FOPO: Foreign Policy Explained

5/11/22. In today's episode, Abby answers a listener question: Is Ukraine winning the war against Russia? She talks about two recent developments - the sinking of the Moskva and Putin's victory day speech, which might suggest Ukraine is doing well - and then goes into detail about the status of the military operations. She also talks about Ukraine's political victories and their implications for the future of the war. Listen to learn more!

In this episode, Abby answers a listener question: What side is India on with respect to the war in Ukraine, and why isn't India condemning the Russian invasion like many other countries? Abby first outlines what stance India has taken and then walks through the strategic and economic interests driving that stance. Listen to learn more!

In this episode, Abby answers a listener question: how will the French Presidential election, a contest between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen that will happen on Sunday, April 24, impact French foreign policy and international politics more broadly? Abby provides background on how Presidential elections work in France and then explains how this election will impact French foreign policy and international politics in Europe. Listen to learn more!

In this episode, Abby answers two listener questions: Has Putin's endgame in Ukraine changed? And who are the separatists in the Donbas? In the episode, Abby explains why these questions are related, outlines the background of the separatist conflict in the Donbas of Ukraine, and discusses why she doesn't think Putin's overall goals have shifted. Listen to learn more!

In this episode, Abby answers the following question: if Trump had won a second term, would Putin still have invaded this year? Abby offers three potential answers to the question.

In today's episode, Abby answers a listener question: is the UN irrelevant - and in particular, is it irrelevant for addressing international security crises?

In this episode, Abby answers two listener questions: Why did Biden's remarks in Poland about Putin needing to leave power cause such a commotion? And why won't the US just go into Russia to remove Putin? Listen to find out.

In today's episode, Abby answers a listener question: why is Russia's seemingly powerful, modern military, which Putin has spent billions to modernize, so drastically underperforming expectations? To answer this question, Abby starts out by recapping the evidence that Russia's military has not lived up to the expectations of Western military analysts or of Russia itself. Next, Abby explains that Russia underestimated Ukrainian willingness to resist- leading Russia to plan for a very short and decisive military operation. Thus, the Russian military is under-performing because the forces do not have the supplies or manpower that they need to successfully fight the conflict they are currently confronting. Abby also explains that Western analysts over-estimated Russian military effectiveness because Russia has not fought a war like this in recent history. Abby concludes by explaining what this tells us about war more broadly.

3/22/22: Russia invaded Ukraine about a month ago. Is it winning the war? Listen to find out.

Find out what this podcast is all about, who Abby is - and why she's qualified to talk about foreign policy, and what FOPO means!

3/21/22: In today's episode, Abby answers a listener question: why are Ukraine and Russia even negotiating with each other, given their aims seem diametrically opposed? Listen to find out. 

3/17/22: In this episode, Abby responds to a listener question: Why does Israel think it should (and can) play a mediating role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine? Listen to find out.

3/16/22: In this episode, Abby answers a listener question: what does China think about the war in Ukraine? How will the crisis impact China's approach to Taiwan? Listen to find out. 

3/14/22: In this episode, Abby answers a listener question: what do the Russian people think about what's going on in Ukraine? Listen to find out.

3/11/22: In this episode, Abby answers a listener question: What is the goal of sanctions and other economic measures on Russia? Listen to find out.

3/10/22: This episode answers a listener question: what is a javelin missile and why do I keep hearing about them?

3/9/22: Abby answers the following question: what is Putin's end goal in all of this?

Who is Abby? Why is she qualified to answer questions about international politics? Listen to find out.

3/8/22: This podcast answers a listener question: "Why isn't Ukraine bombing the miles long Russian convoy that is stalled?"