Podcasts about foreign affairs

The world has reached various inflection points, or so we are often told. Advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence, promises to transform our way of life. In geopolitics, the growing competition between China and the United States heralds an uncertain new era. And within many democracies, the old assumptions that undergirded politics are in doubt; liberalism appears to be in disarray and illiberal forces on the rise.  Few scholars are grappling with the many dimensions of the current moment quite like Daron Acemoglu is. “The world is in the throes of a pervasive crisis,” he wrote in Foreign Affairs in 2023, a crisis characterized by widening economic inequalities and a breakdown in public trust. Acemoglu is a Nobel Prize–winning economist, but his research and writing has long strayed beyond the conventional bounds of his discipline. He has written famously, in the bestselling book Why Nations Fail, about how institutions determine the success of countries. He has explored how technological advances have transformed—or indeed failed to transform—societies. And more recently he has turned his attention to the crisis facing liberal democracy, one accentuated by economic alienation and the threat of technological change. Deputy Editor Kanishk Tharoor spoke with Acemoglu about a stormy world of overlapping crises and about how the ship of liberal democracy might be steered back on course. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Cork-born Josephine McNeill became the first Irish woman to head a diplomatic mission abroad in 1949. What would she make of this week's promotion of Helen McEntee to Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, almost eight decades after her own appointment?That's the question that Clodagh Finn asks. The Columnist with the Irish Examiner, author and Researcher of Women's History joins Seán to chat more about the first female envoy who paved the way in foreign affairs…

Soon after USAID was closed in February, speculation circulated that China would move quickly to fill the void left by the United States. That did not happen. While the Chinese did step in to provide modest additional funding for a handful of programs, like demining initiatives in Cambodia and support for the Africa CDC in Addis Ababa, overall, there's been no significant change in China's foreign aid programs. That did not surprise Alicia Chen, a PhD candidate at Stanford University, who noted in a recent Foreign Affairs article that Beijing is very tactical with where and how it distributes overseas development assistance. Alicia joins Eric to discuss Beijing's foreign aid strategy and how it differs from other major donors.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck confronts the alarming rise of antisemitism following a mass shooting that targeted Jews in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah, reflecting on how hatred now crosses traditional political lines and sharing his own family’s experiences. He argues that social media has become a primary accelerant—profiting from outrage, trapping people in media silos, and rewarding the most extreme voices—while insisting that free speech does not guarantee unlimited reach. The conversation widens to the urgent need for tech reform, growing support for restricting smartphones for kids, and public backlash to Donald Trump’s hands-off approach to regulating AI. Chuck also examines Trump’s foreign policy actions, economic excuses, and erosion of constitutional norms, warning that the U.S. is drifting toward “competitive authoritarianism.” Despite the dangers of normalization and resignation, the episode closes with a reminder that America still has the capacity to push back and reclaim democratic guardrails. Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, joins the Chuck ToddCast for a wide-ranging conversation about why America’s political system feels increasingly broken—and what reforms could actually fix it. Troiano explains how ranked-choice voting and primary reform can weaken the grip of the two-party system, produce more representative outcomes, and give voters in places like Alaska and Louisiana more meaningful choices. They unpack why partisan primaries reward conflict over problem-solving, how safe districts all but decide elections before voters reach the general, and why unaffiliated voters are often locked out of taxpayer-funded contests. The discussion expands to the broader reform landscape, from redistricting and campaign finance to unconventional ideas like compulsory representation and even randomly selected legislatures. Troiano argues that periods of political turmoil and inequality have historically led to democratic breakthroughs—and that today’s moment may demand the same. As power continues to consolidate and parties work to protect their advantage, this episode explores whether structural reform, rather than new personalities, is the only path to a healthier, more functional democracy. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the political and cultural impact of The Simpsons, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and recaps the latest in college football. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:00 Mass shooting targets Jews in Australia on first night of Hanukkah 04:30 Antisemitism comes from both sides of the political aisle 06:00 Chuck’s family’s experience with antisemitism 07:15 Biggest culprit in rise in antisemitism is social media 09:45 Social media companies profit from destroying kids & country 11:00 People need to step out of their media silos 13:30 You have the right to speech but not to reach 16:00 Tech companies need to be the focal point for major reform 17:00 Trump’s “light touch” approach to regulating AI is very unpopular 18:45 Tech can get what they want by writing a check to Trump 20:15 Growing support for restricting smartphones for kids/teens 21:15 Most extreme content reaches the most online men* 22:30 Mark Warner says “double tap” strike was 40 mins later 23:30 Strike was indefensible, it’s why Pentagon won’t release video 25:30 Trump has no legal authority from congress for strikes 28:00 Trump basically admits Republicans will lose the midterms 29:00 Trump has begun the excuse making for a bad economy 30:15 Trump spent time working on DC’s golf courses 31:30 Foreign Affairs essay says USA is in competitive authoritarianism 34:30 Trump’s actions subvert rule of law & the constitution 35:15 Competitive authoritarians turn state power on enemies 37:45 Large swaths of the media have caved to the Trump administration 40:00 After Watergate, authoritarian abuse had disappeared… until Trump 41:00 America still has hope for turning away authoritarianism 41:30 Greatest danger is acceptance and resignation 49:15 Nick Troiano joins the Chuck ToddCast 50:30 How did you get started with Unite America 51:30 There’s been pushback to ranked choice voting in recent years 52:15 Ranked choice voting is a salve for partisan primaries 54:15 New York and Maine are only partially ranked choice system 55:45 There are good ways to present ranked choice results 56:15 The current non-ranked system favors the two major parties 58:00 Runoff elections get a bad rap 59:45 Louisiana has a more functional political system due to electoral reform 1:00:45 More Alaskan voters can cast a “meaningful” ballot due to ranked choice 1:02:45 Ranked choice seems to be more beneficial to center left than center right 1:04:00 Ranked choice opponents trying to repeal it in Alaska 1:05:15 The two party wants to protect their power & fight against ranked choice 1:06:15 The status quo is causing our current politics to unravel 1:06:45 What states do you expect to be on the ballot with primary reform? 1:08:00 There’s movement to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in primaries 1:09:00 Politics has become about fighting rather than solving problems 1:11:15 Why is it so hard to galvanize the centrist voters? 1:13:00 Without a representative congress, we’ll get terrible policies 1:13:30 Without competitive elections, we get bad career politicians 1:16:00 Is there an order democracy reforms will need to be passed? 1:18:15 There are multiple potential pathways to make democracy better 1:20:00 Periods of major turmoil & inequality historically lead to major reforms 1:21:15 Is it difficult to find wealthy donors to back nonpartisan reforms? 1:23:15 Strong executive leadership makes it easier for legislatures to follow 1:24:30 Redistricting reform had strong support & has gone in the opposite direction 1:25:30 Trump is weaponizing the primary system to force redistricting 1:27:45 90% of districts in the midterms will be decided before the general election 1:28:30 In safe districts you only can choose what type of Dem/GOP candidate 1:29:30 Should be able to vote on any candidate in taxpayer funded elections 1:31:15 It’s strange that government requires public party affiliation records 1:32:30 Parties shouldn’t be allowed to ask voters to sign party pledge 1:33:30 Campaign finance reform is a salient issue to most voters 1:35:15 We used to be far more engaged politically at the local level 1:37:45 What if we randomly selected legislatures like we do juries 1:38:45 Rural states might be open to compulsory representation 1:40:15 Thoughts on a constitutional convention? 1:41:45 The electoral college is working as intended, but needs updating 1:42:30 The bar is very high for ratification during a convention 1:43:15 If power continues to consolidate, a convention becomes more necessary 1:44:00 Any itch to run for office again? 1:44:45 What are the major issues running as an independent candidate? 1:46:15 There are fewer gatekeepers for getting attention as a candidate 1:48:15 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Nick Troiano 1:49:15 ToddCast Time Machine December 17th, 1989 1:49:30 Debut of The Simpsons 1:50:45 Simpsons has outlasted entire media eras 1:51:15 Simpsons is brilliant at parodying politics & culture 1:52:00 Burns runs for governor teaches lessons of campaigns 1:52:45 Monorail episode shows failures of debt financing infrastructure 1:53:45 Lisa goes to Washington a great explainer of how DC works 1:54:30 Sideshow Bob rigs an election and wins anyway 1:56:00 Simpsons has had cameos from major political voices 1:56:30 Simpsons spawned an entire industry for adult animation 1:57:30 South Park’s “Simpson’s Did It” was the perfect omage 1:58:15 The Simpsons made audiences smarter about how to consume politics 1:58:30 Ask Chuck 1:59:15 Did Adam Schiff hurt or help Mandella Barnes by endorsing him? 2:02:00 A “shave your head” bet between you and Cillizza over A&M vs Miami? 2:05:15 Why has the donor class become the priority over the public? 2:09:15 Why can companies absorb tariff costs, but can’t raise wages? 2:12:30 College football updateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck confronts the alarming rise of antisemitism following a mass shooting that targeted Jews in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah, reflecting on how hatred now crosses traditional political lines and sharing his own family’s experiences. He argues that social media has become a primary accelerant—profiting from outrage, trapping people in media silos, and rewarding the most extreme voices—while insisting that free speech does not guarantee unlimited reach. The conversation widens to the urgent need for tech reform, growing support for restricting smartphones for kids, and public backlash to Donald Trump’s hands-off approach to regulating AI. Chuck also examines Trump’s foreign policy actions, economic excuses, and erosion of constitutional norms, warning that the U.S. is drifting toward “competitive authoritarianism.” Despite the dangers of normalization and resignation, the episode closes with a reminder that America still has the capacity to push back and reclaim democratic guardrails. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the political and cultural impact of The Simpsons, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and recaps the latest in college football. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 2:00 Mass shooting targets Jews in Australia on first night of Hanukkah 3:30 Antisemitism comes from both sides of the political aisle 5:00 Chuck’s family’s experience with antisemitism 6:15 Biggest culprit in rise in antisemitism is social media 8:45 Social media companies profit from destroying kids & country 10:00 People need to step out of their media silos 12:30 You have the right to speech but not to reach 15:00 Tech companies need to be the focal point for major reform 16:00 Trump’s “light touch” approach to regulating AI is very unpopular 17:45 Tech can get what they want by writing a check to Trump 19:15 Growing support for restricting smartphones for kids/teens 20:15 Most extreme content reaches the most online men* 21:30 Mark Warner says “double tap” strike was 40 mins later 22:30 Strike was indefensible, it’s why Pentagon won’t release video 24:30 Trump has no legal authority from congress for strikes 27:00 Trump basically admits Republicans will lose the midterms 28:00 Trump has begun the excuse making for a bad economy 29:15 Trump spent time working on DC’s golf courses 30:30 Foreign Affairs essay says USA is in competitive authoritarianism 33:30 Trump’s actions subvert rule of law & the constitution 34:15 Competitive authoritarians turn state power on enemies 36:45 Large swaths of the media have caved to the Trump administration 39:00 After Watergate, authoritarian abuse had disappeared… until Trump 40:00 America still has hope for turning away authoritarianism 40:30 Greatest danger is acceptance and resignation 47:30 ToddCast Time Machine December 17th, 1989 47:45 Debut of The Simpsons 49:00 Simpsons has outlasted entire media eras 49:30 Simpsons is brilliant at parodying politics & culture 50:15 Burns runs for governor teaches lessons of campaigns 51:00 Monorail episode shows failures of debt financing infrastructure 52:00 Lisa goes to Washington a great explainer of how DC works 52:45 Sideshow Bob rigs an election and wins anyway 54:15 Simpsons has had cameos from major political voices 54:45 Simpsons spawned an entire industry for adult animation 55:45 South Park’s “Simpson’s Did It” was the perfect omage 56:30 The Simpsons made audiences smarter about how to consume politics 56:45 Ask Chuck 57:30 Did Adam Schiff hurt or help Mandella Barnes by endorsing him? 1:00:15 A “shave your head” bet between you and Cillizza over A&M vs Miami? 1:03:30 Why has the donor class become the priority over the public? 1:07:30 Why can companies absorb tariff costs, but can’t raise wages? 1:10:45 College football updateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs transformed itself into one of the most assertive diplomatic actors on the global stage? What explains the rise of “wolf warrior” practices, and how should we interpret Beijing's evolving diplomatic identity? In this episode, Duncan McCargo speaks with Dylan Loh, an Associate Professor in the Public Policy and Global Affairs programme at Nanyang Technological University (Dr. Dylan M.H. Loh - Associate Professor | International Relations Scholar | Chinese Foreign Policy), about his award-winning new book China's Rising Foreign Ministry: Practices and Representations of Assertive Diplomacy (Stanford University Press, 2024). Dylan Loh unpacks how Chinese diplomats craft narratives and balance assertiveness with professionalism, touching on institutional habitus, ritualised loyalty, and China's bid for discourse power on platforms like X. This conversation offers timely insights for anyone interested in Chinese foreign policy, diplomacy, and the future of great-power relations. Host: Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University. Podcast Editing: Ishaan Krishnan 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

