. Bill is one of the most renowned diplomats around, so you’ll definitely want to hear what he has to say. It’s free to attend, and you can register at carnegieendowment.org/diplopodlive.
See you next week!
Jen talks to Carnegie Vice President George Perkovich about last week's tensions between India and Pakistan
Also – DiploPod is having its first live show! It's on Tuesday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. in Washington, DC. Sign up to attend for free at CarnegieEndowment.org/DiploPodLive
Get George's book, Not War Not Peace? here. And read Eliza Griswold's piece in the New Yorker, "The Violent Toll of Hindu Nationalism in India".
While Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un were talking in Vietnam, Jen sat down with Carnegie expert Toby Dalton about the what a successfully negotiated agreement with North Korea might look like.
Jen talks to Evan Feigenbaum about how Xi Jinping has changed China, what people around the United States really think of China, and where the U.S.-China relationship is headed.
Saudi Arabia has received a lot of negative attention in recent months, from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi to recent reporting about U.S. weapons originally sold to the Saudis showing up in Yemen. Have there been any consequences for their relationship with the United States? And how have these events changed the power structures in the region? Jen talks to Carnegie expert Frederic Wehrey to find out.
Jarrett Blanc stands in for Jen to talk to Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, about where the Democrats want to take U.S. foreign policy.
Go Deeper:
Watch Chairman Engel's event at Carnegie.
Nuclear talks with Iran and North Korea have taken over the headlines, building on years of diplomacy that often goes unseen. Jen talks to Suzanne DiMaggio, who has been negotiating behind the scenes with the Iranians and North Koreans for twenty years.
Since Turkey’s President Erdoğan took office in 2014, he has consolidated power and squashed dissent, while angling for a larger role on the global stage. Jen talks to Henri Barkey about how Erdoğan has changed Turkey, Barkey’s purported role in the 2016 coup, and where Erdoğan’s ambitions are taking him.
More about Henri Barkey
After the historic defeat of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, Jen talks to Carnegie expert Peter Kellner about what happened and what’s next for the United Kingdom.
Peter Kellner is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, where his research focuses on Brexit, populism, and electoral democracy.
Go Deeper:
Read Peter's take on what's coming next for Theresa May.
Learn more about Peter Kellner.
As the United States adopts an increasingly confrontational international posture, the ties between Russia and China are deepening. Should the West be concerned? Jen talks to Carnegie Moscow expert Alexander Gabuev about what’s bringing them together, and the consequences for the United States.
Go Deeper:
Read Sasha's piece on how U.S. policies are pushing Russia and China closer together.
Jen talks to Jake Sullivan about why he wants to reclaim the idea of American exceptionalism and how the next president can restore American global influence.
Jake Sullivan is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie's Geoeconomics and Strategy Program. Read his piece in the Atlantic, "What Donald Trump and Dick Cheney Got Wrong About America."
Jen talks to Carnegie experts Jarrett Blanc, Kate Charlet, and Karim Sadjadpour about the most important events of 2018 and what to look for in the year ahead.
Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is an expert on sanctions, as well as Afghanistan.
Katherine Charlet is the inaugural director of Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program. She works primarily on the security and international implications of evolving technologies, with a focus on cybersecurity and cyber conflict, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at Carnegie, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.
We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter.
After the 2016 election, there are significant questions about whether America’s role in the world and our foreign policy are helping the American middle class. Carnegie expert Salman Ahmed has spent the last year focusing on how American foreign policy decisions on trade, defense, and more impacts Ohio. Today, Jen talks with him about his work, what he learned, and how his views have changed.
Salman Ahmed is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on the future of U.S. national security strategy and its role in promoting national economic interests. Read his report on how foreign policy decisions impact the middle class in Ohio.
We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter.
Go Deeper:
Watch former White House chiefs of staff Joshua Bolten and Denis McDonough discuss how U.S. foreign policymakers can do better for the middle class
This week we’re digging into NATO—what it is, how it’s changed, and where it’s headed. Today, Jen talks to Simon Gass, who served as NATO’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan. They discuss what NATO brings to an operation like Afghanistan, and what it would take to mobilize the alliance again. Don’t miss the first two episodes in this series, and stay tuned for more 101 series in the coming months. Simon Gass is the commandant of the UK's Royal College of Defense Studies, and served as NATO’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Simon Gass: https://www.da.mod.uk/about-us/management-team/sir-simon-gass-biography
This week we’re digging into NATO—what it is, how it’s changed, and where it’s headed. Today, Jen talks to Carnegie expert and former Slovak ambassador to NATO, Tomáš Valášek, about how NATO looks from Europe. They discuss Trump’s complaints about NATO funding, what to make of talk of an EU army, and how Russia’s renewed aggression is challenging the alliance. Don’t miss yesterday’s episode on how NATO works, and tune in tomorrow for a conversation about NATO in Afghanistan. Tomáš Valášek is the director of Carnegie Europe, and previously served as permanent representative of the Slovak Republic to NATO. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Tomáš Valášek: https://carnegieeurope.eu/experts/1336 Read Tomáš‘s take on Trump’s approach to NATO: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/76814
This week we’re digging into NATO—what it is, how it’s changed, and where it’s headed. Today, Jen talks to the former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Doug Lute, about how NATO works, how it changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and what it would take to mobilize the alliance again. Tune in over the next two days for the rest of our NATO 101 series. Douglas Lute served as the U.S. permanent representative to the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s standing political body, from 2013 to 2017. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Douglas Lute: https://www.cambridgeglobal.com/douglas-lute/ Read Carnegie expert Judy Dempsey's take on the call for an EU army: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/77703
