World Class

In his inaugural address, President Biden declared, “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause — the cause of democracy.” But is the United States still a beacon for aspiring democratic societies around the globe? In a crossover episode with the World Affairs Podcast, World Class host Michael McFaul and Dr. Francis Fukuyama — Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law — look at the current state of democracy.

Last week, riot police used force to remove Nika Melia, the leader of Georgia’s main opposition party, from his political headquarters. Meila’s arrest has deepened political rifts within Georgia and is plunging the nation into crisis, with opposition parties vowing to boycott Parliament until Melia is released by the government. Nino Evgenidze, a Georgian activist and executive director of the Economic Policy Research Center in Tbilisi, tells Mike what Melia’s arrest means for Georgia, the region and the rest of the world.

In a special crossover episode, World Class host Michael McFaul discusses how the U.S. can mend relationships with the rest of the world after four years of unpredictability on the World Affairs Podcast. Mike and Jorge Castañeda, former Foreign Minister of Mexico, join World Affairs co-host Ray Suarez to talk about how to best address foreign policy moving forward.

Iran’s economy is at its worst point in decades, its Supreme Leader is ill, and the country is “desperate” for a nuclear deal with the United States, says Abbas Milani, an expert on U.S.-Iran relations. On this episode, he and Mike discuss the Iranian economy, the future of Iran’s leadership, and what a potential new nuclear deal might look like.

While we should expect some big changes over the next four years when it comes to U.S. foreign policy toward Russia, President Joe Biden should be willing to cooperate with Russia on select issues, says Steven Pifer, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. In this episode, Pifer discusses the Biden administration’s approach to Russia and its priorities in working with the Kremlin.

We bring expertise on international affairs from Stanford's campus, straight to you. Hosted by former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, experts from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies offer insights into the history and context of the biggest stories in the news.

840 million people — or about one-ninth of the world’s population — live in China’s rural areas. They tend to settle in the regions in which they are born, and they’re generally not depicted in mainstream media outlets, but they are going to play an instrumental role in the country’s economic future. In this episode, Scott Rozelle discusses how the wealth gap between the richer urban parts of China and the poorer rural areas could contribute to a slowdown in China’s economic growth, which he calls “the biggest problem China faces that no one knows about.”

During the 2016 presidential election cycle, Russian operatives used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms to spread disinformation in order to divide the American public. Four years later, misleading and false information about the 2020 presidential election is still rampant online. And this time around, more of that misleading information is coming from domestic actors within the U.S. As research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, Renée DiResta investigates the spread of malign narratives across social networks, and assists policymakers in devising responses to the problems that those narratives create. On today’s episode, she discusses what it’s like to navigate this online world of propaganda and conspiracy theories.

We are nearing the end of the election season in the U.S. that has been anything but ordinary — the country is in the midst of a global pandemic, which has caused a seismic shift in how Americans will vote. Nearly three-quarters of American voters are eligible to receive a mail-in ballot for the 2020 election. Nathaniel Persily is one of the leaders of the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, and he has been working very hard over the past several months to ensure that we have a free and fair election in November. In this episode, Persily weighs in on the risk of voter fraud, questions about mail-in ballots, and his work with the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project.

Signed by President Barack Obama and former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in 2010, the New START Treaty caps the number of strategic missiles and heavy bombers that the U.S. and Russia can possess. The nuclear arms control treaty is set to expire in February 2021 unless an agreement is signed in the coming months. Rose Gottemoeller, the chief negotiator of New START, joins World Class to discuss what it’s like to negotiate with the Russians and the path ahead for extending the New START Treaty.

Described by some as “Europe’s last dictator,” Alexander Lukashenko has headed an authoritarian regime in Belarus for the last 26 years. Following his recent victory in Belarus’ presidential election, which is widely considered to have been rigged, citizens have taken to the streets to protest. Belarusian scholar and activist Aleś Łahviniec breaks down what happened during Belarus’ election in early August, why people are protesting, and what it feels like to be out on the streets in Minsk.

Many see China as having a desire to displace the United States as the preeminent power in the world. In this episode, Jean Oi and Thomas Fingar (co-editors of "Fateful Decisions: Choices That Will Shape China’s Future") explain why they disagree with this belief. They also discuss China’s growth and achievements over the past 40 years, the choices that will shape China’s future, and the role of political parties and leaders in China.

