Explore every episode of the podcast None Of The Above

The 1990s were a pivotal decade for the United States and the world. This season on None Of The Above, we rewinded to the ‘90s to cover the breakup of the Soviet Union, America’s unipolar moment, and the rise of China. We explored civil war in Afghanistan, the spread of nuclear weapons, South Africa’s transition to democracy, and much more. The ‘90s also gave rise to free trade, globalization, and the growth of the internet – all of which profoundly shaped the world we live in today.

In the final episode of our ‘90s Rewind miniseries, we asked Ian Bremmer to wrap it all up. He joins the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah to revisit some of these key moments and walk us through how he was thinking about them at the time, and how he looks back on them now with the benefit of hindsight. Ian also happens to be our board president here at IGA.

The military and the very idea of national security changed a lot in the 1990s. Politicians promised a new period of peace and prosperity after the Cold War, but the military would not draw down from the international arena. On the contrary, the United States turned to policing the world, and the military carried out new types of missions meant to advance new ideals, ambitions, and interests.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores strategic, structural, technological, and social change in the US military. He is joined by military historian Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and columnist for The Washington Post. NPR’s Deborah Amos returns to provide insights and commentary.

When the Cold War ended, many imagined a more peaceful world. Yet the 1990s were marked by humanitarian crises in Somalia, Rwanda, and former Yugoslavia. Images of mass atrocities and genocide reached wide audiences on newly available 24/7 TV news channels, as humanitarians increasingly advocated for military intervention. The United States under Bill Clinton took up the mantle of protecting human rights – and quickly discovered the perils of intervention.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah delves into the rise of humanitarian intervention in the 1990s. He is joined by international relations scholar Rajan Menon, professor emeritus at the City College of New York and senior research scholar at Columbia University. Ambassador Thomas Pickering returns to provide insights and commentary.

China’s violent Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 marked a turning point in US-China relations. After two decades of slowly but steadily nurturing friendly relations, the United States would choose to develop economic ties without insisting on democratic reforms. The prevailing hope was that China’s economic growth would inevitably lead to political change. That hope, however, was never fully realized. Today, China is America’s largest trading partner and yet its biggest geopolitical rival.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores the origins of 21st century US-China rivalry. He is joined by modern China historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom of the University of California, Irvine. NPR’s Deborah Amos and Ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

Sudan’s civil war recently entered its third year. It has claimed the lives of around 150,000 people and displaced around 13 million. In this archival episode, we revisit the outbreak of violence that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan–known also as Hemedti. 

As the warring factions competed for control of resource-rich Sudan, regional leaders like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, as well as the United States and the United Nations grappled with how to respond the catastrophic violence and humanitarian crisis still unfolding. But, as our guest reminds us, peacebuilding efforts from external actors like the US and the UN, however well-intentioned, have unintended consequences. Guest host and former IGA research fellow Zuri Linetsky spoke with Sudan expert Justin Lynch to help us make sense of the conflict and how external actors helped embolden the military leaders, who have brought the country to the brink of collapse. 

In the 1990s, South Africa ended apartheid, a brutal system of racial segregation, and became a democracy. During the Cold War, the United States supported South Africa’s apartheid government because it was anti-communist. But American civil rights activists pushed Washington to reassess its support – which it did as the Cold War wound down. Nelson Mandela won the first democratic election in 1994 and set out to establish South Africa as a champion of peace and human rights internationally.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores the role the United States played in ending apartheid and how South Africa emerged as a strong voice in the Global South. He is joined by Chris Alden of the London School of Economics and Sean Jacobs of The New School.

The 1990s witnessed a turning point in one of the world’s most intractable disputes. After four decades of conflict, the 1991 Madrid Conference opened the door for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. A flurry of negotiations and agreements followed. The Camp David Summit in 2000 was the Clinton administration’s last-ditch attempt to produce a final deal but it failed to deliver on that goal.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah remembers how America launched a peace process, and explores why its objectives ultimately failed. He is joined by former diplomat Aaron David Miller. NPR’s Deborah Amos and retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

Nightmares of mushroom clouds and fears of mutually assured destruction plagued many during the Cold War. But by the early 1990s, both the United States and Russia promised a world with fewer nuclear weapons. Together, they agreed to dismantle 80% of their strategic nuclear warheads. Meanwhile, other countries such as North Korea and Pakistan saw value in nukes amid a less balanced world, and raced to acquire them.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores the decade’s mixed track record on nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He is joined by Emma Belcher, president of Ploughshares Fund. Historian Susan Colbourn and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

This is the story of how a CIA covert action program inadvertently created the conditions for the Taliban to seize control and provide safe haven for Osama bin Laden. Following a Cold War proxy battle between the Soviet Union and the United States, al Qaeda gained strength throughout the 1990s, leading to the deadliest attack on American soil on September 11, 2001.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores America’s misplaced trust in partnerships with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and the lack of coherent US policy toward the Taliban and al Qaeda during the 1990s. He is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll. NPR’s Deborah Amos and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

America was on top of the world in the 1990s as its erstwhile rival, Russia, was struggling to find its footing. President Boris Yelstin's liberal reforms were soon dashed by economic crises and infighting among Russian elites. US policymakers also contributed to this tragedy, which would lead to Vladimir Putin's rise by the end of the decade. In their zeal to promote democracy and capitalism, they failed to anticipate how Russians would see the West as meddling from within and, with NATO enlargement, encroaching from without.

