Podcasts about advanced international studies

On the Early Edition with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast 2026, Jeffrey Pryce, Senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies shares his thoughts on Trump's latest strikes on Iran. The FIFA World Cup is about to be underway in Mexico City, Weekend Sport Host Jason Pine tells Francesca what we can expect. Act's taking a tougher stance on rural crime, Act Party Agriculture Spokesperson Andrew Hoggard shares the party's latest policy. Plus, UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney has the latest on Defence Secretary John Healey resigning from Keir Starmer's government and Trump saying the US will hit Iran 'very hard' and threatens to take Kharg Island. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The United States has conducted an unusually ideological foreign policy, an unusually economic foreign policy, and an unusually democratic foreign policy. These three features have been present from the eighteenth century to the present.” — Michael Mandelbaum Is there an “American way” of foreign policy? Does that make the now almost 250 year-old republic unique? Michael Mandelbaum, author of The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy, says yes and no. America is exceptional. But that exceptionalism is unexceptional. Mandelbaum says that American foreign policy over the last 250 years has been unusually ideological, economic, and democratic. Foreign policy realists say great powers all behave the same way. Mandelbaum, as an idealist, says: not America. Uniquely in world history, he says, America has pursued its principles overseas without prioritising its political, economic, or military self-interest. And yet The American Way of Foreign Policy isn't triumphalist. Mandelbaum opposed NATO expansion in the 1990s. He was in the anti-Vietnam marches as a Harvard student in the Sixties. Nor is he partial to demonstrations of overt nationalism. His July 4 plans, for example, are to watch baseball. As a lucky man in a fortunate Republic, what better way to celebrate 250 years of independence than to enjoy its national pastime? Five Takeaways •       Three Distinctive Features: Ideological, Economic, Democratic: Mandelbaum's thesis: American foreign policy has differed from the foreign policies of other countries in three enduring ways. First, ideological: political ideas and the effort to spread them have been more important to America than to other powers. Second, economic: America has used economic instruments to achieve political goals — trade, aid, sanctions — rather than the imperial model of using political power for economic gain. Third, democratic: American public opinion has always had greater influence over foreign policy than in other countries. For almost all other countries, for most of their histories, foreign policy was the preserve of a small elite. That was never true of the United States. •       Idealist and Realist: Both Apply: Andrew invokes Kenneth Waltz and the realist tradition, which argues that great powers always behave the same way regardless of their self-image. Mandelbaum's response: realism fits American foreign policy up to a point. America has fought twelve significant wars and has not been oblivious to military power. But it has also conducted idealist foreign policies that cannot be explained by realism — policies driven by its liberal political ideas rather than its material interests. The distinctive feature of American foreign policy is not that it ignores realism, but that it goes beyond realism in ways that other great powers have not. •       NATO Expansion: Mandelbaum's One Big Regret: In the 1990s, Mandelbaum was opposed to the expansion of NATO, alongside George Kennan — one of the architects of Cold War containment. His fear: it would do a lot to alienate Russia. He acknowledges that he cannot blame NATO expansion explicitly for the Russian attack on Ukraine. But he notes that the fear was reasonable and that, as he puts it, alas, it has come to pass. He does not think that the Russian attack was inevitable or that NATO caused it. But he does think the warning was worth issuing and that it deserved more serious consideration than it received. •       Vietnam and the Antiwar Movement: Was It Counterproductive? As a graduate student at Harvard under Stanley Hoffmann, Mandelbaum was opposed to Vietnam and took part in marches. He has since revised his views — not on whether Vietnam was a mistake (it was) but on whether the antiwar movement had any positive effect on the course of policy. His conclusion: it probably didn't, and may have been perverse. Nixon used the antiwar movement as a foil. The war ended because most Americans decided it was costing too much in American lives — not because the goals were wrong. That was the democratic aspect of American foreign policy in action. •       Israel, Gaza, and the American Way: Andrew suggests that Israel has been able to push America around, and that this is “un-American.” Mandelbaum pushes back firmly. America supports Israel for two reasons: strategic advantage (Israel as a bulwark against threats to American interests in the Middle East) and shared values (Israel is the only country in the region that shares American political values). When interests diverged — the 1980s anti-aircraft arms sale, Obama's Iran deal — America went its own way. The reverse is also true: America doesn't have the capacity to push Israel around in Gaza, because for Israel these are matters of national survival. About the Guest Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He previously taught at Harvard, Columbia, and the US Naval Academy, and was a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a BA from Yale, an MA from King's College Cambridge, and a PhD from Harvard. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy (Oxford University Press, April 2026) and The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy: Weak Power, Great Power, Superpower, Hyperpower. He lives in the Washington DC suburbs. References: •       The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy by Michael Mandelbaum (Oxford University Press, April 2026). •       The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy: Weak Power, Great Power, Superpower, Hyperpower by Michael Mandelbaum — referenced in the conversation. •       Kenneth Waltz and the realist school of international relations — referenced at the opening. •       Ernst Haas and the idealist school — referenced at the opening; Andrew's teachers at Berkeley. •       George Kennan — referenced as Mandelbaum's fellow opponent of NATO expansion in the 1990s. •       Stanley Hoffmann — Mandelbaum's Harvard PhD supervisor, referenced at the close. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly ...

