Out of Order

In this “Transatlantic Takeaway” episode, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund dissect sweeping new EU digital laws and their impact on large tech companies, start-ups and users with guests: Constance Chucholowski, founder and managing director at Candid Public Affairs; Travis Todd, co-founder of Silicon Allee; and Julia Trehu, program manager and Fellow with the German Marshall Fund's Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative. This show was produced by Dina Elsayed.

A watershed speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in late February that cast off Germany's long-standing, military-averse policies is lauded by NATO and the United States. But can Germany enhance its armed forces quickly enough to protect Europe against Russia? And what does this sea change mean for a proposed European army? Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores the new German tack and its ramifications with Rachel Tausendfreund, editorial director for the German Marshall Fund and co-host of Transatlantic Takeaway, and Heiner Brauß, Senior Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in its security and defense program. He was a lieutenant general in the Bundeswehr and is a former assistant secretary general for NATO defense policy and force planning. We also hear from Col. André Wüstner, chairman of the German Armed Forces Association. This show was produced by Dina Elsayed and Abigail Megginson.

In this “Transatlantic Takeaway” episode, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund delve into scenarios to end Russian President Vladmir Putin's war on Ukraine and how the conflict is changing the global order. Their guests are: - Michal Baranowski, senior fellow and director of the GMF office in Warsaw. - Gesine Dornblueth, co-author of “Ruhmlose Helden,” a book on a plane crash that changed German-Russian relations. She is a former Moscow correspondent for Deutschlandradio. - Liana Fix, program director for international affairs at the Körber Foundation in Berlin. - Joerg Forbrig, senior fellow and director for Central Eastern Europe at the GMF office in Berlin. This show was produced by Dina Elsayed.

Although a record turnout is expected on Nov. 8th, opinion surveys show many Americans no longer trust U.S. elections nor their government. Many Republican voters still embrace the “Big Lie” that President Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him. So what does the growing mistrust, President Joe Biden's low ratings and the worst inflation in four decades mean for the midterm elections and American democracy in general? In this episode of Transatlantic Takeaway by Common Ground Berlin and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explores the controversial elections with: Sudha David-Wilp, GMF's Senior Transatlantic Fellow and deputy director of the Berlin office. Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a former advisor to the State Department during the Obama administration. Anna Sauerbrey, foreign editor of the weekly Die Zeit and a contributor to the New York Times op-ed section. Produced by Dina Elsayed.

In this first anniversary episode of Transatlantic Takeaway, a Common Ground Berlin and German Marshall Fund of the United States collaboration, hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund talk about the sweeping 10-month-long war Russia is waging in Ukraine and its impact on Europe and the United States with Guido Goldman Distinguished Scholar for Geostrategy at GMF, Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff and Michal Baranowski, Managing Director, GMF East. Is there an end in sight for the war that has killed an estimated 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers, a similar number of Russian soldiers and 40,000 Ukrainian civilians? Produced by Sylvia Cunningham

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet recently unveiled their country's long-awaited national security strategy, the first since World War II. Co-hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund explore whether this strategy is groundbreaking as its proponents claim and the impact on Germany's allies and enemies. This week's guests are Michal Baranowski, senior fellow and managing director of the German Marshall Fund East, based in Warsaw, and Gesine Weber, a fellow with the German Marshall Fund's geostrategy team in Paris. Produced by Dina Elsayed.

In this first Transatlantic Takeaway of the year with co-hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund, German Marshall Fund senior fellow Daniel Hegedus and GMF Paris office director Martin Quencez delve into what we can expect in 2023, including from EU relations with the U.S. and with Russia; from the war in Ukraine, and from the world's likely next nuclear power, Iran.

In this episode of “Transatlantic Takeaway,” hosts Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and Rachel Tausendfreund delve into how Germany is fodder for the GOP's campaign strategy for the 2024 elections with guests Majda Ruge, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Sudha David-Wilp, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and director of its Berlin office. Dina Elsayed produced this episode.

Rachel Tausendfreund talks to Taiwan's digital minister, Audrey Tang, about the perils and prospects of tech for democracy. Audrey discusses strategies to combat the infodemic (including “humor over rumor” and public notice) and explains the advantages of Taiwan's public social media platform PTT, which gave the government early warning for the coronavirus. Audrey outlines the art of troll control how purpose-seeking (as opposed to profit-seeking) social media can work. And because this is part of the Marshall75 collection Rachel and Audrey talk about what investments need to be made to ensure a healthier future of an open, democratic Internet, and which partners need to be on board.