How has China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs transformed itself into one of the most assertive diplomatic actors on the global stage? What explains the rise of “wolf warrior” practices, and how should we interpret Beijing's evolving diplomatic identity? In this episode, Duncan McCargo speaks with Dylan Loh, an Associate Professor in the Public Policy and Global Affairs programme at Nanyang Technological University (Dr. Dylan M.H. Loh - Associate Professor | International Relations Scholar | Chinese Foreign Policy), about his award-winning new book China's Rising Foreign Ministry: Practices and Representations of Assertive Diplomacy (Stanford University Press, 2024). Dylan Loh unpacks how Chinese diplomats craft narratives and balance assertiveness with professionalism, touching on institutional habitus, ritualised loyalty, and China's bid for discourse power on platforms like X. This conversation offers timely insights for anyone interested in Chinese foreign policy, diplomacy, and the future of great-power relations. Host: Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University. Podcast Editing: Ishaan Krishnan Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

Around the world, more and more communities are finding that climate change isn't only about rising temperatures or shifting weather patterns, but for many communities, the first signs of climate change appear in far more everyday pressures: a harvest that doesn't come in, a water source that no longer lasts the season, a job that disappears because the land or sea can no longer sustain it. And where pressures stack up, especially in places where institutions are weak, where inequalities run deep or where people feel excluded, climate pressure can widen fault lines and expose new vulnerabilities and present new risks.Today, we explore how climate stress becomes violence, and why understanding this nexus between violence and climate stress matters for governments, business, communities and for all of us thinking about future security threats.To do that, we are joined by Peter Schwartzstein, an award-winning British-American environmental journalist and researcher. He has reported on the conflict-climate nexus across 30+ countries in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond, writing for National Geographic, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, BBC, Bloomberg, and Foreign Policy. He is a fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, as well as the Stimson Center's Environmental Security Program.The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you're a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe's leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today's business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.Tell us what you liked!

The New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz is joined by the political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, who teach at Harvard, and Lucan A. Way, who teaches at the University of Toronto, for an installment of “How Bad Is It?,” a monthly series on the health of American democracy. In a new essay for the journal Foreign Affairs, “The Price of American Authoritarianism,” the scholars of government assert that President Trump's rapid consolidation of power in the first year of his second term has tipped the United States into authoritarianism—specifically, into competitive authoritarianism, in which elections persist but the ruling party rigs the system in its favor. The panel discusses how they arrived at their conclusions and suggests that not all is lost: America's authoritarian moment could be temporary. “The United States is in a very good place to resist,” Levitsky says. “Civil society is very robust and so there is a very high likelihood that Trump will fail.” The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine's writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Last week, the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy. Such documents are usually fairly staid exercises in lofty rhetoric. Not this one. It harshly rebukes the strategies of prior administrations, highlighting what Trump's team sees as the failures of traditional foreign policy elites. It pointedly criticizes Washington's traditional allies in Europe and fixates on security issues in the Western Hemisphere, but it has little to say about American rivals such as China and Russia. In recent weeks, the administration has provided a demonstration of what its strategy looks like in practice, launching controversial strikes against boats allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and mulling military intervention in Venezuela, while also putting the trade war with China on hold and pushing for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine. To Kori Schake, this approach represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the means and ends of American power. Now a senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Schake served on the National Security Council and in the State Department in the George W. Bush administration, and she has become one of Trump's sharpest critics. What she sees from the administration is “solipsism masquerading as strategy,” as she put it in her most recent piece for Foreign Affairs. Schake argues that the administration's actions—and the worldview undergirding them—are based on “faulty assumptions” with potentially dire consequences: a United States hostile to its longtime allies, a brewing civil-military crisis at home, and a world order that could leave Washington behind.  You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Former Australian diplomat Jane Hardy joins this episode to discuss how Australia has engaged with North Korea over the past few decades, and what that experience reveals about diplomacy, deterrence and nuclear risk today.  Hardy, who spent over 30 years in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, shares insights from her work on Korean Peninsula issues during the Sunshine Policy era, including Australia's brief normalization with Pyongyang and her own visit to North Korea in 2001.  Jane Hardy is a former senior Australian diplomat who has served in seven long-term overseas missions, four at ambassador level. She also held numerous senior executive positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra, during her 33-year career. Jane is now a senior fellow at the U.S. Studies Center, Sydney University advising the Women in the Alliance program.  About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists. NK News subscribers can listen to this and other exclusive episodes from their preferred podcast player by accessing the private podcast feed. For more detailed instructions, please see the step-by-step guide at nknews.org/private-feed.

Our guest today, Lizzi Lee, is smart, daring and unconventional. After earning a PhD in economics from MIT, Lizzi Lee took a bold right turn and dove into research and writing. A few weeks ago, Lizzi wrote a very compelling piece in Foreign Affairs about the risks facing Chinese companies - price wars and vanishing margins at home. The stubborn underlying problem is that China cannot shake itself free from chronic overcapacity. Well, why not, we might wonder. Just shout down the extra plants and get supply in line with demand. It's more complicated than that, of course, especially in China where jobs and stability are number one. Too much capacity, too little profits making everyone a little bit tired, a phenomenon the Chinese call involution or neijuan in Chinese to roll up or coil up.  Born in China, formative years in Hong Kong and Singapore, and now in America, Lizzi gives us an insider's view of the realities oin the ground in the PRC as we get ready to head in to 2026. 

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened marginal down this morning from yesterday's close, at 28,385 on turnover of 4.1-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Wednesday, as investors were optimistic that the U-S Federal Reserve would cut its key interest rates for a third time this year following its policy making meeting. While reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing will produce Nvidia's high-performance H-200 A-I chips and they will be made here in Taiwan also drove investor confidence higher. MOFA thanks allies for their support at annual Interpol meeting The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has thanked eight formal diplomatic allies for supporting Taiwan's bid to participate in Interpol during the agency's annual General Assembly in Morocco late last month. According to the ministry, senior officials from the Marshall Islands, Belize, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Paraguay, and Eswatini all spoke up on Taiwan's behalf. The foreign ministry says it delayed publicly thanking the allies until now because the assembly was held in a closed-door format (模式，格式), and it needed time to collect information on their respective addresses. Former digital minister warns TSMC faces rising cybersecurity risks Former Digital Affairs Minister Huang Yen-nan is warning that cyberattacks could be the most effective way for hostile actors to damage Taiwan's semiconductor advantage. According to Huang, companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing need to strengthen precautions. The former digital minister now heads (領導) Academia Sinica's Taiwan Information Security Center. Speaking at a conference on geopolitics and chip strategy, Huang said T-S-M-C's global influence has grown with A-I, making it "too big to fail," as any disruption to its production a national security concern. Venezuela Opposition Leader Appears in Public Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has appeared in public for the first time in 11 months. She appeared on a hotel balcony in Norway's capital early this morning and waved to supporters. Her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf (代表她) a day earlier. Machado had been in hiding since Jan. 9 after being briefly detained during a protest in Caracas. She was expected to attend the award ceremony Wednesday in Oslo but couldn't make it in time. EU leaders reject Trump "weak" comment European leaders have rejected claims (聲稱) from U.S. President Donald Trump that the continent is run by weak people. William Denselow reports from Brussels. Study: HumanClimateChange Caused Deadly Rainfall in Asia New analysis suggests that ocean temperatures warmed by human-caused climate change fed the intense rainfall that triggered deadly floods and landslides across Asia in recent weeks. The rapid study by World Weather Attribution focused on heavy rainfall from cyclones Senyar and Ditwah in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka starting late last month. The analysis found that warmer sea surface temperatures over the North Indian Ocean added energy to the cyclones. Floods and landslides triggered by (觸發於) the storms have killed more than 1,600 people, with hundreds more still missing. The cyclones are the latest in a series of deadly weather disasters affecting Southeast Asia this year, resulting in loss of life and property damage. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下為 SoundOn 動態廣告－－－－ 新感覺夾心土司 多種口味隨心挑選 讓你隨時隨地都有好心情 甜蜜口感草莓夾心、顆粒層次花生夾心、濃郁滑順可可夾心 主廚監製鮪魚沙拉、精選原料金黃蛋沙拉 輕巧美味帶著走，迎接多變的每一天 7-Eleven多種口味販售中 https://sofm.pse.is/8g33rz -- 全台南最多分店、最齊全物件，在地團隊懂台南，也懂你的需求。 不管是買屋、賣屋，還是從築夢到圓夢， 房子的大小事，交給台南住商，讓你更安心。 了解更多：https://sofm.pse.is/8fzk6l -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