Everything looks to be going China's way: Beijing has a stranglehold on the world's critical minerals, and its high-tech manufacturing has rapidly become world-leading. Its massive trade surplus is undermining vital industries in the rest of the world. Is this part of a Chinese masterplan for world domination? The truth is a little more nuanced than that. Soumaya Keynes speaks to Jessica Chen Weiss, director of the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. They discuss why decoupling is a “fantasy”, what “middle powers” are doing better than the US and the social and the domestic challenges that still hold China back.Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen.Further readingA cold peace between the US and China is good enoughPete Hegseth says US-China ties are ‘better than in years'America needs to put the renminbi back on the international agendaHosted by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today my guest is Ritam Chaurey, who is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. We talked about structural transformation in India over the last three decades, how firm level behavior responds to regulatory and fiscal changes, how firms choose between capital and labor, or permanent versus contractual labor, land use and factory location, and much more. Recorded April 29th, 2026. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Connect with Ideas of India Follow us on X Follow Shruti on X Follow Ritam on X Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox. Timestamps (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:07) - The Industrial Disputes Act, Permanent Workers, and Contractors (00:10:14) - Impacts of Reliance on Contract Labor (00:16:02) - Labor Protections and Their Impact on Firm Behavior (00:22:35) - Binding Constraints and the Rise of 'Invisible Workers' (00:27:46) - Labor Supply Preferences in Structural Transformation (00:34:07) - A 'Bad Law,' Musclemen, and the Evolution of Debt Law in India (00:40:21) - SARFAESI's Unintended Consequences (00:46:28) - The Drop in Fixed-Capital Assets (00:48:57) - The Impact of Judicial Delays on Labor-Capital Substitution (00:52:41) - The Bankruptcy Code and Marginal Improvements (00:55:54) - Spillover Benefits of Relaxing Land Use Regulation (01:04:18) - Location-Specific Subsidies and Barrier Relaxation (01:06:36) - A Case Study: Uttarakhand and Himachal (01:13:32) - The Impact of New Bank Branches in Underbanked Communities (01:23:24) - The Demonetization Shock (01:29:48) - Outro

The Mercantilist Restoration - https://anthonyfatseas.substack.com/p/the-mercantilist-restoration-howInterview recorded - 22nd of May, 2026On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Professor Vali Nasr. Vali Nasr is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and one of the most authoritative voices on Iran, having advised American policymakers and diplomats on the country for decades. He is also the author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A political history.During our conversation we spoke about the current situation in the Middle East, what has led up to this conflict, Iran's surprising resilience, their grand strategy, potential escalation, reshaping the Middle East and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction3:05 - Lead up to war5:48 - Surprised about escalation8:38 - Iran resilience10:48 - Iran's Grand Strategy13:18 - October 6th impact16:23 - Conflict resolution20:09 - Military escalation24:11 - How have views changed?28:17 - Iranian proxies over?29:47 - US withdrawing from Middle East?34:11 - Guerrilla warfare35:25 - One message to takeaway? Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Non-Resident Senior Advisor in the Middle East Program at CSIS. He served as the eighth Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019 and served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke between 2009 and 2011.Professor Nasr is the author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History, The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat; Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Middle Class and How it Will Change Our World; The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future; Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty; Islamic Leviathan, Islam and the Making of State Power; Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism; Vanguard of Islamic Revolution: Jama'at-i Islami of Pakistan, and co-author of How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare; as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals and commentary in Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. He has advised senior American policymakers, world leaders, and businesses, including the President, Secretary of State, senior members of the Congress, and presidential campaigns. He has written for New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among others.Vali Nasr - X - https://x.com/vali_nasrBook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irans-Grand-Strategy-Political-History/dp/0691268924/WTFinance -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-fatseas-761066103/Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Over the past decade, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has redrawn physical, economic, and political maps. From ports in the Indian Ocean to railways across Central Asia, the BRI has been described as the most ambitious infrastructure project in modern history. But ambition does not necessarily equate permanence, and scale does not guarantee influence. How far can infrastructure take power and where are its limits? Is the Belt and Road Initiative a durable foundation for global influence, or have we begun to see the edges of its reach?In this episode of The World Stage, Lunting Wu (NUPI) asks Carla Freeman (Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies) and Hidekazu Sakai (Kansai Gaida University) these questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, followed by Iranian retaliation against U.S. military assets, Israel and other U.S. allies, has engulfed much of the Middle East in a conflict with global repercussions. Israel and the United States campaign's immediate aim was to decapitate the Islamic Republic's leadership, and it quickly achieved this goal. But the broader objectives of the operation are still clouded in uncertainty. What might be enough for them to declare victory is still unclear. Two months in, a weak ceasefire is in place, but outbursts of hostilities remain as the U.S. seeks to break the chokehold Iran has placed in the Hormuz Strait disrupting the global economy. Evidence points at Iran, the U.S. and Israel fighting different wars in the same territory making a lasting ceasefire very difficult. This session draws on Crisis Group's latest analysis to assess the trajectory of the conflict, examine the strategic calculations of the main stakeholders, and explore whether pathways to de-escalation remain viable—or whether the region is heading toward a more protracted and expansive war. Ali Vaez is International Crisis Group's Iran Project Director and Senior Adviser to the Group's President. He led Crisis Group's efforts in helping to bridge the gaps between Iran and the P5+1 that led to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Previously, he served as a Senior Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and was the Iran Project Director at the Federation of American Scientists. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is a co-author of How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare.