Russia appears ready to invade Ukraine, with the recent deployment of roughly 100,000 Russian troops along their mutual border. In this episode of Transatlantic Takeaway — a monthly collaboration between Common Ground and the German Marshall Fund of the United States — Host Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and her guests discuss the ongoing crisis and its impact on the EU, the United States and Moscow. Our experts: Rachel Tausendfreund, GMF editorial director in Berlin and host of “Out of Order” podcast; Liana Fix, GMF Resident Fellow and program director for International Affairs at the Körber-Stiftung; Michael Kimmage, GMF Non-Resident Fellow and Catholic University history professor who was part of the U.S. Secretary of State's planning staff from 2014-2016 advising on Russia and Ukraine.

"Watching China in Europe" is a recurring series from the Out of Order team. Hosted by Noah Barkin, a senior visiting fellow at GMF and managing editor at Rhodium Group, WCIE digs into the Europe-China relationship with the people shaping it. In this episode, Noah speaks with Sabine Weyand, Director-General for Trade at the European Commission. Ms. Weyand explains what the EU is doing to respond to China's economic retaliation against Lithuania, discusses prospects for reviving the EU-China investment agreement, as well as the outlook for the EU-US Trade and Technology Council and WTO reform. For more on China in Europe, subscribe to Noah's monthly newsletter at the link below.

Links:The EU Policy Lab: https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eupolicylab/The Social Economy Canvas: https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eupolicylab/portfolios/social-economy-canvas/We Did Start the Fire—Now System Change Is Inevitable and Irreversible: https://www.gmfus.org/news/we-did-start-fire-now-system-change-inevitable-and-irreversible

Climate change. Health care. Education. Debt. These are just a few of the issues being debated today in the halls of power. The results of these debates will have profound consequences for all of us, but perhaps no group will be more affected than the young. With such a clear stake in the outcome, it might be surprising to learn that as a group, young people are less likely to vote and serve in public offices than older generations. In this podcast, Dr. Christine Huebner of Nottingham Trent University and Scott Warren, co-founder of the preeminent civics education organization Generation Citizen, met with Lauren Burke of GMF Cities to discuss why young people are less engaged in traditional politics, how they are engaging, and the perennial question of whether it is better to effect change from within or force it from the outside. This discussion was inspired by the work of the Cities Fortifying Democracy project. GMF Cities, with the support of Germany's Federal Foreign Office, is leading a two-year, transatlantic multi-city cohort to explore and advance city practices in strengthening democracy. The project, called Cities Fortifying Democracy, will examine city innovations in governing, voting & elections, public safety & justice, and local journalism.

Click HERE to subscribe to Noah's "Watching China in Europe" newsletter and read the October edition HERE. 

Click HERE to subscribe to Noah's "Watching China in Europe" newsletter and read the October edition HERE. 

After 16 years in power, the Christian Democrats without Angela Merkel have reaped historically bad results in Sunday's election. All the votes have been tallied and the Social Democrats have come out on top, but with only 25.7% of the vote they will need to get both the Greens and the Liberals on board for a coalition. But other coalition options are also in play, including the “Jamaica” coalition that would return the Christian Democrats to the Chancellery. Rachel Tausendfreund, GMF's editorial director based in Berlin talks Germany's election results, future coalition possibilities, and the implications for the “traffic light” or the “Jamaica” coalition for European and transatlantic priorities with Markus Ziener, GMF's Helmut Schmidt Fellow, and Peter Sparding, GMF fellow and resident Germany expert.

Related Articles:https://www.gmfus.org/news/implications-withdrawal-afghanistan-views-washington-dc-and-ankara?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Twitter

To learn more about GMF's Japan Trilateral Forum, visit: https://www.gmfus.org/japan-trilateral-forum"

For more Common Ground episodes visit: www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/common-ground 

The line separating local from global issues is blurring. Inequality, climate change, the integration of migrants and refugees, and the growing influence of China are just some of the critical transnational issues affecting cities today. None of it can be properly addressed or resolved without the world's metropolises and their leaders. On this episode of Out of Order, we're talking about the burgeoning role of cities in international affairs -- how cities conduct diplomacy and how they work with one another to solve global problems. In recent years we've seen the creation of many offices dedicated to international affairs in cities, professionalizing international engagement and building a key vertical connection that gives the local level a voice in a multi-layered global environment. Our guests this week are two people who know this field well: Dr. Gabriele Goldfuss, Director of the Office for International Affairs for the city of Leipzig in Germany; and Ambassador Henri-Paul Normandin, former Director of International Relations for the city of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Both Gabriele and Henri-Paul are also members of a new network of City Directors of International Affairs, recently launched by GMF Cities. This week's episode is hosted by GMF's Paul Costello.