In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explores where the 1990s went wrong for post-Soviet Russia, from shock therapy to NATO enlargement. He is joined by former diplomat Thomas Graham and historian Susan Colbourn. NPR’s Deborah Amos and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering also return to provide insights and commentary.

The 1990s were a decade of transformation and optimism. Teenagers were listening to grunge rock and hip hop on their walkmans. Flannels and jean jackets became staples of ‘90s fashion. And seemingly without warning, the Cold War was over, the Soviet Union had dissolved, and the United States emerged as the sole superpower. Today’s world seems more dangerous and competitive than that of 30 years ago. So how did we get here?

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah revisits some of the most pivotal events of the 1990s with the help of Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University. They discuss promises and follies of America’s efforts to shape the new world order. Former NPR correspondent Deborah Amos and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering also provide personal insights and commentary.

The surprising election of Argentina's controversial new president, Javier Milei, captivated international media attention. Milei just passed his first major legislative package, and promises to further slash state spending and promote policies to privatize much of the Argentine economy. What drives his support beyond voters’ weariness of the country’s economic woes and political stagnation?

This episode of None of the Above features interviews from IGA’s trip to Buenos Aires after the election. Host Mark Hannah delves into the extraordinary rise of Javier Milei with insights from Jorge Liotti, the chief editor of the political section at La Nacion newspaper, and Augusto Reina, director of PULSAR at the University of Buenos Aires. They explore Milei's blend of libertarianism, populism, and ultra-capitalist economic philosophy.

In the aftermath of 9/11, America’s political leaders lept to action based on, what turned out to be, a series of misplaced and untested assumptions. From conflations between the Taliban and Al Qaeda to misguided theories about nation building, these assumptions drove two decades of policy failure in Afghanistan. Critical missteps came with a human cost for both American soldiers and Afghan civilians.

In this episode of None Of The Above, IGA’s Mark Hannah sits down with Michael Cohen and Monica Duffy Toft of the Afghanistan Assumptions Project to analyze the key beliefs and decisions that shaped America’s longest war.

Haiti has been in a state of political uncertainty since its president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated two years ago. Ariel Henry assumed power with the backing of the US – but not of most Haitians – and promptly suspended elections. Competing gangs jockeyed for political power, and have seized control of the capital city Port-au-Prince. The proposed solution – a United Nations security mission led by Kenya and a US-backed transitional government that lacks domestic legitimacy – threatens to recreate the mistakes of the past.

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Dan Foote, who was America’s special envoy for Haiti until he resigned in protest of US policy there. They discuss the island’s recent history, the role of international intervention, and the urgent need to rebuild Haitians’ trust in their democracy.

From the Crimean War of 1853 to Russia’s war inUkraine, journalists, reporters, and the media have shaped the public’s understanding of war. But do the stories we read and the photos we see provide an impartial picture of the wars they document? As the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah explained in his 2022 Foreign Policy piece, certain aspects of American war coverage—reliance on government sources and incentives to simplify geopolitics as battles between good and evil—have long compelled news organizations to tilt toward military action.

In this archival episode of None Of The Above, host of WNYC’s On The Media Brooke Gladstone and Slate’s “War Stories” columnist Fred Kaplan, are interviewed by Mark at the American Academy in Rome. Together, in these excerpts from that conversation, they unpack the media’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War and the biases which influence how the media understand and depict these conflicts.

Many have argued that NATO, the transatlantic alliance forged at the dawn of the Cold War, is merely a vestige of another era. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine thrust NATO back into the spotlight, and reignited debates about the value and strategic imperatives of America’s alliances. With a distinguished career of over three decades in the United States Navy, Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) was the 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. He oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and the Balkans. He has since become an author of 10 nonfiction books and two novels. 

In this episode, Admiral Stavridis talks about his motivations for venturing into the world of fiction, and the value of his novels as cautionary tales about the threats facing the nation. Drawing on historical parallels and his professional experience, he offers lessons for foreign policy leaders, discusses the value of NATO, and explores the transformative impact of technology on warfare.

