Talking Policy

The world needs energy—and lots of it—to raise living standards and unlock economic growth. Clean technologies, which can provide power with minimal contribution to climate change, are taking hold around the world, and the United States, China, and the European Union are vying for global leadership in deploying them at scale. But economic and political changes have introduced uncertainty about the future of clean energy. In the second episode of Talking Policy's Technology and Global Security in the 21st Century miniseries, guest host Nicolas Wittstock speaks with David Hart, a senior fellow in climate and energy at the Council of Foreign Relations, about why clean energy technologies are important not only to combat climate change, but to ensure future economic growth and energy security.This episode was recorded on March 24, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Tensions between the United States and China are intensifying, with a trade war being the latest sign of friction following President Trump's imposition of tariffs, which were themselves followed by Chinese retaliatory levies and export restrictions. But Trump's tariffs have hit America's partners as well as its adversaries, and they come alongside an historic retreat from global leadership, as the new administration withdraws from treaties, distances itself from alliances, and backs away from longtime commitments to leadership in development and humanitarian assistance.In this episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Rachel Hulvey, a postdoctoral fellow at the Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program and the Harvard Belfer International Security Program, who studies China's rise and influence on the international order. Together, they discuss how China is taking advantage of the Trump administration's withdrawal from the global stage to position itself as a responsible global leader.This interview was conducted on April 16, 2025 and has been edited for length and clarity.

American technological advances have fueled economic growth and created life-saving technologies—and the U.S. government has been a key catalyst of these giant success stories. But its role is under-appreciated and changing, with potential implications for the future of American leadership in science, technology, and innovation.In the first episode of Talking Policy's new miniseries on Technology and Global Security in the 21st Century, guest host Nicolas Wittstock, a postdoctoral fellow at IGCC, speaks with William Bonvillian, a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about the U.S. government's role in driving domestic innovation, and the challenges and potentials for American science and technology leadership in in the future.This episode was recorded on March 21, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Wars are horrible and costly. They devastate economies and communities, upending lives and leaving trauma and destruction in their wake. So why do we fight them?On this episode of Talking Policy, UC San Diego distinguished professor and IGCC senior fellow David Lake shares a new theory about war that views them as less about “winning” and more as evidence of failure—an event in which everyone loses relative to agreements and compromises that might have been reached without fighting. In an era of growing global uncertainty; protracted wars in Europe, Africa, and beyond; and the threat of new wars, this new way of thinking may provide fresh clues about how to prevent conflicts from starting in the first place.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine in what would become the largest attack on a European country since World War II. Last year, IGCC assembled a roundtable of experts led by guest host Jesse Driscoll, an associate professor of political science at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, for a conversation to mark the second anniversary of the invasion.One year on, we've reunited Jesse with two of the same experts to reflect on another year of war. Paul D'Anieri is a professor of political science and public policy at UC Riverside, and author of Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War. Jess Peake is the director of the International Comparative Law Program at the UCLA School of Law and a recent Pulitzer Prize nominee for her article “War Crimes by Any Name” for Los Angeles Lawyer.This interview was conducted on February 3, 2025. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

The inauguration of Donald Trump caps off an extraordinary political comeback. Trump's brand of anti-establishment populism, once thought an anomaly, is now at the apex of U.S.—and indeed global—politics. As the “Make America Great Again” movement seeks to rewrite the political rulebook, Talking Policy host Lindsay Shingler speaks with five University of California experts to unpack what this political revolution means for the world. Tai Ming Cheung, IGCC director and UC San Diego professor, examines the implications of a hawkish approach to China for Washington's relationship with Beijing. Caroline Freund, dean of the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, looks ahead to what a nationalist trade policy could mean for the U.S. and global economy. IGCC postdoctoral fellow on technology and international security Nicolas Wittstock analyzes what an “energy dominance” agenda could imply for U.S. clean technology development and broader climate objectives. Rupal Mehta, chair of research and postdoctoral fellows program and senior fellow at the Center of Global Security Research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, discusses what “America First” could mean for the global security architecture and managing threats from U.S. adversaries. Finally, IGCC research director for democracy and global governance and UC San Diego distinguished research professor Stephan Haggard unpacks how Trump will manage U.S. leadership of the liberal international order amid heightened competition between democracies and autocracies.These interviews were recorded over the course of January 7th to January 17th. The views expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of their institutions or funders.