Click HERE to subscribe to Noah's "Watching China in Europe" newsletter and read the April edition HERE. Official Statements: Statement by Christoph Heusgen in the High-level virtual event on the situation of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, May 12Final Remarks by Ambassador Christoph Heusgen in the Security Council on Germany's 2019/2020 termsArticles:U.S., UK Germany Clash with China at U.N. over Xinjiang (Reuters; May 12, 2021) China Outlines Its Priorities as UN Security Council President (The Diplomat; May 5, 2021)'Good Riddance,' China Says as Germany Leaves U.N. Security Council (Reuters; December 22, 2020)

In the third installment of "Watching China in Europe," Noah Barkin speaks with Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament and chairman of a special committee in the Parliament that is looking into foreign interference and disinformation. Mr Glucksmann, one of several lawmakers who was put on a Chinese sanctions list in March, revealed that the European Council is working on a mandate that would give the EU new powers to counter Chinese disinformation. He also talked about the "Faustian pact" between European business and China, and the "dangerous mood" in European capitals that has led some leaders to remain silent on China's sanctions. New episodes of the "Watching China in Europe" series will be posted to the Out of Order feed every few weeks. For more on China in Europe, subscribe to Noah's monthly newsletter at the link below. The new May edition is online today.

Click HERE to subscribe to Noah's "Watching China in Europe" newsletter and read the April edition HERE.  

Lawmakers Call for Green 'Due Diligence' in Supply Chains (Euractiv) MEPs: Hold Companies Accountable for Harm Caused to People and Planet (European Parliament) #WeSeeYou: COVID-19 and the Fashion Retail Industry  (Blog post by Laura Basagni, Trade Experettes) Video: Rana Plaza Collapse: The Deadly Cost of Fashion (The New York Times)

Related Reading: Netherlands Election: Mark Rutte and Europe's New Awkward Squad (Financial Times)"Frugal Four" Propose "Loans for Loans" Approach to Coronavirus Recovery Fund (Politico EU, May 2020)Netherlands Election: Mark Rutte Set to Win Big-- But What Next? (The Guardian, March 2021)Nederlanders zijn niet de nieuwe Britten (Caroline de Gruyter, NRC Handelsblad, March 2021)  Episode Music - Blue Dream - CheelDemocracy to Despotism - Zachary Tarrant

Subscribe to Noah's monthly "Watching China in Europe Newsletter" HERE

Paper: "Flexible Security Arrangements and the Future of NATO Partnerships" (Steven Keil and Sophie Arts, GMFUS.org) Op-Ed: "New Possibilities Open for the U.S.-Poland Relationship" (Michal Baranowski, RealClearWorld)Policy Brief Series: "Agenda 2021: A Blueprint for U.S.-Europe-India Cooperation" (Garima Mohan, GMFUS.org)   

Links: How Biden Can Achieve Russian Restoration (Michael Kimmage, The New Republic) 

New York Times: “Top EU Officials Comes Under Fires in Vaccine Wars”The Guardian: EU Leaders Began to Feel Heat Over Slow Covid Vaccine RolloutPeterson Institute: The Pandemic is Not Under Control Anywhere Unless it is Controlled Everywhere

Out of Order is turning to the not-so-distant past to take stock of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which recently ended. After six months helming the EU’s policy agenda… what were the expectations and how did Germany fare? And now that Portugal has picked up the baton, what should the priorities for 2021 be? GMF’s Sudha David-Wilp leads two conversations with top German officials on their country's EU presidency and what comes next. First up: Germany’s Chief Economist and Director General for Economic and Fiscal Policy Strategy Jakob von Weizsäcker. Followed by two key legislators: Sergey Lagodinsky, Member of the European Parliament for Alliance 90/The Greens; and Jürgen Hardt, Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group. To kick off the episode, GMF’s Sydney Simon talks to the Open Society Foundation’s Berlin-based policy analyst, Gotz Frommholz, about the position of the Council presidency itself and how it all went. Thanks to our friends at OSF's Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI) who partnered with GMF on this episode.