Indian women are slowly changing the country’s patriarchal political system, starting at the voting booth -- they now turn out to vote at a higher rate than men. What does that mean for next year’s Indian general election? Jen talks to Carnegie expert Milan Vaishnav about women’s growing political power in India. Milan Vaishnav is the director of Carnegie’s South Asia Program. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: Read Milan’s Q&A on women’s voter turnout in India: http://carnegieendowment.org/p-77677 Read Milan’s article on women’s electoral trends in India: http://carnegieendowment.org/p-77689 More about Milan Vaishnav: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/714 Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/MilanV
Trade tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated throughout 2018. As Trump plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 meetings in Argentina this month, Jen talks to Carnegie expert Michael Pettis to sort fact from fiction. Michael Pettis is an expert on China’s economy and a nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace based in Beijing. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: Read Michael’s take on China’s best option for responding to a trade war: ceip.org/p-77039 More about Michael Pettis: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/444
Jen Psaki and the New Yorker’s Evan Osnos discuss the U.S. midterm elections, how the new Congress will affect U.S. policy abroad, and what the results suggest about the 2020 presidential contest. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Evan Osnos: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/evan-osnos
Jen’s former boss John Kerry joins her to talk about his time as Secretary of State, and his new memoir, Every Day is Extra. They discuss the future of an Israel-Palestine peace deal, his disagreement with President Obama over Syria, and the U.S.-Russia relationship. John Kerry is a visiting distinguished statesman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about John Kerry: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1364 More about Every Day is Extra: http://carnegieendowment.org/2018/09/04/every-day-is-extra-pub-77124
President Trump surprised foreign policy experts when he pulled out of the INF Treaty last week, raising the prospect of a new nuclear arms race. Jen talks to Russian nuclear policy expert Alexey Arbatov and Carnegie’s Eugene Rumer to explain what’s at stake. Eugene Rumer is a senior fellow and the director of Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. Alexey Arbatov is the head of the Center for International Security at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: Read Alexey’s take on the danger of withdrawing from the INF Treaty: https://carnegie.ru/commentary/77589 Read Carnegie experts on the prospect of an arms race: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/77575 Read Carnegie expert Dmitri Trenin on INF withdrawal: https://carnegie.ru/commentary/77568 More about Eugene Rumer: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/917 More about Alexei Arbatov: https://carnegie.ru/commentary/experts/367
Former UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has been an outspoken critic of human rights abusers, including of those in power. He sat down with guest host Jarrett Blanc to talk about the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the war in Yemen, the future of the Middle East, and the false promise that undemocratic leaders will bring about lasting freedom for their people. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein served as United Nations high commissioner for human rights from 2014 to 2018. He is the sixth high commissioner to lead the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the first Asian, Muslim, and Arab to do so. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/Zeid.aspx Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/Raad_Zeid More about Jarrett Blanc: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343 Follow Jarrett on Twitter: twitter.com/JarrettBlanc
Jen and Jarrett talk to lawyer Greta Lichtenbaum about how sanctions policy translates into the real world, and how she helps her clients navigate them. This is the third episode of a three-part special series—a 101 on how sanctions work and how policymakers should use them. Don’t miss the first two episodes! You can find them in your feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Greta Lichtenbaum is attorney focused on compliance with U.S. laws that govern international business transactions and trade. She represents and advises clients in matters related to U.S. economic sanctions, export controls, anti-corruption, money laundering, anti-boycott, foreign investment, and customs laws. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen! She’s on Twitter at twitter.com/jrpsaki. Go Deeper: Read Greta’s Q&A on renewed Iran sanctions: More about Greta Lichtenbaum: https://www.omm.com/professionals/greta-h-lichtenbaum/ More about Jarrett Blanc: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343 Follow Jarrett on Twitter at twitter.com/jarrettblanc
How powerful are sanctions, really? In this episode, Jen and Jarrett talk to former U.S. treasury secretary Jack Lew about how policymakers ought to approach sanctions, and the dangers of using sanctions unwisely. This is the second episode of a three-part special series on sanctions—a 101 on how sanctions work and how policymakers should use them. Don’t miss part one of our series on what sanctions are and how they work. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/diplopod/sanctions-101-how-sanctions-work And come back tomorrow for part three of our series, when Jen and Jarrett talk to sanctions lawyer Greta Lichtenbaum about how she helps her clients navigate sanctions policies. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Jacob Lew served as U.S. secretary of the treasury from 2013 to 2017. He previously served as White House chief of staff. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was previously the State Department coordinator for the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen! She’s on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jrpsaki. Go Deeper: Read Jack’s new Foreign Affairs article on economic statecraft: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/use-and-misuse-economic-statecraft?gpp=6Kgbv%2BDmD6cFKWHq7SX4uzozL2Fad2ZDR1NuUFRHcUkvK3F2TndueEtGRWpxSUFvZG1sbGV6V3BITGNrWDVHOHoxaThIdnB6Y291ODZWUS9POjViMDg1N2FjN2ZiZmEzYTdmYzEzYjA4NDkzM2I2MTFjZTMzZjI1NTJhMjAyOGNiMzM2MDVjYmMyOGI1MTU2YzU%3D&cid=%3Fcid%3Dlew_nephew_paywall_free_10152018 Watch Jack’s 2016 speech on U.S. sanctions policy: https://ceip.org/e-5191 More about Jack Lew: https://sipa.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/jacob-j-lew More about Jarrett Blanc: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343 Follow Jarrett on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jarrettblanc
This is the first episode of a three-part special series on sanctions—a 101 course on how sanctions work and how policymakers should use them. This episode, Jen talks with her special cohost for this series, Jarrett Blanc, about what sanctions are and how they work. Over the next two days, we’ll release two more episodes—tomorrow Jen and Jarrett talk to former U.S. treasury secretary Jack Lew about how policymakers think about sanctions, and on Wednesday they’ll talk to sanctions lawyer Greta Lichtenbaum about how she helps her clients navigate sanctions policies. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on Twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRPsaki Go Deeper: More about Jarrett Blanc: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343 Read Jarrett’s op-ed on Russia sanctions: http://ceip.org/p-77414 Listen to Jarrett talk about Iran sanctions: http://ceip.org/p-77016 Follow Jarrett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JarrettBlanc