Over a span of thirty years, climate and the environment went from a nuisance to become a top-tier priority for U.S. military leaders. Sherri Goodman, a senior fellow at the Wilson Center, details the keys to this military environmental awakening in her new book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership and the Fight for Global Security. In this episode, Sherri sits down with Talking Policy host Lindsay Shingler to discuss the core themes from her book, and what she has learned over her long career as an environmental advocate and change agent within the highest ranks of American military leadership.This interview was conducted on November 4, 2024. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

With several major wars threatening to spill over into wider regional conflicts, and a U.S. presidential election looming, the question of what power an American president has to wage war has become more pressing. In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler sits down with Patrick Hulme, an IGCC affiliate and Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at Stanford University, to take a deeper look at U.S. presidential war powers. Patrick explains how presidential war powers have evolved and what U.S. allies think, and weighs in on what a Harris or Trump presidency may imply for future U.S. involvement in foreign wars.This interview was conducted on August 28, 2024. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

A new, dangerous nuclear era is upon us. China is rapidly expanding its arsenal; Russia is threatening to use its nukes in Ukraine; and North Korea is undertaking provocative tests of its delivery systems. Is a nuclear arms race at hand?In this special episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by three experts who have devoted much of their careers to nuclear weapons security. Alex Bell is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability at the U.S. State Department; Gov. Jerry Brown is the executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; and John Scott is a nuclear scientist who serves as Division Leader of X-Theoretical Design at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Together, they answer the question of how the world can step back from the nuclear brink.

Widespread disinformation, the outsized influence of wealth, anti-immigrant biases stoked by those vying for power, and the allure of so-called “strong” leaders have coalesced in an era of U.S. politics where the core of our democracy feels under threat. Does history agree that democracy is at risk now more than ever? And if so, how can we move forward with hope in our institutions and a belief that the democratic ideals upon which our nation was founded are worth saving? In the fifth and final episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by the two leaders of IGCC's Future of Democracy initiative, Emilie Hafner-Burton and Christina Schneider, who reflect on the state of American democracy and why it is worth protecting and strengthening. Emilie Hafner-Burton is a professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and author of Making Human Rights a Reality. Christina Schneider is a professor of political science at UC San Diego, an expert in research on the domestic politics of international cooperation, and the author of two books, including The Responsive Union: National Elections and European Governance.

Why are voters in democracies around the world being wooed by aspiring autocrats? What do these types of leaders promise, and do they actually deliver? In the fourth episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Stephan Haggard to analyze the track record of “strong states” that have elected populist leaders. Stephan is a research professor at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy and serves as research director for democracy and global governance at IGCC.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric has proved to be an effective tool for some political voices to translate cultural and economic anxieties into votes in their bid for power. As a result, partisan division is at an all-time high, and political leaders continue to stoke the flames of prejudice. In the third episode of our podcast miniseries Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Zoltan Hajnal, who explains how and why the discourse around immigration is so effective at overshadowing all other dividing lines in American politics and creating confusion and division throughout the country. Zoltan, a professor of political science at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, is author of White Backlash: Immigration, Race, and American Politics, and co-author of a new book: Race and Inequality in American Politics: An Imperfect Union.

Democracy is supposed to be by and for the people, but limitless, unregulated money flowing into politics weakens the voice of the majority and gives outsized influence to elites who can distort the democratic process in their favor. What is the point of the rule of law, when it's essentially for sale? In the second episode of our democracy miniseries, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by UCLA professor Marty Gilens, author of Democracy in America? What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It. Together, they look at the role of money in U.S. elections—and in American politics as a whole—and explore the corrosive impact it has on representation.

Democracy is built on trust—and accountability. Citizens need information to hold those in power to account. But disinformation is eroding our trust in institutions, in experts, and even in our fellow citizens. In the first episode of Talking Policy's new miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Simone Chambers, a professor of political science at UC Irvine, about what disinformation is, and how it's impacting voter trust—both in elections and in the institution of democracy itself. Chambers is the author of Wrecking the Public Sphere: The New Authoritarians' Digital Attack on Pluralism and Truth (with Jeff Kopstein) and the new book Contemporary Democratic Theory.

