Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The President’s Inbox

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

This episode first aired: July 30, 2024

Mentioned on the Episode 

“A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox

Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order

Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World

Jake Sullivan, “Renewing American Economic Leadership”

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan

Zoe Liu, the Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in China and what his presidency will mean for the future of U.S.-China economic relations. This episode is the seventh in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “Why China Won't Give Up on a Failing Economic Model,” Foreign Affairs 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/china-reacts-trumps-election-zoe-liu-transition-2025-episode-7

Sheila Smith, the John E. Merow senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Japan and what his presidency will mean for U.S.-Japanese relations and the security situation in northeast Asia. This episode is the sixth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Sheila Smith, Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power 

Sheila Smith, "Governing from Weakness: The LDP Under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru," The Diplomat

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/japan-reacts-trumps-victory-sheila-smith-transition-2025-episode-6

Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Latin America and what his policies toward the region might be. This episode is the fifth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Will Freeman and Javier Corrales, “How Organized Crime Threatens Latin America,” Journal of Democracy

Claudia Sheinbaum, “Claudia Sheinbaum’s Defiant Letter to Donald Trump: A Blueprint for a New Era in US-Mexico Relations,” Pressenza International Press Agency

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/latin-america-reacts-trumps-election-will-freeman-transition-2025-episode-5

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and Matthias Matthijs, a senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how governments across Europe are preparing for a second Trump administration. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

“A Second China Shock, With Brad Setser,” The President’s Inbox

Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival

Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs

Matthias Matthijs, “Europe’s Leadership Void,” Survival

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/europe-reacts-trumps-victory-liana-fix-and-matthias-matthijs-transition-2025-episode-4  

Christopher M. Tuttle, a senior fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the people that President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated for foreign policy and national security positions. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

“Trump and the Middle East, With Steven A. Cook (Transition 2025, Episode 2),” The President’s Inbox

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/trumps-national-security-appointees-christopher-m-tuttle-transition-2025-episode-3 

Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Middle Eastern countries are reacting to former President Donald Trump’s election victory and his potential policy for the region. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay, The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership

Jared Kushner, Breaking History: A White House Memoir

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trump-and-middle-east-steven-cook-transition-2025-episode-2 

Stephen Hadley, a principal of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC and former national security advisor to President George W. Bush, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the presidential transition process and the challenges that all incoming presidents face in staffing up their administration. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Stephen Hadley, Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/staffing-new-administration-stephen-hadley-transition-2025-episode-1 

Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the nature and significance of growing cooperation between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. This episode is the seventh in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Daniel R. DePetris and Jennifer Kavanaugh, “The ‘Axis of Evil’ is Overhyped,” Foreign Policy

Richard Fontaine and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, “The Axis of Upheaval: How America’s Adversaries Are Uniting to Overturn the Global Order,” Foreign Affairs 

Walter Lippmann, U.S. Foreign Policy: Shield of the Republic

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/axis-autocracies-challenge-jennifer-kavanagh-and-andrea-kendall-taylor-election-2024  

Liza Tobin, senior director for economy at the Special Competitive Studies Project, and Jake Werner, acting director of the East Asia program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the challenges the next president will face navigating relations with China. This episode is the sixth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Robert Atkinson and Liza Tobin, "The Missing Piece in America's Strategy for Techno-Economic Rivalry with China," Lawfare

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

Jake Werner, "A Program for Progressive China Policy," Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/china-challenge-liza-tobin-and-jake-werner-election-2024-episode-6

Oriana Mastro, a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Taiwan in light of talk that China might seek to compel the island’s reunification with the mainland. This episode is the fifth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Council on Foreign Relations, China's Belt and Road: Implications for the United States

Council on Foreign Relations, U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Responding to a More Assertive China

Oriana Skylar Mastro, “The Pivot That Wasn’t,” Foreign Affairs

Oriana Skylar Mastro, “This Is What America Is Getting Wrong About China and Taiwan,” New York Times 

Oriana Skylar Mastro, Upstart: How China Became a Great Power

David Sacks, “Taiwan’s Trump Conundrum,” CFR.org.