We ask the NZ First leader and Minister of Foreign Affairs about “survive to ’25” and “the fix for ’26”. We also discuss the latest polls, RMA reforms, an FTA with India, and Stuart Nash. Plus, how many more elections does the 80-year-old have left in him?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast opens with Michael and Sylvain analyzing the most pressing developments shaping Canada's food and retail landscape. Sylvain reflects on the extraordinary national and global reach of Canada's Food Price Report, which this year generated unprecedented media attention and continues to influence retailers, manufacturers, governments, and consumers planning for 2026. They dig into the structural issues behind Canada's complex food-tax regime, discuss why the GST holiday changed how Canadians think about food pricing, and explore the broader economic forces influencing consumer behaviour.The hosts then turn to one of the most surprising developments of the season: mounting instability in the chicken sector. With nine consecutive missed production cycles, increased reliance on imports, and confusion around border testing, the system designed to provide stability is under strain. Sylvain breaks down why this matters for households, grocers, foodservice operators, and the broader supply chain—especially as chicken remains Canada's most-purchased protein. The conversation then expands southward to U.S. agricultural subsidies, tariff battles, Costco's legal challenge over tariff refunds, and the potential fallout of proposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian fertilizer.The second half of the episode shifts to a live interview recorded at the Coffee Association of Canada conference, where Michael and Sylvain sit down with Carman Allison, Vice President, NIQ Canada, one of the country's most respected consumer data voices. Carman previews his conference keynote, “Navigating Disruption,” and explains why coffee inflation is reshaping buying behaviour even among loyal consumers who consider coffee essential. He outlines NIQ's segmentation showing that 29% of Canadian households are now financially vulnerable—and how this is affecting deal-seeking, product substitution, and consumption patterns.Drawing on NIQ's expanded Omni Shopper Panel, Carman describes how rapid multicultural population growth is shifting beverage preferences, why Generation X now holds the greatest spending power, and how value-seeking is reshaping entire store categories. He also reveals early evidence of the GLP-1 effect, where households using weight-loss or diabetes medications show measurable declines in food consumption.Carman closes by highlighting growth opportunities in instant coffee, protein-and-coffee hybrids, Maple-forward flavour innovation, and the continued rise of home-meal-replacement programs. His insights give retailers and suppliers a grounded, data-rich roadmap for growth in a highly price-sensitive marketplace. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Amerykański prezydent wypowiadał się na temat polityki zagranicznej USA. Wskazywał na błędy popełniane przez Europę oraz mówił o możliwej interwencji w Wenezueli. Większość narodów europejskich jest w stanie rozkładu i dochodzi to do punktu, w którym będzie to nieodwracalne to oznacza, że te narody nie będą już silne - zmienią swoją ideologię ponieważ przyjeżdżający do Europy ludzie mają zupełnie inną -sprawi to, że będą znacznie słabsi i zupełnie inni, Nie podoba mi się to, co się dzieje w Londynie i w Paryżumówił Donald Trump we wspomnianym wywiadzie.Andrej Babiš ponownie premierem Czech. Jak zmieni się kurs polityki zagranicznej Pragi? Jak ułoży się współpraca między premierem Babišem a prezydentem Pavlem? Swoją prognozę przedstawia dr Krzysztof Dębiec, analityk Ośrodka Studiów Wschodnich.Zoom na Afrykę7 grudnia w Beninie doszło do nieudanej próby zamachu stanu. Jak doszło do tego, że ten przez wiele dziesięcioleci stabilny kraj nagle zaczyna przeżywać poważne wstrząsy? Wyjaśnia Paweł Wójcik, ekspert Opportunity Institute of Foreign Affairs. 

Greg is back and spends this hour reviewing his experience of being part of a delegation of over 1,000 Pastors and evangelical leaders who visited Israel as guests of Friends of Zion and the State of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from yesterday's close, at 28,190 on turnover of 3.8-billion N-T. The market lost ground on Tuesday as it followed most other regional markets and closed lower after Wall Street sank overnight as investors await the outcome of Wednesday's meeting of the U-S Federal Reserve and expectations of more interest rate cuts. MOFA protests South Korea listing it as part of China The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to urge South Korea to amend its electronic entry card system that lists Taiwan as part of China. The ministry says it has yet to receive a direct response from Seoul on the matter after highlighting (突出顯示) the error in its newly launched e-Arrival card system earlier this month. Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Liu Kun-hao is expressing the need for a correction - saying revising the island's designation underscores the importance of longstanding economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges between the two sides. Liu says there are serious concerns about the improper designation and the government is reviewing its overall relationship with South Korea - noting a large and long-standing trade deficit that highlights what he's describing as an unequal relationship. Taiwan raises long-term care tax deduction to NT$180,000 Lawmakers have approved an amendment that will raise the annual long-term care deduction to 180,000 N-T. The deduction previously stood at 120,000 N-T and the amendment to Article 17 of the Income Tax Act is aimed at easing (減輕) the financial burden of households supporting a dependent who requires long-term care. The change will apply retroactively from January 1 of this year and start to take effect in tax filings in May of 2026. Under Article 17 of the Income Tax Act, taxpayers may claim the deduction to taxable income for themselves, their spouses, or dependents officially recognized by the Ministry of Health as requiring long-term care due to physical or cognitive impairment. Zelenskyy refuses to cede land to Russia as he rallies European support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country will not cede (放棄) territory to Russia. AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports < Canada Ambassador to US Resigning Next Year Canada's ambassador to the U.S. for the last six years says she's resigning next year as the two major trading partners review the free trade agreement. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman said Tuesday it is the right time to put in place someone who will see a review of the free trade agreement through to conclusion. Canada's free trade deal with the U.S. is up for review in 2026. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Hillman “prepared (準備) the foundations for Canada in the upcoming review" of the agreement. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Hillman in 2017. She was the first woman appointed (任命) to the role. Hillman helped lead the trade negotiations during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term and worked with U.S. and Chinese officials to win the release of two Canadians detained in China. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下為 SoundOn 動態廣告－－－－ 天氣好冷來不及準備早餐

Today's Topics1) Latest Trump Peace Plan for Ukraine:  Trump  is claiming Ukraine President Zelensky 'hasn't yet read the latest proposal' but his people love it, as do the Russians?   What peace plan is he talking about?. Meanwhile, Zelensky on Monday met in London with the heads of states of Germany, France and UK to discuss European support for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.  What happens next?2)  Trump Administration Offers New US  National Security Strategy?:  On Friday December 5th,  President Trump released a new 'national security strategy' paper.  Putin supports the new US position of 'reestablishing strategic stability with Russia'.  But the plan also  warns of 'civilization erasure' in Europe in next 20 years.  Should we take this new strategy paper seriously?    3)  What Are The Eight "Peace Deals" Trump Claims?:  In the first year of his second term, Trump claims he has 'brought peace' to eight international conflicts.  What are they and how did he impact the wars?  Will these peace deals and cease fires last, or is it just a cosmetic pause?  4)  Phase Two of Trump's Peace Plan for Gaza?:  There is only one 'hostage body' remaining in Hamas captivity, so we seem very close to completing Phase One.  What happens in Phase Two?  Will an International Stabilization Force (ISF) be sent in?  If so, who are they and will the ISF be tasked with disarming Hamas militants?  Support the show

 The U.S. and China may be the world's current superpowers – but that doesn't mean they can ignore other countries. Emma Ashford is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, and she joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the implications of moving to a multipolarity, in which Russia, India and others hold increasing sway over global affairs. Her article “Making Multipolarity Work” was published by Foreign Affairs.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel is marching from Kfar Saba to Jerusalem carrying an Israeli flag, to highlight her opposition to the military exemption law in its current form being advanced in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, stating i that "we cannot allow this law to pass." KAn's Mark Weiss spoke with her, during a break in the march. (Photo:Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine; what Putin wants out of a settlement; the wider effects of the war on Europe; Jared Kushner is back; what AI is actually good for (according to a new study); gifts for the IR enthusiast in your life; and Marcus would like a map for ChristmasThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.Further Reading:Tejal Patwardhan et. al. 2025. “GDPval: Evaluating AI Model Performance on Real-World Economically Valuable Tasks.” OpenAI White Paper. IR books that make perfect holiday gifts:Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow Face to Face Diplomacy, by Marcus Holmes Inside the Situation Room, edited by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Karen Yarhi-Milo (featuring a chapter by Marcus Holmes)Featured items from the Cheap Talk shop:Cheap Talk Live commemorative t-shirtCeding Human Control mug Cheap Talk holographic sticker setAnd many more great IR gifts at the Cheap Talk shop!Jeff's other gift suggestions for the IR enthusiast:International News/Analysis: The Economist (discounted for teachers & faculty and for students), Foreign Affairs (discounted for students and teachers), War on the RocksScratch-off world mapUN Peacekeeper toy helmet International Spy Museum Store CIA Mug with George H.W. Bush signatureSee all Cheap Talk episodes

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Magid joins us from the Doha Forum, an annual gathering bringing together government officials, policymakers, civil society representatives and business leaders from around the world to discuss major global challenges. Qatar’s Prime Minister said yesterday that Doha does not consider the current situation in Gaza to be a ceasefire, arguing that this would require an Israeli withdrawal from the entirety of the enclave. At the same time, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for deploying the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza “as soon as possible,” claiming that Israel is using the absence of international monitors on the ground in Gaza to violate the ceasefire on a daily basis. We hear additional statements critical of Israel and discuss their significance, even as the Trump administration appears to announce that Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire will commence in the coming weeks. Also yesterday at the Doha Forum, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of “exporting crises” to other countries around the region to distract from its “horrifying massacres” in Gaza. We learn how those at the forum consider that the Syrian president, once denounced as a terrorist, is a legitimate actor in the region, whereas Israel is not. Piling on to the criticism against Israel at the forum, also yesterday, a senior Saudi diplomat said that while there is much focus in the international community on the need for the Palestinian Authority to engage in a comprehensive reform process, a reform of the Israeli government is what is most needed for peace in the region. Magid puts this new Saudi statement in the context of what we also learned yesterday: that the US and Saudi Arabia had reached understandings on the eve of Hamas’s October 7 attack regarding the concessions Israel would have to make vis-à-vis the Palestinians for Riyadh to normalize relations with Jerusalem. Magid previews what he has uncovered, which will be discussed more in depth in Friday's Lazar Focus podcast. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Qatari PM: Gaza truce can’t be considered ceasefire until Israel leaves the Strip Trump says next phase of his Gaza plan will soon commence amid concern it’s stalling Syria’s Sharaa slams Israel for ‘exporting’ conflict to region to hide Gaza ‘massacres’ Senior Saudi diplomat: It’s Israel, not PA , that most needs reform to secure peace ToI reveals: US and Saudis reached understandings on Palestinian component of normalization before Oct. 7 The day after that never came: How time ran out on Blinken’s plan for postwar Gaza Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Pod-Waves. IMAGE: (From L) CEO and President of the International Crisis Group Comfort Ero, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Saudi Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs's minister plenipotentiary Manal Radwan attend the opening day of the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference, in Doha on December 6, 2025. (Mahmud HAMS / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A look back on the stories of the week on our Friday Forum. Joining Pat this morning on the panel was Fine Gael TD for Louth Paula Butterly, Labour TD for Dublin Fingal East and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence Ducan Smith and Christina Finn, political editor with Thejournal.ie.

