Why It Matters

Can Israel and Iran Step Back From the Brink? (Podcast Takeover)

A little over a week ago, Iran directly attacked Israel from its own territory for the first time in history. And while the United States and Israel shot down almost all of the missiles and drones, the attack remains unprecedented. Since the release of this episode, Israel has launched a relatively moderate counter strike, and tensions appear to be cooling. But the Middle East might still be on the brink of a wider war. Host Dan Kurtz-Phelan and guests Suzanne Maloney and Ali Vaez discuss the consequences of deteriorating Iran-Israel dynamics and more in this Foreign Affairs Interview episode.

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit Foreign Affairs at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/can-israel-and-iran-step-back-brink 

Remembering the Rwandan Genocide

Thirty years ago, Rwanda’s government began a campaign to eradicate the country’s largest minority group. In just one hundred days in 1994, roving militias killed around eight hundred thousand people. Would-be killers were incited to violence by the radio, which encouraged extremists to take to the streets with machetes. The United Nations stood by amid the bloodshed, and many foreign governments, including the United States, declined to intervene before it was too late. What got in the way of humanitarian intervention? And as violent conflict now rages at a clip unseen since then, can the international community learn from the mistakes of its past?

 

Featured Guests:

Claude Gatebuke (Executive Director, African Great Lakes Action Network)

David Scheffer (Senior Fellow for International Law and Criminal Justice, CFR)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/remembering-rwandan-genocide 

 

Local Leaders in the Global Economy

Many Americans are losing faith in the benefits of internationalism. But whether it’s wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, worsening extreme weather as a result of climate change, or the trade-offs of globalization, events abroad are increasingly having a local impact. At the same time,  more state and local officials in the United States are becoming involved in global affairs, conducting their own form of diplomacy on international issues and driving investment home. What role should the United States play in the world economy? And how do states and cities fit in?

 

Read about the RealEcon Initiative.

 

Featured Guests:

Matthew P. Goodman, Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Nina Hachigian, U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/local-leaders-global-economy 

 

UFOs: Close Encounters of the National Security Kind

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real. And the truth about them is often hidden from the public, for reasons related to national security. That secrecy has fed conspiracy theories about the possibility of alien life on Earth, creating a stigma around the legitimate scientific search for life on other planets. Why are UFOs considered a defense concern? And does a defense framing of UFOs inhibit scientific research?

 

Featured Guests

Philippe Ailleris (Copernicus Programme Project Controller, European Space Agency)

Shane Harris (Intelligence Correspondent, Washington Post)

Kai-Uwe Schrogl (President, International Institute of Space Law)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ufos-close-encounters-national-security-kind

2024: What’s the Worst That Could Happen?

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey predicts that this year/in 2024 the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?

 

Featured Guest: 

Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/2024-whats-worst-could-happen

The Year of AI and Elections

Billions of people will take to the polls next year, marking the world’s largest-ever electoral field. But this historic scale is not the only thing that will make 2024 unique. As new threats like deep fakes become cheaper and more widespread, these upcoming elections could serve as a test run for democracy in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. What risks does AI pose to elections next year? And will a surge in AI-powered disinformation change the nature of democratic elections?

 

Featured Guests:

Kat Duffy (Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy)

Yoel Roth (Technology Policy Fellow, University of California, Berkeley)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/year-ai-and-elections

Will India Take America’s Side Against China? (Podcast Takeover)

The United States and India have a long and complex history. In recent years, the two democracies have grown closer, linked by their shared concern about the rise of China. But the relationship has also been marked by a number of challenges. Just last week, U.S. authorities foiled a plot by an Indian national to assassinate a Sikh separatist on U.S. soil. Is the United States thinking about India the right way? And do the two countries share the same goals with regard to China? In this week's podcast takeover, host Dan Kurtz-Phelan and guest Ashley J. Tellis discuss all this and more in this Foreign Affairs Interview episode.

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit Foreign Affairs at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/will-india-take-americas-side-against-china 

Understanding the U.S. Role in the Israel-Hamas War

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are again at war. The most recent iteration of the conflict, which erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, has stoked public debate throughout the world. In the United States, heated debates about the issue have played out at universities, in boardrooms, and on social media. Thus far, the U.S. government has strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself, sending warships and high-ranking officials to the region, but concerns are mounting about the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. U.S. support for Israel is not new, but it has grown increasingly controversial, particularly among young people. Still, experts are skeptical that shifting U.S. public opinion of Israel and the Palestinian territories will influence the war’s trajectory.

 

Featured Guest:

Steven A. Cook (Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/understanding-us-role-israel-hamas-war

 

A Turning Point for Global Trade

International trade has shaped the world for much of the past century. Countries benefited from the global flow of goods, and the world became richer and safer. At the same time, many Americans lost their jobs to cheaper overseas competitors. Now, a series of compounding challenges, including great power competition and climate change, have led U.S. officials to rethink trade policy. What's next for international trade? And can the United States retain the benefits of trade while protecting critical supply chains and fighting climate change?

 

Featured Guests:

Jennifer Hillman (Senior Fellow for Trade and International Political Economy)

Inu Manak (Fellow for Trade Policy)

Edward Alden (Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/turning-point-global-trade

America’s Fentanyl Epidemic: The China Connection

Over the past few years, a new threat has emerged as a leading cause of death in the United States: fentanyl. Yet even as the drug wreaks havoc on Americans lives, preventing its flow into the United States is complicated, partially because of the supply’s overseas origins, which is often China. What is China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis?

 

Featured Guests:

Tom Bollyky (​​Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development, and Director of the Global Health Program)

Zongyuan Zoe Liu (Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies)

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/americas-fentanyl-epidemic-china-connection