With protests continuing after the tragic killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, people around the world are demanding more transparency and accountability from police officers. What steps can be taken to curb police violence and abuses of power? Dr. Beatriz Magaloni is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the founder and director of the Poverty, Violence and Governance Lab. She has been conducting research on institutionalized police brutality in Mexico and police violence in Brazil for many years. In this episode, Magaloni discusses what she’s learned about police brutality and the abuse of power in those countries, as well as how community-oriented policing and constitutional reform can impact violence committed by police.

Following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, widespread protests have erupted in cities around the United States and around the world. What can we learn from these protests, and what implications might they have for democracy in the United States? Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. In this episode, Diamond discusses institutional racism and police brutality in the U.S., how recent protests for racial justice compare to the civil rights movement, and why he’s worried about the upcoming United States presidential election.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, its effects could be potentially devastating to global democracy and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Nate Persily, a senior fellow at FSI and co-director of the Stanford-MIT Project on a Healthy Election, and Larry Diamond, also a senior fellow at FSI, discuss how democracies and autocracies are doing in response to the global crisis, why some democracies are doing better than others, and the potential effects of the pandemic on the U.S. election in November.

COVID-19 has established itself around the globe and will be with us for the foreseeable future. What do we know about the virus so far, and what makes it unique? Michelle Mello is a professor of law and medicine at Stanford whose research focuses on law, ethics, and health policy. David Relman is a professor in the departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at FSI. In this episode, Mello and Relman discuss what scientists have learned about the virus, the U.S. response to the pandemic on both a state and national level, and lessons that can be learned from the global response.

Global populism is on the rise. Once associated with Latin American and post-communist democracies, populist parties and politicians have now gained support and power in established democracies. In a new white paper, “Global Populisms and Their Challenges,” co-authors Anna Grzymala-Busse, Didi Kuo, Frank Fukuyama, and World Class host Michael McFaul explore the threats that populism poses to democracy and what can be done to alleviate those problems. In this episode the trio define populism, and discuss how to spot a populist and whether the movement can be stopped.

The coronavirus has infected more than 75,000 people and killed more than 2,000 since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late December. Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies experts Karen Eggleston and David Relman join host Michael McFaul to discuss what you should know about the virus, its impact on China and the world, and whether there is any truth to the rumors about its origins.

In the wake of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by the United States, Abbas Milani — an expert on U.S.-Iran relations — discusses Iran’s economic and political troubles, Soleimani’s role in Iranian politics, and what the country’s decision to fire missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops means for relations between Iran and the U.S. going forward. Abbas Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford, Adjunct Professor at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

With an average age of 41, Ukraine’s new parliament — elected in July 2019 — is its least experienced one yet. 80 percent of the legislature had no political experience before the election last summer, and the nation is at a crossroads of sorts: will it transition into a successful reformist government, or will its efforts fail? Francis Fukuyama — the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at FSI, and the director of both the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program — is optimistic. In this episode, Fukuyama discusses the struggle for democracy in Ukraine, and why we all should be paying attention.

President Donald Trump recently made the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria. Why was the U.S. there in the first place; where do things stand now with Turkey, the Kurds, and Syria; and what effect did that decision have on the fight against ISIS? Brett McGurk is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He previously served as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State. In this episode, McGurk discusses why the removal of U.S. troops from Syria is a big deal, the effect it has had on the fight against ISIS and security in northern Syria, and what it signals to the rest of the world.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s name has appeared regularly in discussions about the controversial situation with Ukraine. What was Biden trying to achieve during his visit to Ukraine in 2015, and what is his connection to the controversy surrounding the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky? Colin Kahl is co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation and a senior fellow at FSI. From 2014 to 2017, he served as deputy assistant to President Barack Obama and national security advisor to Biden. In this episode, Kahl provides an inside look into what really happened between Biden and Ukrainian officials during that time period.