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/taiwan-challenge-oriana-mastro-and-david-sacks-election-2024-episode-5

Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at CFR, and Amy Hawthorne, independent consultant on the Middle East, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the widening war in the Middle East and the challenges it poses for the United States. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power,” Foreign Affairs

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/middle-east-challenge-steven-cook-and-amy-hawthorne-election-2024-episode-4   

Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the CFR and the Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor at Western Washington University, and Ana Swanson, a trade and international economics journalist at the New York Times, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss opportunities and constraints that the next U.S. president will confront on U.S. trade policy. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Edward Alden, Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy

When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders- https://global.oup.com/academic/product/when-the-world-closed-its-doors-9780197697818?cc=us&lang=en& 

David Autor, Anne Beck, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson, “Help for the Heartland? The Employment and Electoral Effects of the Trump Tariffs in the United States,” National Bureau of Economic Research

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trade-challenge-edward-alden-and-ana-swanson-election-2024-episode-3

Alice Hill, the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at CFR, and Varun Sivaram, a senior fellow for energy and climate at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what the United States has done and should do to confront a changing climate. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Alice C. Hill, The Fight for Climate After COVID-19

Varun Sivaram, Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/climate-challenge-alice-hill-and-varun-sivaram-election-2024-episode-2 

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, and Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the future of U.S. policy toward Russia and the risks posed by heightened tensions between two nuclear powers. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival

Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

Thomas Graham, Getting Russia Right

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/russia-challenge-liana-fix-and-thomas-graham-election-2024-episode-1 

Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at CFR and a columnist for The Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ronald Reagan’s life and his impact on U.S. foreign policy. 

Enter the CFR book giveaway by September 24, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here. 

Mentioned on the Episode

Max Boot, “Reagan Didn’t Win the Cold War,” Foreign Affairs 

Max Boot, Reagan: His Life and Legend

Max Boot, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam

Shreya Chattopadhyay and Miguel Salazar, "22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall," New York Times

Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation About Christmas and the Situation in Poland"

Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger"

Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day"

“Ronald Reagan, Mastermind,” Saturday Night Live

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/ronald-reagan-us-global-leadership-max-boot

Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the potential for a wider war in the Middle East as Iran vows to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a top Hamas official in Tehran.

Mentioned on the Episode

Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/a-wider-middle-east-war-with-steven-cook

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia.

Mentioned on the Episode

Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival

Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ukraines-attack-kursk-liana-fix 

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Stephen Heintz, “A Logic for the Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence,” Rockefeller Brothers Fund

John F. Kennedy, “Commencement Address at American University,” June 10, 1963

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/case-multipolar-pluralism-stephen-heintz

Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how America should navigate its geopolitical rivalry with China. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?

Hal Brands and Michael Beckley, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict With China

Rush Doshi, The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order

Rush Doshi, et al., “Debating the United States’ China Strategy,” CFR.org

Rush Doshi, et al., “What Does America Want From China?,” Foreign Affairs

Aaron Friedberg, The Weary Titan: Britain and the Experience of Relative Decline, 1895-1905

Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger, “No Substitute for Victory: America’s Competition With China Must Be Won, Not Managed,” Foreign Affairs

William Langley and Gloria Li, “Chinese Robot Maker Says Protectionism Will Not Stop Its March,” Financial Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/americas-china-strategy-rush-doshi 

Christopher Kirchhoff, former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to incorporate cutting-edge technology into its operations. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Ashton B. Carter, “Keeping America’s Military Edge,” Foreign Affairs

Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah, Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/silicon-valley-and-the-future-of-warfare

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.   

Mentioned on the Episode 

"A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox

Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order

Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World

Jake Sullivan, "Renewing American Economic Leadership”

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan 

Sir Robin Niblett, distinguished fellow at Chatham House, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss a potential second Cold War between the United States and China.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can American and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?

Barry Buzan, “A New Cold War? The Case for a General Concept,” International Politics

Robin Niblett, “The G-7 Must Prepare Now for Trump,” Foreign Policy

Robin Niblett, The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century

Robin Niblett and Leslie Vinjamuri, “The Liberal Order Begins at Home,” Foreign Affairs

Jake Sullivan, “Remarks by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Renewing American Economic Leadership at the Brookings Institution,” April 27, 2023

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-china-cold-war-robin-niblett 

Stephen Flynn, chair of the Committee on Assessing WMD Nuclear Terrorism at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and a political science professor at Northeastern University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the steps the U.S. government should take to prevent and respond to nuclear terrorism.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Nuclear Terrorism: Assessment of U.S. Strategies to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicines

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/threat-nuclear-terrorism-stephen-flynn 

Matthias Matthijs, senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and Daniela Schwarzer, a member of the executive board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results and consequences of the snap elections in France and the United Kingdom.  

Mentioned on the Episode 

Matthias Matthijs, “Pivotal Elections for France—and Europe,” CFR.org

Matthias Matthijs and Mark Blyth, “Don’t Bet on a British Revival,” Foreign Affairs

Daniela Schwarzer, “It’s Time to Reset EU-UK Relations,” Financial Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/elections-britain-and-france-matthias-matthijs-and-daniela-schwarzer 

Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor emeritus of political science and law at Stanford University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss why the United States declared independence in 1776 and its meaning for the country today. 

