EastWest Podcast

Cato Institute's Eric Gomez and Caroline Dorminey join EWI Senior Fellow Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss policy challenges confronting U.S. policymakers in the areas of nuclear deterrence and arms control.

Tom Patterson—chief trust officer and vice president of Global Security at Unisys—explains how tech-nationalism fits into today’s interconnected global world with EWI's Executive Vice President Bruce McConnell.

Ambassador Timo Koster—career diplomat at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador-at-large for Security Policy and Cyber—discusses promising developments in cyber diplomacy and security with EWI's Executive Vice President Bruce McConnell.

Zia Mian - physicist, nuclear expert and co-director of Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security - evaluates today’s nuclear arms threat, in conversation with Ambassador Cameron Munter. Mian stresses the importance of focusing not just on long-term processes to shift the global narrative on nuclear weapons, but also to address the current circumstances that pose a discernible risk - such as India/Pakistan, and U.S. relations with Iran or South China Sea tensions. The discussion also delves into climate change prediction models, which indicate that a very limited regional nuclear conflict would have an incredibly destructive impact. “Even use of 50 nuclear weapons each between India and Pakistan, a third of their nuclear arsenals, could lead to catastrophic fires that would cloud the sky across most of the world, and produce a catastrophic failure of agriculture and ecosystems that would last for more than 20 years.” “As we begin to see these inadvertent and unexpected dangers of regional nuclear crisis, the urgency of intervention becomes greater, but the problem of intervention has become harder because of decades of neglect for other geopolitical and geo-strategic reasons,” Mian concludes.

Esther Dyson—noted angel investor, best-selling author and philanthropist—discusses the digital world's past, present and future with EWI's Executive Vice President Bruce McConnell.

Alexander Lanoszka, nuclear strategy expert and author, joins EWI Senior Fellow Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss the role of nuclear weapons in international political strategy. Lanoszka helps explore the current risk-areas for proliferation, the likelihood of nuclear weapon use in warfare and the strategic role that nuclear weapons play in international diplomacy.

Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Nagorski joins EWI Senior Fellow Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss 1941—the pivotal year in World War II—which saw the invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the mass extermination phase of the Holocaust. Andrew Nagorski spent more than three decades as a foreign correspondent and editor for Newsweek. His most recent books—"Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power" and "The Nazi Hunters"—have received glowing reviews. His new book "1941: The Year Germany Lost the War," was the focus for this podcast.

Ambassador Kai Sauer, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations, joins Cameron Munter to discuss the future role of the UN.

Frank Wisner joins Cameron Munter to discuss America’s changing diplomatic role in the world, touching on several issues including the Balkans, America's alliance with Europe, the Quad relationship, climate change and potential trade disputes that might arise from India's recent general elections.

Joe Cirincione joins Cameron Munter to discuss modern nuclear policy. Topics include an exploration of the key drivers behind new weapon development, potential nuclear faultlines, as well as a few reasons to be optimistic about future nonproliferation and reduction efforts.

George Packer joins Cameron Munter to discuss how the career of the late distinguished diplomat Richard Holbrooke has informed the last several decades of U.S. foreign policy—as well as his latest book, "Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century."

Frances Townsend joins Cameron Munter to discuss the U.S. approach to counterterrorism and homeland security under the Trump administration and in the context of a polarized political environment. Topics highlighted include new vulnerabilities in cybersecurity, domestic terrorism, diplomacy with Iran and the U.S. relationship with China and Russia.

Cameron Munter hosts two distinguished guests, Ikram Sehgal and Moeed Yusuf, to discuss the complex and ever-changing power dynamics in South Asia.

Julia Ebner joins Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss the cycle of extremism in the wake of both the territorial defeat of ISIS and the recent Christchurch massacre.

Timothy Snyder joins Cameron Munter to explore the rise of authoritarian leaders and nationalist sentiments across Western nations, focusing on Russia's potential role in this process, as well as his latest publication, "The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America."

Angela Stent joins Cameron Munter to explore Putin’s foreign policy motives and her latest publication, "Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest."

Dr. Parag Khanna joins Cameron Munter to discuss the issue of a rising Asia and his latest publication, The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century.

William Burns joins Cameron Munter to discuss the art of diplomacy and his latest book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal. Burns ranks among the most recognized American diplomats of his generation, serving five presidents and ten secretaries of state over a thirty-three-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service. He is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States.

Nina Khrushcheva sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss her latest book "In Putin’s Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia’s Eleven Time Zones"—an exploration of modern-day Russia.

David Sanger sits down with Bruce McConnell to discuss his latest book "The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age", which explores the destructive potential of cyber weapons. Sanger share his insights on what policymakers are doing to address this issue, which has radically transformed geopolitics.