Ukraine has been in the news a lot lately in the context of U.S. politics, but we haven’t heard many Ukrainian perspectives in the U.S. media following the controversy surrounding the recent interactions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In this episode, Sasha Ustinova shares a Ukrainian perspective on the Trump-Zelensky phone call, provides context and background of Ukrainian politics, and discusses the fight against corruption inside Ukraine. A member of the Ukrainian parliament, Ustinova is also an alumna of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer breaks down the controversial July 25 phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. He talks about the context of what was going on between the U.S. and Ukraine when the call took place, what was discussed during the call, and why the situation is damaging U.S. diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Following the Russian disinformation campaign surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election, election security and disinformation are now global issues. What should be done in order to protect the integrity of the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election, and who should be responsible for creating these protections? Alex Stamos — the former chief security officer at Facebook, who is now a research scholar at the Cyber Policy Center — picks up where he left off when he was on World Class in May, discussing the growth of — and battle against — online propaganda.

Between 1991 and 2006 the world was dominated by liberal values and institutions, and we saw a major increase in the number of democracies around the globe. But for the past 13 years, global freedom has been on the decline. Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, discusses why the world may be on the cusp of a “democratic depression.”

What is the evolution of thinking about digital technology, the companies that dominate it, and their responsibility to users of their platforms and the tenets of free speech? Eileen Donahoe, the executive director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPI) at FSI’s Cyber Policy Center, discusses the need for global internet guidelines, and GDPI’s mission to improve democratic values and human rights in the digital realm.

More needs to be done to protect against foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. election, and not just by the American government. Nathaniel Persily, co-director of the Cyber Policy Center and a senior Fellow at FSI updates us on how technology companies have changed the way they display political advertising, why other countries need to be on the lookout for disinformation campaigns, and how Americans’ attitudes toward the media could impact who becomes the next U.S. president.

The standoff over the presidency in Venezuela continues, with two men, Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, still claiming the office. Dr. Harold Trinkunas, deputy director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at FSI, updates us on how the situation has evolved since the beginning of the political conflict, the interests of the U.S. and Russia in the country, and explains the three most likely scenarios of what might happen next.

Three weeks after the release of the Mueller Report, much of its content is still off-limits to the public. In this episode, former Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos shares his thoughts on what was and was not included in the public report, and what surprised him the most. A cybersecurity expert, business leader and entrepreneur, Alex Stamos is an adjunct professor at the Freeman Spogli Institute and a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report to the Attorney General, but additional investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election are now expected. Greg Miller and Mike McFaul discuss the challenges that policymakers and journalists face in investigating Russia, and how democracy in the U.S. has fared since 2016. Greg Miller is a national security correspondent for the Washington Post, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and a Stanford alumnus (MA ’93). He is the author of "The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy," a book exploring Russia’s effort to undermine the 2016 election. This podcast was recorded on March 20, 2019, two days before Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The United States-North Korea summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, was cut short and did not produce any agreement between the two countries on denuclearization. What does this outcome mean for the prospect of future diplomacy and the potential for armed conflict? Scott Sagan is a professor of political science at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He has written and edited several books and articles on nuclear strategy and security, and the risks and proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide. In this episode, Sagan analyzes President Trump’s uneven relationship with Kim Jong-un, assesses potential outcomes of an armed conflict with North Korea, and presents recent polling data on the American public’s support of nuclear weapon use.

There’s a range of issues dividing voters in America today. As it turns out, though, the current polarization is not limited to the U.S. political system. What is triggering polarization, and what is the relationship between polarization and the populist movements underway globally? What, if anything, can be done to alleviate deepening political divides? Murat Somer is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford. He has written several articles and books on polarization, democracy and democratic erosion across the world. In this conversation he explores the roots of polarization, the surprising similarities between Turkey and the US, and how we might heal divisions by taking a different approach to democratic politics.

Gun violence is one of the most polarizing topics in America, and the gun debate is about to heat up. The Supreme Court has decided to hear a significant gun rights case, and House Democrats recently unveiled a landmark bill requiring background checks. All of this comes in the wake of the worst year for gun deaths in two decades. Gun violence goes beyond homicides – a large share of deaths are attributed to accidents and suicides. For many in the medical community this is a public health crisis, and they are working to understand the impacts on the health and safety on Americans. David Studdert is a professor of medicine and law at Stanford, and a core faculty member at Stanford Health Policy at FSI. In this discussion he shows us how emerging science may be able to clarify some of the most contentious issues surrounding gun safety.