Global powers are increasingly shaping markets and taking equity positions in strategic industries. But recently, Washington's role in the economy has expanded, with stakes in companies like Intel, different from its traditionally hands-off approach. Could strategic government investment be a source of strength and competitiveness—or should it remain a true last resort, preserving a system that allows markets to determine winners and losers? We debate: Government as Shareholder: Proactive Competitive Strategy or Last Resort?  This debate was created in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and was recorded on May 18, 2026, at 6 PM.  Arguing "Proactive Competitive Strategy":  Laura Taylor-Kale, Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics and Defense at the Council of Foreign Relations and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy  Richard Falkenrath, Senior Fellow for National Security at the Council on Foreign Relations; MJ Chung Distinguished Chair at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University  Arguing "Last Resort":  Bob Pozen, Distinguished Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management; Former President of Fidelity Investments  Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation Professor of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management; Author of "The Rise and the Fall of the EAST”  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Join the conversation on Substack - share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, President Trump is back from two days of high-level talks in China. Matt Pottinger, the deputy national security advisor in the first Trump administration, and Jessica Chen Weiss, professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, join the show to discuss the summit and what it means for Taiwan. Next, Fareed speaks with Jason Furman, professor at Harvard Kennedy School and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama. They discuss why the stock market continues to rise even while inflation spikes in the midst of the Iran war, and what Furman expects from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh. Finally, a recent poll shows 70% of American adults under the age of 50 now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Fareed discusses with Israeli-American historian Omer Bartov who has a new book out, “Israel: What Went Wrong.” GUESTS: Jessica Chen Weiss (@jessicacweiss), Matt Pottinger, Jason Furman (@jasonfurman), Omer Bartov (@bartov_omer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Beijing Auto Show is now the world's largest auto show — and its most important. It's where China's automakers show off their new innovations and newest models to a huge audience of domestic consumers and global influencers. As one attendee observed, there were more EV models in one room of the show than there are available for sale in the entire U.S. car market.So what was it like to be there in person? On today's episode of Shift Key, Rob talks with Kate Logan, the director of the China Climate Hub and Climate Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute; and Jeremy Wallace, the A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.Jeremy and Kate attended this year's show and left with some strong impressions. They also chat with Rob about whether China has solved the EV charging problem, what tech was most impressive (and what was absent) from the expo, and how American policymakers should work with China's world-leading battery and EV manufacturing firms. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap News.You can find a full transcript of the episode here.Mentioned:WSJ: Chinese EVs can already be seen in the US… in El PasoThe new Carnegie Mellon report: An Industrial Strategy for Ranking Risk and Opportunity in Energy & AI Supply ChainsBloomberg on the Ford and CATL dealJeremy's recent work in Heatmap: China Can't Decide If It Wants to Be the World's First ‘Electrostate'--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by ...Heatmap Pro brings all of our research, reporting, and insights down to the local level. The software platform tracks all local opposition to clean energy and data centers, forecasts community sentiment, and guides data-driven engagement campaigns. Book a demo today to see the premier intelligence platform for project permitting and community engagement.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Applebaum has spent decades studying how democracies collapse, how authoritarian systems rise, and why the warning signs are often ignored until it's too late. She reveals why America is entering a dangerous new phase, and what happens next! Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and has hosted its Autocracy in America podcast. She is also a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the School of Advanced International Studies. She is also the bestselling author of books such as, ‘Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World'. She explains: ◼️ Why democracies rarely collapse overnight ◼️ Why America may be closer to autocracy than people think ◼️ How elected leaders can slowly take apart the system from within ◼️ Why corruption is one of the clearest warning signs of authoritarianism ◼️ Why Big Tech leaders are bending toward political power ◼️ How America's allies are already preparing for U.S. betrayal ◼️ Why Russia, China, and Iran are challenging the democratic world order ◼️ Why America may never fully go back to normal after Trump Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:13 Why History Keeps Repeating 00:04:52 Why Democracy Feels So Broken 00:07:21 The Biggest Threats Right Now 00:08:32 Why Democracy Is Rapidly Shifting 00:09:58 Could America Become An Autocracy? 00:11:45 What A Trump Third Term Means 00:14:36 Why Autocracy Appeals To People 00:18:52 Trump's Wealth Changes Everything 00:21:08 Why Global Stability Is Collapsing 00:26:06 Democracy Vs Dictatorship: What Lasts? 00:27:18 Who's Happier: Democracies Or Autocracies? 00:28:44 Would Informed People Choose Democracy? 00:30:25 How Putin Stays In Power 00:32:20 5 Tactics Autocrats Use 00:33:59 Are Tech CEOs Enabling This? 00:37:51 Can America Ever Return To Normal? 00:39:07 Why Nations Are Turning Inward 00:43:37 What This Means For Americans 00:45:19 The Most Dangerous Part Of Dictatorship 00:48:29 Why Trump's Ratings Are Falling 00:50:28 Ads 00:52:31 The 2nd Tactic Autocrats Use 00:57:19 The 3rd Tactic Autocrats Use 00:59:20 The 4th Tactic Autocrats Use 01:05:38 Should Social Media Have Legal Power? 01:12:38 Can Citizens Really Leave China? 01:13:55 The 5th Tactic Autocrats Use 01:14:28 Why ICE Is Breaking Down 01:16:40 Ads 01:17:49 Is The American Empire Declining? 01:21:49 Is Politics Just Human Nature? 01:24:38 Does Democracy Create Extreme Capitalism? 01:26:44 How Democracies Defend Themselves 01:28:18 Is Mainstream Media Politically Biased? 01:31:59 Why Journalism Matters More Than Ever 01:33:29 How Algorithms Control Your Reality 01:34:37 Anne's Personal Political Journey 01:41:05 What Regime Change Really Feels Like 01:44:36 Anne's Toughest Setback Follow Anne: Youtube - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4pTtMb1 Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/1GOn8p5 X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/8M5yUMK Website - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/GGmhcYf You can purchase Anne's book, ‘Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World', here: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/D07471h Sponsors: Stan - Visit https://coach.stan.store/?ref=stevenbartlett&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=episode5 Wispr - Get 14 days of Wispr Flow for free at https://wisprflow.ai/steven