In December 2023, South Africa brought human rights law into the fold of the Israel-Hamas war when it filed a genocide case against Israel in the World Court. South Africa’s unprecedented move sparked conversation surrounding the line between collateral damage and indiscriminate bombing campaigns.

In this extended cut of a recent episode of None of the Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Kenneth Roth, who was executive director of Human Rights Watch for more than three decades. He shares his perspectives on Israeli violence enacted against Gazans, South Africa’s arguments to the World Court, the legal application of genocide, and international law.

The Houthis continue to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid Israel’s assault in Gaza. This Yemen-based political and military organization says its disruption of international shipping is a response to Western support for Israel. It likely also hopes its attacks will revitalize flailing domestic support within war-torn Yemen. 

The United States is no stranger to the Houthis. Since the start of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, Washington has backed a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed organization. More recently, the United States has launched airstrikes against the Houthis to try to deter future Red Sea attacks — though President Biden acknowledges the bombing to be ineffective. In this episode of None of the Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Alexandra Stark to help us better understand the Houthis, the illogic of America’s approach to Yemen, and the lessons for dealing with the Houthis in the future.

Alexandra Stark is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on Middle East security and cooperation. Prior to that she was a senior researcher at New America. Her book, The Yemen Model: Why US Policy Has Failed in the Middle East is set for release in April by Yale University Press.

Show Notes

• Alexandra Stark, “Don’t Bomb the Houthis: Careful Stop the Attacks in the Red Sea,” (Foreign Affairs, January 11, 2024)
• Alexandra Stark, The Yemen Model: Why US Policy Has Failed in the Middle East (Yale University Press, 2024)

Last month the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide, and protect the human rights of Gazans. Almost everything about the case has generated controversy, from South Africa’s invocation of the Genocide Convention to the court’s decision not to order a ceasefire.

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Kenneth Roth, who was executive director of Human Rights Watch for more than 30 years, and Dr. Mia Swart, an expert in international law, transitional justice, and human rights law. They share their perspectives on this landmark case, the role of South Africa and the United States in upholding international law, and the challenges of enforcement.

Next month will mark two years since Russia invaded Ukraine after amassing over 100,000 troops at the border. As we look ahead, we ask: What has victory in Ukraine come to symbolize for the Biden administration’s foreign policy? Are Ukraine and its partners making full use of diplomacy to bring an end to the war? And how might the 2024 Presidential election shift the conversation around US interests in Ukraine? 

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah consults with Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation and Alex Ward, national security reporter and anchor of POLITICO’s “National Security Daily” newsletter. They discuss the trajectory of the war, how President Biden and his team have approached it, and the stakes involved for all parties.

It’s always difficult to gather and verify information in times of armed conflict. But recently that task has gotten much harder. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza, journalists and consumers alike are inundated with intentionally misleading images, information, and narratives. The media ecosystem has become increasingly treacherous, with old photos and quotations taken out of their original context and offered as evidence in conflicts today.

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Dr. Claire Wardle, an expert on misinformation, and Steven Lee Myers, a veteran foreign and national security correspondent for The New York Times currently covering misinformation. Together they discuss how misinformation and disinformation spread, and the challenges they pose for accessing accurate information in times of conflict.

Instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been making headlines in Western newspapers for months. Since the fall of Mobuto Sese Seko’s 30 year dictatorship in 1997, the cobalt rich Congo has dealt with civil war, insurgencies from bordering nations, and government corruption. But before Mobuto, there was another charismatic leader. 

Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, was ousted, imprisoned, and eventually assassinated thanks to CIA intervention. It would be the first time a US president greenlighted the assassination of a foreign head of state. In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with executive editor of Foreign Affairs Stuart Reid to discuss his new book The Lumumba Plot and the legacy of wanton intervention.

The United States military is one of the most advanced and best funded militaries in the world. But critics argue this has helped make US foreign policy overly reliant on the use of military force. Over the past several decades, the US has grappled with blowback and retaliation, a ballooning defense budget, and a decline in traditional diplomacy.

For the 100th episode of None Of The Above we’re revisiting our very first episode. In 2019, IGA’s Mark Hannah sat down with defense and foreign policy expert Chris Preble to discuss how big military spending might actually make us less safe. Four years later, as the US weighs the wisdom of continuing to aid the armed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, the paradox of America’s military might remains as relevant as ever.

Today marks one month since the Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack on Southern Israel. Before October 7th, the Biden administration’s foreign policy had largely centered on Europe and Asia. Issues of Palestinian self-determination and self rule appeared to be something the administration (and Israel) were eager to avoid. Now, in the wake of Hamas’ attacks, Palestine’s political future and the United States’ long term strategy for the Middle East have become increasingly unclear.