Janine di Giovanni sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book "The Morning They Came For US: Dispatches From Syria," which explores the personal stories of those affected by the conflict in Syria.

George Magnus sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book, "Red Flags: Why Xi's China Is in Jeopardy," which explores the fate of China’s economic future.

Dr. Francis Fukuyama sits down with Cameron Munter to discuss his latest book: "Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment." "The question before us is whether this populist upsurge is kind of a stock market correction, or whether it represents a bigger shift that will have a much longer term duration," says Fukuyama.

Professor Kevin Werbach sits down with Bruce McConnell to discuss the potential role of Blockchain as a foundation to an emerging “trust economy.” “Trust is your willingness to work with someone, to engage in a business transaction with another party even though you are not absolutely 100 percent certain that they are going to follow through. And that really is the key question that blockchain addresses – how to produce that trust?” Kevin Werbach is Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His most recent book is The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust.

Dr. Robert Kagan joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the perceived decline of the liberal world order, as established by the United States at the conclusion of the Second World War. Focusing on Dr. Kagan’s most recent book entitled: “The Jungle Grows Back: America and our Imperiled World,” the discussion addresses the potential consequences of America’s retreat from its global leadership role, and the ensuing challenges to global stability. “We are the ones upholding the system,” says Kagan. “If we lose control and are unable to uphold the system, it’s not clear to me that we will be able to reestablish it. That’s why I don’t want to wait for the disaster to come - I want to prevent the disaster.” Dr. Robert Kagan is an American historian and foreign policy expert. He is the senior fellow with the Project on International Order and Strategy in the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and is a contributing columnist at the Washington Post.

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Michael Daniel, president of the Cyber Threat Alliance and former special assistant to the President and cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, on how governments and the private sector respond to cyber incidents and threats. “There are some estimates that are showing that the level of criminal activity has reached the point where it actually outstrips the GDP of all but a few handful of the largest economics on the planet,” says Daniel. “That’s not really a tenable place for us to be… that’s actually becoming a threat to cyberspace and the utility of cyberspace, as well.”

Dr. Kori Schake joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the future of American diplomacy and policymaking and what it means for the West and the world. Key issues addressed include the rise of China and the resurrection of Russian power, the New National Security Strategy, the status of American exceptionalism and how the intersection of public and private sectors has blurred the lines in diplomacy.

Dr. William J. Parker III, former Chief Operating Officer of the EastWest Institute, sits down with Dr. Elizabeth C. Economy, C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss her third and latest book titled "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State."

Stephen Sestanovich joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the currently fragile state of U.S.-Russia relations, including an assessment of this year’s summit, a look at Russia’s domestic affairs and an exploration of areas where the two countries may find common ground in the future. Sestanovich is the George F. Kennan senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis professor of international diplomacy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is the author of Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama, published by Knopf in February 2014.

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Latha Reddy, former deputy national security advisor of India, and Scott Charney, vice president for security policy at Microsoft, on the importance of introducing norms in cyberspace and the role of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) in building on this important initiative. “Part of the goal of the commission [GCSC], and others working on norms…is how do you take what we’ve learned from the past and apply them to this new domain [cybersecurity], instead of just waiting for disaster to happen and then everyone saying ‘there should be a rule,'” stated Charney. “Maybe we know enough to start crafting some of those rules now.” When asked about the objectives of the commission, Reddy said “For me, success would be if we could come out with five or six norms that make universal sense.” "There has been a lot of talk about whether the Internet is a global commons or not…I think this much is true: The Internet it is a public good, an international good…it has become a universal medium, so we have to find a universal way to regulate it.” Latha Reddy has extensive experience in foreign policy and security, and has worked on strategic technology policies, particularly on cyber issues relating to cybersecurity policy, international cyber cooperation and Internet governance. She is currently a distinguished fellow at the EastWest Institute. Scott Charney has received numerous awards during his career, including the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. He currently serves on the President’s National Security and Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).

Dr. William J. Parker III, Chief Operating Officer of the EastWest Institute, sits down with Admiral James Stavridis, Operating Executive at The Carlyle Group and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, to discuss the present and future role of NATO, issues pertaining to Turkey and the impact of economic policy on national security. "The degree to which the United States wants to maintain its security in the 21st century...will depend on its ability to maintain a network of allies, partners and friends around the world...NATO being on the top of this list," says Stavridis.