U.S. democracy is facing unprecedented challenges. Political polarization is at its highest level in decades. An uncharted new media environment is spreading questionable information and undermining public trust. And profound economic and societal changes are prompting deep dissatisfaction with democratic institutions and procedures. What's going on with democracy—and how can we save it? For forty years, IGCC's network of scholars from across the University of California has leveraged world-class academic expertise toward addressing the most serious matters of global security. As the world experiences reversals in democratic governance and a resurgence of authoritarianism, understanding the causes of U.S. democratic discontent could not be more salient to IGCC's mission of utilizing rigorous research to help build a more peaceful and prosperous world. This has been the year of the election, bringing half the world's population to the polls in contests of varying degrees of legitimacy. As 2024 closes with a general election in the United States, we are releasing a five-episode Talking Policy podcast miniseries featuring in-depth conversations about the most pressing problems faced by U.S. democracy and how they can be addressed. Democracy and Its Discontents will explore the spread of misinformation in political discourse, the influence of money on the U.S. electoral system, how political actors promote division and enmity, and how the rise of populist demagogues is testing democracies across the world. The series will place these challenges in historic context to ask if the risks to U.S. democracy are really so unprecedented and how we can reinvigorate the democratic ideals that the nation was founded upon.

In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Jimmy Goodrich, an IGCC nonresident fellow and leading expert on technology, geopolitics, and national security with a focus on China and East Asia. Jimmy weighs in on the realities and misconceptions surrounding China's heightened political and economic rhetoric, and what this posture may mean for future competition with the United States. This interview was conducted on August 6, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Since ChatGPT was released in 2022, significant uncertainty has accompanied the fast-emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI). Maximizing the benefits and avoiding the pitfalls requires global coordination and regulation—but how should this be managed, who is responsible, and can regulation keep pace with technological change? In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Robert Trager, the co-director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, International Governance Lead at the Centre for the Governance of AI, and Senior Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford about the risks and potential solutions. This interview was conducted on June 4, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

This year, more voters than ever before will take part in national elections. At the same time, democratic norms and policies are under threat globally. Why is this happening, and what should be done about it? In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Dr. Pranab Bardhan, a distinguished professor emeritus of economics at UC Berkeley, about his book, A World of Insecurity: Democratic Disenchantment in Rich and Poor Countries. Bardhan shows that both cultural and economic insecurity are contributing to the trend of democratic backsliding, and offers perspectives on policies that would make citizens of democracies more secure while protecting the processes and norms of democratic governance. This interview was conducted on April 16, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Why do some tragedies transcend personal experience to become notorious political events? And does widespread public attention lead to solutions or merely fuel political polarization? In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Tom Beamish, an associate professor of sociology at UC Davis, about his new book, After Tragedy Strikes. Beamish argues that public tragedies have become today's definitive social and political events—with the power to both unite and divide us. This interview was conducted on March 27, 2024. The audio has been edited for length and clarity.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine in what would become the largest attack on a European country since World War II. In this special episode of Talking Policy, guest host Jesse Driscoll, an associate professor of political science at the UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, sits down with a panel of experts from across the University of California for a conversation to mark the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion: Paul D'Anieri (UC Riverside), Jess Peake (UCLA), and Branislav Slantchev (UC San Diego). Together, they discuss the current status of the war, and what factors may impact a future settlement. Jesse Driscoll is co-author of Ukraine's Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022. Paul D'Anieri is the author of Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War. Jess Peake is a recent Pulitzer Prize nominee for her article “War Crimes by Any Name” for Los Angeles Lawyer. This interview was conducted on January 31, 2024, with additional recording on February 13, 2024. The audio has been edited for length and clarity.