In this episode of None Of The Above, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah sits down with political analyst and public opinion expert Dahlia Scheindlin, and US Program director of the International Crisis Group, Michael Wahid Hanna to discuss the immediate causes of the war, and evaluate Israeli and US strategic objectives. Effective policy, they argue, will require clear-eyed consideration of the longstanding conflicts at the root of today’s violence.

With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, the Biden administration’s foreign policy decisions will face increasing scrutiny. Some think foreign policy decisions should be exempt from regular public debate. To gain a better understanding of the concerns and priorities of voting age Americans, we at the Eurasia Group Foundation compiled our sixth annual survey of Americans’ foreign policy views. 

In this episode of None Of The Above, Mark is joined by his EGF colleagues, Zuri Linetsky and Lucas Robinson, as well as media consultant Deepika Choudhary to dive into our annual report of Americans’ foreign policy views. Across partisan, age, and racial differences, our survey reveals a public attentive to global realities, and supportive of recalibrating America’s international activities. Though this survey data was collected before the outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza, we think the discussion provides useful context for how Americans’ view their country’s role in this turbulent time.

The United Nations, founded in the aftermath of history’s most destructive war, is the world’s premier forum for international diplomacy. But is the UN a vestige of a bygone era? This year’s session of the UN General Assembly, which today closes general debate, has been the site of much frustration over the war in Ukraine, the stalled progress of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the lack of representation for the global south.   

The world has changed since the end of World War II, and as this episode’s guest, Suzanne Nossel, argues, so too must the UN. Currently CEO of PEN America, Suzanne served in the UN under both the Clinton and Obama administrations as Deputy to the US Ambassador for UN Management and Reform and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. Suzanne joins the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah to reimagine the UN to better address these challenges and others.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Suzanne Nossel currently serves as the CEO of PEN America, a leading human rights and free expression organization. Her prior career has spanned roles in both the Clinton and Obama administrations as part of the US Mission to the United Nations.

Yesterday’s anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States has us turning to the legacy of America’s post-9/11 wars. As veterans reflect on their time in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as the country contemplates the impact of these wars on the morale of the US military and America’s standing in the world, literature offers a powerful way to make meaning from war’s experience.

From Ernest Hemingway to Kurt Vonnegut and J.D. Salinger, the author-soldier has long been a fixture in American literature. In this episode of None Of The Above, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah is joined by two of his favorite contemporary novelists, veterans Elliot Ackerman and Phil Klay. Books, they argue, are more than a medium to unpack trauma and untangle the web of emotions war provokes: war stories have implications for the battles we have yet to fight.

Elliot Ackerman is a veteran of the US Marine Corps who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Elliot is the author of several novels, including Halcyon (2023) and 2034 (2021), which he co-wrote with Admiral James Stavridis. 

Phil Klay is a veteran of the US Marine Corps who served in Iraq. Phil is the author of the novels Redeployment (2014) and Missionaries (2020). His most recent book is Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in the Age of Endless, Invisible War (2022).

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

We here at the Eurasia Group Foundation are very curious about the extent to which US foreign policy reflects the interests of the American public. In today’s episode, we turn our attention to an important group: Black Americans. Black Americans make up 12 percent of the national population. They are over-represented in the rank and file of the US military, but still under-represented in foreign policy circles. What are their perceptions of America’s role in the world? Recent polling shows 80 percent of Black Americans have favorable views of the US military, but are far less supportive than the general public of deploying those forces abroad. Why? We dig into this and more with historian Chris Shell and former State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter. 

Jalina Porter served as Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the Department of State under the Biden-Harris Administration. Originally hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jalina is also a graduate of Howard University, Georgetown University, and the University of Oxford. 

Christopher Shell is a fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At Carnegie, Christopher leads a project that examines the attitudes and opinions of Black Americans on US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Last week, the Biden administration agreed to share evidence with the International Criminal Court of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. President Biden insists Vladimir Putin has “clearly committed war crimes.” But however atrocious Russia’s tactics are, is there a version of this war – or any act of war – that is not? In this week’s episode of None Of The Above, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah speaks with historian Samuel Moyn about the evolution of America’s thinking on war. From the interwar period to today, war has gone from being something that should be prevented to something that should be made more humane. Through this transformation, Moyn argues, American politicians might face less pressure to avert or end wars. So, while there is an argument to be made for Putin’s arrest, Moyn pushes us to think about whether focusing on the distinctions between “humane” war and battlefield atrocities might make the atrocity that is war itself more likely. 

Samuel Moyn is Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University. His most recent book is Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War (2021). His forthcoming book is Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times (2023).

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

As President Biden meets this week with America’s NATO allies at the Vilnius Summit, attention has turned to Sweden’s and Ukraine’s prospects for the Atlantic alliance. Europe is not the only continent where America’s military commitments are up for debate, however. On this episode of None Of The Above, we look further east to America’s alliance in the Asia-Pacific. More specifically, its often fraught relationship with one of its longest-standing allies — the Philippines.