Kosovo and Serbia are trying to negotiate the end of their old and frequently bloody conflict. A solution could pave the way for both countries to join the EU. Jen Psaki talks to Bekim Çollaku, chief of staff to Kosovar President Hashim Thaçi, who explains Kosovo’s goals and parameters in the negotiations. Carnegie’s Judy Dempsey, who has covered the Balkans for years, shares her view on what comes next for the region. Bekim Çollaku is chief of staff to President of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi Judy Dempsey is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog. She is also the author of the book The Merkel Phenomenon. We want to hear from you! Write to us at diplopod@ceip.org, or call us at 202-939-2247. Leave us a voicemail and we might use your question on a future episode. You can also talk to us on twitter using #DiploPod. And follow Jen! She’s @jrpsaki. Go Deeper: More about Judy Dempsey: https://carnegieeurope.eu/experts/693 Read Judy’s op-ed on the proposed Kosovo-Serbia land swap: https://carnegieeurope.eu/2018/09/19/kosovo-and-serbia-are-talking-about-redrawing-their-borders.-it-s-terrible-idea-pub-77291 Read Judy’s blog post on the failed Macedonian name referendum: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/77393 Follow Judy on Twitter: @Judy_Dempsey
Jen Psaki sat down with Stanford professor Francis Fukuyama to talk about his new book, "Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment." They discussed Fukuyama’s views on the current trajectory of identity politics in the United States and around the world, and what he sees as a new essential American identity. Go deeper: More about Francis Fukuyama: https://fukuyama.stanford.edu/ Watch Fukuyama in discussion with Thomas Carothers: http://carnegieendowment.org/2018/09/18/global-rise-of-identity-politics-event-6951
Jen Psaki kicks off a new season of Carnegie's flagship podcast, DiploPod, one-on-one with Carnegie scholar Marwan Muasher, who is the former foreign minister of Jordan and has been through many rounds of Middle East peace talks. They discussed the fading prospects of the two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, the problematic prospect of integrating both communities in a one-state option, and the impact of the Trump administration’s move to sideline Palestinian interests by moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, cutting off funding for aid for Palestinian refugees, and closing the PLO office in Washington. Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Mauasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications. Go deeper: + About Marwan Muasher - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/563 + Read Marwan’s Op-Ed on Trump’s Israel-Palestine plan: https://ceip.org/p-77282 + Read Marwan’s Report - https://ceip.org/p-77269
The Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran this week, following U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Sanctions expert and Carnegie Senior Fellow Jarrett Blanc joined Jen Psaki to talk about the consequences of reimposing sanctions and what Trump is trying to accomplish with his Iran policy. Jarrett Blanc was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions. (More on Blanc - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343)
Jen Psaki sat down with Carnegie scholar and Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour to discuss the impact of this week’s Twitter war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian officials, the future of Iran’s leaders, and President Trump’s approach to Iran policy. Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. He is a regular contributor to the Atlantic, and has also written for Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Economist, and the Washington Post. (More on Sadjadpour - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/340)
The Helsinki meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded with a tumultuous press conference filled with jaw-dropping statements on both sides. Carnegie experts Andrew Weiss and Alexander Gabuev joined Jen Psaki to dissect the summit and what it means for US-Russia relations going forward. Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia. Prior to joining Carnegie, he was director of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Russia and Eurasia and executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum. (More on Weiss -https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/824) Alexander Gabuev is a senior fellow and the chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. His research is focused on Russia’s policy toward East and Southeast Asia, political and ideological trends in China, and China’s relations with its neighbors—especially those in Central Asia. (More on Gabuev - https://carnegie.ru/experts/1017)
What do recent and upcoming elections in Latin America reveal about the region’s changing political and economic landscape? Are the rise of populism and concerns about corruption having destabilizing effects that outside actors can exploit? Carnegie visiting scholar Julia Gurganus, filling in for Jen Psaki, sat down in the DiploPod studio with Mark Feierstein, special assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs on the National Security Council. They discussed the upcoming presidential election in Mexico, outside influence in the region, countries’ responses to that external influence, and the impact on U.S. policy in the region. Mark Feierstein is a Senior Advisor with ASG’s Latin America practice, where he advises clients on entry and growth strategies throughout the region. Most recently, Mr. Feierstein served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council. (More on Feierstein - https://www.albrightstonebridge.com/team/mark-feierstein) Julia Gurganus is a visiting scholar with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focus is on trends in Russian foreign policy and Russia-U.S. relations. (More on Gurganus - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1424)
Ambassador Michael McFaul helped launch the Obama administration’s reset in U.S.-Russian relations, which fostered new and unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. As U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, he had a front-row seat as the relationship began to unravel in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency. In his new book, From Cold War to Hot Peace, he talks about what happened and what went wrong. McFaul sat down in the DiploPod studio with Lauren Dueck to discuss his new book, U.S.-Russian relations, and where Putin’s foreign policy is headed.
Daniel Ellsberg may be best known for his role in exposing the realities of the Vietnam War by releasing the Pentagon Papers, but he also has a new book out, The Doomsday Machine, that lays out a stark depiction of nuclear war planning within the government. He joined Jen Psaki in the DiploPod studio to talk about the threat of nuclear war today, the importance of leaks, and the escalation of tensions with North Korea.