Marwan Muasher joins EWI’s Cameron Munter for a discussion on the conditions shaping the Middle East today – political and social currents, decline in oil prices, foreign actors, Syrian post-conflict prospects and the way forward for Jordan. Muasher, former foreign minister of Jordan and its first ambassador to Israel, is vice president for studies at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Dr. William J. Parker III, Chief Operating Officer of the EastWest Institute, sits down with Admiral James Stavridis, Operating Executive at The Carlyle Group and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, to discuss the present and future role of NATO, issues pertaining to Turkey and the impact of economic policy on national security. "The degree to which the United States wants to maintin its security in the 21th century...will depend on its ability to maintain a network of alies, partners and friends around the world...NATO being on the top of this list," says Stavridis.

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Latha Reddy, former deputy national security advisor of India, and Scott Charney, vice president for security policy at Microsoft, on the importance of introducing norms in cyberspace and the role of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) in building on this important initiative. “Part of the goal of the commission [GCSC], and others working on norms…is how do you take what we’ve learned from the past and apply them to this new domain [cybersecurity], instead of just waiting for disaster to happen and then everyone saying ‘there should be a rule,'” stated Charney. “Maybe we know enough to start crafting some of those rules now.” When asked about the objectives of the commission, Reddy said “For me, success would be if we could come out with five or six norms that make universal sense.” "There has been a lot of talk about whether the Internet is a global commons or not…I think this much is true: The Internet it is a public good, an international good…it has become a universal medium, so we have to find a universal way to regulate it.” Latha Reddy has extensive experience in foreign policy and security, and has worked on strategic technology policies, particularly on cyber issues relating to cybersecurity policy, international cyber cooperation and Internet governance. She is currently a distinguished fellow at the EastWest Institute. Scott Charney has received numerous awards during his career, including the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service. He currently serves on the President’s National Security and Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC).

The EastWest Institute's Global Vice President and cyberspace program chief Bruce McConnell speaks with Peter Altabef, EWI board member and chairman and CEO of Unisys Corporation. The two discuss the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and the “Cybersecurity Moonshot” initiative, which is working to develop a robust set of recommendations for a broad plan for a safer, more resilient use of the Internet to deliver government and critical infrastructure services. “We must take on cybersecurity with the same foresight, effort and intensity once reserved for national security,” Altabef argues. “Cybersecurity is national security.”

Kishore Mahbubani—professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and author of "Has the West Lost It?: A Provocation"—joins the EWI podcast to discuss how the West's centuries-old status as the center of global wealth and power is being challenged by the rise of Asian powers—namely China and India—offering a fresh perspective on today’s geopolitical realities. Mahbubani states that "the West is not preparing itself for a world in which it can no longer dominate," and recommends specific structural adjustments to reflect changing circumstances.

EWI Senior Fellow Franz-Stefan Gady discusses European defense policy with Ulrike Franke, Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Franke provides her analysis on the prospects of a German nuclear bomb, German national interests and the concept of "strategic autonomy." Franke says that "for too long, Europe—and in particularly Germany—have relied too much on the support and protection of the United States."

Sarah E. Kreps is an Associate Professor of Government and Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell University. She is also an Adjunct Scholar at the Modern War Institute (West Point) and a Faculty Fellow in the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity at the Cornell Tech Campus in New York City. Dr. Kreps joins the EWI podcast to discuss the relationship between taxes, war and democracy, which she analyzes in her new book, "Taxing Wars: The American Way of War Finance and the Decline of Democracy." Recent wars have increasingly been financed by debt rather than taxes that impact the wallets of ordinary Americans. As this shift has impacted accountability, Dr. Kreps warns that unless there are more visible costs, policymakers will be able to continue conducting wars without much scrutiny.

Stephen Tankel—associate professor in the School of International Service at American University and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security—joins the EWI podcast to discuss terrorism, counterterrorism and his new book "With Us And Against Us: How America’s Partners Help and Hinder the War on Terror." Dr. Tankel states that “just because the United States and another country share a threat, that other country won’t necessarily prioritize the threat the same way, and the U.S. will have difficulty convincing another country to make our threat perceptions, their threat perceptions.”

With the Trump-Putin summit recently concluded in Helsinki, Simon Saradzhyan—founding director of the Russia Matters Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs—joins the EWI podcast for a timely discussion on Russian national power. Mr. Saradzhyan states, "If you look at Russia's vital interests and America's vital interests, they are not diverging greatly."

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger joins the EWI podcast to discuss a variety of topics in global diplomacy from the state of transatlantic relations, to the concept of alliances in the modern era, to the establishment of cybersecurity norms. According to Dr. Ischinger, “No one should believe that we can continue to outsource major elements of our European security to our big partner on the other side of the Atlantic.”

Elisabeth Braw—senior consultant at the London headquarters of Control Risks and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—joins the EWI Podcast to discuss the current state of defense in Europe, European defense integration and new threats to European security.