In the final episode of The State of the World, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan sits down with former California Governor Jerry Brown to discuss the challenges we face as a global community and pathways forward. This episode was recorded on January 9, 2024. The State of the World is a special series on IGCC's Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC's 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we've created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

In episode four of The State of the World, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan speaks with political scientists Emile Hafner-Burton and Courtenay Monroe about democracy—what it is, why it's under threat, and what we can do about it. Emilie is IGCC Research Director for the Future of Democracy and a professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Department of Political Science. Courtenay is a professor of political science at UC Merced and chair of IGCC's steering committee. This episode was recorded on January 4, 2024 The State of the World is a special series on IGCC's Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC's 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we've created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

In episode three of The State of the World, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan speaks with Richard Matthew and Fonna Forman about climate change. Richard and Fonna explain the science of where we are and how we got here, and offer ideas about the role individuals have to play in finding solutions. Richard is research director for climate change and international security at IGCC and professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy and Director of Strategic Engagement for the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine. Fonna Forman is a professor of Political Science and founding co-director of the Center on Global Justice at UC San Diego and co-chairs the UC Global Climate Leadership Council.   The State of the World is a special series on IGCC's Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC's 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we've created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.   Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

In episode two of The State of the World, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan speaks with ⁠Neil Narang⁠ and ⁠Brandon Kinne⁠ about the evolving nature of war and peace in an era where great power competition exists alongside terrorism, non-state armed groups, rebel organizations, and transnational violence. Neil is associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Research Director at IGCC. Brandon is an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Davis. The State of the World is a special series on IGCC's Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC's 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠IGCC⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we've created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

China is the United States' most complex relationship. Defined by both cooperation and competition, tensions have risen sharply in recent years. As China's power grows—it seems—so does the potential for conflict. Since 1983, IGCC scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we've created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. In our first episode, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan speaks with Susan Shirk and Tai Ming Cheung to assess the state of U.S.-China relations, as a more assertive China and elections in the United States signal a transforming relationship. Susan is the founding chair of the 21st Century China Center, a research professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, and director emeritus of IGCC. Tai is the current director of IGCC, and a professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

Taiwanese voters go to the polls on January 13 to elect their next president. The election will determine the next phase of Taiwan's foreign policy. Both Beijing and Washington will be watching closely.  In his fourth Dispatch from Taiwan, James Lee, IGCC affiliate and assistant research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taipei, shares insights into the election and results from a recent survey of Taiwanese citizens. This interview was recorded on November 16, 2023, and December 6, 2023.

How do international institutions foster economic cooperation? Explore the intricate world of trade agreements—and whether and how they are enforced—with Lauren Peritz, an esteemed associate professor of political science at UC Davis. Her book Delivering on Promises: The Domestic Politics of Compliance in International Courts unveils the pivotal role of international institutions in fostering economic cooperation. By analyzing global economic courts' decisions, Peritz suggests that compliance hinges on navigating domestic politics, especially when powerful industries influence adherence to international rules. This interview was conducted on November 7, 2023.

The United States has experienced striking changes in leadership in recent years. From Obama to Trump to Biden, Americans have elected presidents with vastly different political commitments and bases of support. Do such leadership changes lead to drastic changes in policy? A new book by Michaela Mattes and Ashley Leeds, Domestic Interests, Democracy, and Foreign Policy Change, suggests that democracies' foreign policies are actually more stable than is generally assumed. This interview was recorded on Sept. 29, 2023.

The world is changing rapidly. A grinding war of attrition is being fought in Europe. Democracy and liberalism are being challenged around the globe. China is rising as an economic and technological superpower and competitor to the United States. Arms control is breaking down. And the climate crisis is threatening to exacerbate conflict, displacement, and inequality. Since 1983, IGCC scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict, foster global cooperation, and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we are creating a Talking Policy miniseries that will give listeners access to expert analysis—without the jargon. Simple, punchy interviews will help unpack these daunting questions and put things happening locally—whether in Los Angeles, Lagos, or Lausanne—into a broader context of what's happening globally. The series will explore threats to democracy, as well as democratic resilience; the global implications of China's rise; nuclear weapons proliferation and how to limit their spread and use; and the security implications of climate change.

Is democracy as a system of government and a social principle under threat? Seventy percent of the global population now lives either in non-democratic countries, or in countries that are experiencing democratic backsliding. In this final episode in Talking Policy's spring 2023 series on the future of democracy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Sara Wallace Goodman about how ordinary people respond when their democracy is under threat. Sara, a professor of political science at UC Irvine and member of IGCC's Future of Democracy Initiative, shares findings from her book Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat. This interview was recorded on May 26, 2023.