Frederic Wehrey has a new book out this month — The Burning Shores, Inside the Battle for the New Libya. Based on nearly two years of reporting, it tells the stories of Libyan lives upended by turmoil, sheds new light on the country’s afflictions, and provides valuable lessons for the future. For the latest episode of DiploPod, Jen Psaki discussed with him what broke down in Libya post Qaddafi, the role of the United States and other international partners, and the future of Libya. (More on Wehery - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/709)
With the possibility of historic talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un on the horizon, the co-directors of Carnegie’s nuclear policy program—Toby Dalton and James Acton joined Jen Psaki in the DiploPod studio to talk about what technical issues should be on the table in the talks and what success would look like if diplomacy does move forward. More on Acton - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/434 More on Dalton - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/578
For the latest episode of DiploPod, Jen Psaki spoke with Carnegie non-resident scholar Ulrich Kühn and the co-director of Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program, James Acton about nuclear threats from Russia. They talked about President Putin’s march speech touting Russia’s nuclear capabilities, Kühn’s recent report on “Preventing Escalation in the Baltics”, and the path forward for eastern Europe and the international community. More on Kühn - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1265 More on Acton - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/434
For the latest episode of DipoPod, Jen Psaki interviewed Carnegie senior fellow Karim Sadjadpour and former BBC reporter and Carnegie senior visiting fellow Kim Ghattas to talk about the long standing rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Karim and Kim, experts on the region, discussed how the rivalry impacts the region and the sudden rise of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. They also chatted about the shadow of American politics in the region including the election of U.S. President Donald Trump and the recent appointment of John Bolton as U.S. national security adviser. More about Sadjadpour - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/340 More about Ghattas - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1407
In the latest episode of DiploPod, Jen Psaki sits down with Julia Gurganus to discuss the re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Gurganus is a visiting scholar with the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Program. She has spent the past two decades working in the U.S. intelligence community on issues related to Russia and Eurasia. From 2014 to 2017, she was a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia, the senior subject matter expert on Eurasia for the director of national intelligence. She is a CIA employee and is at the Carnegie Endowment on a CIA-sponsored sabbatical. The views she expressed are her own and do not reflect the official position or view of the U.S. government or an official release of U.S. government information. (More on Gurganus - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1424)
In the latest episode of DiploPod, Jen Psaki sits down with Douglas Paal to discuss the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. They examine what the North Koreans might want from talks, what expectations and concerns regional actors including China, Japan, and South Korea may have, and how Trump’s decision on whether to stick with the Iran nuclear deal could complicate possible diplomacy with Pyongyang. Douglas H. Paal is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was an unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan (2002–2006) and on the National Security Council staffs of presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush between 1986 and 1993 as director of Asian affairs and then as senior director and special assistant to the president. (More on Paal - https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/397)
Jen Psaki sat down this week with Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, and Andrew Weiss, the vice president for studies overseeing the Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia program for the latest episode of DiploPod. They discussed what to expect from the upcoming Russian elections, how President Putin has changed, and the surprising results from a new poll conducted by the Carnegie Moscow Center, in partnership with the Levada Center, about the desire for reform within Russia. Andrei Kolesnikov is a senior fellow and the chair of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. His research focuses on the major trends shaping Russian domestic politics, with particular focus on the fallout from the Ukraine crisis and ideological shifts inside Russian society. (More on Kolesnikov - http://carnegie.ru/experts/?fa=1015) Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia. Prior to joining Carnegie, he was director of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Russia and Eurasia and executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum. (More on Weiss - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/824)
For the first episode of DiploPod this year, Jen Psaki sat down with Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations under-secretary-general for political affairs, to discuss his December 2017 trip to North Korea, the upcoming talks between North and South Korea, and the role of the United States in those talks. Feltman was the highest level official from the United Nations to meet with officials in North Korea since 2010.
Jen Psaki sat down with Carnegie’s Jake Sullivan and Jarrett Blanc for the final episode of DiploPod of 2017. They discussed the status of the Iran deal, including what U.S. President Donald Trump may do next year, what is happening in Congress, and how U.S. global partners are reacting to the uncertainty over the future of the deal. Jake Sullivan is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Geoeconomics and Strategy Program and a Martin R. Flug Visiting lecturer in law at Yale Law School. Sullivan served in the Obama administration as national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and director of policy planning at the U.S. Department of State, as well as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (More on Sullivan - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1335) Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in Carnegie's Geoeconomics and Strategy Program. Blanc was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions. (More on Blanc - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1343)
In a special episode of Diplopod, Jen Psaki sat down with the outgoing Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and former Carnegie junior fellow Nick Rasmussen. They discussed how the threats facing the United States have changed since September 11th, whether the U.S. government is the most effective voice for combatting extremism online, and what social media companies should do to address the threat of terrorism.
Earlier this week Jen Psaki sat down with the former acting director of the CIA, Michael Morell, for a conversation about North Korea and the nuclear threat. Tune in to hear their discussion on what Morell would recommend to U.S. President Donald Trump, why he thinks we the United States should consider options that take into account the possibility that North Korea’s has the capacity to reach the U.S. mainland with a nuclear weapon, and whether or not he agrees with U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster that deterrence won’t work with North Korea.