The economic and diplomatic tensions between the US and China are creating ripple effects across Southeast Asia. China is pursing an aggressive agenda of economic development throughout the region, and while there is undoubtedly a strong need for infrastructure projects, the Chinese strategy could limit the future autonomy of the Southeast Asian nations. If the US-China trade war were to escalate, Southeast Asia could be the battleground for a new cold war. Political Science professor Don Emmerson has spent his career working with scholars and policymakers in the region. Emmerson is a senior fellow at FSI and director of the Southeast Asia Program. In this interview he helps us understand the ASEAN coalition, why the South China Sea remains an area of contention, and what steps the US Congress is taking to assure Southeast Asian nations that it is committed to progress across the region.

Ever since the the scientific revolution of the 17th century, there has been tension between the institutions of science and religion. This tension between religion and science has a direct effect on governance. After all, the United States was conceived as a system of democratic institutions that valued reason and deliberation. But are religious beliefs and rationality completely at odds with one another? What exactly does it mean to be "rational?" Might it be necessary to understand more religious forms of rationality in order to heal some of the polarization present in America today? In this conversation we talk with Dan Edelstein, who is the William H. Bonsall Professor of French and an affiliate of the Freeman Spogli Institute's Europe Center. Professor Edelstein helps us understand the conflict between religion and rationality, how this conflict continues to play out in the present day, and what it all means for democratic institutions around the world.

We are still learning the details about Russia’s disinformation and manipulation campaigns during the US 2016 elections. Tech companies have come under intense scrutiny, and, according to former Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos, much of the spotlight on Big Tech is warranted. However, Stamos also argues that our government, the media, and we as citizens all have a role to play in the security of our elections. Stamos is now the William J. Perry Fellow at FSI, and in this conversation he offers an unrivaled diagnosis of everything that went wrong during the 2016 election cycle. In a future episode, Stamos will share his ideas of what we can do to prevent similar failures in the future.

Climate change is likely to have far reaching impacts, and some consequences are particularly unexpected. In a provocative study, Marshall Burke and his colleagues demonstrate that suicide rates increase on hot days, regardless of other factors. Burke's findings raise significant questions. Are the underlying drivers of this relationship tied to economic forces, or are there human biological factors that exacerbate mental health issues? Can we forecast the overall effect as greenhouse gases and temperatures rise in the coming decades? What steps might we take now to mitigate the damages? In this conversation with World Class producer, Nicole Feldman, Burke offers a clear-eyed perspective on the wide-ranging implications of his research. Burke is the deputy director of FSI’s Center on Food Security and the Environment.

Silicon Valley's role in the world is now so big that some people argue the power of tech firms is similar to the powers of a nation-state. So maybe it's not too surprising to learn that Denmark has taken an unusual step, and has dispatched career diplomat Casper Klynge to serve as the world’s first tech ambassador. Klynge's role is to create avenues for dialogue, to work with firms to establish appropriate regulations, and to engage with Silicon Valley from a foreign policy perspective. In this conversation, Ambassador Klynge tells the story of how this came about, how he views his priorities, and how western societies are working to nurture innovation while simultaneously protecting the core principles of open democracy.

From 2011 to 2015 Ambassador Wendy Sherman was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the fourth-ranking official in the State Department. She was the lead U.S. negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal, and before that she served as policy coordinator on North Korea for President Clinton. She has a new book, Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power and Persistence. In this conversation, Ambassador Sherman shares the backstory on the Iran nuclear deal, the future of relations with Iran, and what it's like being the only woman in the room doing diplomacy.

Biosecurity threats are often overlooked. For years scientists have been saying that the world is overdue for a pandemic, and there's an ongoing risk that terrorists or nation states might weaponize diseases. If that's not worrying enough, the risks of pandemics increase as climate change worsens. What steps are we taking to understand and prepare for the next outbreak? David Relman is a senior fellow and Megan Palmer a senior research scholar at FSI’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. They are part of an interdisciplinary research initiative working to assess the threats posed by biological agents. In this wide-ranging conversation with Michael McFaul, Relman and Palmer unpack the complex issues, and offer their perspectives on how best to counter these threats.