 Report: “A Future Internet for Democracies: Contesting China’s Push for Dominance in 5G, 6G, and the Internet of Everything” (Lindsay Gorman, Alliance for Securing Democracy)Article: "Democratic Source Code for a New EU-U.S. Tech Alliance" (Marietje Schaake and Tyson Barker, Lawfare)

Credit Music by Patrick PatrikiosTitle Music by Zachary Tarrant

Op-Ed: "I Helped Negotiate the Iran Deal. Here's How Joe Biden Could Revive It." (Catherine Ashton, TIME) Report: "Together or Alone: Choices and Strategies for Transatlantic Relations for 2021 and Beyond." (The German Marshall Fund and the Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung)

Songs in Episode:Staycation - Corbyn Kites Out of Order Theme - Zachary Tarrant

Episode Music: Easy Stroll -  Track Tribe 

Related Reading:  "Iran and Russia Seeks to Influence Election in Final Days, U.S. Officials Warn" (The New York Times, October 21, 2020)"Cyberattacks, Foreign Interference, and Digital Infrastructure: Conducting Secure Elections Amid Pandemic" (The Alliance for Securing Democracy and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems)"Voting by Mail is Still Secure. Here's Why." (David Levine and Amber McReynolds;The Fulcrum, October 5, 2020)"Voter Registration Deadlines—It's Complicated." (Tammy Patrick; The Fulcrum, October 18, 2020) 

The media plays an essential role in every democracy; but in an election season marked with uncertainty on many different levels, the responsibility of the press corps to preserve the truth while getting the story right is even greater. Now armed with the lessons of 2016—and with disinformation and misinformation still rampant – how is one of America’s most prominent broadcast networks taking on the challenge of covering the 2020 election?CBS News’ Political Director Caitlin Conant and Deputy Director of Surveys Jennifer De Pinto join the Alliance for Securing Democracy’s Rachael Dean Wilson for a conversation about how CBS News and its peers are navigating an increasingly complex information environment, what it’s learned since 2016 and how it’s preparing to cover any potential Election Day curveballs, and the role of the media in preserving the integrity of the vote in this very unusual year.

This week, we’re handing the mic over to Josh Rudolph, the Malign Finance fellow at GMF’s Alliance for Securing Democracy and the author of the new report, Covert Foreign Money.Josh is joined by Luke Harding, best-selling author and senior international correspondent at The Guardian. Harding, who served as The Guardian’s Moscow bureau chief from 2007-2011, recently published the new book “Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem, and Russia’s Remaking of the West.” From Novichok poisonings to millions in covert money, Josh and Luke discuss how the Kremlin tries to spread its influence around the world. The fake news and Facebook trolls are just part of this story.   Links:Book: Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem, and Russia's Remaking of the WestReport: Covert Foreign Money: Financial Loopholes Exploited by Authoritarians to Fund Political Interference in DemocraciesArticle: Alexei Navalny and the long history of poisoned Kremlin criticsOp-Ed: The Rise of Foreign Funds That Distort Western Politics

For almost the entirety of its nearly three decades of independence, the former Soviet country of Belarus has been led under an iron fist by autocrat Alexander Lukashenko. When Belarusians went to the polls last month to vote for their next president, few could have imagined the push for political change —and the movement of mass protests that would soon catapult the country into international headlines.As protests continue amidst a violent crackdown by the government, GMF’s Jonathan Katz is joined by Artyom Shraibman, a Belarusian political analyst based in Minsk to discuss what’s really going on in Belarus, what Vladimir Putin’s role is in all of this, and why this tiny country in Europe's east has so much geopolitical importance.This episode is the first of Out of Order’s new format. In which it will feature a rotating cast of GMF experts speaking with renowned voices in their respective fields. This discussion was taped on Friday, September 11.Show Notes: https://www.gmfus.org/blog/2020/09/14/what-kremlin-belarushttps://carnegie.ru/commentary/82715https://carnegie.ru/commentary/82473https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/12/world/europe/belarus-russia-protests-endgame.html

The experience of military veterans returning home may often be thought of as a local or national issue - but it’s universal. From studying Denmark’s veteran's transition resources and applying best practices back in the U.S., to the unlikely path that led him to help establish the first Ministry of Veteran’s Affairs in Ukraine, no one appreciates the global aspect of veteran’s affairs more than John Boerstler, CEO of the Houston-based Combined Arms and an alum of GMF’s Marshall Memorial Fellowship. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps himself, John tells the story of his journey from Iraq to Houston to Denmark to Ukraine (and various place in between) and what he learned about the veteran transition experience -- and how to improve it-- along the way. Note: This episode was taped earlier this year. 