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, Kristen Collins speaks with Henry Farrell about AI, democracy, and political economy. Farrell argues that large language models are best understood not as emerging individual intelligences, but as “social technologies” that process and reorganize vast stores of human cultural information, much like markets, bureaucracies, and democracies process knowledge. The conversation explores deliberative democracy, civil society, Silicon Valley, AI regulation, and the risks of treating politics as an optimization problem. Farrell emphasizes the messiness of democratic life as essential to resisting authoritarianism and building a better future.Henry Farrell is the SNF Agora Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of various books, including Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (Henry Holt and Co., 2023) and Of Privacy and Power: The Transatlantic Fight over Freedom and Security (Princeton University Press, 2019), both coauthored with Abraham Newman, as well as The Political Economy of Trust: Institutions, Interests, and Inter-Firm Cooperation in Italy and Germany (Cambridge University Press, 2009).**This episode was recorded on January 7, 2026**Show Notes:Virtual Sentiments | State Capture and the Meaning of Democracy with Samuel BaggHenry Farrell's Substack, Programmable MutterHenry Farrell and Abraham Newman, The Enshittification of American Power (Wired, 2025)Henry Farrell and Hahrie Han, AI and Democratic Publics (Knight First Amendment Institute, 2025)Farrell, Gopnik, Shalizi, and Evans, Large AI models are cultural and social technologies (Science, 2025)Farrell, Mercier, and Schwartzberg, Analytical Democratic Theory: A Microfoundational Approach (APSR, 2022)Farrell, Where Trump is Vulnerable and How to Act on It (New York Times, 2025)Farrell, The Same Old Fantasies Behind AI and New Technology (Lawfare, 2025)Herbert A. Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial (The MIT Press, 1970)F.A. Hayek, The Use of Knowledge in Society (Liberty Fund, 2013)Cosma Shalizi, The Singularity in Our Past Light-Cone (Three-Toed Sloth, 2010)Andrew Lentini, Reimagining Democracy in the Age of AI (SNF Agora, 2024)Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber, Why do humans reason? Arguments for an argumentative theory (BBS, 2011)North, Wallis, and Weingast, Violence and Social Orders (Cambridge University Press, 2009)Cory Doctorow, The Bezzle: A Martin Hench Novel (Tor Books, 2025)If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatus

This episode unpacks three enduring pillars that have defined U.S. foreign policy from the nation's founding to today: ideology, economic statecraft, and democratic accountability.   Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Michael Mandelbaum, Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Author, The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy   We Discuss: Whether the United States can be said to have a coherent foreign policy "personality". How geographic and geopolitical advantages have historically enabled a more ideological U.S. foreign policy than most countries can afford. Whether ideology in U.S. foreign policy represents genuine conviction or merely a veneer for self-interest.  What the post-Cold War era reveals as the "golden age of foreign policy of ideas”. What drives the persistent American tendency toward economic statecraft, sanctions, and “mirror imaging”. How public opinion, interest groups, political parties, and elections influence foreign policy decisionmaking. Whether President Trump's foreign policy fits within—or represents a departure from—the three enduring American traditions in U.S. foreign policy.   Mentioned on the Episode:   The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy by Michael Mandelbaum (Oxford University Press, 2025)   Embargo Act of 1807   George W. Bush, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 2005   Vice President JD Vance, Remarks at the Munich Security Conference, February 14, 2025   Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Remarks at the Munich Security Conference, February 14, 2026   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/how-to-build-an-american-foreign-policy   Opinions expressed on The President's Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

Subscribe now for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content! HAIH Premium subscribers got this episode (with no ads!) on Thursday, April 23. When he took power 25 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to turn his country into a Great Power again, after it had endured a decade of poverty and humiliation following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But Russia is on the sidelines as wars and blockades in the Greater Middle East roil the global order. Yes, Russia has reportedly assisted Iran with satellite targeting intelligence, and its economy may benefit from the bump in oil prices. But Moscow is in no position to provide robust military assistance to its "strategic partner" Iran, and none of its representatives have been invited to the peace talks in Islamabad. Historian Sergey Radchenko explains why Russian influence is essentially irrelevant in a region where it once exerted an important presence. Sergey Radchenko teaches history at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power. Further reading: Putin's Persian Problem by Sergey Radchenko (Foreign Policy)