Caught between the United States and China, Manila — which edged closer to Beijing during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte — has recently doubled down on its alliance with Washington. Earlier this year, it expanded the US military’s access to bases there. It is fast becoming the focal point of America’s efforts to counter China in the South China Sea. But is this such a good idea? This week’s guest, the Quincy Institute’s Sarang Shidore, tells the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah this alliance — and America’s military footprint across Asia in general —  may be a liability worth reconsidering.

Sarang Shidore is the director of studies and senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. His research focuses on Asia, the Global South, and the geopolitics of climate change.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

This week, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi traveled to the United States in his first official state visit as prime minister. Once denied entry into the United States for inciting communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat, Modi is now being given one of the highest honors for foreign dignitaries by addressing a joint session of Congress. Modi’s trip to Washington intends to celebrate, as well as strengthen, the already strong partnership between the United States and the world’s largest democracy. And this is all despite Modi’s controversial human rights track record as well as India’s reluctance to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with targeted sanctions. 

What makes the US-India partnership so important to America’s interests that the Biden administration is willing to overlook such contradictions?  EGF’s senior researcher and producer, Caroline Gray, sits down with someone who knows India’s strategic thinking best: former national security advisor to India’s prime minister and foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon. Shivshankar argues there is far too much to be gained for both India and the United States for differences – domestic or international – to stand in the way.

Shivshankar Menon is a visiting professor of international relations at Ashoka University. He has served in many roles in India’s government, including as national security advisor to the prime minister, foreign secretary, and ambassador to Israel, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and China. His latest book is India and Asian Geopolitics; The Past, Present.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Over the weekend, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted the annual G7 summit in Hiroshima. Nuclear proliferation, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the rise of China dominated conversation between the leaders of the world’s most advanced democratic economies. Kishida hosting the summit is significant: Japan is reinventing its role on the global stage, what TIME Magazine recently called “Japan’s Choice.” The country must choose between maintaining its decades-old pacifist foreign policy or pursuing a more assertive role. This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah sits down with Japan security experts Yuki Tatsumi and Professor Tom Le to unpack the importance of the US-Japan relationship and discuss why, despite Tokyo and Washington’s desire for a more assertive Japan, cultural and demographic factors complicate the buildup of Japan’s military.

Yuki Tatsumi is Senior Fellow, Co-Director of the East Asia Program, and Director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC

Tom Le is Associate Professor of Politics at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He is the author of Japan's Aging Peace: Pacifism and Militarism in the Twenty-First Century.

On April 15, violence erupted across Sudan between the Sudanese Army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan–known also as Hemedti. As the warring factions compete for control of resource-rich Sudan, regional leaders like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, as well as the United States and the United Nations are figuring out how to respond to help mitigate the catastrophic violence. But as this week’s guest reminds us, peacebuilding efforts from external actors like the U.S. and the UN, however well-intentioned, have unintended consequences. This week, guest host and EGF research fellow Zuri Linetsky speaks with Sudan expert Justin Lynch to help us make sense of the conflict playing out today and how attempts at peacebuilding and diplomacy by the West helped embolden the military leaders bringing the country to the brink of collapse.

Justin Lynch is a researcher and analyst living in Washington DC. He formerly worked as a reporter and United Nations official in Sudan. He is a co-author of Sudan’s Unfinished Democracy: The Promise and Betrayal of a People's Revolution.

When TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress, he was grilled on whether the popular short form video hosting app used by an estimated 150 million Americans has links to the Chinese government. The Biden administration and several members of Congress from both parties want to ban TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, claiming it threatens US national security. But is TikTok really a national security threat, or are these hearings just the latest example of the anti-China hysteria sweeping Washington? To help us make sense of this, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah is joined by tech journalist and self-proclaimed national security junkie Kara Swisher. They break down the arguments for and against banning the app, get real about the threats coming from China, and discuss whether Kara would have been better suited for a career in military intelligence.

Kara Swisher has covered issues of power, media, and the tech industry for decades, and has been called “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist.” She is the host of Pivot, On With Kara Swisher, and the official companion podcast for the HBO show Succession.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

We recently marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Many are wondering: how does this seemingly intractable conflict end? On Friday, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Vladimir Putin’s arrest. On Monday, Putin and Xi Jinping met to discuss China’s peace proposal for Ukraine. The United States and its allies in Europe continue to support Ukraine’s defense with military assistance and aid. Will any of this finally put an end to the war? This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah sits down with possibly the best person positioned to answer this question: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. They dive into the causes of and potential ways to end the war, and also discuss: the prospect of US-China conflict, the technology shaping the future of war, and the national security risk posed by sharks. 

General Mark A. Milley is the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.