The experience of military veterans returning home may often be thought of as a local or national issue - but it is universal.From studying Denmark’s veteran's transition resources and applying best practices back in the U.S., to the unlikely path that led him to help establish the first Ministry of Veteran’s Affairs in Ukraine, no one appreciates the global aspect of veteran’s affairs more than John Boerstler, CEO of the Houston-based Combined Arms and an alum of GMF’s Marshall Memorial Fellowship.A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps himself, John tells the story of his journey from Iraq to Houston to Denmark to Ukraine (and various place in between) and what he learned about the veteran transition experience -- and how to improve it-- along the way.Note: This episode was taped earlier this year. 

From Brexit to “America First,” Modi in India, Erdoğan in Turkey, and Bolsonaro in Brazil, nationalism – or allegiance to a nation-state over other group affiliations – has been on the rise. Now, borders around the world are closed and the coronavirus pandemic has sparked debate about the future of governance. While the nation-state has been praised for securing the needs of its citizens and serving as the most efficient form of political organization, nationalism has a dark side of insular politics and xenophobia. Does this moment--and all of its challenges--require international leadership, or should nationalism prevail?  Expert debaters take on this timely topic, facing off over the motion: Nationalism is a Force for Good. FOR THE MOTION Colin Dueck Policy Professor & Author, "Age of Iron: On Conservative Nationalism” Prerna Singh Political Scientist & Author, “How Solidarity Works for Welfare”   AGAINST THE MOTION Andrew Keen Internet Entrepreneur & Author, "Tomorrows Versus Yesterdays" Elif Shafak Activist & Author, “The Bastard of Istanbul”   THE HOST John Donvan Host and Moderator Editor’s Note: GMF’s “Post-Pandemic Order” series is on hiatus. In the meantime, watch our feed for more original podcast content.   This IQ2 debate was produced in partnership with GMF's Brussels Forum and was originally streamed live in June 2020.

FOR THE MOTIONColin DueckPolicy Professor & Author, "Age of Iron: On Conservative Nationalism”Prerna SinghPolitical Scientist & Author, “How Solidarity Works for Welfare”AGAINST THE MOTIONAndrew KeenInternet Entrepreneur & Author, "Tomorrows Versus Yesterdays"Elif ShafakActivist & Author, “The Bastard of Istanbul”THE HOSTJohn DonvanHost and ModeratorEditor’s Note: GMF’s “Post-Pandemic Order” series is on hiatus. In the meantime, watch our feed for more original podcast content. This IQ2 debate was produced in partnership with GMF's Brussels Forum and was originally streamed live in June 2020.

In many ways, Taiwan has a front row seat, with the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing’s new national security law, and geopolitical uncertainty further impacting Taiwan’s already tenuous position. On this episode, GMF’s Julie Smith and Deutsche Welle’s East Asia Correspondent, William Yang, dive into the most relevant questions for the island today. What is the outlook for Taiwan’s future given Beijing’s the implementation of the new national security law in Hong Kong? What lessons did Taiwan learn from battling the coronavirus? Does the Taiwanese public have confidence in the United States’ ability to play a positive leadership role in the region? How have CCP actions in Xinjiang impacted opinions in Taiwan about the Chinese government and its the use of digital surveillance tools? This episode was taped on July 17 as a live virtual event.

In many ways, Taiwan has a front row seat, with the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing’s new national security law, and geopolitical uncertainty further impacting Taiwan’s already tenuous position. On this episode, GMF’s Julie Smith and Deutsche Welle’s East Asia Correspondent, William Yang, dive into the most relevant questions for the island today. What is the outlook for Taiwan’s future given Beijing’s the implementation of the new national security law in Hong Kong? What lessons did Taiwan learn from battling the coronavirus? Does the Taiwanese public have confidence in the United States’ ability to play a positive leadership role in the region? How have CCP actions in Xinjiang impacted opinions in Taiwan about the Chinese government and its the use of digital surveillance tools? This episode was taped on July 17 as a live virtual event.