In the second episode of DiploPod, Jen Psaki spoke with Paul Haenle¸ the director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center. The wide ranging conversation, coming on the heels of President Trump’s trip to Asia, focused on the view from Beijing of the North Korean nuclear threat including what actions would constitute a red line for the Chinese government, whether the United States and China are aligned on their objectives on the Korean peninsula, and how the approach of the current North Korean leadership has dramatically changed from the past leaders. Paul previously served as the White House representative to the U.S. negotiating team at the six-party-talks nuclear negotiations during the end of the Bush Administration, and he had been assigned twice to the U.S. embassy in Beijing while serving as a U.S. Army company commander. (More on Haenle - http://carnegietsinghua.org/experts/?fa=490)
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has relaunched our podcast—newly titled “DiploPod”—with the first interview in a series that will run through the end of the year. The series will focus on the dual nuclear threats posed by Iran and North Korea. Dmitri Trenin joins Jen Psaki for a candid discussion about the fallout from Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, why North Korea may prefer Russia over China as an interlocutor, the view from the Kremlin of President Trump’s threats of military action, and how Russia may benefit from the end of U.S. rapprochement with Iran. Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, has been with the center since its inception. He also chairs the research council and the Foreign and Security Policy Program. (More on Trenin - http://carnegie.ru/experts/?fa=287)
Carnegie Visiting Senior Fellow and former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough joined Tom Carver for a wide-ranging conversation, including reflections on his time as White House chief of staff during U.S. President Barack Obama, his views on the future of U.S. leadership in the world, and his thoughts on addressing the skills gap in the U.S. workforce, particularly in the face of rapidly advancing technological innovation. Denis McDonough is a visiting senior fellow in Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program. Previously, he served as White House chief of staff for President Obama’s second term, managing the four thousand member White House staff, as well as cabinet secretaries and agency leaders. - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1329
The oil industry has long been an attractive target for corruption and corrupt actors. State owned oil companies have frequently been accused of being a conduit for syphoning off public funds into private bank accounts, despite repeated civil society efforts to fight these networks of corruption in countries like Brazil and Nigeria. Guest host Deborah Gordon is joined by Carnegie Senior Fellow Sarah Chayes, dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and author Steve Coll, and Nigerian anticorruption activist Olarenwaju Suraju to discuss how corruption can become an inextricable part of an economy and how civil society and the U.S. government can work to prevent it. Steve Coll is dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism and a staff writer at the New Yorker. He is the author of a bestselling profile of ExxonMobil called Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power. Olarenwaju Suraju is a Nigerian anticorruption and environmental activist, chair of that country’s Civil Society Network Against Corruption, and of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda. Sarah Chayes is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy and Rule of Law Program, and co-author of “The Oil Curse: A Remedial Role for the Oil Industry.” - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/712
Lot of cross-trends are buffeting the global scene at the moment: populism, nationalism, anti-globalization. Many of these come together in the form of Trump. But beneath these issues are other longer term shifts: in technology, demographics, and economy inequality. Moisés Naím, distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, is the chief international columnist for El País and La Repubblica and the author of the bestselling “The End of Power”. He spoke to Tom Carver about these global challenges and why Trump ultimately makes him feel optimistic about America. Moisés Naím is the chief international columnist for El País and La Repubblica, Spain’s and Italy’s largest dailies, and a contributing editor to the Atlantic. Naím’s public service includes his tenure as Venezuela’s minister of trade and industry in the early 1990s, director of Venezuela’s Central Bank, and executive director of the World Bank. (more about Naim - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/21)
With other headlines coming out of the Middle East in recent years, the Palestinian issue has been pushed to the background. Repeated efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have faltered, and conditions in the Palestinian Territories have continued to deteriorate, with chronic shortages of food and water and a staggeringly high 60 percent unemployment rate among youth in the Gaza Strip. Amidst all of this, the Palestinian people seem to be losing faith in their leaders' ability to deliver. Carnegie scholars Perry Cammack and Nathan Brown recently conducted a survey of 58 Palestinian leaders, and found dwindling support for their own institutions. Tom is joined by Carnegie scholars Perry Cammack and Nathan Brown to discuss the findings in their report, Revitalizing Palestinian Nationalism: Options Versus Realities, with Husam Zomlot, the chief representative of the Palestinian General Delegation to the United States. Perry Cammack is a fellow in Carnegie's Middle East Program, where he focuses on long-term regional trends and their implications for American foreign policy. Prior to joining Carnegie in August 2015, Cammack worked on issues related to the Middle East as part of the policy planning staff of Secretary of State John Kerry from 2013 to 2015 and as a senior professional staff member for then senator Kerry on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (More about Cammack - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1080) Nathan J. Brown is a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and is a distinguished scholar and author of six well-received books on Arab politics. He serves on the Middle East and North Africa advisory committee for Human Rights Watch and the board of trustees at the American University in Cairo. (More about Brown - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/238) Husam S. Zomlot is the chief representative of the Palestinian General Delegation to the United States and an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Last year, hackers used malware to steal $101 million remotely from a Bangladesh bank from thousands of miles away. Cyberattacks can be as debilitating and dangerous as conventional warfare — particularly in the financial sector, where a single attack could cripple or disrupt global financial systems. This kind of cyber-attack is emerging as a new frontier of potential conflict between nations. Yet there are no norms or policies governing the prevention of cyber financial attacks. So how can countries work together to prevent attacks on financial markets and institutions from rogue nations, and even non-state actors? Tom Carver discussed the threat with Michael Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of homeland security, and Tim Maurer, co-director of Carnegie’s Cyber Policy Initiative. Michael Chertoff is the co-founder and executive chairman of the Chertoff Group. He served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009. (More on Chertoff - https://www.chertoffgroup.com/about-us/our-team/205-michael-chertoff) Tim Maurer is a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and co-directs its Cyber Policy Initiative. He is currently writing a book on cybersecurity and proxy actors. (More on Maurer - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1086)
Heads of state from the G20 countries assemble this weekend for their international summit, and all eyes are on U.S. President Trump. So far his track record overseas has been one of sparring and tension, following the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and the ill-humored G7 and NATO meetings earlier this year. However, on his first stop of this trip in Poland he gave a more supportive speech and endorsed the idea of NATO’s article five. So where does all this leave the United States in terms of global leadership? Tom is joined by Carnegie Senior Fellow Jake Sullivan, former adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, to discuss the G20 summit and the future of U.S. leadership. Jake Sullivan served in the Obama administration as national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and director of policy planning at the U.S. Department of State, as well as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sullivan is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Geoeconomics and Strategy Program and a Martin R. Flug Visiting lecturer in law at Yale Law School. (More on Sullivan -http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1335)