To listen to more episodes of None Of The Above and to read transcripts, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

President Biden traveled to Poland in February after his surprise visit to Kyiv to encourage NATO countries' continued support for Ukraine as the war enters its second year. “Democracies of the world will stand guard over freedom today, tomorrow and forever,” Biden said. The United States reiterated its commitment to defend countries throughout Europe by remarking on the NATO charter: “It’s absolutely clear: Article 5 is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend every inch of NATO.”

While the Bucharest Nine summit focused on the importance of alliances, back at home, their costs and benefits are being debated. One such debate took place at The College of William & Mary’s Global Research Institute between None Of The Above veterans Barry Posen and Kori Schake, with Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah as moderator. Are America’s security commitments a good thing, or are they overextending the United States and its finite resources? Should our alliances be permanent, or should they change based on the security environment? We dive into all of this and more on this week’s special episode of None Of The Above. 

Barry Posen is the Ford International Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the director of MIT’s Security Studies Program. He is an expert on grad strategy and national security. 

Kori Schake is Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. She has had a long and distinguished career in national security roles in government. 

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

A year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war grinds on. Early Russian advances were successfully rolled back, but intense fighting continues in the east, where a renewed Russian offensive looms. The United States and many of its European allies remain resolute in their support for Ukraine. In a sign of their commitment, the United States and Germany recently overcame their initial reluctance and decided to provide Ukraine with tanks.

But with neither a victory nor a peace settlement on the horizon, can the United States sustain its assistance indefinitely? Even if its interests diverge from Ukraine’s war aims? Even if the threat of nuclear weapons use becomes more plausible? These are some of the questions which likely weigh on President Biden as he prepares for tonight’s State of the Union address. In this episode of None Of The Above, The Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah sits down with CNN White House reporter Natasha Bertrand and nuclear weapons expert James Acton. They discuss Washington’s efforts to support Ukraine under the nuclear shadow.

Natasha Bertrand is a CNN White House and National Security Reporter. Previously, Natasha was a correspondent for POLITICO and Business Insider.

James Acton is the Jessica T. Mathew Chair and Co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. James is a physicist by training and is the author of the recent War on the Rocks article, “The Case for Caution on Crimea.”

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, observers anxiously watched China’s reactions as many feared a similar conflict would break out in the Taiwan Strait. In recent years, it appears China has been increasingly determined to enforce its One-China policy, first against Hong Kong and now against Taiwan. From afar, the United States is caught between deterring China from an all-out military conflict and supporting a democratic Taiwan. 

A few months ago, President Joe Biden broke away from America’s traditionally ambiguous stance and said the US would defend Taiwan if China attacks. However, Eurasia Group Foundation’s annual survey found that the number of Americans who support US intervention to help Taiwan is waning. So, how likely is it that a conflict between China and Taiwan breaks out? Is it possible for the US to navigate conflicting interests without resorting to involving itself in another war? In this episode, EGF senior fellow Mark Hannah sits down with Bonnie Glaser of the German Marshall Fund to discuss the state of US-China relations and the future of Taiwan. 

Bonnie Glaser is the managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund. Glaser has worked at the intersection of Asia-Pacific geopolitics and US policy for more than three decades. 

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be sworn in as Israel’s 15th prime minister in the coming days. Israel’s government, which is expected to be the most right-wing in the country’s history, has raised questions about the role the United States should play, if any, in what could be a high consequence and volatile year for Israelis and Palestinians. But before we can begin to think about America’s current role, we wanted to explore what role the United States has played historically in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Has the United States always been an ardent supporter of Israel? Has it ever taken meaningful steps to help de-escalate the conflict? In this week’s bonus episode, Eurasia Group Foundation research fellow and guest host Zuri Linetsky sits down with historian Rashid Khalidi to unpack over a century of American relations with Palestine and Israel. 

Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. His latest book is The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

In early December, just weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party won Israel’s parliamentary election (again), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that America’s commitment to Israel has “never been stronger.” The incoming governing coalition that Netenyahu is forming is expected to be the most right-wing in Israeli history. What does this mean for Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Does this change US policy vis-à-vis one of its closest partners in the Middle East? This week, guest host and EGF research fellow Zuri Linetksy speaks with journalists Neri Zilber and Muhammad Shehada who help us break down what affect Bibi’s new government might have on Israeli-Palestinian relations, and offer thoughts on what the United States can do to mitigate potential violence coming from both sides of the Green Line.  

Neri Zilber is an Israeli journalist and analyst living in Tel Aviv, and host of the Israel Policy Pod.  

Muhammad Shehada is a Palestinian journalist and analyst from the Gaza Strip.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Last month, President Biden warned of “nuclear Armageddon” as tensions with Russia reached their highest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis. While the Biden administration appears to be working around the clock to prevent this kind of nuclear catastrophe, the American public has been largely kept in the dark about how the United States would respond if Russia used a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine. 

