Carnegie Council Audio Podcast

The Chinese Communist Party's main goals for influence operations in the U.S are "to make sure that the U.S. does not stand in China's way in terms of its global, foreign policy, and economic goals, and second, to silence or marginalize critics," says Allen-Ebrahimian, a security reporter for "The Daily Beast." Who are the principal targets? Elites, Chinese-American communities, Chinese students in U.S. universities, and American academics.

"I see Russia as conducting more smash-and-grab type influence operations. China is in it for the longer term," says author and former U.S. government intelligence analyst Darren Tromblay. China is pursuing multiple campaigns, including efforts to infiltrate politics or pressure politicians on specific issues, leveraging business deals to support Beijing's objectives, and carrying out numerous academic and cultural initiatives.

Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Alexander Görlach and host Alex Woodson speak about identity politics in the United States and Europe from their different perspectives. They also discuss how religion and the recent Mexican election fits in to these narratives.

Jeffrey Mankoff and Olga Oliker of CSIS host a podcast called "Russian Roulette" on all things Russian (and Eurasian), from food and wine to politics. What is the Russian perspective on U.S.-Russia relations and what are the goals of Russia's covert influence operations in the U.S.? Do they all originate with Putin or are some of them bottom-up? Are the Russians happy with Trump's performance as president? Find out in this lively podcast.

The term "fake news" is a little too tame, says Ann Ravel of the MapLight Digital Deception Project. Actually, this is foreign and domestic political propaganda aimed at undermining U.S. institutions and democracy. Maplight also tracks the enormous, pervasive problem of "dark money"--contributions by undisclosed donors to influence U.S. campaigns. Yet Ravel is optimistic that once Americans understand what's happening, it can be stopped.

From the unprecedented Trump-Kim meeting, to what some call a treasonous press conference in Finland, to growing tensions between America and its closest allies, as well as its adversaries, this has been a historic summer for international affairs. RAND Corporation's Ali Wyne unpacks these developments and looks at a potentially busy September for North Korea and the continuing schism between Trump and his top foreign policy advisers.

What's the "anaconda in the chandelier" in China that looms over foreign scholars, journalists, and Chinese citizens expressing their opinions? Find out in this podcast with political scientist and China scholar Andrew Nathan of Columbia University.

"Post-truth doesn't mean that no one cares about truth, it doesn't mean that there isn't any such thing as truth, it just means that there's a critical mass of people who no longer think that they have to form their beliefs based on what's true," says philosopher Lee McIntyre. This is not new; it probably goes back to Galileo and science denial. But today post-truth is more virulent than ever, from Trump to Brexit. What can we do about it?

Boise State University's Jack Marr discusses how China's approach to the world has changed, from keeping a low profile to "a great push outward." Last year there were over 360,000 Chinese students in the U.S. These students are a great resource, says Marr, and we should welcome them and engage with them. "You don't want [them] just to come, study for a while, and then leave. I think that's not in the United States' best long-term interest."

The world's worst humanitarian crisis is ongoing in Yemen, as the Saudi-led coalition, with the support of the U.S., continues its brutal campaign against the entrenched Houthi rebels. Waleed Alhariri, U.S. director of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, details the military stalemate centered on a Red Sea port, the debate about America's role, and the prospects for peace, with a UN-led conference in Geneva scheduled for early September.

Japan and China, while in a "tactical détente," are engaged in an information battle for foreign hearts and minds over the South China Sea and also Japan's past, says Pugliese of King's College, London. The "China dream" is the doppelganger of the "China nightmare"--the brutal Japanese invasion of China. "To a certain extent, Xi Jinping will need to cater to the China nightmare for foreign and internal consumption as he pushes for the China dream."

China and Taiwan have been trying to influence each other ever since 1949, often through very subversive means, says the Global Taiwan Institute's Russell Hsiao, so Taiwan can provide useful lessons on dealing with CCP operations. Of course all governments try to influence foreign publics. What's concerning are "corrupt, coercive, and covert" activities, such as recent cases where China has directly interfered in Taiwan's political process.

Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal and host Alex Woodson discuss the ethical failures of the first 18 months of Trump's presidency, but also why they both see hope for the future. In the face of the daily assault on basic values, where can Americans look for leadership?

What's the difference between "influence" and "interference" when it comes to China's propaganda operations? How are these efforts structured? War on the Rocks contributing editor Peter Mattis breaks it down in this fascinating conversation. Plus, he warns against "McCarthyism" in regards to Chinese-American relations.

"In both political debates and academic debates on migration the question of class is often missed," says London School of Economics' Lea Ypi. "When we reduce migration to a problem of open-versus-closed borders, of accepting or under what terms we accept or exclude migrants, we forget that borders are and have always been and will continue to be, at least under the current regimes, open for some people and closed for other people."

The July 16 summit and press conference in Helsinki brought the words "treason" and "blackmail" into mainstream conversations about the Trump White House and put an unwanted spotlight back on Ambassador Michael McFaul and other Americans with Russian connections. But the most lasting effects of this meeting could be on America's alliances. Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks beyond the emotional and personal aspects of the Trump-Russia story and details why a small Balkan nation has become a test for American foreign policy.

Columbia Journalism School's Mark Hansen, along with his students and "New York Times" journalists, conducted deep, firsthand research into Twitter, buying followers and charting networks, but he was left with even more questions. What does "trending" really mean? How does someone become an influencer, and how is influence wielded? Plus, Hansen describes his innovative art installations, one of which is currently on display at the "New York Times" building in Manhattan.

Today's discussions about immigrants and refugees are focused on the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on the U.S.-Mexico border and the "migration crisis" in the Mediterranean. Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Kavitha Rajagopalan explores the history of these debates, what it means to be undocumented in Europe versus the United States, and why many still view immigration through the prisms of terrorism and crime.

"I think it's important to contrast what China is doing with what Russia is doing," says Asia Society's Isaac Stone Fish. "Russia influence operations and Russia influence is much more about sowing chaos, it's about destabilization, it's about making America weaker. China is much more about making China stronger. The United States is a vector and a way for China to become stronger." Elon Musk, Alibaba, and China's internal power structures are also discussed in this wide-ranging talk.

As China's middle class grows, Hollywood is making films with this audience in mind, says the Wilson Center's Robert Daly, previously a producer for the Chinese version of "Sesame Street." How is this different from filmmaking in the World War II and Cold War eras? And why did the Chinese government have a problem with Cookie Monster and Grover?