At least 2,000 Middle Eastern migrants spent weeks trapped at checkpoints between Belarus and Poland—unable to legally enter the European Union and, until today, unable to return to Belarus or go home. Former US Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried joins host Brian Hanson on Deep Dish to explain how Belarus’ strongman President Lukashenka weaponized these migrants as a tool of "hybrid war," and why Russia’s President Putin looms behind this crisis—and others—on Europe’s doorstep.

As countries finalize their commitments at the UN Climate Conference, COP26, soaring global energy prices and shortages around the world emphasize our world’s current dependence on fossil fuels. The Economist’s Vijay Vaitheeswaran and the Just Transition Initiative’s Sandeep Pai join Deep Dish to explain what the energy crisis tell us about the costs of a green energy transition and how to manage shocks in a way that ensures countries and communities with fewer resources are not left behind. 

Recent US intelligence and defense agency reports warn that a warming climate is a fundamental threat to US national security by raising geopolitical tensions, increasing instability, and driving mass migration. The Center for Climate and Security’s Erin Sikorsky and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft’s Anatol Lieven join Deep Dish to examine what a climate-focused US national security and defense strategy might look like and how to balance other competing threats.

China’s rapid recent nuclear expansion—from a hypersonic missile test to hundreds of new nuclear missile silos—is a stark contrast to years of a minimum deterrence approach. To explain the shift, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Tong Zhao joins host Brian Hanson on Deep Dish to unpack China’s nuclear strategy, the need for nuclear stability, and how to avoid an arms race or worse.

2020 marked the most significant increase in US domestic terrorism in a quarter-century, data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies reveals. The University of Chicago’s Kathleen Belew and Robert Pape join Deep Dish to explain the trends they believe are driving the uptick and the role war and conflict play in shaping these groups. Further Reading The Capitol Rioters Aren’t Like Other Extremists, the Atlantic, by Robert Pape What an Analysis of 377 Americans Arrested or Charged in the Capitol Insurrection Tells Us, Washington Post, by Robert Pape Bring the War Home by Kathleen Belew The Right Way to Understand White Nationalist Terrorism,  New York Times, by Kathleen Belew

For decades, American foreign policy on Taiwan has been rooted in strategic ambiguity, but after China’s President Xi Jinping’s call for “reunification” with Taiwan and record military presence near the island, is it time to rethink this approach? Rand Corporation’s Michael Mazarr and the Commander Michele Lowe join Deep Dish to explore the options in a constructive debate on the benefits—and costs—of a shift in policy.

The 2021 Chicago Council Survey shows Americans are on board with the majority of the Biden administration’s foreign policy agenda, which is focused on decisions that benefit everyday Americans. But when it comes to trade, there are important differences between public opinion and this approach to foreign policy. Council President Ivo Daalder and the American Enterprise Institute’s Kori Schake join Deep Dish to explain what Americans think of a "Foreign Policy for the Middle Class” and why the administration should reassess some of their assumptions.   After the episode, explore the data. 

German voters prioritized stability in the first post-Merkel election—voting for the party who most emulated the former chancellor’s approach to government, the Social Democrats (SPD), instead of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). What does the narrow SPD victory tell us about the German political landscape and important Western trends like populism? Ulrike Franke and Sheri Berman join Deep Dish to explain how potential coalition governments could shape German foreign policy and the relationship with the United States.  

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gambled on a snap election that left him in power, but without a majority in Parliament. With an election behind him, can he make progress on the critical foreign policy issues his government must tackle—from COVID-19 to multilateral engagement—during his third term? Canadian political scientists Roland Paris and Jennifer Welsh join Deep Dish to explain why it’s time for a reset on Canadian foreign policy.  

Years of underinvestment, politicization, and data on looming retention problems raise urgent questions about the need for change in the United States Department of State. Ambassador Marcie Ries and Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow Constanza Castro Zúñiga join Deep Dish to explain why diplomacy is still critical for American foreign policy and offer solutions to reimagine the diplomatic service for a new generation.