New START, the last bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, will expire in February 2026 if Washington and Moscow do not reach an understanding on its extension—as they have signaled they are interested to do. What would the end of New START mean for U.S.-Russia relations and the arms control architecture that had for decades contributed to stability among great powers?Lawfare Public Service Fellow Ariane Tabatabai sits down with John Drennan, Robert A. Belfer International Affairs Fellow in European Security, at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Matthew Sharp, Fellow at MIT's Center for Nuclear Security Policy, to discuss what New START is, the implications of its expiration, and where the arms control regime might go from here.For further reading, see:“Putin's Nuclear Offer: How to Navigate a New START Extension,” by John Drennan and Erin D. Dumbacher, Council on Foreign Relations“No New START: Renewing the U.S.-Russian Deal Won't Solve Today's Nuclear Dilemmas,” by Eric S. Edelman and Franklin C. Miller, Foreign Affairs“2024 Report to Congress on Implementation of the New START Treaty,” from the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, U.S. Department of StateTo receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,379.Today, after Tuesday's inconsequential meeting in Moscow, Ukrainian negotiators are updating European counterparts on Kyiv's response before flying to meet Steve Witkoff in Miami. We consider why U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has lambasted European NATO allies for prioritising their own defence industries over American suppliers – comments made just as another billion dollars was added to the PURL fund – and we ask whether, if Pokrovsk has indeed fallen, Russia will now shift its efforts toward Zaporizhzhia oblast. And later, we return to the GRU's murder of British woman Dawn Sturgess by nerve agent in 2018, as the final report into her death is released.ContributorsDominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Hamish De Bretton-Gordon (Former British Army Tank Commander). @HamishDBGon on X.SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.CONTENT REFERENCED:Trump: I don't know what the Kremlin is doing (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/12/03/trump-i-dont-know-what-the-kremlin-is-doing/ Britain can't let the man Putin hates most die in prison (Sir Tom Stoppard in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/19/britain-cant-let-the-man-putin-hates-most-die-in-prison/ The West's Last Chance (Alexander Stubb, Finland's President, in Foreign Affairs):https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/wests-last-chance Top US official berates Europe over cutting American industry out of defense buildup (POLITICO):https://www.politico.eu/article/christopher-landau-top-us-official-berates-europe-nato-cut-industry-defense-buildup/ LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestSubscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last decade, American foreign policymakers have been forced to reckon with a shifting global balance of power. Theorists have long argued over the shape of international order. But such questions now occupy practitioners, as well, as they grapple with the end of the unipolar moment that followed the Cold War and struggle to shape new strategies that account for new geopolitical realities. Emma Ashford is a leading proponent of a more restrained U.S. foreign policy. In an essay for Foreign Affairs, as well as in her new book First Among Equals, she argues that American policymakers must, above all, get comfortable with the fact of a multipolar world. “Instead of artificially cleaving the world in two,” she writes, “the United States should choose to embrace multipolarity and craft strategy accordingly.”  Ashford joined Dan Kurtz-Phelan on Monday, November 17, to discuss this new order, how the Biden and Trump administrations have dealt with these changes, and how the United States must adapt to thrive in a multipolar age. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Pastor Rich Jones and Dr. Matthew Dodd were invited by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Friends of Zion Ministry to travel to Israel for the Ambassador Summit 2025 – 1,000 Pastors United. In this episode of the Blessors of Israel Podcast, Dr. Dodd shares his initial reflections from the Nova Festival site, where Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in the tragic deaths of 400 individuals and the hostage-taking of over 40 others.Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, War, WWIII, Hamas, Anti-Semitism, October 7, 2023, Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan, Qatar, Egypt, Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hostages, Nova Festival Site

In this action and insight-packed episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois sit down with Hugo Magnan, President of Groupe MAG, the Quebec-based culinary innovator behind some of Canada's most delicious mayonnaise, salad dressings, dips, and sauces. Hugo shares the company's origin story — founded in 1989 by his father Jacques — and explains how Groupe MAG carved out a loyal following through premium ingredients, bold flavours, and a commitment to craft. Michael even reveals his own culinary experiments using MAG mayonnaise in a Texan-style potato salad, highlighting the brand's versatility and taste advantage over mainstream competitors. The conversation explores the future of condiments, how regional producers scale nationally, and why MAG's formula resonates with consumers craving authenticity and umami-rich flavours.The second half of the episode pivots to the newly released Canada's Food Price Report, featuring a detailed breakdown of projected food inflation for 2026. Using AI-driven forecasting, Sylvain's research team anticipates grocery price increases of 4–6% next year — adding nearly $1,000 annually for a family of four. Meat, centre-aisle pantry goods, and restaurant meals are expected to drive most inflation, while coffee prices are entering what Michael calls “eye-watering levels” due to global supply constraints. Sylvain warns that restructuring by major food manufacturers may lead to fewer product choices, reducing competition and elevating prices, particularly in packaged foods.Yet, amid affordability challenges, the report identifies positive shifts. Canadian consumers are entering 2026 more informed, intentional, and empowered than during the pandemic inflation wave. Shopping trips per household have risen from five to more than seven per month, as families comparison-shop, loyalty surf, and embrace food rescue apps, private label alternatives, and price-matching codes. Structural forces — from discount grocer expansion in Quebec to declining alcohol consumption in restaurants — are also reshaping the retail landscape. Restaurants, facing lower bar revenues, will need to reinvent profitability while consumers lean more into at-home dining.Whether you're a food lover curious about better mayonnaise, a retailer navigating shifting economics, or a policy-watcher tracking food affordability, this episode blends culinary storytelling with hard-hitting data, offering both delicious inspiration and serious insight into the year ahead. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Interview recorded - 2nd of December, 2025On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Warwick Powell. Warwick is an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Professor working at the intersection of China, digital technologies, supply chains, financial flows and global political economy & governance.During our conversation we spoke about Warwick's overview of 2025, accelerating shift away from US hegemony, BRICS institution, currency and more. I hope you enjoy!0:00 - Introduction0:57 - Overview of 20256:50 - Accelerating US hegemonic shift?12:25 - Drivers of Western challenges18:28 - Real capital investment into US23:44 - AI impact on employment28:18 - Shifting alliances33:25 - BRICS institutions39:03 - European type alliance42:01 - BRICS currency48:33 - One message to takeaway?Warwick began his career in academia, teaching Chinese history and European cultural history at Griffith University. He graduated with First Class Honours and is the recipient of the prestigious University Medal for Academic Excellence. Warwick was also awarded a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade scholarship to undertake postgraduate studies at People's University, Beijing. He deferred his studies to begin work for Kevin Rudd in the Queensland Government.He is the chairman and founder of Sister City Partners Limited, a not-for-profit investment bank focusing on developing links between regional Australia and the markets of Asia. Through this work, Warwick has experience in diverse industries including cattle and sheep production and processing, information and communication technology, infrastructure, energy, natural resources, travel and tourism and property development.He is a director of a number of funds management companies responsible for funds established under an ASIC-approved Australian Financial Services License. He is a member of the Central Highlands Accelerate Agribusiness Advisory Board and was the founding Treasurer of Innovation NQ Inc., a not-for-profit innovation incubator in North Queensland.He continues to teach professional courses in areas such as innovation, creativity, regional economic development and blockchain technology with James Cook University, QUT and Edith Cowan University.Warwick Powell: LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/warwickpowellSubstack - https://substack.com/@warwickpowell Twitter - https://x.com/baoshaoshanWTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Russia President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss a potential peace deal in Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, joins the FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition to discuss how the war has impacted the country, the need for more international support to fight back against Russia, and what he thinks Ukrainians will and will not accept in a peace deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Russia President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss a potential peace deal in Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, joins the FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition to discuss how the war has impacted the country, the need for more international support to fight back against Russia, and what he thinks Ukrainians will and will not accept in a peace deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Russia President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss a potential peace deal in Ukraine. Dmytro Kuleba, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, joins the FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition to discuss how the war has impacted the country, the need for more international support to fight back against Russia, and what he thinks Ukrainians will and will not accept in a peace deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are Greenland's vision and priorities in the Arctic and the world? And how is the government addressing opportunities and challenges in the region?Joining the conversation are:Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and ResearchNaaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenland's Minister for Business, Energy, Natural Resources, Justice and EqualityNivi Olsen, Greenland's Minister for Education, Culture, Sports and ChurchModerating is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Chairman of Arctic Circle and former President of Iceland.This Session was recorded live at the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly, held in Reykjavík, Iceland, from October 16th to 18th.Arctic Circle is the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, Indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others interested in the development of the Arctic and its consequences for the future of the globe. It is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. Learn more about Arctic Circle at www.ArcticCircle.org or contact us at secretariat@arcticcircle.orgTWITTER:@_Arctic_CircleFACEBOOK:The Arctic CircleINSTAGRAM:arctic_circle_org

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Kate Carruthers. Kate is currently the head of data analytics and AI at the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She shares her journey from defending Westfield against state and non-state cyber attacks to leading UNSW's enterprise data, AI, and cybersecurity efforts, including delivering the university's first production AI system in 2019 and re-architecting its cloud data platform for AI and ML. She notes boardrooms are evolving from basic cyber literacy to probing AI risks like models, data, and risk registers.  Carruthers outlines some real-world examples, such as UNSW's enterprise AI program, including a machine learning model that predicted which students were likely to fail a course, with 95%+ accuracy, so the university could design careful, humane intervention protocols to reduce self-harm risk. She argues that while frontier models like OpenAI and Gemini have a place, their compute costs, water intensity and general-purpose design make them poorly suited to some business problems, and that the future lies in smaller, industry-specific models trained on highly relevant data. The conversation covers the rise of agentic AI coding tools, the risk of deskilling junior developers, and the need for diverse, product-focused teams to translate technical systems into workable human processes.​ On security, she prioritizes CIA triad integrity over confidentiality, warning of data alterations in cars, medical devices, and government systems via poisoning or underinvestment in encryption. Carruthers urges Australian AI sovereignty—opting for open-source like Databricks over proprietary stacks—amid US-China model contrasts and outage risks from providers like AWS or CrowdStrike. Throughout, she encourages leaders not just to read about AI but to use multiple systems themselves, understand their limitations as probabilistic tools in deterministic business environments, and ground every deployment in clearly defined problems, ethics, and user needs.​

Foreign Affairs, a supposedly respectable publication, recently published an article entitled “America's Allies Should Go Nuclear” , which argues that U.S. allies like Germany, Japan, or Canada ought to be sold nuclear arsenals. Foreign Affairs+1We dismantle that argument, laying out why proliferating nukes among American-aligned nations would be a reckless misstep — not a “strengthening” of global order but a dangerous gamble with global stability. We explore the risks: undermining treaty frameworks like the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty (NPT), increasing nuclear arms races, and making deterrence less predictable and more volatile.Most importantly, we argue that U.S. allies don't need nuclear weapons — they need a renewed commitment to non-proliferation. Instead of spreading the bomb, let's spread trust — not knot the world tighter into a nuclear standoff.Tune in for a hard-hitting, no-punches-pulled breakdown of why arguments for “selective proliferation” are dangerously short-sighted.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 47-points this morning from Friday's close, at 27,674 on turnover of 7.5-billion N-T. The market closed slightly higher Friday, as positive investor sentiment carried over from the previous session amid hopes that the U-S Federal Reserve will cut key interest rates later this month. Taiwan's ambassador meets with new SVG leader Taiwan's ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has met with the newly elected prime minister of the Caribbean ally, Godwin Friday, to convey (傳達) congratulations from President Lai Ching-te. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Ambassador Fiona Fan delivered Lai's message during their meeting, and that the prime minister asked her to relay (傳達) his thanks in return. The ministry has not said when the meeting took place or provided any further details. However, the meeting took place as Friday's New Democratic Party has previously proposed switching recognition from Taiwan to Beijing. CAA confirms that local airlines have completed Airbus A320 software fix And, The Civil Aviation Administration has confirmed that local airlines completed the required software restoration on Airbus A320-series aircraft before a 7AM deadline on Sunday. The software restoration followed an emergency directive (指示) issued after a technical failure in the U-S. Airbus announced on Friday that around 6,000 A320-family jets worldwide must undergo software updates and may not be operated without the fix. The announcement come after reports of a flight-control system malfunction linked to solar flare interference. Honduras Presidential Vote Hondurans are voting to elect new president in a close race under shadow of Trump's surprise intervention (干涉). AP correspondent Rica Ann Garcia reports Report: Global Arms Producers Saw Revenue Increase A new report says that the world's biggest weapons-producing companies saw a 5.9% increase in revenue from sales of arms and military services last year as demand was fed by (由…供給/提供) the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as countries' rising military spending. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says today that the revenues of the 100 largest arms makers grew to $679 billion in 2024, the highest figure it has recorded. The bulk of the increase was down to companies based in Europe and the United States, but there were increases around the world — except in Asia and Oceania, where problems in the Chinese arms industry led to a slight fall. Italy Digital Copies of Masterpieces for Museum Funds Italian cultural officials are offering digital copies of Italian masterpieces as part of a new project to help museums raise money. The nonprofit Save the Artistic Heritage, with its technical partner Cinello, is behind this initiative. They provide digital projections of Italian masterpieces, complete with certificates of authenticity (真正的，真實性). Participating museums receive 50% of the profits. Over two years, Save the Artistic Heritage has contributed about $347-thousand US dollars to Italian museums. Each digital artwork is sold in a limited series of nine. The project aims to help museums access new income streams and expand globally, including plans for the United States. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Chris and Nikki complete the run down of Waits' Asylum Records albums with Small Change, Foreign Affairs, Blue Valentine and Heartattack & Vine.