This episode first aired: July 4, 2023

Mentioned on the Podcast

Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Paul Revere’s Ride”

Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution

Jack N. Rakove, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America

Jack N. Rakove, The Beginnings of National Politics: An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress

1619 Project, New York Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/fourth-july-jack-rakove 

Robert D. Blackwill, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at CFR, and Richard Fontaine, the chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the U.S. response to the rise of China.  

Enter the CFR book giveaway by July 8, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power by Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine, Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power

Hillary Clinton, “America’s Pacific Century,” Foreign Policy

Philip Zelikow, “Confronting Another Axis? History, Humility, and Wishful Thinking,” Texas National Security Review

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-pivot-asia-robert-d-blackwill-and-richard-fontaine 

Michelle Gavin, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ongoing deadly conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Michelle Gavin, “The World’s Shameful Neglect of Sudan,” CFR.org

“Sudan’s Civil War, With Michelle Gavin,” The President’s Inbox

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/sudans-ongoing-civil-war-michelle-gavin 

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the CFR, and Matthias Mattijs, senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results and consequences of the 2024 European Parliament elections.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Liana Fix, A New German Power? Germany’s Role in European Russia Policy 

Caroline Kapp and Matthias Matthijs, “What’s at Stake in the EU Elections?,” CFR.org

Additional Reading

Liana Fix, “How Will the EU Elections Results Change Europe?,” CFR.org

Matthias Matthijs, “Have European Voters Hamstrung the EU?,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/right-surges-eu-elections-liana-fix-and-matthias-matthijs  

Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the United States’ past, present, and future policy in the Middle East.

Enter the CFR book giveaway by June 17, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East by Steven A. Cook. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

George H. W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft, A World Transformed

Steven A. Cook, False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the Middle East

Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-policy-middle-east-steven-cook 

Andrés Rozental, a distinguished retired Mexican diplomat, president of Rozental & Asociados, and the founding president of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the dynamics of Mexico’s upcoming election and its consequences for the Mexican people as well as for U.S.-Mexico relations.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/mexicos-presidential-election-andres-rozental 

David Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the post-Cold War ended and why the new era of geopolitical rivalry began.

Mentioned on the Episode 

John Maggio, Year One: A Political Odyssey, HBO Max

David E. Sanger, New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West, with Mary K. Brooks 

David E. Sanger, The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/americas-new-cold-wars-david-sanger   

Andrew Reddie, an associate research professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing warfare. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Alan Hickey, Andrew Reddie, Sarah Shoker, and Leah Walker, "New Tools Are Needed to Address the Risks Posed by AI-Military Integration," Lawfare

Max Lamparth and Jacquelyn Schneider, "Why the Military Can't Trust AI," Foreign Affairs

"Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy,” U.S. Department of State 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/impact-ai-warfare-andrew-reddie 

John Ikenberry, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether liberal internationalism and U.S. global leadership are fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

John Ikenberry, A World Safe for Democracy: Liberal Internationalism and the Crises of Global Order

John Ikenberry, Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order

Arthur A. Stein, “The Hegemon’s Dilemma: Great Britain, the United States, and the International Economic Order,” International Organization

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-internationalism-g-john-ikenberry 

Brad Setser, the Whitney Shepardson senior fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the causes and consequences of China's export surge.

Mentioned on the Episode 

David H. Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson, "The China Syndrome: Local Labor Market Effects of Import Competition in the United States," American Economic Review

Volkmar Baur, Brad W. Setser, and Michael Weilandt, "China's Record Manufacturing Surplus," CFR.org 

James M. Lindsay, "Election 2024: The United States Is Facing a Second China Shock," CFR.org 

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, "Beijing Needs to Junk Its Economic Playbook,” Foreign Policy

Brad W. Setser, "China Needs More Progressive Taxes and More Spending on Public Health," CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/second-china-shock-brad-setser

John Barrientos, a captain in the U.S. Navy and a visiting military fellow at CFR, and Kristen Thompson, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a visiting military fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to provide an inside view on how the U.S. military is adapting to the challenges it faces.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/challenges-facing-us-military-john-barrientos-and-kristen-thompson 

Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, and Ray Takeyh, the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel and the prospects for a broader Middle East war.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Steven A. Cook, "Iran Attack Means an Even Tougher Balancing Act for the U.S. in the Middle East," CFR.org

Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East [forthcoming]

Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, “Keeping U.S. Power Behind Israel Will Keep Iran at Bay,” New York Times