For the first time in its nuclear history, the United States faces two major power adversaries armed with nuclear weapons. China is rapidly expanding its nuclear forces, and in Russia, Putin announced in February that the country would be suspending its participation in New START, the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control pact. In the latest on Talking Policy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Brad Roberts, director of the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and former Obama administration deputy assistant secretary of defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy, about what this means for the U.S. and the world. This interview was conducted on May 5, 2023.

In this series, The Short Read, host Lindsay Morgan shares analysis from Political Violence At A Glance, an award-winning online magazine sponsored by the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, which also sponsors the Talking Policy podcast. In this episode, she reads a piece by IGCC affiliate and School of Global Policy's Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies Stephan Haggard, and Rutgers University distinguished professor Robert R. Kaufman titled, "The Anatomy of Democratic Backsliding: Why Is Democracy Consuming Itself?"

India has faced a wide a range of internal security issues since independence, from complex insurgencies to terrorist attacks, communal violence, and electoral violence. In a new Talking Policy episode, Amit Ahuja and Devesh Kapur discuss their groundbreaking new volume, Internal Security in India: Violence, Order, and the State. Amit is an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Devesh is the Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. In the interview, they explain who does what, the successes of the security apparatus, and troubling challenges and what they might mean for the future of India's democracy. This interview was recorded on April 24, 2023.

In this series, The Short Read, host Lindsay Morgan shares analysis from Political Violence At A Glance, an award-winning online magazine sponsored by the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, which also sponsors the Talking Policy podcast. In this episode, she reads a piece by past IGCC dissertation fellow and Brown University postdoctoral fellow Mariana Carvalho titled, "Why Are There So Many Political Assassinations in Brazil?"

The Ukraine war has dragged on for well over 400 days, has cost billions of dollars and many thousands of lives, and continues to threaten global stability. To understand how and why the war began, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan talks with Jesse Driscoll about his new book, Ukraine's Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022 (with Dominique Arel). This interview was recorded on April 7, 2023.

In this new series, The Short Read, host Lindsay Morgan shares analysis from Political Violence At A Glance, an award-winning online magazine sponsored by the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, which also sponsors the Talking Policy podcast. In this episode, she reads a piece by IGCC dissertation fellow and UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate Oren Samet and UC Berkeley Robson Professor of Political Science Susan Hyde titled, "Can Democracy Assistance Be Effective in the Age of Authoritarianism?"

In this new series, The Short Read, host Lindsay Morgan shares analysis from Political Violence At A Glance, an award-winning online magazine sponsored by the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, which also sponsors the Talking Policy podcast. In this episode, she reads a piece by IGCC dissertation fellow and UC Los Angeles Ph.D. candidate Kevin Gatter titled, "That's Not Really A Thing Anymore: Why Calls for Secession Come and Go."

On February 26, for the second time in less than a year, tens of thousands of Mexicans filled Mexico City's main public square to protest the president's attempts to weaken Mexico's independent elections agency. Is Mexican democracy at a tipping point? In the latest episode in Talking Policy's Future of Democracy series, host Lindsay Morgan talks with longtime Mexico expert, Kate Bruhn, a professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, about the state of Mexican democracy. This interview was conducted on February 28, 2023.

In the first episode in IGCC's 2023 Book Talk series, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Ethan Kapstein about his book Exporting Capitalism: Private Enterprise and U.S. Foreign Policy. Kapstein is the co-director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University, and the Arizona Centennial professor of International Affairs at Arizona State University. In the interview, he shares his views on how and why the U.S. has sought to spread private enterprise around the world, and how effective these policies have been. This interview was conducted on February 14, 2023. It has been edited for length and clarity.

The closely contested 2020 presidential race was followed by unsubstantiated allegations of vote fraud and a wide partisan divide over trust in elections. American distrust in elections is growing—at least among some groups. As part of Talking Policy's series on the Future of Democracy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Thad Kousser, a political scientist at UC San Diego, about whether Americans are losing faith in elections, why it's happening, and what it means for the future of American democracy.