Guest: Nicholas Eberstadt Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), joins the EWI Podcast to discuss current U.S.-North Korea relations and negotiations, and security concerns on the Korean peninsula.

Guest: Roberta Stempfley The EastWest Institute's cyberspace program chief Bruce McConnell speaks with Roberta Stempfley, Director of CERT Division at Carnegie Mellon University, on how to develop cyber secure software as many aspects in everyday life increasingly depend on IT products and services. The two also delved into the concept of "cybersecurity poverty line." Stempfley previously served as acting assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary, Office of Cyber Security and Communications, at the Department of Homeland Security. She also worked in the Department of Defense as CIO of the Defense Information Systems Agency and as chief of the DoD Computer Emergency Response Team, which she established.

Guest: Davis Hake Davis Hake looks at how the public and private sectors have worked to address the issue of cybersecurity as a risk management practice rather than simply a technical problem. "We've certainly come a long way ... but ultimately I think a lot of things are still just whacking moles," says Hake in a conversation with EWI's cyberspace program chief Bruce McConnell. Hake is co-director of the cybersecurity expert group at the Truman National Security Project. He was director of cybersecurity strategy at Palo Alto Networks. Hake also previously designed, built, and launched strategic initiatives across the National Security Council at the White House under the Obama administration.

Guest: Khoo Boon Hui Khoo Boon Hui, a Commissioner with the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC), sits down EWI cyber program chief Bruce McConnell to discuss the commission's work in promoting shared norms of behavior in cyberspace among countries around the world. Khoo, a former Commissioner of the Singapore Police Force and served as President of INTERPOL, also shared a recently-passed cyber legislation in SIngapore considering the country's status as a major financial and transportation hub.

Guest: Udo Helmbrecht EastWest Institute Global Vice President Bruce McConnell speaks with Udo Helmbrecht, executive director of ENISA, on a proposed mandate for the EU cyber agency to create a harmonized cybersecurity certification scheme in Europe. Helmbrecht has been in the position since 2009. Prior to his appointment, he served as the President of the German Federal Office for Information Security.

Guest: Ian Bremmer Noted political scientist Ian Bremmer shares his thoughts in a lively discussion with Ambassador Cameron Munter on globalism and its interconnection with current geopolitical trends around the world — including populism, migration, automation and elections. The discussion delves into Bremmer's latest book "Us Versus Them: The Failure of Globalism.” Bremmer is the president and founder of Eurasia Group — one of the world’s leading political risk consultancies.

Guest: Dr. Irene Finel-Honigman Euroscepticism is on the rise, and strong opposition to EU policies in the United Kingdom, France, Greece, and Italy have put the future of the organization in doubt. Meanwhile, the United States has not appointed an ambassador to the European Union, and both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk have expressed grave concern over ongoing EU-U.S. relations. Dr. Irene Finel-Honigman, an expert on international finance and economic policy, joins Cameron Munter for a timely discussion on past and present fissures in the European Union and the path forward. Dr. Finel-Honigman is a Professor of International Finance and Economic Policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, frequently providing commentary on Bloomberg News, the Huffington Post and NPR discussing Brexit and U.S.-EU Relations. She also served as the Senior Advisor on finance policy to the Clinton Administration.

Guest: Steve Coll America's war in Afghanistan has proven to be enduring and even, as many say, unwinnable. Meanwhile, the relationship with Pakistan has also taken a worse turn in the last few years. Competing factions, rivaling neighbors, poor governance and consistent threat of terrorism have continued to mar the region with conflict. Cameron Munter discusses the root of these problems and the policy failures of the United States with Steve Coll, who recently released his latest book titled "Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Coll is the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a staff writer for The New Yorker and a recipient of two Pulitzer Prize Awards.

Guest: Cyrus Vance Jr. Encryption has long been an essential tool for protecting digital data and communications. It supports privacy and other human rights, protects financial assets and proprietary data, enhances national security and thwarts cyber-enabled crime. However, the widespread use of encryption has also reduced law enforcement’s ability to access vital digital evidence and other critical information to fight crime. Following the release of EWI's report "Encryption Policy in Democratic Regimes: Finding Convergent Paths and Balanced Solutions," EWI cyberspace program chief Bruce McConnell sits down with Cyrus Vance Jr.,New York County District Attorney, to discuss the urgent need to find a middle ground in the use of encryption. Since his first term in 2010, Vance has led his office in dealing with growing cyber-related crimes. Vance also co-founded the Global Cyber Alliance a non-profit, cross-sector coalition focused on reducing digital vulnerability through the exchange of threat data and the development of open-source risk management solutions. His office was one of the contributors in the preparation of EWI's encryption report.