To help us make sense of all of this, and to walk us through what options are on the table for the United States to de-escalate tensions with Russia, we are joined by none other than Rose Gottemoeller. Rose was the chief negotiator of New START, the last remaining strategic arms control treaty between the two nuclear-armed countries. With the treaty set to expire in 2026, and recent news of Russia delaying talks on a potential New START renewal, is there hope for the easing of tensions via diplomacy? Or, is a new arms race to out-compete Russia (and other nuclear-armed countries like China) the answer to avoid nuclear war?

Rose Gottemoeller is the Steven C. Házy Lecturer at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and its Center for International Security and Cooperation. Rose recently served as Deputy Secretary General of NATO and the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. State Department. She is the author of Negotiating the New START Treaty (2021).

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

It’s Election Day in the U.S. Americans across the country head to the polls to cast their vote in this year’s midterm elections. Much is at stake for the Biden administration: Republicans are  poised to take control of the House of Representatives, if not both houses of Congress. 

What are the issues motivating Americans to vote (or not)? A month after we at the Eurasia Group Foundation released its annual survey of Americans’ foreign policy views, EGF’s Caroline Gray and Lucas Robinson traveled to Pennsylvania, the site of one of this year’s fiercest Senate races. Caroline and Lucas spoke with Pennsylvanians in Kennett Square, the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world, and West Chester to hear about the issues they care about most. Though foreign policy is not at the top of most Americans’ minds when they cast their ballot, they have a lot to say about the war in Ukraine and how much of America’s tax dollars should be spent on defense.

Iran is in upheaval. The death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran’s “morality police” has sparked an uprising throughout the country. Protesters have turned the current regime’s revolutionary iconography against it. Faced with what might be the biggest test to its legitimacy since 1979, the Iranian government has imposed a brutal crackdown on dissent. 

Countries and human rights organizations around the world condemn the government’s violence. In the United States, President Biden has paused nuclear negotiations and expressed his administration’s support for the protesters. But there is little consensus on how and whether this support should transform into official U.S. policy. This week on None Of The Above, EGF’s Mark Hannah speaks with Assal Rad and Reza Aslan, two experts on Iranian politics and culture. They discuss Iran’s history of uprisings and revolutions, the importance of international solidarity, and why  Iran’s future is ultimately in Iranian hands. 

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Assal Rad is the research director at the National Iranian American Council and the author of The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran (2022).

Reza Aslan is a scholar, writer, and television producer. He is the author of numerous books including his most recent, An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville (2022). Reza is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.

Brazilians head to the polls Sunday to elect their next president and other key legislators in Brazil’s general election. If neither presidential candidate – Brazil’s current right wing president Jair Bolsonaro or Brazil’s former left wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – wins a majority of the vote, a runoff election will take place on October 30th. Election watchers worry Bolsonaro will contest the election results should he lose, prompting a violent insurrection which might look even worse than the January 6th protests in the US. 

What is the likelihood Bolsonaro and his supporters will stage a coup-like event in Brazil? And, how has the Brazilian right been inspired or influenced by the events of January 6th? Is America’s example, for good and bad, really that powerful in Brazil? Foreign Policy’s Catherine Osborn joins the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah to dig into all of this and more as the world awaits the election results of the Western hemisphere's second largest democracy. 

Catherine Osborn is the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly Latin America Brief. She is a print and radio journalist based in Rio de Janeiro.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

In early August, the FBI seized boxes of classified documents, some suspected to contain nuclear secrets, from former president Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago. News of the FBI’s raid ignited a political firestorm but it also shed light on an obscure aspect of US foreign policymaking — America’s “nuclear secrecy regime.”

From its WWII origins in the development of the atomic bomb to the latest controversy miring Trump, nuclear secrecy has cast a shadow over the development and execution of US national security policy. In this episode, historian Alex Wellerstein joins the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah to help us make sense of America’s byzantine classification system, the bureaucratic process that makes it work, and its inherent tensions with democracy. Alex also explains how a president’s ability to declassify information is more complicated than some would have us think. 

Alex Wellerstein is an associate professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he is the director of Science and Technology Studies in the College of Arts and Letters. Alex is the author of the book, Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States (2021), and the creator of NUKEMAP, an online nuclear weapons effects simulator.

To listen to more episodes or learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world and home to some of the world’s most critical developing economies. But historically, US foreign policy has treated the continent as a monolith and a site for great power competition, ignoring the role of African nations in deciding their own future. This week, None of the Above is joined by Horn of Africa expert Michael Woldemariam, and journalist Robbie Gramer, to discuss America’s relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa. 