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Velislava Petrova, Chief Programme Officer at the Centre for Future Generations. She oversees CFG's technical and cross-cutting programs, monitoring impact, aligning with political priorities and identifying strategic directions. Velisalva is also an ex-Senior Policy Consultant with the World Health Organization, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Senior Manager at Gavi Vaccine Alliance, and a Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank. We discuss all the above and more in what I found to be a deeply interesting discussion - and I hope you enjoy listening to her views as much as I did.

In the last few years, artificial intelligence has become a central focus of geopolitical competition, and especially of U.S.-Chinese rivalry. For much of that time, the United States, or at least U.S. companies, seemed to have the advantage. But Ben Buchanan, a leading scholar of technology who crafted the Biden administration's AI strategy, worries that the United States' AI superiority isn't nearly as assured as many have assumed. In an essay in the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, Buchanan, writing with Tantum Collins, warns that “the American way of developing AI is reaching its limits,” and as those limits become clear, “they will start to erode—and perhaps even end—U.S. dominance.” The essay calls for a new grand bargain between tech and the U.S. government—a bargain necessary to advancing American AI and to ensuring that it enhances, rather than undermines, U.S. national security. Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke to Buchanan about the future of AI competition and how it could reshape not just American power but global order itself. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview. 

Back for Business, the free programme aimed at supporting returned or soon-to-be-returning Irish emigrants to start and develop a business in Ireland, is seeking new applicants for its ninth cycle. The development programme, which is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs, was created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland. In opening the call for applicants, Neale Richmond, TD, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, said: "I am acutely aware of the barriers that are faced by those returning to Ireland, and this is why the Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to provide support to assist Irish people living abroad who want to return. "Back for Business is a concrete example of the practical support that is provided through the Government's Emigrant Support Programme, to equip early-stage entrepreneurs with the knowledge, confidence, and networks to successfully start and develop sustainable businesses." Those interested in finding out more about the programme should check out the website and register their interest on www.backforbusiness.com, and an application form will be sent to them, with the deadline to apply Friday, January 16th. Up to 50 places will be available on Back for Business 9, which will run from February to June 2026. The Launch Forum and first round table event will take place on February 13th. Back for Business is for returned Irish emigrants who have lived abroad for at least a year and have returned to Ireland in the last three years, or for emigrants currently living abroad who are planning to return to Ireland in the near future. Since launching in 2017, the programme has helped participants to significantly grow sales and employment. It addresses challenges that all early-stage entrepreneurs encounter but also focuses on additional barriers faced by emigrants who have been living away from Ireland. Those who completed last year's programme, Back for Business 8, were very positive in their feedback with 100% saying they would recommend the programme to others and would like to stay in contact with the Back for Business community. In terms of their overall experience, Back for Business 8 participants rated it 4.5 out of a possible 5, with 93% considering the experience either extremely positive or very positive. A total of 97% felt nearer to achieving their ambitions since participating in Back for Business. At the start of the last cycle, under half of the group were trading, but over the course of the programme, this had increased to over two-thirds. The combined turnover of the participants was €1,425,000 at the start of the cycle. By the end, this had increased to €2,594,000, while employment numbers increased from 29 to 80 during the six months. Participants on Back for Business 9 will meet once a month on a peer-supported round table, facilitated by voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs who have experience of successfully starting and growing a business. Many of them have also lived abroad before returning to Ireland to start their business. This year's Lead Entrepreneurs are: Gillian O'Dowd, Director at Azon; Paul Duggan of The Gardiner Group; Seamus Reilly, co-founder and formerly of Critical Healthcare; Sinéad Doherty, founder and CEO of Fenero; and Thomas Ennis, founder of the Thomas Ennis Group. Back for Business past participant Aoife Mathews was based in Madrid when she co-founded SISTERLY, a female supplement company, alongside Jennifer O' Connell and Louise O'Riordan. She is very clear about the importance of that early support. "One of the best decisions I made when I began my entrepreneurial journey was joining the Back for Business programme. Having spent most of my career outside of Ireland, the programme provided not only structure and guidance, but also a collaborative community of ambitious founders." Back for Business past participant Dave McCormack of Fluent says: "Back ...

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast takes a deep dive into one of the most powerful forces now reshaping the food industry: the rapid rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois begin with a run-through of current food and retail headlines, including controversy at Campbell Soup, conversations around AI adoption and innovation in the food sector, and early teasers from the 2026 Canada Food Price Report. These stories set the stage for this week's feature discussion: how GLP-1 medications are altering what consumers eat, where they shop, and which products they choose.The heart of the episode features an in-depth interview with Ransom Hawley, Founder and CEO of Caddle, a Canadian mobile-first consumer insights platform with access to real-time behavioural data. Hawley shares new Canadian research showing GLP-1 household usage has jumped from 10% to 14% over two years, a dramatic 40% increase. Equally important is the shift in why people are taking these drugs: where most users initially relied on them to manage type-2 diabetes, an increasing number now use them primarily for weight loss. That consumer pivot mirrors rapid adoption trends in the United States and offers important clues about what's coming next for Canadian retailers, manufacturers and restaurants.Hawley reveals that GLP-1 users report eating less, losing weight, buying fewer groceries, and reducing restaurant visits. Consumption of alcohol, sugary beverages and impulse-driven snack foods is falling, while protein-rich foods, functional beverages and satiety-oriented products are gaining momentum. Categories seeing the steepest declines include bakery goods, packaged cookies, chocolates, soft drinks and sweet snacks—all long-time staples of convenience-driven food consumption. This suggests a structural shift, not a temporary fad.The conversation expands to consider the broader implications. As GLP-1 usage rises, brands face new challenges and opportunities: How should they reformulate products for consumers who eat less? Should retailers redesign planograms to reflect category shrinkage? Will foodservice operators pivot toward protein-forward meals, smoothies and portion-smart menu strategies? As the hosts discuss, this is the first time since COVID-era lockdowns that such a large segment of the population is simultaneously changing eating behaviours, and its ripple effects will reshape category strategies, promotional plans, and innovation pipelines.By the end of the episode, one thing is clear: GLP-1 drugs are not just a pharmaceutical phenomenon—they are transforming food culture, retail economics, and consumer expectations. Retailers and brands that ignore this shift risk falling behind; those who understand it may unlock a once-in-a-generation competitive advantage. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to humanitarian experts and technology pioneers, to hear about new projects, events, and perspectives on topics of importance to the humanitarian community. In this flashpod, Radek Wierzbicki, CEO of Unsung Heroes, speaks with Humanitarian AI Today producer Brent Phillips about his team's work connecting startups with humanitarian organizations and Unsung Heroes' Humanity Badge initiative, a platform that builds the reputation of humanitarian and development workers and their organizations. They discuss Unsung Heroes' core interests in advancing digital literacy and entrepreneurship and their work in Tanzania supported by the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Polish Embassy in Tanzania helping mentor young people interested in launching technology startups. They also discuss Unsung Heroes' work distributing and training people on using computers and AI applications, and their work launching and partnering on technology incubators and accelerators advancing digital entrepreneurship. Substack notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/radek-wierzbicki-from-unsung-heroes

Jerry spoke to former Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Labour Party leader, Dick Spring, who was also a long-serving TD for North Kerry.

Cormac Smith has worked in Public Relations and Corporate Communications for over three decades. In 2016 he traveled to Ukraine to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor' to Pavlo Klimkin, then the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. He was attached to the British Embassy in Kyiv but was embedded in Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first foreigner to hold such a position. While in Kyiv, he also advised and provided training for five other government ministries and worked directly with three other cabinet ministers: Health, Education and the Deputy Prime Minister. ----------LINKS:https://defencebrink.uk/https://x.com/CormacS63https://x.com/philipingmbe----------CHAPTERS:----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

Members of the foreign policy world have talked a lot about great-power competition over the last decade. But no one can entirely agree on the contours of today's competition. Whether it's a battle of autocracies and democracies. Or revisionists and status quo powers. Or whether, as the realists would argue, it's just states doing what states do.  S. C. M. Paine, a longtime professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College, sees something else going on. To her, the great-power competition we talk about today is just the latest example of the centuries-old tension between maritime and continental powers. For maritime powers—such as, for most of its history, the United States—money and trade serve as the basis of influence. And that leads them to promote rules and order. Continental powers—such as Russia most clearly and China in most but not all ways—focus their security objectives on territory, which they seek to defend, and control, and expand. From this divide rises two very different visions of global order. It also, Paine argues in a new essay in Foreign Affairs, explains the basic drivers of today's great-power competition. But as she looks at more recent developments, Paine lays out an additional concern. The United States has long been an exemplar of maritime power. But it is starting to behave in ways that suggest a shift away from the maritime strategies that have served it so well. Paine's focus on the contest between land and sea makes clear the stakes of that shift. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview. 

