

CSIS Podcasts
Center for Strategic and International Studies
CSIS podcasts feature experts & scholars on a range of critical issues surrounding geopolitics, national security, defense, & international affairs topics.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 18, 2025 • 42min
Abe's Legacy and Japan's Next Moves
This week Mike joins Nobukatsu Kanehara, Professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Mr. Kanehara previously served as assistant chief cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019. In 2013, he also became the inaugural deputy secretary-general of the National Security Secretariat. He also served as deputy director of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. They discuss Japan's foreign policy and what to expect in the coming years.

Mar 17, 2025 • 22min
Scholl Chair Phil Luck and the Trade Guys Provide a Tariff Update
The Trade Guys are joined by the new Scholl Chair in International Business, Dr. Philip Luck, to provide an update on tariffs on Canada and Mexico and to discuss the Mar-a-lago Accords.

Mar 13, 2025 • 47min
Renad Mansour and Sanam Vakil: Iranian Networks in the Middle East
On March 4, Jon Alterman spoke with Renad Mansour, senior research fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, and Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, about the resilience of Iranian networks in the Middle East. Their discussion builds upon a recent Chatham House report Renad co-wrote on the topic. The following episode is a slightly condensed version of their conversation. You can find a link to the video of the complete discussion below.
Transcript: "Renad Mansour and Sanam Vakil: Iranian Networks in the Middle East," CSIS, March 13, 2025.
Video of the discussion: "Iranian Networks in the Middle East," CSIS, March 6, 2025.
Renad's report: "The Shape-Shifting ‘Axis of Resistance’," Chatham House, March 6, 2025.
Sanam and Jon's article: "The Indomitable IRGC," Foreign Affairs, August 15, 2024.

Mar 13, 2025 • 36min
Why Does the CCP Need a Core?
In this episode of Pekingology which aired in February 2022, Jude Blanchette is joined by Xuezhi Guo, the Lincoln Financial Professor of Political Science at Gilford College, to discuss his book, The Politics of the Core Leader in China: Culture, Institution, Legitimacy, and Power.

Mar 12, 2025 • 25min
Deepseek Report, Manus AI, and the DOD’s New Acquisition Approach
In this episode, we discuss the Wadhwani AI Center’s latest publication on the implications of DeepSeek for the future of export controls (0:40), Chinese company Manus AI (9:05), what Secretary Hegseth’s memo means for the DOD AI ecosystem (15:27), and xAI’s acquisition of 1 million square feet for its new data center in Memphis (21:28).

Mar 12, 2025 • 41min
A Tech Power Playbook for the United States featuring Sen. Todd Young
Senator Todd Young (R-IN), a national champion of U.S. technology leadership in the global competition with China, joins Navin Girishankar on the Economic Security and Technology Department’s new series: Betting on America. Girishankar and Senator Young discuss a ‘tech power playbook’ for the United States including investments in chipmaking and biotech, tech diplomacy abroad, and the importance of investing in basic research.

Mar 11, 2025 • 5min
“Ship Wars: Confronting China’s Dual-Use Shipbuilding Empire”: Audio Brief with Matthew P. Funaiole
A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Matthew P. Funaiole on his report with Brian Hart and Aidan Powers-Riggs, Ship Wars: Confronting China’s Dual-Use Shipbuilding Empire.

Mar 10, 2025 • 38min
The Terms of Trade: A Somber Prognosis from WTO Expert Tu Xinquan
On this episode of China Field Notes, Scott Kennedy speaks with Tu Xinquan, a leading Chinese expert on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and global economic governance. They review the initial enthusiasm accompanying China’s accession to the WTO two decades ago, the debates on whether China’s behavior conforms with its WTO commitments, and the need for WTO reform to address industrial policy, national security, digital trade, and labor standards. Tu Xinquan of China’s University of International Business & Economics (UIBE) discusses China’s entry into the WTO, the growth of trade tensions, and reforms needed to global economic governance.

Mar 7, 2025 • 32min
What It Takes to Be the Best: the Story of Evan Greenberg, Part Two
This is part-two of Mariana's discussion with Evan Greenberg—Chairman and CEO of Chubb Insurance, a CSIS Trustee, and her husband. The pair breaks down the state of the insurance industry, Evan's experience operating in China, his experience as an entrepreneur, and his outlook for the future.

Mar 6, 2025 • 38min
Schemes and Scam Inc. in Southeast Asia
In this engaging discussion, Sue-Lin Wong, a Southeast Asia correspondent for The Economist and an expert on China's influence in the region, dives into the dark world of transnational crime. She examines robust scamming networks flourishing amid economic despair, especially in Myanmar and Thailand. Sue-Lin highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to combat these issues. Additionally, she explores how Southeast Asian nations navigate the strategies of superpowers like the U.S. and China, revealing a complex geopolitical landscape defined by corruption and resilience.