The Truth of the Matter

CSIS’s Max Bergmann joins the podcast to discuss congressional funding for Ukraine and what it means for Ukraine’s war against Russia.

Former CEO of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI) and host of the CSIS podcast “Mexico Matters” joins the podcast to discuss Mexico’s historic 2024 presidential election featuring two female candidates and the issues at stake for Mexico and the United States.

CSIS’s Jon Alterman joins the podcast to discuss the deal the U.S. made to retrieve 5 American prisoners from Iran, plus approaches the U.S. may take to deal with Tehran going forward.

CSIS’s Seth Jones joins the podcast to discuss his recent visit to Taiwan, meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen and senior officials of the Taiwan government and discussions surrounding Taiwan’s security.

CSIS’s Victor Cha joins the podcast to discuss the meeting of the two autocrats in which they vowed greater cooperation on economic and security issues.

CSIS’s Gregory C. Allen joins the podcast to discuss the Department of Defense’s “Urgency to Innovate” and its new initiative called “Replicator,” a Pentagon drone program designed to compete with China—namely to field thousands of drones across multiple domains in the next two years to outcompete China’s industrial advantages.

CSIS’s Dr. J. Stephen Morrison joins the podcast to discuss Covid confusion and why most Americans have no idea what to do if they get Covid, whether they should be vaccinated or not this fall, and what the CDC and NIH aim to do about it. 

CSIS’s Gracelin Baskaran and Joseph Majkut join the podcast to discuss why the U.S. should elevate the role of critical minerals for achieving the energy transition, spurring economic development, and strengthening national security.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's alleged death and its impact on the future of the Wagner Group and Russia's foreign policy. Investigation into a plane crash believed to be orchestrated by the Kremlin. The uncertainty and potential fragmentation within the Wagner network under new leadership. The importance of loyalty dynamics and trust among Wagner troops. Implications of a leadership transition for Western policymakers and African regional actors.

In this crossover episode with CSIS's The CommonHealth podcast, Andrew talks with Michaela Simoneau and co-host J. Stephen Morrison on their newly published analysis of the post-Covid moment, “The Worst is Over—Now What?”How do we define this moment we have entered, and what are the factors that lead inexorably toward pessimism? Inversely, what is the argument for a positive, sober realism? Optimism rests on pursuing five pathways for progress: rebuild trust, sustain bipartisan legislative achievements, operationalize new security doctrines, accelerate new technologies, and elevate U.S. health diplomacy.