Day 1,359.Today, as Ukraine launches more projectiles at Russia than it receives in return, we examine the worsening situation on the ground in the Zaporizhzhia region and the growing domestic turmoil facing President Zelensky, as the corruption scandal rattles his government. We then look at the latest defence measures being adopted across Germany, Norway, and Poland, and end with voices from a Ukrainian women's film festival highlighting resilience, creativity, and the power of cultural resistance amid war.ContributorsFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.With thanks to Mariia Vynogradova and Ksenia Bugrimova from the Women and the World International Film Festival.SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.CONTENT REFERENCED:Tanks or drones? German defence giants clash over how to rebuild military (James Rothwell in The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/yc7tdthuPolish civilians arm themselves in case of Russian invasion (James Rothwell in The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/56y9m2s4Russia massing nuclear fleet in Arctic Circle ‘for war with Nato' (James Rothwell in The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/bdv28359More Soldiers, More Gold (Bild):https://tinyurl.com/bdurmwxfUkraine's Hardest Winter (Jack Watling in Foreign Affairs):https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/ukraines-hardest-winter Ukraine withdraws from positions near settlement in Zaporizhzhia (Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-withdraws-from-another-settlement-in-zaporizhzhia-oblast-amid-ongoing-russian-offensive/?mc_cid=73117cc8fa&mc_eid=08d0680a95 Women and the World International Film Festival:https://www.iffww.com/Trailer to Dad's Lullaby, a documentary about a Ukrainian veteran by Lesia Diak:https://cineuropa.org/en/video/464790/Hitler's DNA proves he really did have only one ball (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2025/11/12/scientists-secrets-adolf-hitler-dna-adhd/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert O'Brien served as Donald Trump's national security adviser from 2019 to 2021. O'Brien's predecessors in that position left the administration to become some of the most vociferous critics of their former boss. O'Brien, in contrast, remained a staunch defender of Trump's foreign policy through the Biden administration and into Trump's second term. And perhaps as a result, he can help make some sense of the thinking behind Trump's approach on key national security issues, drawing out the objectives and assumptions driving policy on China, Ukraine, the Middle East, Venezuela, and much else. Shortly before the 2024 election, O'Brien wrote an essay in Foreign Affairs called “The Return of Peace Through Strength: Making the Case for Trump's Foreign Policy.” Last week, he published a follow-up to that essay, giving Trump high marks for his approach to the world over the past ten months. O'Brien and Dan Kurtz-Phelan spoke on Monday, November 10, about the second-term policy so far, about where he sees continuity and where he sees change from the first term, and about where Trump's foreign policy may be going from here. You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Last time we spoke about the Changsha fire. Chiang Kai-shek faced a brutal choice: defend Wuhan to the last man or flood the land to slow the invaders. He chose both, pushing rivers and rallying a fractured army as Japanese forces pressed along the Yangtze. Fortresses at Madang held long, but the cost was high—troops lost, civilians displaced, a city's heart burning in the night. Wuhan fell after months of brutal fighting, yet the battle did not break China's will. Mao Zedong urged strategy over martyrdom, preferring to drain the enemy and buy time for a broader struggle. The Japanese, though victorious tactically, found their strength ebbing, resource strains, supply gaps, and a war that felt endless. In the wake of Wuhan, Changsha stood next in the Japanese crosshairs, its evacuation and a devastating fire leaving ash and memory in its wake. Behind these prices, political currents swirled. Wang Jingwei defected again, seeking power beyond Chiang's grasp, while Chongqing rose as a western bastion of resistance. The war hardened into a protracted stalemate, turning Japan from an aggressive assailant into a wary occupier, and leaving China to endure, persist, and fight on.   #175  The Soviet-Japanese Border Conflicts Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So based on the title of this one, you probably can see we are taking a bit of a detour. For quite some time we have focused on the Japanese campaigns into China proper 1937-1938. Now the way the second sino-japanese war is traditionally broken down is in phases. 1937-1938, 1939-1942 and 1942-1945. However there is actually even more going on in China aside from the war with Japan. In Xinjiang province a large full blown Islamic revolution breaks out in 1937. We will be covering that story at a later date, but another significant event is escalating border skirmishes in Manchukuo. Now these border skirmishes had been raging ever since the USSR consolidated its hold over the far east. We talked about some of those skirmishes prior to the Sino-Soviet war in 1929. However when Japan created the puppet government of Manchukuo, this was a significant escalation in tensions with the reds. Today we are going to talk about the escalating border conflicts between the Soviets and Japan. A tongue of poorly demarcated land extends southeast from Hunchun, hugging the east bank of the Tumen River between Lake Khasan to the east and Korea to the west. Within this tongue stands Changkufeng Hill, one of a long chain of highlands sweeping from upstream along the rivers and moors toward the sea. The twin-peaked hill sits at the confluence area several miles northwest of the point where Manchuria, Korea, and the Russian Far East meet. The hill's shape reminded Koreans of their changgo, which is a long snare drum constricted at the center and tapped with the hands at each end. When the Manchus came to the Tumen, they rendered the phonetic sounds into three ideographic characters meaning "taut drum peaks" or Chang-ku-feng. The Japanese admired the imagery and preserved the Chinese readings, which they pronounce Cho-ko-ho. From their eastern vantage, the Russians called it Zaozernaya, "hill behind the lake." Soviet troops referred to it as a sugar-loaf hill. For many years, natives and a handful of officials in the region cultivated a relaxed attitude toward borders and sovereignty. Even after the Japanese seized Manchuria in 1931, the issue did not immediately come to a head. With the expansion of Manchukuo and the Soviet Far East under Stalin's Five-Year plans, both sides began to attend more closely to frontier delimitation. Whenever either party acted aggressively, force majeure was invoked to justify the unexpected and disruptive events recognized in international law. Most often, these incidents erupted along the eastern Manchurian borders with the USSR or along the 350-mile frontier south of Lake Khanka, each skirmish carrying the seeds of all-out warfare. Now we need to talk a little bit about border history. The borders in question essentially dated to pacts concluded by the Qing dynasty and the Tsardom. Between the first Sino-Russian Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689 and the Mukden Agreement of 1924, there were over a dozen accords governing the borders. Relevant to Changkufeng were the basic 15-article Convention of Peking, supplementing the Tientsin Treaties of November 1860, some maps made in 1861, and the eight-article Hunchun Border Protocol of 1886. By the 1860 treaty, the Qing ceded to Tsarist Russia the entire maritime province of Siberia, but the meaning of "lands south of Lake Khanka" remained rather vague. Consequently, a further border agreement was negotiated in June 1861 known as "the Lake Khanka Border Pact", by which demarcations were drawn on maps and eight wooden markers erected. The border was to run from Khanka along ridgelines between the Hunchun River and the sea, past Suifenho and Tungning, terminating about 6 miles from the mouth of the Tumen. Then a Russo-Chinese commission established in 1886 drew up the Hunchun Border Pact, proposing new or modified markers along the 1860–1861 lines and arranging a Russian resurvey. However, for the Japanese, in 1938, the Chinese or Manchu texts of the 1886 Hunchun agreement were considered controlling. The Soviets argued the border ran along every summit west of Khasan, thereby granting them jurisdiction over at least the eastern slopes of all elevations, including Changkufeng and Shachaofeng.  Since the Qing dynasty and the house of Romanov were already defunct, the new sovereignties publicly appealed to opposing texts, and the Soviet side would not concede that the Russian-language version had never been deemed binding by the Qing commissioners. Yet, even in 1938, the Japanese knew that only the Chinese text had survived or could be located.    Now both the Chinese and Russian military maps generally drew the frontier along the watershed east of Khasan; this aligned with the 1861 readings based on the Khanka agreement. The Chinese Republican Army conducted new surveys sometime between 1915 and 1920. The latest Chinese military map of the Changkufeng area drew the border considerably closer to the old "red line" of 1886, running west of Khasan but near the shore rather than traversing the highland crests. None of the military delimitations of the border was sanctified by an official agreement. Hence, the Hunchun Protocol, whether well known or not, invaluable or worthless, remained the only government-to-government pact dealing with the frontiers.  Before we jump into it, how about a little summary of what became known as the Soviet-Japanese border conflicts. The first major conflict would obviously be the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. Following years of conflict between the Russian Empire and Japan culminating in the costly Battle of Tsushima, Tsar Nicholas II's government sought peace, recognizing Japan's claims to Korea and agreeing to evacuate Manchuria.  From 1918 to 1920, the Imperial Japanese Army, under Emperor Taishō after the death of Meiji, assisted the White Army and Alexander Kerensky against the Bolshevik Red Army. They also aided the Czechoslovak Legion in Siberia to facilitate its return to Europe after an Austrian-Hungarian armoured train purportedly went astray. By 1920, with Austria-Hungary dissolved and Czechoslovakia established two years earlier, the Czechoslovak Legion reached Europe. Japan withdrew from the Russian Revolution and the Civil War in 1922. Following Japan's 1919-1920 occupations and the Soviet intervention in Mongolia in 1921, the Republic of China also withdrew from Outer Mongolia in 1921. In 1922, after capturing Vladivostok in 1918 to halt Bolshevik advances, Japanese forces retreated to Japan as Bolshevik power grew and the postwar fatigue among combatants increased. After Hirohito's invasion of Manchuria in 1931–1932, following Taishō's death in 1926, border disputes between Manchukuo, the Mongolian People's Republic, and the Soviet Union increased. Many clashes stemmed from poorly defined borders, though some involved espionage. Between 1932 and 1934, the Imperial Japanese Army reported 152 border disputes, largely tied to Soviet intelligence activity in Manchuria, while the Soviets accused Japan of 15 border violations, six air intrusions, and 20 cases of "spy smuggling" in 1933 alone. Numerous additional violations followed in the ensuing years. By the mid-1930s, Soviet-Japanese diplomacy and trust had deteriorated further, with the Japanese being openly labeled "fascist enemies" at the Seventh Comintern Congress in July 1935. Beginning in 1935, conflicts significantly escalated. On 8 January 1935, the first armed clash, known as the Halhamiao incident, took place on the border between Mongolia and Manchukuo. Several dozen cavalrymen of the Mongolian People's Army crossed into Manchuria near disputed fishing grounds and engaged an 11‑man Manchukuo Imperial Army patrol near the Buddhist temple at Halhamiao, led by a Japanese military advisor. The Manchukuo Army sustained 6 wounded and 2 dead, including the Japanese officer; the Mongols suffered no casualties and withdrew after the Japanese sent a punitive expedition to reclaim the area. Two motorized cavalry companies, a machine‑gun company, and a tankette platoon occupied the position for three weeks without resistance. In June 1935, the first direct exchange of fire between the Japanese and Soviets occurred when an 11‑man Japanese patrol west of Lake Khanka was attacked by six Soviet horsemen, reportedly inside Manchukuo territory. In the firefight, one Soviet soldier was killed and two horses were captured. The Japanese requested a joint investigation, but the Soviets rejected the proposal. In October 1935, nine Japanese and 32 Manchukuoan border guards were establishing a post about 20 kilometers north of Suifenho when they were attacked by 50 Soviet soldiers. The Soviets opened fire with rifles and five heavy machine guns. Two Japanese and four Manchukuoan soldiers were killed, and another five were wounded. The Manchukuoan foreign affairs representative lodged a verbal protest with the Soviet consul at Suifenho. The Kwantung Army of Japan also sent an intelligence officer to investigate the clash. On 19 December 1935, a Manchukuoan unit reconnoitering southwest of Buir Lake clashed with a Mongolian party, reportedly capturing 10 soldiers. Five days later, 60 truck‑borne Mongolian troops assaulted the Manchukuoans and were repulsed, at the cost of three Manchukuoan dead. On the same day, at Brunders, Mongolian forces attempted three times to drive out Manchukuoan outposts, and again at night, but all attempts failed. Further small attempts