After 21 hours of marathon talks in Islamabad, the United States and Iran have walked away without reaching an agreement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance described the proposal put to Tehran as Washington's “final and best offer,” but discussions ultimately broke down over Iran's refusal to commit to not developing nuclear weapons. The failure to secure a deal raises fresh questions about regional stability and the future of diplomatic efforts to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions. And now US President Donald Trump says the navy will block the Strait of Hormuz. Jeffery Pryce, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Mike Hosking there's no knowing what will happen next. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

"The contempt and naive idealization of China are two sides of the same coin. The latter cannot be an antidote to the former." So argues Ho-Fung Hung in the conclusion of The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear (Cambridge University Press, 2026). For centuries, Western scholars portrayed China either as a land of superior morality, economy, and governance or as a formidable country of pagans that posed a global threat to Western values. Idealized images of China were used to shame rulers for their incompetence, while China was demonized as an external threat to cover up domestic political failures. In the twentieth century, the geopolitics of global capitalism have facilitated more nuanced perspectives, but the diversifying of knowledge about China is far from complete. In this thought-provoking study, Ho-fung Hung finds that both Western elites and China's authoritarian regime today continue to promote many Orientalist stereotypes to advance their economic interests and political projects. He shows how big-picture historical, social, and economic changes are inextricably linked to fluctuations in the realm of ideas. Only open debate can overcome extremes of fantasy and fear. Ho-Fung Hung is Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at the Sociology Department and the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

It's widely accepted that the post-WWII order has changed, but the question remains—what comes next? Political scientist Hal Brands maps out three possible scenarios in a cover essay for Foreign Policy's latest print issue and joins FP Live to discuss.  Brands is a professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World. Hal Brands: Three Scenarios for a Post-Trump World Emma Ashford: A Better Trans-Atlantic Relationship Is Entirely Possible Sarang Shidore: Can Middle Powers Gel? Suzanne Nossel: What Would an Abundance Foreign Policy Look Like? Nils Gilman: Electrostates vs. Petrostates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to listen to the entire 28-minute episode (or preview 7 minutes). Nearly three weeks into launching an unprovoked attack on Iran, whose supreme leader was assassinated in an Israeli air strike, it has become clear that President Trump and his national security team badly misjudged their enemy. The regime is surviving. And, according to expert Vali Nasr, Iran is transitioning to an IRGC-led state with even more uncompromising leadership. Unintended consequences were, therefore, inevitable because key U.S. decision-makers misunderstood Iran and ignored intelligence warnings about the unlikelihood of regime collapse. Vali Nasr teaches Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of "Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History."

This week kicked off with Turkey announcing the deployment of a number of fighter jets to the occupied part of Cyprus, a move that not only represents a significant escalation in the militarization of the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus has already been targeted by Iranian-made drones, but that may also violate US law. This isn't the only thing putting Cyprus in the headlines this week. Axios and the Financial Times reported Cyprus could potentially mediate talks between Israel and Lebanon after violence broke out between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. Turkey's moves in the Eastern Mediterranean aren't the only thing worrying analysts and observers. Developments on the domestic front are also keeping those watching the region on alert, as the trial of Ekrem Imamoglu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, kicked off this week. Imamoglu's trial is largely seen as politically motivated and an effort to prevent him from challenging President Erdogan. Sinan Ciddi, Elisa Ewers, Lisel Hintz, and Henri Barkey join Thanos Davelis this week as we take a closer look at Turkey's decision to deploy fighter jets to the occupied part of Cyprus, Israel's escalating offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the trial of Ekrem Imamoglu. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we're spotlighting Eleni Delimpaltadaki Janis, a founding member of HALC with a career that spans across government and the private sector. This includes serving as Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and working to transform and solve some of the world's most persistent socio-economic problems as a founder of Equivico. Stay tuned as we dig into her story. A little more info on our guests: Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and director of its Turkey program. Elisa Ewers is a senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Lisel Hintz is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Henri Barkey is an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University (Emeritus). You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

In this episode, panelists discuss Iran's current political climate, concerns for civilians on the ground, and how the country's rapidly evolving internal dynamics are shaping U.S. objectives as well as broader regional and international considerations.   Background Reading: In this article, International Affairs Fellow Sam Vigersky discusses the global economic disruption caused by the Iran war and its effects on existing humanitarian crises.    Host: Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence, Princeton University; CFR Member   Guests: Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations   Mahmood Reza Amiry-Moghaddam, Professor, University of Oslo; Founder and Director, Iran Human Rights NGO   Mara Karlin, Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution; CFR Member   Ray Takeyh, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR's Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Iran's Internal Dynamics and U.S. Objectives

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts.

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He's the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton University Press, 2025). Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960 and is currently a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In our talk, he discusses his surprise at the resilience the Iranian government has so far displayed in the war, as well as the high degree of advance planning the government performed in anticipation of the attack. Although many Iranians do not like the Islamic Republic, he told me, there is nevertheless a resurgent element of Iranian nationalism in Iranian society. The West, he believes, underestimates the cohesion of Iran. Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Paul Starobin is a former contributing editor of The Atlantic and a former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week. His companion Substack newsletter America and Beyond includes transcripts of podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend after weeks of threats and tense negotiations, the U.S. and Israel began a war with Iran. The developments have been incredibly consequential, from the assasination of Iran's Supreme Leader to Iran's retaliatory attacks on neighbouring Gulf states. To unpack this moment, what led to it, and go through what the future of the Middle East could look like in the aftermath, we are joined by Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is also the author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History.