Despite the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the transition to a low-carbon economy is speeding along. For example, twice as many Americans are employed by the solar industry as in the coal industry, and that trend seems to be accelerating. In fact, some have argued that the Trump administration’s withdrawal from Paris may accelerate the adoption of a green economy, given the number of states, cities, companies, and organizations pushing for Paris-friendly policies as a result. Carnegie Fellow David Livingston joins Tom, along with Lisa Hagerman and Jigar Shah, to discuss the transition to a low-carbon economy. David Livingston served as the inaugural Robert S. Strauss fellow for geoeconomics at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where he concluded as acting Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs. He is an associate fellow in Carnegie’s Energy and Climate Program, where his research focuses on geoeconomics, markets, and risk. (More on Livingston - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/553) Lisa Hagerman is the director of programs at DBL Partners. (More on Hagerman - http://www.dblpartners.vc/people/lisa-hagerman/) Jigar Shah is the co-founder of Generate Capital. (More on Shah - https://generatecapital.com/)
The West has long been a font of stability, prosperity, and security. Yet when faced with global instability and economic uncertainty, it is tempting for states to react by closing borders, hoarding wealth, and solidifying power. In a compelling new book, The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea, former Economist editor Bill Emmott argues for a return to the core values of openness and equality of opportunity that are increasingly eroded in today’s global political climate. Emmott joins Ashley J. Tellis, the Tata Chair in Strategic Affairs at Carnegie, and Tom Carver to discuss the challenges facing Western states and potential strategies for the revitalization of liberal democracy. Ashley Tellis served as senior adviser to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. He also served on the U.S. National Security Council staff as special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia. He is the author of India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture (RAND, 2001) and co-author of Interpreting China’s Grand Strategy: Past, Present, and Future (RAND, 2000). Tellis holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs. (More on Tellis - carnegieendowment.org/experts/198) Bill Emmott is an independent writer, lecturer, and consultant on international affairs, and former editor-in-chief of the Economist. He is also chairman of The Wake Up Foundation. (More on Emmott - billemmott.com)
Where is Turkey heading? Last month president Erdogan narrowly won a referendum to give his presidency sweeping new powers. What does this portend for Turkey's relationship with the region and the rest of the world? And how far is he planning to go to entrench the pier of the AKP in his pursuit of Islamic nationalism at home? Tom Carver discussed Turkey's trajectory with Carnegie Europe's Sinan Ülgen and the director of Carnegie’s Europe Program, Erik Brattberg. Sinan Ülgen is the author of Governing Cyberspace: A Road Map for Transatlantic Leadership (Carnegie Europe, 2016), Handbook of EU Negotiations (Bilgi University Press, 2005), and The European Transformation of Modern Turkey with Kemal Derviş (Centre for European Policy Studies, 2004). He has served in the Turkish Foreign Service in several capacities: in Ankara on the United Nations desk; in Brussels at the Turkish Permanent Delegation to the European Union; and at the Turkish embassy in Tripoli. (More on Ülgen - http://carnegieeurope.eu/experts/?fa=547) Erik Brattberg is director of the Europe Program and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He joined Carnegie from the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, where he was the director for special projects and a senior fellow. (More on Brattberg - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1342)
Millions of people in the developing world encounter corruption every day, in the form of bribes they have to pay to go about their daily lives. But there’s an insidious form of corruption that permeates entire structures, including governments, which is often hidden in apparently legitimate activity. Carnegie Senior Fellow Sarah Chayes has been researching this form of corruption for the better part of a decade. She argues that in corrupt countries, kleptocratic networks involve not only government officials, but private industries and established criminal networks. In her recent report, When Corruption is the Operating System: The Case of Honduras, Sarah examines how the kleptocratic system functions in a case study on that country. Sarah joins Tom and Zephyr Teachout, author of Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United, and a democratic candidate in the New York gubernatorial race, for a discussion on corruption and power. Sarah Chayes is internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications. Her work explores how severe corruption can help prompt such crises as terrorism, revolutions and their violent aftermaths, and environmental degradation. (More on Chayes - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/712) Zephyr Teachout is an associate professor of law at Fordham University. (More on Teachout -https://www.fordham.edu/info/23186/zephyr_teachout)
As the recent horrific bombings show, there are no easy solutions in Afghanistan. The conflict is the United States’ longest-running war, and despite the billions of dollars that have been spent in foreign support since 9/11, the Taliban continues to pose a major security threat. The White House is in the midst of a review of its Afghanistan policy and will decide later this year whether to increase the number of US troops in the country. Carnegie expert Ashley Tellis has analyzed the issue for many years, and discusses the choices facing the White House with Tom Carver. Ashley Tellis served as senior adviser to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. He also served on the U.S. National Security Council staff as special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia. He is the author of India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture (RAND, 2001) and co-author of Interpreting China’s Grand Strategy: Past, Present, and Future (RAND, 2000). Tellis holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs. (More on Tellis - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/198)
On May 19, Iran elected a new president. Centrist incumbent Hassan Rouhani won by a comfortable margin in a high-turnout election, defeating hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi. With the dust settled, what does the outcome mean for Iran's young population, for the region, and for the United States? Carnegie’s Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour discusses the election result and what it means with Tom Carver. Karim Sadjadpour, a leading researcher on Iran, has conducted dozens of interviews with senior Iranian officials and hundreds with Iranian intellectuals, clerics, dissidents, paramilitaries, businessmen, students, activists, and youth, among others. He contributes regularly to publications such as the Economist, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune,and Foreign Policy. (More on Sadjadpour - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/340)
18 million people are estimated to work for the Indian national government, and that number doesn’t include India’s regional and state governments. Yet, compared to the size of the Indian population—1.3 billion—it’s not very large. The biggest challenge for the Indian state is not its size, but its inefficiency. While the last three decades have seen dramatic transformations in the country’s economy and the private sector, the state has failed to modernize at the same rate. Tom Carver talks the authors of a new book titled, Rethinking Public Institutions in India, Carnegie Senior Fellow Milan Vaishnav, Devesh Kapur and Pratap Bhanu Mehta, about the massive challenges India faces and the state’s ability to adapt. Milan Vaishnav is the author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics (Yale University Press and HarperCollins India, 2017). His work has also been published in scholarly journals such as India Review, India Policy Forum, and Latin American Research Review. He is a regular contributor to several Indian publications. (More on Vaishnav - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/714) Devesh Kapur is the director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India, and a professor of political science and Madan Lal Sobti professor for the study of contemporary India at the University of Pennsylvania. (More on Kapur - https://casi.sas.upenn.edu/about/people/devesh) Pratap Bhanu Mehta is the president and chief executive of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi and a contributing editor at the Indian Express. (More on Mehta - http://www.cprindia.org/people/pratap-bhanu-mehta)