When the pandemic spread to Europe, NATO was met with a unique challenge: it needed to assist with crisis response while also keeping its ever-important deterrence mission intact on its Eastern Flank.  On this week’s episode of “Post-Pandemic Order,” Derek Chollet talks with a key leader in this effort, Estonian Minister of Defense Jüri Luik, about how NATO’s mission evolved (and what stayed the same) throughout the pandemic—and what he learned about the military’s role during this unforeseen public health crisis. Minister Luik also discusses the resurgence of great power competition and how to balance the new challenges posed by China and with the continuing ones posed by Estonia’s neighbor, Russia. The conversation also covers the state of European defense spending – a much contested topic in the transatlantic relationship-- and why military spending should not become another victim of the pandemic, despite a bleak economic forecast.

When the pandemic spread to Europe, NATO was met with a unique challenge: it needed to assist with crisis response while also keeping its ever-important deterrence mission intact on its Eastern Flank. On this week’s episode of “Post-Pandemic Order,” Derek Chollet talks with a key leader in this effort, Estonian Minister of Defense Jüri Luik, about how NATO’s mission evolved (and what stayed the same) throughout the pandemic—and what he learned about the military’s role during this unforeseen public health crisis. Minister Luik also discusses the resurgence of great power competition and how to balance the new challenges posed by China and with the continuing ones posed by Estonia’s neighbor, Russia. The conversation also covers the state of European defense spending – a much contested topic in the transatlantic relationship-- and why military spending should not become another victim of the pandemic, despite a bleak economic forecast.

In this episode of Post-Pandemic Order, guest host Sudha David-Wilp sits down with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood of Illinois's 14th congressional district to discuss the long history of systemic racism in the United States, public health during the coronavirus pandemic, and generational perspectives on governing and leadership. Congresswoman Underwood is the youngest African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Before joining Congress, Underwood had extensive public health experience as a registered nurse and as a member of the Obama administration in the Department of Health and Human Services.

In this episode of Post-Pandemic Order, guest host Sudha David-Wilp sits down with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood of Illinois's 14th congressional district to discuss the long history of systemic racism in the United States, public health during the coronavirus pandemic, and generational perspectives on governing and leadership. Congresswoman Underwood is the youngest African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Before joining Congress, Underwood had extensive public health experience as a registered nurse and as a member of the Obama administration in the Department of Health and Human Services.

The perils of disinformation are no new phenomenon, but the last few months have shown just how much damage it can do—and all the different ways it can be used. On this week’s episode, Jared Cohen, founder and CEO of Jigsaw—the independent unit at Google focused on building technology to address global security challenges—joins Derek Chollet to discuss the brave new world of the internet in the post-pandemic order. While disinformation once needed to be manufactured, conspiracy theories now grow organically and can then be exploited by both state and non-state actors in far-reaching ways. Who should be charged with stemming this tide, and who actually has the tools to be successful? According to Cohen, who also has a deep foreign policy background, the international order has two fronts: physical and digital. He explains his surprise (and what early adherents of social media platforms got wrong) with China’s ability to seamlessly adapt to the digital world—and what the coronavirus has exposed about the seeming advantages closed societies have in navigating technology while open societies have struggled.   The conversation also turns to American history and Cohen’s book, “Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America,” and why the upcoming presidential election in the United States could very likely be a perfect storm—a combination of 1876, 2000, and 2020 all in one.

No country took as severe lockdown measures as India at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. According to this week’s guest, the next two weeks will tell the world whether the country of 1.4 billion got it right. This week on Post-Pandemic Order, former U.S. Ambassador to India, Rich Verma (2014-2017), joins Julie Smith to discuss India’s place in the post-pandemic world order. As Ambassador Verma puts it: no country has animated the U.S.-India relationship more than China, and that dynamic is certain to play out in the coming years. As the rift between U.S. and China widens, Verma describes how India is moving strategically to attract business and take a more active role on the world stage. This episode, which also covers the persistent tensions at the India-China border, was taped a week prior to the recent deadly clash in the Galwan River Valley.