David Satter is a journalist and historian with unique insights into how the deformation and repression of the past, is having terrible consequences for present day Russia. David has written extensively about Russia and the Soviet Union, especially the decline and fall of the USSR and rise of post-Soviet Russia. David Satter became the first American journalist to be expelled from Russia since the Cold War in December 2013. This was perhaps not a surprising move, given that his books have covered topics such as the FSB's role in the apartment bombings that brought Putin to power. From 1976 to 1982 David was the Moscow correspondent of the Financial Times, and then became a special correspondent on Soviet affairs for The Wall Street Journal. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. ----------BOOKS:He is author of several books that are essential reading to help understand the origins of the current crisis, including the brilliantly named books: - It Was a Long Time Ago, and It Never Happened Anyway- Darkness at Dawn: The Rise of the Russian Criminal State- The Less You Know, The Better You Sleep----------LINKS:https://davidsatter.com/https://twitter.com/davidsatter?lang=enhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Satterhttps://www.hudson.org/experts/362-david-satterhttps://www.fpri.org/contributor/david-satter/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/authors/david-satter----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------A REQUEST FOR HELP!I'm heading back to Kyiv this week, to film, do research and conduct interviews. The logistics and need for equipment and clothing are a little higher than for my previous trips. It will be cold, and may be dark also. If you can, please assist to ensure I can make this trip a success. My commitment to the audience of the channel, will be to bring back compelling interviews conducted in Ukraine, and to use the experience to improve the quality of the channel, it's insights and impact. Let Ukraine and democracy prevail! https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrashttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformationNONE OF THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!So what's next? We're going to Kyiv in January 2026 to film on the ground, and will record interviews with some huge guests. We'll be creating opportunities for new interviews, and to connect you with the reality of a European city under escalating winter attack, from an imperialist, genocidal power. PLEASE HELP ME ME TO GROW SILICON CURTAINWe are planning our events for 2026, and to do more and have a greater impact. After achieving more than 12 events in 2025, we will aim to double that! 24 events and interviews on the ground in Ukraine, to push back against weaponized information, toxic propaganda and corrosive disinformation. Please help us make it happen!----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtain?Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqmLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

The Supreme Court just struck down President Trump's most ambitious tariff plan. What does that ruling mean for clean energy? For the data center boom? For America's industrial policy?On this emergency episode of Shift Key, Rob is joined by Jonas Nahm, a professor of economic and industrial policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. They discuss the ruling, the other authorities that Trump could now use to raise trade levies, and what (if anything) the change could mean for electric vehicles, solar panels, and more.Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap News.You can find a full transcript of the episode here.Mentioned:From Heatmap: Clean Energy Looks to (Mostly) Come Out Ahead After the Supreme Court's Tariff Ruling--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by ...Accelerate your clean energy career with Yale's online certificate programs. Explore the 10-month Financing and Deploying Clean Energy program or the 5-month Clean and Equitable Energy Development program. Use referral code HeatMap26 and get your application in by the priority deadline for $500 off tuition to one of Yale's online certificate programs in clean energy. Learn more at cbey.yale.edu/online-learning-opportunities.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What could more assertive US foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere — driven by the so-called “Donroe Doctrine”— mean for the global order? Hal Brands, professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Mauricio Claver-Carone, President Trump's former Special Envoy for Latin America, and managing partner of the Latin America Real Assets Opportunity Fund, explore what's driving this more assertive posture and its implications with Allison Nathan on the latest episode of Goldman Sachs Exchanges. This episode explores the latest Top of Mind report: https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/top-of-mind/americas-first This episode was recorded on January 12, 13, and 30, 2026. The opinions and views expressed herein are as of the date of publication, subject to change without notice and may not necessarily reflect the institutional views of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates. The material provided is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to take any particular action, or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities or financial products. This material may contain forward-looking statements. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates make any representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or information contained herein and disclaim any liability whatsoever for reliance on such information for any purpose. Each name of a third-party organization mentioned is the property of the company to which it relates is used here strictly for informational and identification purposes only and is not used to imply any ownership or license rights between any such company and Goldman Sachs. A transcript is provided for convenience and may differ from the original video or audio content. Goldman Sachs is not responsible for any errors in the transcript. This material should not be copied, distributed, published, or reproduced in whole or in part or disclosed by any recipient to any other person without the express written consent of Goldman Sachs. Disclosures applicable to research with respect to issuers, if any, mentioned herein are available through your Goldman Sachs representative or at www.GS.com/research/hedge.html. Goldman Sachs does not endorse any candidate or any political party. Copyright 2026, Goldman Sachs, all rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 29, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, journalist, and author of "Autocracy, Inc." Anne Applebaum and journalist, lawyer, and founder of the "Popular Information" newsletter Judd Legum joined moderator Charlie Sykes, author of the "To the Contrary" newsletter and podcast, for a timely discussion on how political power is being reshaped in the U.S. and globally—and what it means for democracy.The conversation examined how democratic institutions are increasingly undermined through gradual, legal changes that concentrate power, weaken accountability, and reward loyalty over principle. Speakers emphasized that the greatest danger lies not in any single leader, but in systems that normalize corruption, disinformation, and politicized governance.Ukraine emerged as a critical test of democratic resolve, highlighting the global stakes of the moment.The discussion concluded with a clear warning and reminder: democracy does not sustain itself—it survives only when citizens choose to defend it.CALL TO ACTION:Support Joyce Uptown Foodshelf (https://www.joyceuptownfoodshelf.org/)Support MIRAC (https://www.givemn.org/organization/M...)Check out Anne's newsletter “Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum”: https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/Explore Judd's newsletter “Popular Information”: https://popular.info/Visit Charlie's newsletter and podcast “To the Contrary”: https://charliesykes.substack.com/ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:Anne Applebaum is staff writer for The Atlantic and author of the best-selling 2020 book "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" and her latest book "Autocracy, Inc." Applebaum is also a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the SNF Agora Institute, where she co-directs Arena, a program on disinformation and 21st-century propaganda.Judd Legum is the founder and author of "Popular Information", an independent newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism. Popular Information won the 2020 Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Newsletters, and the 2025 David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism. Its reporting was credited by Bloomberg for bringing a “political reckoning” to corporate America. Previously, Legum founded and served as editor-in-chief of "ThinkProgress", a progressive media outlet. In 2008, Legum was the research director for Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Pomona College.Charlie Sykes is the author of the Substack newsletter, "To the Contrary", and contributes to The Atlantic and MSNBC. His most recent book, "How the Right Lost Its Mind", published by St. Martin's Press, was released in October 2017.Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, Commentary, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time.com, USA Today, National Review, The New York Review of Books, the New York Daily News, and other national publications. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigtentnews.substack.com

