Episodes

7 days ago
7 days ago
Michelle Gavin, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the impact of climate change in the Horn of Africa. This series is made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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You can submit a question for The President’s Inbox by emailing TPI@cfr.org, tagging CFR on social media @cfr_org, or calling in at 301-284-0325. If selected via voicemail, your recorded question may be featured on the show. If selected by email or social media, your question, first name, or social handle may be featured on the show. If you would like to remain anonymous, please let us know when you submit your question. Your personal information will be deleted from our records after publication of the episode. Learn more about the Council’s privacy policy and terms of use.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Michelle Gavin, Climate Change and Regional Instability in the Horn of Africa
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/what-climate-change-means-horn-africa-michelle-gavin
This episode first aired: February 14, 2023

Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
The Anti-Globalization Backlash, With Peter Trubowitz
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Peter Trubowitz, a professor of international relations and director of the Phelan U.S. Center at the London School of Economics and an associate fellow at Chatham House, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the reasons for the rise of anti-globalism in Western countries and its consequences for world order.
Mailbag Question Submission
You can submit a question for The President’s Inbox by emailing TPI@cfr.org, tagging CFR on social media @cfr_org, or calling in at 301-284-0325. If selected via voicemail, your recorded question may be featured on the show. If selected by email or social media, your question, first name, or social handle may be featured on the show. If you would like to remain anonymous, please let us know when you submit your question. Your personal information will be deleted from our records after publication of the episode. Learn more about the Council’s privacy policy and terms of use.
Mentioned on the Episode
Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon, Geopolitics and Democracy: The Western Liberal Order from Foundation to Fracture
Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon, “Make the Center Vital Again,” Foreign Affairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/anti-globalization-backlash-peter-trubowitz

Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
The APEC Summit, With Matthew Goodman
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Matthew Goodman, a distinguished fellow for global economic policy and director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2023 forum in San Francisco, California.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/apec-summit-matthew-goodman

Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Demography and World Power, With Nicholas Eberstadt
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in political economy at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how demographic trends in China, Russia, and the United States will shape and constrain global geopolitical competition.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Nicholas Eberstadt, “America Hasn’t Lost Its Demographic Advantage,” Foreign Affairs
Nicholas Eberstadt, “Can America Cope with Demographic Decline?,” National Review
Nicholas Eberstadt, “China’s Collapsing Birth and Marriage Rates Reflect a People’s Deep Pessimism,” Washington Post
Nicholas Eberstadt, Russia’s Peacetime Demographic Crisis: Dimensions, Causes, Implications
Nicholas Eberstadt, “Russian Power in Decline,” Milken Institute Review
Nicholas Eberstadt, “The China Challenge: A Demographic Predicament Will Plague the Mainland for Decades,” Discourse
Nicholas Eberstadt, “With Great Demographics Comes Great Power,” Foreign Affairs
Nicholas Eberstadt and Ashton Verdery, “A Revolution Is Coming for China’s Families,” The Wall Street Journal
Nicholas Eberstadt and Ashton Verdery, “China’s Shrinking Families,” Foreign Affairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/demography-and-world-power-nicholas-eberstadt

Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
The Laws of War, With Matthew Waxman
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Description: Matthew Waxman, adjunct senior fellow for law and foreign policy at CFR and the Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the laws of warfare and how they apply to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/laws-war-matthew-waxman

Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
The Future of the Israel-Hamas War, With Linda Robinson
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Linda Robinson, a senior fellow for women and foreign policy at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the diplomatic and political challenges triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Linda Robinson, One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/future-israel-hamas-war-linda-robinson

Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
U.S. House Republican Speaker Battle, With Christopher M. Tuttle
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Christopher M. Tuttle, a senior fellow and director of the Renewing America Initiative at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the efforts of U.S. House Republicans to elect a new speaker of the House. This episode is part of the Council on Foreign Relations, Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-house-republican-speaker-battle-christopher-m-tuttle

Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
The Israel-Hamas War, With Elliott Abrams and Steven Cook
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at CFR, and Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the context and consequences of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Elliott Abrams, "The Hamas Attack Changes Everything," National Review
Steven A. Cook, "Surprise Palestinian Attack Spawns Fears of Wider Mideast War," CFR.org
Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East [forthcoming]
Summer Said, “Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks,” Wall Street Journal
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/israel-hamas-war-elliott-abrams-and-steven-cook

Tuesday Oct 03, 2023
Getting Russia Right, With Thomas Graham
Tuesday Oct 03, 2023
Tuesday Oct 03, 2023
Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how U.S.-Russia relations have evolved since the Cold War.
Enter the CFR book giveaway by October 17, 2023, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Getting Russia Right by Thomas Graham. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Thomas Graham, Getting Russia Right
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/getting-russia-right-thomas-graham

Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
China’s Underground Historians, With Ian Johnson
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Ian Johnson, the Stephen A. Schwarzman senior fellow for China studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Chinese filmmakers, journalists, and artists are challenging the Chinese Communist Party’s version of history.
Enter the CFR book giveaway by October 11, 2023, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future by Ian Johnson. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.
Mentioned on the Podcast
Ian Johnson, Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future
Ian Johnson, Wild Grass: Three Portraits of Change in Modern China
Ian Johnson, “Xi’s Age of Stagnation: The Great Walling Off of China,” Foreign Affairs
Liu Cixin, The Three-Body Problem
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-underground-historians-ian-johnson