Mark McNamee of Frontier Strategy Group rejoins the podcast to talk about the rise of populism and nationalism, Trump's foreign policy, spheres of influence, what happens when nationalists from different countries collide, whether Russian meddl

Episode 29: Who screwed up the most?

Apr 12th, 2017 57m 10s

It's been a terrible few days for PR, whether it's Pepsi's ill-conceived ad, United's "re-accommodation," or Sean Spicer's accidental Holocaust denial, and much more! Ethan Cheng joins to discuss who was the absolute worst. There's not a lot of

Episode 28: A trade war or an actual war?

Apr 4th, 2017 59m 54s

Hunter Marston and Colin Lawrence join to talk about American foreign policy in the age of Trump towards the Philippines, North Korea, China, and more.Read Hunter's latest in The National Interest here.

Episode 27: Are you tired of winning?

Mar 27th, 2017 55m 43s

Michael Davies returns to discuss American foreign policy under Trump.

Episode 26: How can migrants be integrated?

Mar 5th, 2017 48m 37s

Chiara Monti guests once again to talk about migration in Europe.

Now what?

Jan 18th, 2017 1h 13m

Joe, Roni, and Ethan prepare for Inauguration Day.

Episode 24: What does a post-ISIS world look like? Part 1

Aug 28th, 2016 38m 25s

Daesh/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State/the self-described Islamic State/whatever you want to call them (and it matters what you call them!) is losing territory, but the loss of a territorial foothold in Iraq and Syria might not mean the end of the group

Episode 23: When will DRC vote?

Jul 28th, 2016 36m 37s

Christy Dehus joins the podcast to discuss the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo; whether and when they will happen; who the candidates are; and the consequences of Dodd-Frank on DRC's mining sector.

Episode 22: Does Sykes-Picot matter?

May 27th, 2016 36m 9s

Joel Wing of Musings on Iraq guests to talk about the 100th anniversary of Sykes-Picot; the spring bombing offensive; the future of Islamic State; whether the Kurds will get independence; and whether the Surge could have ever achieved its polit

Episode 21: Why doesn't the U.S. win wars anymore? Part 2

May 21st, 2016 35m 45s

Why victory is so hard to achieve, Part 2. Michael Davies guests again.

Episode 20: Why doesn't the U.S. win wars anymore? Part 1

May 6th, 2016 46m 45s

The United States has been in Afghanistan for a decade and a half. Syria and Iraq are beset by conflict. Whatever happened to victory? Part of it is about them, part of it is about us, and part of it is what you mean by victory. Researcher Mich

Episode 19: Was my hoodie made in an environmentally sustainable way?

Apr 21st, 2016 26m 52s

Fashion has a huge environmental impact. In this episode, Fiona Fung guests and talks about ways to make the industry more sustainable.

Episode 18: Are we learning the wrong lessons from Rwanda? Part 2

Mar 20th, 2016 1h 6m

The Rwanda genocide is over, but the conflict isn't... it's just moved next door. The spillover takes down Zaire, and much of the continent becomes embroiled in the resulting war. What to take away from all of this? Here's an hour-long stream-o

Episode 17: What's next for Russia?

Mar 6th, 2016 40m 53s

When the price of oil tanks, Russia's economy suffers... and that affects every other country in Russia's neighborhood. Mark McNamee returns to discuss.

Episode 16: Is North Korea Funny?

Feb 17th, 2016 22m 19s

Is it acceptable to find humor in a despotic regime? Julia Gronnevet and Daniel Hernandez return to talk it over.

Episode 15: What's next for Ukraine?

Jan 31st, 2016 44m 31s

As a frozen conflict settles in in Ukraine, Kiev no longer controls all its own territory. But Mark McNamee, analyst with the Frontier Strategy Group, suggests that it's Russia's weakness that has been exposed. Military power is Russia's only r

Episode 14: When did the Arab Spring go off the rails?

Jan 23rd, 2016 50m 52s

The thing they call the Arab Spring started so promisingly, but today multiple countries are in chaos or under iron-fisted dictatorial rule. What happened? Why? Are revolutions good? Are they worth it? Maybe it's too soon to tell. Julia Gronnev

Episode 13: Are we learning the wrong lessons from Rwanda? Part 1

Jan 18th, 2016 42m 54s

The Rwanda Genocide is often seen as a clarion call for international intervention in the face of evil. In fact, before, during, and after the genocide, there was extensive international intervention and much of it did more harm than good. Wher

Episode 12: Why does Namibia work?

Jan 9th, 2016 38m 7s

Namibia could have been a basket case, but isn't. Why?

Episode 11: Is the liberal international order under threat?

Dec 25th, 2015

Today, the liberal international order of sovereign states faces challenges: from above, with transnational issues like terrorism, climate change, organized crime networks, and migration; from below, with internal state collapse; and from revis

Episode 10: Is there a moderate Syrian opposition?

Dec 22nd, 2015 35m 32s

Ted Cruz calls them "purple unicorns," but in this episode, Dr. Daniel Serwer argues that there is a moderate opposition in Syria and they're worthy of support.

Episode 9: Why are Democrats afraid of foreign affairs?

Nov 30th, 2015 33m 22s

Republicans are usually favored on national security in American opinion polls, often by large margins. Why? Jim Arkedis is here to explain.

Episode 8: Why Force Civilians To Leave Their Homes?

Nov 22nd, 2015 23m 25s

The major combatants in Syria are all deliberately displacing civilians as a tactic of war. How is this shaping the conflict, and what does it mean for the future of Syria? Dr. Benedetta Berti, who studies internal conflicts and the integration