occurred in January, with Mongolians using airplanes for reconnaissance. The arrival of a small Japanese force in three trucks helped foil these attempts; casualties occurred on both sides, though Mongolian casualties are unknown aside from 10 prisoners taken. In February 1936, Lieutenant-Colonel Sugimoto Yasuo was ordered to form a detachment from the 14th Cavalry Regiment to "drive the Outer Mongol intruders from the Olankhuduk region," a directive attributed to Lieutenant-General Kasai Heijuro. Sugimoto's detachment included cavalry guns, heavy machine guns, and tankettes. They faced a force of about 140 Mongolians equipped with heavy machine guns and light artillery. On February 12, Sugimoto's men drove the Mongolians south, at the cost of eight Japanese killed, four wounded, and one tankette destroyed. The Japanese began to withdraw, but were attacked by 5–6 Mongolian armored cars and two bombers, which briefly disrupted the column. The situation was stabilized when the Japanese unit received artillery support, allowing them to destroy or repel the armored cars. In March 1936, the Tauran incident occurred. In this clash, both the Japanese Army and the Mongolian Army deployed a small number of armored fighting vehicles and aircraft. The incident began when 100 Mongolian and six Soviet troops attacked and occupied the disputed village of Tauran, Mongolia, driving off the small Manchurian garrison. They were supported by light bombers and armored cars, though the bombing sorties failed to inflict damage on the Japanese, and three bombers were shot down by Japanese heavy machine guns. Local Japanese forces counter-attacked, conducting dozens of bombing sorties and finally assaulting Tauran with 400 men and 10 tankettes. The result was a Mongolian rout, with 56 Mongolian soldiers killed, including three Soviet advisors, and an unknown number wounded. Japanese losses were 27 killed and 9 wounded. Later in March 1936, another border clash occurred between Japanese and Soviet forces. Reports of border violations prompted the Japanese Korean Army to send ten men by truck to investigate, but the patrol was ambushed by 20 Soviet NKVD soldiers deployed about 300 meters inside territory claimed by Japan. After suffering several casualties, the Japanese patrol withdrew and was reinforced with 100 men, who then drove off the Soviets. Fighting resumed later that day when the NKVD brought reinforcements. By nightfall, the fighting had ceased and both sides had pulled back. The Soviets agreed to return the bodies of two Japanese soldiers who had died in the fighting, a development viewed by the Japanese government as encouraging. In early April 1936, three Japanese soldiers were killed near Suifenho in another minor affray. This incident was notable because the Soviets again returned the bodies of the fallen servicemen. In June 1937, the Kanchazu Island incident occurred on the Amur River along the Soviet–Manchukuo border. Three Soviet gunboats crossed the river's center line, disembarked troops, and occupied Kanchazu Island. Japanese forces from the IJA 1st Division, equipped with two horse-drawn 37 mm artillery pieces, quickly established improvised firing positions and loaded their guns with both high-explosive and armor-piercing shells. They shelled the Soviet vessels, sinking the lead gunboat, crippling the second, and driving off the third. Japanese troops subsequently fired on the swimming crewmen from the sunken ships using machine guns. Thirty-seven Soviet soldiers were killed, while Japanese casualties were zero. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested and demanded the Soviet forces withdraw from the island. The Soviet leadership, apparently shocked by the incident and reluctant to escalate, agreed to evacuate their troops. By 1938 the border situation had deteriorated. The tangled terrain features, mountain, bog, stream, forest, and valley, would have complicated even careful observers' discernment of the old red line drawn in 1886. Fifty years later, the markers themselves had undergone a metamorphosis. Japanese investigators could find, at most, only 14 to 17 markers standing fairly intact between the Tumen estuary and Khanka—roughly one every 25 miles at best. The remainder were missing or ruined; five were found in new locations. Marker "K," for example, was 40 meters deeper inside Manchuria, away from Khanka. Japanese military experts noted that of the 20 markers originally set along the boundaries of Hunchun Prefecture alone, only four could be found by the summer of 1938. The rest had either been wrecked or arbitrarily moved and discarded by Russian or Chinese officials and inhabitants. It is even said that one missing marker could be seen on display in Khabarovsk. The Chinese had generally interpreted the boundary as the road line just west of Khasan, at least in practice. Free road movement, however, had become a problem even 20 years before the Japanese overran Manchuria in 1931–1932 during the so-called Manchurian Incident. The Japanese adopted, or inherited, the Chinese interpretation, which was based on the 1886 agreement on border roads; the key clause held that the frontier west of Khasan would be the road along the lake. Japanese sources emphasize that local residents' anger toward gradual Soviet oppression and penetrations westward into Manchurian territory fueled the conflict. Many natives believed the original boundaries lay east of the lake, but the Soviets adjusted the situation to suit their own convenience. In practice, the Russians were restricting road use just west of Khasan by Manchurian and Korean residents. There was speculation that this was a prelude to taking over the ridgelines, depending on the reaction of the Manchukuoan–Japanese side. Villagers who went to streams or the lake to launder clothing found themselves subjected to sniper fire. Along a 25-mile stretch of road near Shachaofeng, farmers reported coming under fire from new Soviet positions as early as November 1935. Nevertheless, Japanese and Koreans familiar with the Tumen area noted agrarian, seasonal Korean religious rites atop Changkufeng Hill, including fattened pigs sacrificed and changgo drums beaten. Village elders told Japanese visitors in 1938 that, until early the preceding year, no Russians had come as far as Changkufeng Hill. Looking only at the border sector around Changkufeng, the easy days were clearly behind us. In the summer of 1938, Gaimusho "Foreign Ministry" observers described the explosive situation along the Korea–Manchuria–USSR borders as a matter of de facto frontiers. Both sides pressed against each other, and their trigger-happy posture was summed up in the colloquial refrain: "Take another step and we'll let you have it." Near dawn on 13 June 1938, a Manchurian patrol detected a suspicious figure in the fog swirling over Changlingtzu Hill on the Siberian–Manchurian frontier. Challenged at 15 feet, the suspect hurled two pistols to the ground and raised his hands in surrender. At headquarters, the police soon realized this was no routine border-trespassing case. The man was a defector and he was a Russian general, in fact he was the director of all NKVD forces in the Soviet Far East. Beneath a mufti of spring coat and hunting cap, he wore a full uniform with medals. His identification card No. 83 designated him as G. S. Lyushkov, Commissar 3rd Class, countersigned by Nikolai Yezhov, NKVD head in Moscow. Lyushkov was promptly turned over to the Japanese military authorities, who transferred him to Seoul and then to Tokyo under close escort. On 1 July, the Japanese press was permitted to disclose that Lyushkov had sought refuge in Japan. Ten days later, to capitalize on the commissar's notoriety and to confound skeptics, the Japanese produced Lyushkov at a press conference in Tokyo. For the Japanese and foreign correspondents, who met separately with him, Lyushkov described Soviet Far East strength and the turmoil wracking the USSR, because for those of you unfamiliar this was during the Stalinist purges. Clearly, the Japanese had gained a unique reservoir of high-level intelligence and a wealth of materials, including notes scratched in blood by suspects incarcerated at Khabarovsk. A general tightening of Russian frontier security had recently been reported. Natives of Fangchuanting asserted that a Soviet cavalry patrol appeared in June, seemingly for the first time. Contact with Yangkuanping, northwest of Khasan, was severed. More importantly, Japanese Army Signal Corps intelligence detected a surge of Soviet message traffic from the Posyet Bay district. After Lyushkov's defection, a drastic reshuffle in the local Russian command apparently occurred, and responsibility for border surveillance seems to have been reallocated. Japanese records indicate that the Novokievsk security force commander was relieved and the sector garrison replaced by troops from Vladivostok. Gaimusho intelligence also received reports that a border garrison unit had been transferred from Khabarovsk or Chita to the Tumen sector. The Kwantung Army signal monitors also intercepted two significant frontline messages on 6 July from the new Russian local commander in the Posyet region, addressed to Lieutenant General Sokolov in Khabarovsk. Decoded, the messages suggested (1) that ammunition for infantry mortars amounted to less than half the required supply; and  (2) a recommendation that higher headquarters authorize Russian elements to secure certain unoccupied high ground west of Khasan.  The commander noted terrain advantages and the contemplated construction of emplacements that would command Najin and the Korean railway. As a start, at least one Russian platoon should be authorized to dig in on the highest ground (presumably Changkufeng) and deploy four tons of entanglements to stake out the Soviet claim. Korea Army Headquarters received a telegram from the Kwantung Army on 7 July conveying the deciphered messages. On the same day, the 19th Division in North Korea telephoned Seoul that, on 6 July, three or four Soviet horsemen had been observed reconnoitering Manchurian territory from atop a hill called Changkufeng. The alarming intelligence from the Kwantung Army and the front warranted immediate attention by the Korea Army. Some Kwantung Army officers doubted the significance of the developments, with one intelligence official even suggesting the Russian messages might be a deliberate ploy designed to entrap the Japanese at Changkufeng. On 7–8 July, all staff officers in Seoul convened at army headquarters. The name of Changkufeng Hill was not well known, but maps and other data suggested that neither the Japanese nor the Russians had previously stationed border units in the ridge complex west of Khasan. As early as March 1936, Army Commander Koiso Kuniaki had distributed maps to subordinate units, indicating which sectors were in dispute. No patrol was to enter zones lacking definitive demarcation. Until then, the only Japanese element east of the Tumen was a Manchurian policeman at Fangchuanting. Ownership of the high ground emerged as an early issue. A number of other points were raised by  the Kwantung Army: At present, Soviet elements in the area were negligible. The intrusion must not be overlooked. The Russians could be expected to exploit any weakness, and half-measures would not suffice, especially regarding the Japanese defense mission along a 125-mile frontier. In Japanese hands, Changkufeng Hill would be useful, but two excellent observation posts already existed in the neighboring sector of the Manchurian tongue. With dissidence and purges underway, the Russians may have judged it necessary to seal border gaps, particularly after Lyushkov's defection. They may also have sought to control Changkufeng to offset Japanese dominance of the high ground to the north. Soviet seizure of Changkufeng would upset the delicate status quo and could provoke a contest for equivalent observation posts. In broader terms, it mattered little whether the Russians sought a permanent observation post on Changkufeng Hill, which was of relatively minor strategic value. Japan's primary concern lay in the China theater; Changkufeng was peripheral. The Japanese should not expend limited resources or become distracted. The matter required consultation with the high command in Tokyo. In the absence of more comprehensive intelligence, the assembled staff officers concluded that the Korea Army should, at a minimum, ignore or disregard Soviet actions for the time being, while maintaining vigilant observation of the area. The consensus was communicated to Major General Kitano Kenzo, the Korea Army chief of staff, who concurred, and to Koiso. Upon learning that the recommendation advocated a low posture, Koiso inquired only whether the opinion reflected the unanimous view of the staff. Having been assured that it did, he approved the policy. Koiso, then 58, was at the threshold of the routine personnel changes occurring around 15 July. He had just been informed that he would retire and that General Nakamura Kotaro would succeed him. Those acquainted with Koiso perceived him as treating the border difficulties as a minor anticlimax in the course of his command tour. He appeared unemphatic or relaxed as he prepared to depart from a post he had held for twenty-one years. Although neither Koiso nor his staff welcomed the Soviet activities that appeared under way, his reaction likely reflected a reluctance to make decisions that could constrain his soon-to-arrive successor. On 8 July Koiso authorized the dispatch of warnings to the 19th Division at Nanam, to the Hunchun garrison, and to the intelligence branch at Hunchun. These units were instructed to exercise maximum precautions and to tighten frontier security north of Shuiliufeng. In response to the initial appearance of Soviet horsemen at Changkufeng, the Kucheng Border Garrison Unit of the 76th Infantry Regiment maintained close surveillance across the Tumen. By about noon on 9 July, patrols detected approximately a dozen Russian troops commencing construction atop Changkufeng. Between 11 and 13 July, the number of soldiers on the slopes increased to forty; there were also thirty horses and eleven camouflaged tents. Operating in shifts on the western side, thirty meters from the crest, the Russians erected barbed wire and firing trenches; fifty meters forward, they excavated observation trenches. In addition to existing telephone lines between Changkufeng, Lake Khasan, and Kozando, the Russians installed a portable telephone net. Logistical support was provided by three boats on the lake. Approximately twenty kilometers to the east, well within Soviet territory, large forces were being mobilized, and steamship traffic into Posyet Bay intensified. Upon learning of the "intrusion" at Changkufeng on 9 July, Lt. General Suetaka Kamezo, the commander of the 19th Division, dispatched staff officers to the front and prepared to send elements to reinforce border units.  