Keir Starmer is in Beijing meeting Xi Jinping, as Britain looks to reset ties with China. Is this a glimpse of a new world order - one where America's traditional allies start to look elsewhere? For some, it's an inevitable response to the breakdown of the US-led order that could usher in a more balanced world that reflects growing power outside of the West. For others, it's a dangerous shift accelerated by President Trump, that increases the risk of great-power war.To discuss, I'm joined by Robert Kagan, a staff writer at The Atlantic and Washington foreign-policy insider whose ideas have shaped US strategy for decades, author and scholar Amitav Acharya, who has long criticised the US-led world order, and Nathalie Tocc, professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Europe, and a senior fellow at Bocconi University's Institute for European Policymaking.

In February 2026, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty bilateral between Russia and the United States is set to expire. The aim of the New START agreement was to reduce and limit the number of strategic nuclear warheads, but once this treaty comes to an end it means there will no longer be rules on the cap of these nuclear weapons. The legal provisions in the treaty for a one-time five-year extension, were used in 2021. The multilateral Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is still in place, to which 190 countries are signatories. The general idea behind the NPT was for nuclear countries to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, with the goal of complete disarmament. Whilst those countries without nuclear weapons would commit to not pursuing them. In 1995 the members agreed to extend the treaty indefinitely, but it is not without its challenges. Four nuclear powers sit outside the NPT and there are rifts between the non-nuclear and nuclear states. So, on The Inquiry this week we're asking, ‘Is nuclear disarmament set to self-destruct?'Contributors: Hermann Wentker, Professor of Modern History, University of Potsdam and Head of Berlin Research Department, The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Germany Alexandra Bell, President and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, USA Mike Albertson, arms-control expert, former negotiator on New START arms reduction treaty, USA Nathalie Tocci, Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies), ItalyPresenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Evie Yabsley Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Editor: Tom Bigwood(Photo: Deck of the nuclear submarine Saphir. Credit: Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Has Iran experienced more foreign interventions than other countries? What really happened to Iran in 1953? And why are Iranians reinterpreting its history now?

00:08 — Narges Bajoghli is Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. She is the author of How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare. 00:33 — Mitchell Plitnick, is a political analyst and writer. He is the president of ReThinking Foreign Policy, and is co-author, with Marc Lamont Hill, of Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics. The post Protests in Iran Escalate as Internet is Shut Off; Plus, Is AIPAC's Influence in US Politics Declining? appeared first on KPFA.

A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN: The Making and Meaning of Mt. Rushmore, by Matthew Davis (St. Martin's Press), is a powerful comprehensive history of Mt. Rushmore, written in light of recent political controversies, and a timely retrospective for the monument's 100th anniversary in 2025. Davis has penned an impressive work of narrative nonfiction, combining history with reportage, bringing this complicated and nuanced story of the famous, and infamous, mountain to life.ABOUT THE AUTHORMatthew Davis is the author of When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter's Tale. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Guernica, among other publications. He has been an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellow at New America, a Fellow at The Black Mountain Institute at UNLV, and a Fulbright Fellow to Syria and Jordan. He holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa and an MA in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Davis lives in Washington DC with his wife, a diplomat, and their two young kids.#mtrushmore #authorpodcast #speakingofwriterspodcast