Ray Takeyh, "Iran Attacks on Israel Spur Escalation Concerns," CFR.org

Ray Takeyh, The Last Shah: America, Iran, and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/irans-attack-israel-steven-cook-and-ray-takeyh 

Michael Kimmage, a history professor at the Catholic University of America and a senior associate with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the origins of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its repercussion for the global order.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Michael Kimmage, Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/russia-ukraine-and-global-instability-michael-kimmage 

Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the prospects for an end to the fighting, and the tensions in U.S.-Israeli relations.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Steven Cook, “Five Months of War: Where Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. Stand,” CFR.org

Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East [forthcoming]

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/war-gaza-steven-cook  

W.J. Hennigan, a correspondent for the Opinion section of the New York Times, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the risk of nuclear war in an era of growing geopolitical competition. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

"At the Brink," New York Times

J. Hennigan, "How America Made Nuclear War the President's Decision," New York Times

J. Hennigan, "Nuclear War Is Called Unimaginable. In Fact, It's Not Imagined Enough," New York Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/confronting-nuclear-threat-wj-hennigan 

Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether and where the United States should be less involved in the world. This episode is the first in a special The President’s Inbox series on U.S. grand strategy.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Stephen Wertheim, “Internationalism/Isolationism: Concepts of American Global Power [PDF],” in Rethinking U.S. World Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations, ed. Daniel Bessner and Michael Brenes

Stephen Wertheim, Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy 

Stephen Wertheim, "Why America Can't Have It All: Washington Must Choose Between Primacy and Prioritizing," Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-us-grand-strategy-case-us-retrenchment-overseas-stephen-wertheim 

Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Dara Lind, "What We Know About the Senate Negotiations That Could Wreck Asylum in the U.S.," Immigration Impact

The Weeds, Vox

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/crisis-us-southern-border-dara-lind  

Ann Norris, a senior fellow for women and foreign policy at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss International Women’s Day and the challenges facing adolescent girls around the world and the solutions to address them. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Ann Norris, ⁠⁠Renewing the Global Architecture for Gender Equality

United Nations, "⁠SDG 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls"

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/international-womens-day-ann-norris  

Kate Schecter, president and CEO of World Neighbors, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss progress and setbacks in promoting economic development in some of the world’s poorest countries.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/combating-global-poverty-kate-schecter 

Miriam Elder, the Edward R. Murrow press fellow at CFR, and Carla Anne Robbins, a senior fellow at CFR and co-host of CFR’s The World Next Week podcast, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss where the war between Russia and Ukraine is headed as it enters its third year. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

“House Republicans Fear Trump Too Much to Aid Ukraine,” Economist

Simon Shuster, The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky

The World Next Week, Council on Foreign Relations

“Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief on the Breakthrough He Needs to Beat Russia,” Economist

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/year-three-ukraine-war-miriam-elder-and-carla-anne-robbins 

Kat Duffy, a senior fellow for digital and cyberspace policy at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the capacity of the U.S. government to lead in creating a framework for regulating artificial intelligence (AI). 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Kat Duffy and Katie Harbath, "Defending the Year of Democracy," Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/governance-artificial-intelligence-kat-duffy  

Ray Takeyh, the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at CFR, and Robin Wright, a contributing writer and columnist for the New Yorker, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ramifications of U.S. retaliation against Iranian-backed militias after the killing of three U.S. service members in Jordan on January 28.

Mentioned on the Episode 

Ray Takeyh, The Last Shah: America, Iran and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty

Robin Wright, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-airstrikes-iraq-and-syria-ray-takeyh-and-robin-wright 

Enter the CFR book giveaway by February 13, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century by Benn Steil. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Danny Rocco, Convention

Benn Steil, The Battle for Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order

Benn Steil, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War 

Benn Steil, The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century

Oliver Stone, The Untold Story of American History

Henry Wallace, “Text of Wallace Letter to Stalin Calling for Peace Program,” New York Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/henry-wallace-and-origins-cold-war-benn-steil 

Jessica Brandt, policy director for the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution, where she is a fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how artificial intelligence might affect the 2024 U.S. elections.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ais-impact-2024-us-elections-jessica-brandt

This episode first aired: September 12, 2023

Katherine Zimmerman, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ongoing attacks by the Houthis in Yemen on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea. 

Mentioned on the Episode 

Alan Beattie, “Why Red Sea Attacks Won’t Derail Globalisation (Probably),” Financial Times

Kenneth M. Pollack and Katherine Zimmerman, “Washington Can't Let the Houthis Take Yemen,” Wall Street Journal 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/houthi-threat-red-sea-shipping-katherine-zimmerman