Europe’s relationship with its eastern frontier is at a turning point. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, and the ensuing crisis in Ukraine, has forced the EU to reevaluate its relationship with its eastern neighbors. The heady, post Cold War optimism of a single free Europe has confronted cold, hard reality. Carnegie Senior Fellow Richard Youngs joins Tom Carver for a conversation about his new book, Europe’s Eastern Crisis: The Geopolitics of Asymmetry, to discuss how reality is threatening the fundamental principles of the European order. Richard Youngs has authored eleven books. His most recent works are Europe’s Eastern Crisis: The Geopolitics of Asymmetry (Cambridge University Press, 2017), The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy (Carnegie, 2015), and Europe in the New Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2014). He has held positions in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as an EU Marie Curie fellow. (More on Youngs - http://carnegieeurope.eu/experts/?fa=828)
The French presidential elections have captured attention around the world as the populist firebrand Marine Le Pen faces off with political newcomer Emmanuel Macron. As the final round of voting approaches, Tom Carver is joined by Erik Brattberg, director of Carnegie’s DC-based Europe Program, and Pierre Vimont, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels to discuss the rising frustration with “politics as usual” in France that has led to such a riveting contest. In this episode, recorded shortly after France’s first round of voting, Brattberg, Vimont, and Carver discuss the echoes of the 2016 U.S. election, the future of Euroscepticism, and analyze future of France under each prospective president. Erik Brattberg is director of the Europe Program and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He joined Carnegie from the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, where he was the director for special projects and a senior fellow. Brattberg was previously the 2014 Ron Asmus Policy Entrepreneur Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and visiting Fulbright fellow at Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS. (More on Brattberg - http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1342) Pierre Vimont is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. In June 2015, Vimont was appointed personal envoy of the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to lead preparations for the Valletta Conference between EU and African countries, to tackle the causes of illegal migration and combat human smuggling and trafficking. During his thirty-eight-year diplomatic career with the French foreign service, he served as ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2010, ambassador to the European Union from 1999 to 2002, and chief of staff to three former French foreign ministers. He holds the title, Ambassador of France, a dignity bestowed for life to only a few French career diplomats. (More on Vimont - http://carnegieeurope.eu/experts/1041)
As tension grows on the Korean peninsula, dissension simmers over the future of the Iran Deal, and conflict brews on the India-Pakistan border, the global nuclear landscape is more complicated than ever. In a special edition of the Carnegie Podcast, Toby Dalton of Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program hosts a recap of Carnegie’s recent 2017 International Nuclear Policy Conference. Listen in as nuclear experts and world leaders debate the future of the Iran Deal, the Trump administration’s nuclear posture, the future of North Korean proliferation, and prospects for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Toby Dalton is co-director of Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. An expert on nonproliferation and nuclear energy, his work addresses regional security challenges and the evolution of the global nuclear order. From 2002 to 2010, Dalton served in a variety of high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy, including senior policy adviser to the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security. (More about the 2017 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference: http://carnegieendowment.org/2017/03/21/2017-carnegie-international-nuclear-policy-conference-event-5209)
Egypt is going through an unprecedented period in its history. In the space of a few years, the most populous country in the Arab world witnessed huge street demonstrations, the overthrow of longtime president Hosni Mubarak, the election of the Muslim Brotherhood, a military coup, and the arrival on the scene of General Sisi, Egypt’s current ruler. Sisi’s presidency has been marked by the mass detention of activists and a crackdown on civil society. Carnegie Senior Associate Amr Hamzawy spoke to Tom Carver about the new forms of activism that are starting to emerge in the country and the regional and security pressures Sisi is facing. Amr Hamzawy is a former member of the People’s Assembly after being elected in the first Parliamentary elections in Egypt after the January 25, 2011 revolution. He is also a former member of the Egyptian National Council for Human Rights. Hamzawy contributes a weekly op-ed to the Egyptian independent newspaper Shorouk. (More on Hamzawy: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/237)
In the current political environment, developing any kind of effective strategy toward Russia is fraught with difficulty. A two-year, bipartisan task force convened by Carnegie Endowment and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, has recommended that instead of fueling unrealistic expectations of a breakthrough, the Trump administration should seek incremental progress on specific topics, based on a set of guiding principles. In the latest Carnegie podcast, two of the authors of the report, Carnegie's Andrew S. Weiss and Eugene Rumer, share their thoughts on how to manage the relationship and what some of those guiding principles should be. Andrew S. Weiss is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment and oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia. Weiss previously served as director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council staff, as a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, and as a policy assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush. Eugene Rumer is a senior fellow and director of Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. Prior to joining Carnegie, Rumer was the national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2010 to 2014. He has also served on the National Security Council staff and at the State Department, taught at Georgetown University and the George Washington University, and published widely.
President Trump has made it clear that he wants to reduce the U.S trade deficit with China. If he follows through on his campaign promises to impose tariffs, how would China react? Is a trade deficit with China necessarily a bad thing for the US? One of the most thought-provoking economists on China, Michael Pettis examines the trade relationship between Washington and Beijing, and explains how the Chinese growth model is facing unique challenges. Michael Pettis is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program based in Beijing. An expert on China’s economy, Pettis is professor of finance at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, where he specializes in Chinese financial markets. Pettis is also editor of China Financial Markets, which offers monthly insights into the financial and economic dynamics of China and the global economy. Learn more at ChinaFinancialMarkets.org.
How should Europe handle President Trump? There is more uncertainty in the transatlantic relationship now than at any time since the end of the cold war. And preoccupied by its internal issues, the EU has failed to find a coherent approach for dealing with Vladimir Putin on its eastern border. As Carnegie’s popular blog Strategic Europe celebrates its 5th anniversary, Tom Carver talked to its editor-in-chief Judy Dempsey about the future of European foreign policy. Dempsey is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and the author of the book The Merkel Phenomenon (Das Phänomen Merkel, Körber-Stiftung Edition, 2013). She worked for the International Herald Tribune from 2004 to 2011 as its Germany and East European Correspondent, and from 2011 to September 2013 as columnist. Dempsey was the diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times in Brussels from 2001 onward, covering NATO and European Union enlargement.
