Carnegie Council Audio Podcast

Former Senior Fellow Malka Older, a novelist and aid worker, details the ethical and logistical sides of disaster response, drawing on her experiences in Sri Lanka, Fukushima, and Darfur. Why are "rich" countries sometimes less prepared to handle earthquakes and hurricanes? How is disaster response different in the United States? And with Hurricane Michael affecting millions this week, what are some practical ways to help?

"Is it still fair to say there are continuities in foreign policy two years into the Trump administration? I'm going to say yes, and I'll offer some evidence," declares Derek S. Reveron of the U.S. Naval War College and Harvard Kennedy School. Don't miss this expert analysis of America's role in the world.

Tom Mahnken and Toshi Yoshihara of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) discuss China and Russia's "authoritarian political warfare." "Not only do they use these influence campaigns, they use economic coercion, occasionally they use a military force, they use non-military instruments of power," says Yoshihara. "And it's the combination of these tools that I think make Russian and Chinese strategy so potent."

Acclaimed journalist Ahmed Rashid discusses Pakistan's new populist prime minister, Imran Khan, whom he considers woefully unprepared. He also examines Pakistan's debt-ridden economy and Pakistan's complex relationships with China, India, the U.S., Afghanistan, and the Taliban. "I think the key thing to understand is the need to follow Afghanistan," he says. "Whatever happens in Pakistan will depend on what happens in Afghanistan."

Senior Fellow Kavitha Rajagopalan explains the troubling situation in Northeast India near the border with Bangladesh, where millions of citizens could end up stateless. With denaturalization increasing exponentially under the Trump administration, what are the parallels with what's happening in the United States? Is this all due to the rise of ethnonationalism in both countries?

According to a recent Amnesty International Report, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region are the targets of surveillance, arbitrary detention, and forced indoctrination by the Chinese government. Up to 1 million Uyghurs have been detained, says Amnesty's Francisco Bencosme. There are parallels with the Rohingya crisis, yet there has been far less international outcry.

Are there ever justifiable reasons for issuing threats to achieve foreign policy objectives? In particular, are President Trump's threats against Iran justified? Don't miss this rare opportunity to get the Iranian perspective with this stimulating discussion between Drs. Reichberg and Syse of the Peace Research Insitute Oslo (PRIO) and H.E. Gholamali Khoshroo, permanent representative of Iran to the United Nations.

From the world's largest meth trade in Myanmar to "Pyongyang's dancing queens," "neon jihad," and much more, Bangkok-based author Patrick Winn takes us on a tour of the underbelly of Southeast Asia. The region's criminal underworld is valued at $100 billion and in the next decade it's going to hit $375 billion, bigger than many of these country's GDPs, he says. These stories need to be told.

Cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees discusses the future of humanity on Earth and beyond, foreseeing a time when space pioneers may use gene splicing and AI to adapt to living on Mars, thus becoming "post-human." What concerns him most? "My worry, particularly about bio and cyber, is that whatever can be done will be done somewhere by someone. That is a scary prospect and is going to be a big challenge to governance, in my opinion."

As the Trump administration cuts refugee resettlement in the U.S. to its lowest number in decades, this population in other nations has exploded in recent years. Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Kavitha Rajagopalan details what this looks like for one refugee in Utica, New York and the challenges that countries like Uganda and Turkey are facing.

Has a gap opened up between the U.S. national security community and the general public over foreign policy? If so, why? How can we close it? Moderated by Nikolas Gvosdev, this panel with foreign policy experts Asha Castleberry and Ali Wyne is part of a larger effort by Carnegie Council's U.S. Global Engagement Program to examine drivers in U.S. politics pushing the United States to disengage from international affairs.

This fascinating conversation begins with a discussion of the critical importance of Southeast Asia, including the rise of China and its ambitions in the region. Then Professor Weiss focuses on Malaysia and the return of the formidable 93-year old Mahathir as prime minister. Next, Professor Menchik discusses the complex situation in Indonesia--a country with 17,000 islands and 300-plus ethnic groups--and the upcoming elections there.

Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev and host Alex Woodson discuss what U.S. foreign policy could look like if Democrats take Congress in November and/or the White House in 2020. What do Bernie Sanders' views on international affairs have in common with "America First"? Is there space for a more centrist policy? And after the 2016 election, is the U.S. still able to effectively promote democracy abroad?

Korea expert Geoffrey Cain talks about his forthcoming book, "The Republic of Samsung," which reveals how the Samsung dynasty (father and son) are beyond the law and are treated as cult figures by their employees--rather like the leaders of North Korea. He also discusses the prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula--is Trump helping or hurting?--and the strange and sensational story behind the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

The rise of global populism is the greatest threat to global democracy, and it's mainly driven not by economics, but by people's demand for public recognition of their identities, says political scientist Francis Fukuyama. "We want other people to affirm our worth, and that has to be a political act." How is this playing out in the U.S., Europe, and Asia? What practical steps can we take to counteract it?

There are three major technological developments that are transforming the way we live, says Jamie Susskind: increasingly capable systems, increasingly integrated technology, and increasingly quantified society. With these we are moving into the "digital lifeworld," which is basically a different stage of human existence. What will these momentous changes mean for the future of politics and society--i.e. how we order our collective lives?

Responding to excerpts from U.S. Naval War College's Professor Tom Nichols and best-selling author and economist Dambisa Moyo--and the hostile anti-expert tone of the Trump era--Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discusses how he approaches his area of expertise, international relations. How did we end up here? And is there reason for optimism when looking at younger generations?

"There is a significant counterintelligence threat on the West Coast of the U.S., and it differs in meaningful ways from what is commonly perceived of as counterintelligence work and targets on the East Coast," says Senior Fellow Zach Dorfman. He discusses shocking examples of Chinese espionage in particular, such as technology theft and spying on local politicians. The Chinese also exert pressure on diaspora communities to become more pro-PRC.

Who are behind the fake news and political disinformation campaigns that plague the Philippines? "They're not exactly who you think," says Jonathan Corpus Ong, co-author of a recent study on this. The most important players are not the notorious bloggers and social media influencers as you might expect. "The people who are the chief architects of network disinformation are people in the ad and public relations (PR) industry."

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at the reasons for the growing favorability ratings towards Putin's Russia among a certain segment of the American population. Is this a function of Trump's personal affection for the Russian president? Or, as has been seen in France and other European nations, are there deeper cultural and political connections?