How should Washington balance the often conflicting priorities of human rights and security in the region? Can Washington develop productive partnerships with African states, outside the prism of competition with Russia and China? And is there even room for coexistence on the continent between the United States and these competitors? As the Biden administration begins to reveal its strategy, guest host and Eurasia Group Foundation research fellow Zuri Linetsky asks Michael and Robbie whether Biden’s Africa strategy represents something new, or is more of the same. 

To listen to previous episodes and learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.​​

Michael Woldemariam is an associate professor of international relations at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, who focuses on security and politics in the Horn of Africa. Michael is the author of the book, Insurgent Fragmentation in the Horn of Africa: Rebellion and its Discontents (2018).

Robbie Gramer is a diplomacy and national security reporter at Foreign Policy, who covers the US State Department, the Pentagon, and most recently the Biden administration’s new US-Africa strategy.

The fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine has disrupted the global energy market and hiked the price of fuel nearly everywhere around the world. In Europe, which finds itself caught between efforts to cut itself off from Russian oil and Moscow’s firm grip on energy exports, the repercussions of today’s energy crisis are acute. While in the United States, which experienced high prices at the pump, efforts have been underway to resolve the crisis. But how much control does the United States have, and does it require the United States to lean on the shoulder of illiberal partners like Saudi Arabia?

Often referred to as “black gold,” oil plays an important role in international affairs. Still, according to Emma Ashford, an oil and international relations expert, its role is frequently misunderstood. Emma joins the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah to discuss her new book Oil, the State, and War and complicate commonly held misconceptions on oil’s influence on foreign policy. Mark and Emma also break down America’s efforts to address the energy crisis, green energy’s potential impact on geopolitics, and the tangled web that is the global energy market. 

Emma Ashford is a senior fellow at the New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. She is the author of Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates (2022).

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created at the dawn of the Cold War to stop the expansion of the Soviet Union. But in the 1990s, when NATO intervened in the Balkan wars, it assumed a new role for itself. Our guest this week was responsible, more than two decades ago, for explaining the NATO campaign in Kosovo to the international press. Now as NATO member countries assist Ukraine in its defense against Russia, can the alliance continue to provide security on the European continent? 

In this episode, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah is joined by Jamie Shea, a former NATO official who last served as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. As NATO unveiled its strategic concept last week in Madrid, what lessons can the alliance learn from the past and what purpose will it serve in the future?

Jamie Shea worked for NATO for 38 years, including as a spokesperson during the Kosovo campaign in 1999 and retired from the alliance as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.

The United Nations estimates around half of Afghanistan’s population – nearly 20 million people – faces acute hunger. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan follows the end of America’s twenty-year war and the withdrawal of all US troops in August 2021. In February, the Biden administration decided to freeze nearly $10 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank in order to prevent money going into the hands of the Taliban. 

Are US policies exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and what does freezing of assets mean to accomplish? This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah is joined by freelance journalist Matthieu Aikins and the co-founder of Unfreeze Afghanistan Masuda Sultan to better understand the current state of Afghanistan, President Biden’s decision to freeze Afghanistan assets in response to the Taliban’s takeover, and the ongoing plight of Afghans. 

Matthieu Aikins is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, and the author of The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees. 

Masuda Sultan is an Afghan-American women’s rights activist and entrepreneur who has been working for over 20 years in support of women and girls in education, vocational training, and protection from violence.

Show notes:

“Afghanistan: Nearly 20 million going hungry” (UN News, May 9, 2022)

The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees (Matthieu Aikins, February 22, 2022)

General George Marshall occupies a central place in the pantheon of American heroes. He helped lead the Allies to victory in World War II, and as the secretary of state, he championed the plan to rebuild Europe which would be named for him: The Marshall Plan. But Marshall’s record as a statesman wasn’t perfect. Tapped by President Truman to negotiate an end to China’s civil war, he proved unable to broker a lasting settlement and prevent the country’s Communist takeover. 

In this episode, the Eurasia Group Foundation’s Mark Hannah concludes Season 3 of None Of The Above with a discussion of Marshall’s legacy with Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, the editor of Foreign Affairs and the author of The China Mission: George Marshall’s Unfinished War, 1945-1947. As the United States deals with competing global challenges, from Ukraine to Taiwan, Daniel’s depiction of Marshall’s career—for all its triumphs and failures—holds important lessons on the limits of American power. Have a listen, and stay tuned for when we return in June for Season 4. 

To listen to previous episodes and learn more about None Of The Above, go to www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org. To learn more about the Eurasia Group Foundation, please visit www.egfound.org and subscribe to our newsletter.

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan is the editor of Foreign Affairs magazine and host of the upcoming podcast, The Foreign Affairs Interview. Previously, he served in the US Department of State, where he was a member of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s policy planning staff. He is also the author of The China Mission: George Marshall’s Unfinished War, 1945-1947 (2018).