The special significance of Suetaka and his division stemmed from a series of unusual circumstances. Chientao Province, the same zone into which Lyushkov had fled and the sector where Soviet horsemen had appeared, fell within Manchukuo geographically and administratively. Yet, in terms of defense, the configuration of the frontier, the terrain, and the transportation network more closely connected the region with North Korea than with southeastern Manchuria. Approximately 80% of the population was of Korean origin, which implied Japanese rather than Manchukuoan allegiance. Consequently, the Korea Army had been made operationally responsible for the defense of Chientao and controlled not only the three-battalion garrison at Hunchun but also the intelligence detachment located there. In the event of war, the Korea Army's mission was defined as mobilization and execution of subsidiary operational tasks against the USSR, under the control and in support of the Kwantung Army.  The Korea Army ordinarily possessed two infantry divisions, the 19th in North Korea and the 20th stationed at Seoul, but the 20th Division had already departed for China, leaving only the 20th Depot Division in the capital. Beyond sparse ground units, devoid of armor and with weak heavy artillery, there were only two air regiments in Korea, the nearest being the unit at Hoeryong. The Korea Army was designed to maintain public security within Korea as well as fulfill minimal defensive responsibilities. Such an army did not require a full-time operations officer, and none was maintained. When needed, as in mid-1938, the task fell to the senior staff officer, in this case Colonel Iwasaki Tamio. In peacetime, training constituted the primary focus.  Thus, the 19th Division was entrusted with defending northeastern Korea. Its commander, Suetaka, a seasoned infantryman, resented the fact that his elite force had never engaged in combat in China. He intensified training with zeal, emphasizing strict discipline, bravery, aggressiveness, and thorough preparation. Japanese veterans characterized him as severe, bullish, short-tempered, hot-blooded, highly strung, unbending, and stubborn. Nonetheless, there was widespread respect for his realistic training program, maintained under firm, even violent, personal supervision. His men regarded Suetaka as a professional, a modern samurai who forged the division into superb condition. Privately, he was reputed for sensitivity and warmth; a Japanese phrase "yakamashii oyaji" captures the dual sense of stern father and martinet in his character. At the outset, however, Suetaka displayed little aggression. Although not widely known, he did not welcome the orders from army headquarters to deploy to the Tumen. Until late July, he remained somewhat opposed to the notion of dislodging the Soviets from the crest, a proposition arising from neither the division staff nor, initially, Suetaka himself. Colonel Sato noted that, for a week after reports of Soviet excavation at Changkufeng, the division's response was limited to preparations for a possible emergency, as they perceived the matter as a local issue best settled through diplomacy. Korea Army officers acknowledged that, around the time the Soviets consolidated their outpost strength at Changkufeng, an informal and personal telegram arrived in Seoul from a Kwantung Army Intelligence field-grade officer who specialized in Soviet affairs. If the Korea Army hesitated, the Kwantung Army would be obliged to eject the Russians; the matter could not be ignored. While the telegram did not demand a reply and struck several officers as presumptuous and implausible, the message was promptly shown to Koiso. Koiso was driven to immediate action, he wired Tokyo asserting that only the Korea Army could and would handle the incident. One staff officer recalled "We felt we had to act, out of a sense of responsibility. But we resented the Kwantung Army's interference." The Korea Army staff convened shortly after receipt of the unofficial telegram from Hsinking. Based on the latest intelligence from the division dated 13 July, the officers prepared an assessment for submission to the army commander. The hypotheses were distilled into three scenarios: The USSR, or the Far East authorities, desires hostilities. Conclusion: Slightly possible. The USSR seeks to restrain Japan on the eve of the pivotal operations in China: the major Japanese offensive to seize Hankow. Conclusion: Highly probable. The Posyet district commander is new in his post; by occupying the Changkufeng ridges, he would demonstrate loyalty, impress superiors, and seek glory. Conclusion: Possible. Late on 13 July or early on 14 July, Koiso approved the dispatch of a message to the vice minister of war, and the Kwantung Army chief of staff:  "Lake Khasan area lies in troublesome sector USSR has been claiming . . . in accordance with treaties [said Secret Message No. 913], but we interpret it to be Manchukuoan territory, evident even from maps published by Soviet side. Russian actions are patently illegal, but, considering that area does not exert major or immediate influence on operations [Japan] is intending and that China Incident is in full swing, we are not going to conduct counterattack measures immediately. This army is thinking of reasoning with Soviets and requesting pullback, directly on spot. . . . In case Russians do not accede in long run, we have intention to drive Soviet soldiers out of area east of Khasan firmly by use of force."  The message concluded with a request that the Tokyo authorities lodge a formal protest with the USSR, on behalf of Manchukuo and Japan, and guide matters so that the Russians would withdraw quickly. Dominant in Japanese high command thinking in 1938 was the China theater; the Changkufeng episode constituted a mere digression. A sequence of Japanese tactical victories had preceded the summer: Tsingtao fell in January; the Yellow River was reached in March; a "reformed government of the Republic of China" was installed at Nanking several weeks later; Amoy fell in early May; Suchow fell on the 20th. With these gains, northern and central fronts could be linked by the Japanese. Yet Chinese resistance persisted, and while public statements anticipated imminent Chinese dissension, private admissions acknowledged that the partial effects of Suchow's fall were ominous: control might pass from Chiang Kai-shek to the Communists, Chinese defiance might intensify, and Soviet involvement could ensue. A Hankow drive appeared desirable to symbolize the conclusion of the military phase of hostilities. The Japanese and their adversaries were in accord regarding the importance of the summer and autumn campaigns. Even after Suchow's fall, the government discouraged public insinuations that enemy resistance was collapsing; when Chiang addressed the nation on the first anniversary of hostilities, Premier Konoe prophetically proclaimed, "The war has just begun." Colonel Inada Masazum served as the Army General Staff's principal figure for the Changkufeng affair, occupying the position of chief of the 2nd Operations Section within the Operations Bureau in March 1938. A distinguished graduate of the Military Academy, Inada completed the War College program and held a combination of line, instructional, and staff assignments at the War College, the Army General Staff, and the War Ministry. He was recognized as a sharp, highly capable, and driveful personality, though some regarded him as enigmatic. Following the capture of Suchow, Imperial General Headquarters on 18 June ordered field forces to undertake operational preparations for a drive to seize the Wuhan complex. Inada favored a decisive move aimed at achieving a rapid political settlement. He acknowledged that Soviet intervention in 1938, during Japan's involvement in China, would have been critical. Although Japanese forces could still defeat the Chinese, an overextended Japanese Army might be fatally compromised against the Russians. Soviet assistance to China was already pronouncedly unwelcome. The Soviets were reported to possess roughly 20 rifle divisions, four to five cavalry divisions, 1,500 tanks, and 1,560 aircraft, including 300 bombers with a range of approximately 3,000 kilometers, enabling reach from Vladivostok to Tokyo. Soviet manpower in Siberia was likely near 370,000. In response, Japanese central authorities stressed a no-trouble policy toward the USSR while seeking to "wall off" the border and bolster the Kwantung Army as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the envisaged correction of the strategic imbalance could not occur before 1943, given shortages in ammunition, manpower, and materiel across existing theaters in China. By the end of 1937 Japan had committed 16 of its 24 divisions to China, bringing the standing force to roughly 700,000. Army General Staff planners reallocated three ground divisions, intended for a northern contingency, from north to central China, even as the Kwantung Army operated from a less favorable posture. Attitudes toward the northern problem varied within senior military circles. While concern persisted, it was not universal. As campaigns in China widened, planning at the high command level deteriorated, propagating confusion and anxiety to field armies in China. The Japanese Navy suspected that the Army general staff was invoking the USSR as a pretext for broader strategic aims—namely, to provoke a more consequential confrontation with the USSR while the Navy contended with its own strategic rivalries with the Army, centered on the United States and Britain. Army leaders, however, denied aggressive intent against the USSR at that time. The Hankow plan encountered substantial internal opposition at high levels. Private assessments among army planners suggested that a two-front war would be premature given operational readiness and troop strength. Not only were new War Ministry officials cautious, but many high-ranking Army general staff officers and court circles shared doubts.  Aggressive tendencies, influenced by subordinates and the Kwantung Army, were evident in Inada, who repeatedly pressed Tada Shun, the deputy army chief of staff, to endorse the Wuhan drive as both necessary and feasible, arguing that the USSR would gain from Japan's weakening without incurring substantial losses. Inada contended that Stalin was rational and that time favored the USSR in the Far East, where industrial buildup and military modernization were ongoing. He argued that the Soviet purges impeded opportunistic ventures with Japan. He posited that Nazi Germany posed a growing threat on the western front, and thus the USSR should be avoided by both Japan, due to China and Russia, due to Germany. While most of the army remained engaged in China, Tada did not initially share Inada's views; only after inspecting the Manchurian borders in April 1938 did he finally align with Inada's broader vision, which encompassed both northern and Chinese considerations. During this period, Inada studied daily intelligence from the Kwantung Army, and after Lyushkov's defection in June, reports suggested the Soviets were following their sector commander's recommendations. Russian troops appeared at Changkufeng, seemingly prepared to dig in. Inada recollects his reaction: "That's nice, my chance has come." I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The simmering Soviet–Japanese border clashes centered on Changkufeng Hill near Lake Khanka, set within a broader history of contested frontiers dating to Qing and Tsarist treaties. Japan, prioritizing China, considered Changkufeng peripheral but ready to confront Soviet encroachment; Moscow aimed to consolidate border gains, with high-level war planning overlaying regional skirmishes. Conflict loomed over Manchuria.

From July 18, 2024: On today's episode, Matt Gluck, Research Fellow at Lawfare, spoke with Michael Beckley, Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts, and Arne Westad, the Elihu Professor of History at Yale.They discussed Beckley's and Westad's articles in Foreign Affairs on the best path forward for the U.S.-China strategic relationship—in the economic and military contexts. Beckley argues that in the short term, the U.S. should focus on winning its security competition with China, rather than significant engagement, to prevent conflict. Westad compares the current moment to the period preceding World War I. He cautions that the U.S. and China should maintain strategic communication and avoid an overly narrow focus on competition to stave off large-scale conflict.They broke down the authors' arguments and where they agree and disagree. Does U.S. engagement lower the temperature in the relationship? Will entrenched economic interests move the countries closer to conflict? How can the U.S. credibly deter China from invading Taiwan without provoking Beijing?To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.