The global nuclear order is facing unprecedented challenges with Russia, North Korea and Iran all testing the limits of nuclear non-proliferation. The landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty marks its 50th anniversary next year. Will it be able to survive in its present form? This month, as Carnegie brings together 800 experts for its nuclear policy conference in Washington, Tom Carver spoke with Carnegie’s James Acton and Toby Dalton about the nuclear nonproliferation agenda. James Acton is co-director of Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. A physicist by training, Acton was a winner of the competitive Carnegie Corporation of New York grant on New Technologies and the Nuclear Threat that funds his ongoing research into the escalation implications of advanced conventional weapons. Toby Dalton is co-director of Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. An expert on nonproliferation and nuclear energy, his work addresses regional security challenges and the evolution of the global nuclear order. From 2002 to 2010, Dalton served in a variety of high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy, including senior policy adviser to the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security. He also established and led the department’s office at the U.S. embassy in Pakistan from 2008-2009.
Where is the Arab world heading? It’s been 5 years since the start of the Arab Awakening and in many ways, the region appears to be going backwards. Join Tom Carver and Carnegie’s Middle East team to discuss Carnegie’s new wide-ranging report, Arab Fractures: Citizens, States, and Social Contracts, which examines what has gone wrong in the relationship between the Arab people and their governments. You can continue the conversation on Twitter with #ArabFractures Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications. Michele Dunne is the director and a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East. Perry Cammack is a fellow in Carnegie's Middle East Program in Washington, D.C., where he focuses on long-term regional trends and their implications for American foreign policy.
The U.S.-China relationship is pivotal to the world order. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized China during his campaign and since his inauguration. The director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, Paul Haenle, discusses Trump’s direct assaults on the cornerstones of the U.S.-China relationship, assessing the administration’s confrontational approach to questions such as the One China policy, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and North Korea. He also addresses the pressures facing Chinese President Xi Jinping as he approaches the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and how conceptions of China’s role in the world are shifting within the country. Paul Haenle is the director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center based at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. In addition to running the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center, Haenle is also an adjunct professor at Tsinghua, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses to Chinese and international students on international relations and global governance. Haenle served as the director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolian Affairs on the National Security Council staffs of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama prior to joining Carnegie.
In India, the world’s largest democracy, as many as a third of elected politicians are under criminal indictment. Carnegie Senior Fellow Milan Vaishnav discusses his groundbreaking new book, When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics, which takes readers deep into the marketplace for criminal politicians. Drawing on fieldwork from the campaign trail, large surveys, and unprecedented data on politicians’ criminal records, Vaishnav discusses his findings on the inner-workings of democracy’s underbelly, and how his work might illuminate the current U.S. political climate.
Carnegie Senior Fellow James L. Schoff discusses his research on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese politics and security, and the private sector’s role in Japanese policymaking.
Carnegie Senior Fellow Sarah Chayes discusses her research on systemic corruption and its consequences for governance around the world, including within the United States.
As part of our series looking at what a Trump presidency could mean for the world, Carnegie Moscow Center Director Dmitri Trenin examines what Russia and Russian president Vladimir Putin may want from Trump's administration.
Donald Trump’s call with Taiwan’s leader suggests that the U.S.-China relationship might be about to change, a shift that would impact the balance of power throughout the region. As part of our series looking at what a Trump presidency could mean for the world, Carnegie Vice President for Studies for Asia Douglas H. Paal examines what countries in East Asia may want from Trump’s administration, and identifies potential sources of friction.
Carnegie Vice President for Studies George Perkovich and Senior Fellow Karim Sadjadpour discuss Iranian reactions to Trump’s election, possibilities for U.S.-Iranian relations and the international sanctions regime, and future of the Iran nuclear deal.
As part of our series looking at what a Trump presidency might mean for different parts of the world, Carnegie Senior Vice President for Studies Thomas Carothers and Senior Fellow Rachel Kleinfeld discuss how the election of Donald Trump might affect global populist movements.
In the first in our series looking at what a Trump presidency might mean for different parts of the world, Carnegie Vice President for Studies Marwan Muasher, Middle East Program Director Michele Dunne, and Visiting Scholar Joseph Bahout explain how Trump’s policies could impact the Middle East and how the region has reacted so far to his electoral victory.
Some of the fastest-changing technology is occurring in cyberspace, often outpacing existing norms and ethics around the use of such technology. Autonomous weapons are already a reality, but defense departments and politicians are only now beginning to grapple with how to use them. Before long, can we expect to see a weapon system that has no human at all in the decision chain? Tim Maurer, co-director of Carnegie Endowment’s Cyber Policy Initiative and David Brumley, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Security & Privacy Institute, sat down with Tom Carver to discuss these important issues.
The world of oils is becoming increasingly complex. Compared to a decade ago when there were very few types of oils, new technologies such as fracking have allowed around 300 new oils to come on-stream. Figuring out which oils are the most carbon intensive – depending also on how they are refined and used – has become very complex but also very important for investors and regulatory agencies. Carnegie Endowment, in conjunction with Stanford University, and the University of Calgary has developed a first-of-its-kind Oil-Climate Index (OCI) to compare these resources. Tom Carver sat down with Debbie Gordon, the head of Carnegie’s Energy and Climate program to discuss the ways the OCI describes the new world of unconventional oils.
The recent attacks in Kashmir, which left 18 Indian soldiers dead, has put the spotlight back on the tense and troubled relationship between India and Pakistan. Political friction between the two countries—both with nuclear capabilities—is high, and each terror attack that can seemingly trace its roots to Pakistan increases calls in India for military action against its neighbor. George Perkovich and Toby Dalton have just released a new book called Not War, Not Peace: Motivating Pakistan to Prevent Cross-Border Terrorism which discusses these very issues; they sat down with Tom Carver to discuss it.
Douglas H. Paal discusses key issues for the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, with Yukon Huang, senior associate in Carnegie’s Asia program.
Karim Sadjadpour, an expert on Iranian politics, discusses the outcome of Iran’s February 2016 parliamentary elections and the near-term ramifications on domestic politics in the theocratic state.