It is now clear that the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Turkey was a pre-planned execution, likely ordered by people at the very top of the Saudi government. The incident has sparked an international outcry, and raises questions about the US’s relationship with the Saudis. What is the underlying nature of the US-Saudi alliance? How has Trump's strategy differed from Obama’s, and what impact might all of this have on relations with Iran and elsewhere across the Middle East? Colin Kahl was deputy assistant to President Obama and a national security advisor to Vice President Biden from 2014 to 2017. He’s now the co-director of FSI’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, and the head of its Middle East Initiative. In this discussion with Michael McFaul, Kahl outlines the unease some American diplomats feel towards our relationship with Saudi Arabia. He explains steps that President Obama took to restructure the alliance, and he argues that President Trump’s decision to double-down in Saudi Arabia has narrowed the options for responding to an increasingly fractured relationship.

With the US midterms fast approaching, we are still trying to make sense of everything that happened in the 2016 elections. What do we now know about vulnerabilities in our democratic processes? What risks do we face from foreign adversaries? Beyond the US, how are governments around the world adjusting to threats posed by digital technologies? Eileen Donahoe was the first US Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council during the Obama Administration. She’s now the Executive Director for the Global Digital Policy Incubator at FSI. Her current research focuses on cyber sovereignty, digital literacy, election security, protecting freedom of expression, and the impact of AI. In this conversation with Michael McFaul, Ambassador Donahoe frames the various threats posed by digital technologies, and the implications for the midterm elections.

“Identity politics" has become a driving force in political conversations in the U.S. and abroad, but what exactly is it? Where did it come from, and how will it shape the future of our society? FSI Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow and CDDRL Mosbacher Director Francis Fukuyama joins host Michael McFaul to explain how his new book, “Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment,” sheds light on these questions and reveals how our political trajectory from the civil rights era to 21st century populism has been shaped by a universal human desire for respect and recognition.

African American men have the lowest life expectancy of any major demographic group in the U.S. The reasons for this are many and complex, but new research from FSI's Stanford Health Policy suggests that there may be a straightforward solution: hiring doctors who look like the patients they're treating. Dr. Marcella Alsan, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford Health Policy, and her research partner, Dr. Owen Garrick, President and CEO of Bridge Clinical Research, join host Michael McFaul to discuss the reasons behind the health disparities for African American men; the theory, ethics and outcomes of their study; and what their findings should mean for the future of health care.

President Trump says the nuclear threat is behind us, but do the experts agree? Gi-Wook Shin, Scott Sagan, Kathleen Stephens, and Michael McFaul tell us about the winners and losers from the 2018 U.S.-North Korean Summit, what we should worry about, what denuclearization really means, and the eternal question: what comes next? Kathleen Stephens is the former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and a William J. Perry fellow at FSI. Scott Sagan has authored many books and articles on nuclear weapons as a senior fellow at FSI’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. Gi-Wook Shin founded the Korea Program at FSI’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, which he directs. In addition to hosting World Class, Michael McFaul is the former U.S. ambassador to Russia and current director of FSI.

What’s it like to have a dictator after you? In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s “request” to interrogate former ambassador and World Class host Michael McFaul, the US public backlash was swift and strong. It’s extremely unlikely that McFaul will be asked to respond to Russian investigators - but many Americans were unnerved at the Trump administration’s response. Where do US-Russia relations stand in the aftermath of Helsinki? What are the practical implications for McFaul, and what will be the lasting impact for transgressing the diplomatic norms? Michael McFaul addresses all these questions in this candid conversation.

It's not so easy to create a whole new country, and the world map is much more fixed than it used to be. While there are many secessionist and independence movements around the globe, the truth is that international powers are extremely reluctant to redraw borders. Where are the unrecognized states in the world, and what commonalities do they share? What happens when our normal understanding of "sovereignty" breaks down? In this conversation with FSI Deputy Director Kathryn Stoner, Joshua Keating shares stories from his new book, Invisible Countries: Journey’s to the Edge of Nationhood. Keating is a foreign policy analyst and a staff writer at Slate.

The gulf between right and left in America is widening by the day. How long has this been going on, and what can we learn by studying other Western democracies? Didi Kuo is an expert on democratization and political parties. She's a research scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at FSI, and she has a new book called, Clientelism, Capitalism, and Democracy: The Rise of Programmatic Politics in the United States and Britain.