Counterbalance

For decades after its accession to the WTO, China got rich, and the average Chinese citizen became accustomed to a certain rise in living standards. Now, with Xi Jinping undermining the most innovative parts of China’s private economy and further centralizing power, China’s economy is stalling.  Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Thomas Duesterberg joins host Peter Rough to discuss his new report on China’s economic weakness and how the U.S. should respond.

Host Mike Doran is joined this week by Izabella Tabarovsky, the Kennan Institute senior advisor on regional partnerships and programming at the Wilson Center. They explore the origins of anti-Zionism by examining the evolution of Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda and its effects on Israel and the Middle East. How did Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda target American institutions? How did it infiltrate political movements on the left? To what extent does it influence the current experiences of American Jews?

Veteran reporter Matt Karnitschnig, POLITICO’s Chief Europe Correspondent, joins the podcast to discuss the differences and similarities between European and America media. Matt, Peter, and Mike also delve into Germany’s approach to foreign affairs and view of the world, with special attention on Berlin’s approach to relations Russia and Iran.

This week, Peter and Mike are joined by one of Washington’s foremost experts on US policy and strategy towards Ukraine, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Luke Coffey. The trio take a wider view of this year’s Ukrainian counteroffensive, discuss the Biden administration’s fears of escalation, and talk about how to enable Kyiv to prevail on the battlefield. (And for the first time, a video recording of this episode will air on the Hudson Institute YouTube page.)

Anti-Semitic incidents in the West have significantly increased since the October 7 massacre in southern Israel by Hamas. Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute, joins co-hosts Peter and Mike this week to discuss the root causes of antisemitism and its manifestations in both Europe and the US.

Why hasn’t China named or condemned Hamas? What role does China see for itself in a potential broader Middle East conflict? What is Beijing’s preferred outcome in Ukraine? This week, Director of Hudson Institute’s China Center Miles Yu joins co-host Peter Rough to discuss Beijing’s view of the war in Gaza and how the CCP envisions China’s role in Europe and the Middle East during these times of instability.

Ken Pollack, Senior Fellow at AEI, joins host Michael Doran to reflect on the mistakes made and lessons learned from October 7th and what is holding Israel back from its operations in Gaza. Additionally, Pollack discusses why Hezbollah and Iran may, or may not, open another front in the war against Israel.

Peter Rough and Mike Doran are joined by their Hudson Institute colleague Jonathan Schachter, a former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The trio discuss Israel at war, with an emphasis on relations between the the Biden administration and Israel. What were President Joe Biden's goals in his visit to Jerusalem? Why did the United States let United Nations sanctions on Iran’s missile program expire last week? What steps should the US and European allies take going forward?

Jan Havránek, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC, joins the show to discuss the U.S. and NATO postures in Europe, as well as Russia's aims in Ukraine and the larger Eastern European front.

Hosts Peter Rough and Mike Doran are joined by Presidential candidate Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota. Gov. Burgum delivered a key foreign policy speech at Hudson on Wednesday, but joined the show beforehand to discuss a everything from energy security to the southern border to the ongoing war against Israel.