Tensions between the U.S. and China, and between China and Taiwan, continue to simmer. In our third Dispatch from Taipei, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan talks with James Lee and what Taiwanese people think about U.S. policy towards Taiwan. James is an assistant research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taiwan, and an affiliated researcher at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. This interview was conducted on January 24, 2023.

In the latest Talking Policy episode, Christian Davenport, one of the world's leading scholars of state repression and a professor at the University of Michigan, and Ben Appel, an associate professor at UC San Diego, discuss their new book, The Death and Life of State Repression.

In the latest episode in Talking Policy's series on the Future of Democracy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with political scientist Amber Boydstun about how the media shapes how citizens think about politics and elections, and how the role of the media is changing. This interview was recorded on November 4, 2022.

Though COVID-19 failed to feature prominently (or at all) in the U.S. midterms, the aftershocks of the pandemic are still influencing politics in the U.S. and beyond. To help us consider the impact of public health emergencies on democracy, in this Talking Policy episode, host Lindsay Morgan talks with George Rutherford, an infectious disease specialist and professor of epidemiology at UC San Francisco, and Kim Yi Dionne, a political scientist at UC Riverside who studies health, politics, and public opinion. This interview was recorded on Nov. 3, 2022.

In the latest Talking Policy episode, Sarah Z. Daly, an associate professor of political science at Columbia University, talks about her book Violent Victors: Why Bloodstained Parties Win Postwar Elections. This interview was recorded on October 27, 2022.

In our second dispatch from Taipei, Taiwan expert James Lee talks about his recent article in Global Asia, “The Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis is Here,” why a Chinese invasion is unlikely, and what a Republican sweep in the U.S. midterms would mean for U.S.-China-Taiwan relations. This interview was recorded on November 2, 2022.

America's immigration system is “on the ballot” this November. Those were the words of Florida governor Ron De Santis, who, along with other Republicans, has been using immigration as a weapon against Democrats this election season. In the latest episode in Talking Policy's series on the Future of Democracy, host Lindsay Morgan talks with by Maggie Peters, a political scientist at UCLA, about what shapes what voters think about immigration; the effects immigrants have on the communities where they settle; and how are the politics of migration changing in the U.S. and overseas. This interview was recorded on October 20, 2022.

Democracy depends on the participation of its citizens. But many people don't participate in their democracies. What drives, and what discourages, political participation, here in the United States and around the world? In the latest from Talking Policy, host Lindsay Morgan interviews Cesi Cruz, a political scientist at UCLA who studies how information and social networks affect political participation, and Christopher Ojeda, a political scientist at UC Merced who studies how mental health and poverty shape the political engagement of citizens.

In Talking Policy's Dispatches from Taiwan series, host Lindsay Morgan talks with Taiwan expert James Lee about what the mood is like in Taipei amidst rising tensions with China; whether a war is likely; and what might be Xi Jinping's endgame. James is based at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taipei, and is a research affiliate with the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (a Talking Policy sponsor).

Today's increasingly potent rivalry between the U.S. and China spans many domains, but is particularly acute in the techno-security sphere. Will China overtake the U.S. and become the dominant global techno-security power? If so, when? In this interview, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan talks with leading China expert, Tai Ming Cheung, about China's progress in the techno-security space, how Beijing's moves are driving changes in the defense posture of the U.S., and what might happen if China succeeds in overtaking the U.S. Cheung, a long-time analyst of Chinese and East Asian defense and national security affairs and author of Innovate to Dominate, The Rise of the Chinese Techno-Security State, is the director of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and a professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego.

China is the world's second largest economy and has become a technological powerhouse. But this year, the economy of China's main rival, the U.S., is forecast to grow at a faster rate than China's for the first time since 1976. Is China's economy at a crossroad? In this interview, Barry Naughton, one of the world's most highly respected economists working on China, says that increased government intervention is bad for China's long-term interests and for the world, and answers questions about what role the private sector will play in China's economy going forward, whether China is looking for a new economic model (and if so, what is it?), and whether talk of decoupling from the United States a real possibility or just bluster. Barry Naughton co-leads IGCC research on China's science, technology, innovation, and industrial policy and is an economist at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy.