Carnegie Council Podcasts

Just back from China, Sinologist (and fluent Mandarin speaker) Joshua Eisenman discusses the pervasive camera surveillance and facial recognition systems there; the omnipresent power of "the security state;" the effect of the U.S.-China trade war on everyday life and future business; and the expansion of the original Belt and Road project, a term than is now applied to almost any project anywhere in the world.

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more can be done? Notre Dame's Michael Desch, founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, and George Washington's Henry Farrell, an editor and writer at the "Washington Post"-affiliated "Monkey Cage" blog, engage in a thoughtful debate on the relevance of political science. 

Don't miss this podcast! Turkish novelist and journalist Ece Temelkuran details how a country goes from "democracy to dictatorship." She touches on humor, shame, "post-truth," women's rights, and much more, as she talks Erdoğan, Trump, & populism throughout Europe.

Washington DC-based journalist Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian speaks with Senior Fellow Devin Stewart about a new article she authored in "The Atlantic" with Senior Fellow Zach Dorfman that traces China's influence campaigns today back to techniques used during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They discuss that article's origins, its findings, and what they mean for public opinion on China.

National security expert and U.S. Army veteran Asha Castleberry breaks down the rising tensions with Iran and John Bolton's influence at the White House. She and host Alex Woodson also discuss the pluses and minuses of having former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan in charge at the Department of Defense and she gives advice on how to figure out who or what to believe in this chaotic political environment.

China is radically expanding its strategy to wield influence in the domestic politics of other countries. This information campaign is designed partly to bolster China's power but also to undermine the space for rights and democracy in other states, and to potentially support pro-China authoritarian leaders. Don't miss this in-depth discussion that details how this is happening worldwide, what it means for the future, and what we can do about it.

There is skepticism about the core values of American policy from both sides of the aisle, says Ash Jain of the Atlantic Council, and the international order is under siege as never before. With so much at stake, the Atlantic Council has launched an initiative aimed at adapting and revitalizing the rules-based democratic order and rebuilding bipartisan support among policymakers and the broader public, starting with a Declaration of Principles. In this important discussion Jain explains the initiative's objectives and grapples with the audience's questions on how to move forward.

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev discusses the generational divide in U.S. politics in the context of foreign policy and the environment. What are the international implications of initiatives like the Green New Deal? What would an "America First" environmental policy look like? And what happens if the U.S. continues to take a backseat on this issue?

In his eloquent defense of liberalism, Adam Gopnik goes back to its origins and argues that rather than emphasizing the role of the individual, "two principles, the principle of community and the principle of compromise," are at the core of the liberal project. Indeed, these are the essential elements of humane, pluralist societies; and in an age of autocracy, our very lives may depend on their continued existence.

Nava Nuraniyah, an analyst at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) in Jakarta, Indonesia, speaks with Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Devin Stewart about the recent general election in Indonesia, social media and religious extremism in Southeast Asia, and the future direction of the region's politics.