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Mike Kuiken, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's latest annual report to Congress and how China is working to reshape the global balance of power.    This is the sixth episode in a special series from The President's Inbox, bringing you conversations with Washington insiders to assess whether the United States is ready for a new, more dangerous world.   Mentioned on the Episode:   U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, "2025 Annual Report to Congress"   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/are-we-ready-chinas-campaign-reshape-global-order-hal-brands-and-michael-kuiken

Convicted felon Donald Trump got booed at an NFL game after our euphoric election. So the elites in Congress hit the panic button. This is World War III in America: oligarchy, Big Tech, and Democratic Senators obeying in advance.  Here to help us get back on track is Evgeny Finkel, a historian at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and the author of Intent to Destroy: Russia's Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine and other works on  the anatomy of evil. He shares his advice for building an opposition to fascism in the U.S. and what he fears more than a MAGA dictatorship–a civil war.  For our bonus episode this week, Gaslit Nation answers your questions about crisis, rising autocracy and more! To listen to the bonus, subscribe to our Patreon at the Truth-Teller level ($5/month) or higher. We are extremely grateful to our listeners who are keeping us afloat during very difficult economic circumstances. Every bit of support helps give us the freedom to tell the truth, so thank you again for making Gaslit Nation possible! Want to hear Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Intent to Destroy Russia's Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/eugene-finkel/intent-to-destroy/9781541604674/   Why We Must Inherit the Third American Revolution https://avantjournal.com/2024/04/08/why-we-must-inherit-the-third-american-revolution/   CLIP: Trump getting booed at an NFL game in Maryland: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3m5a7te2sva2q   CLIP: https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3m4y34obdzk2o   CLIP: Sen. Angus King: "Standing up to Donald Trump didn't work" https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m5bqhe6mrx26   CLIP: Q: Will you assure House Democrats they'll get a vote on ACA subsidies by a date certain? MIKE JOHNSON: Ah -- no. I'm not promising anyone anything. https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m4xvxwbikg2h   CLIP: George Carlin – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhqPHQcVeH0    Democrat Aftyn Behn's Chances of Winning GOP Tennessee House Seat—Polls https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-aftyn-behns-chances-of-winning-gop-tennessee-house-seat-polls-11024292   Aftyn Behn (D), Matt Van Epps (R), and four independent candidates are running in the special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District https://news.ballotpedia.org/2025/11/06/aftyn-behn-d-matt-van-epps-r-and-four-independent-candidates-are-running-in-the-special-election-for-tennessees-7th-congressional-district/   8 Senators Break Ranks With Democrats and Advance G.O.P. Plan to End Shutdown Two of them are retiring, and none of the others face re-election in 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/us/politics/senators-democrat-shutdown-vote.html   Gil Duran: "In 2022, Peter Thiel protégé Balaji Srinivasan—formerly of Andreessen Horowitz and Coinbase—envisioned a Second American Civil War. He predicted it would be triggered by Bitcoin. This is how it would work" https://bsky.app/profile/gilduran.com/post/3m5decrbsv22n   NEWS: The UK is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. https://bsky.app/profile/natashabertrand.bsky.social/post/3m5efzunquc2n   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: December 1st 4pm ET – Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky + Total Resistance by H. Von Dach – Poetry and guerrilla strategy: tools for survival and defiance. Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here.  Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: join here. Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available here. Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available here. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available here. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

The U.S. has carried out multiple strikes on boats in the Caribbean off of Venezuela, killing dozens of people. And yet there's very little legal rationale for the military action we've seen. Benjamin Gedan is a senior fellow and director of the Latin America Program at the Stimson Center and Adjunct Lecturer and Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also served as the South America director on the National Security Council staff in the Obama administration. Gedan joins WITHpod to discuss the U.S.' relationship with Venezuela, thoughts on regime changes, military pressure ratcheting up and more.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Political Economy, I'm chatting with Hal Brands about America's place in the changing global order. Under the Trump administration, the US has acted less as an “ordering power,” as Brands puts it, than it has over the past century. We talk about the evolving relationship between the US and its allies, in addition to the role of emerging technology in the competition with China.Brands is a senior fellow here at AEI, where he researches US foreign policy and defense strategy. He is also the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His newest book, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, is available now.

This week President Erdogan said Turkey had entered a ‘new juncture' in the Kurdish peace process, signalling he was open to the idea of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan addressing lawmakers. In another startling move, he also suggested that he was open to the release of the jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş. Lisel Hintz, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and an expert on Turkey, joins Thanos Davelis to break down what these steps could mean for the Kurdish peace process.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Erdoğan says Turkey has entered ‘new juncture' in Kurdish peace processIonian Sea gas exploration deal a ‘vote of confidence'Greece deepens US energy ties with first gas exploration deal in 40 yearsAnkara dismisses Eurofighter use conditions

In late September, Senior Editor Will Kaback spoke with two experts on Russia, Ukraine, and the war. In part 2, Will spoke with Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Applebaum has also written several books on Russia and Ukraine and reported on the rise of autocracy and authoritarianism around the world. Tangle LIVE tickets are available!* We're excited to announce that our third installment of Tangle Live will be held on October 24, 2025, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Irvine, California. If you're in the area (or want to make the trip), we'd love to have you join Isaac and the team for a night of spirited discussion, live Q&A, and opportunities to meet the team in person. You can read more about the event and purchase tickets here.Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.