The President’s Inbox

Ronald Reagan on U.S. Global Leadership, with Max Boot

Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at CFR and a columnist for The Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ronald Reagan’s life and his impact on U.S. foreign policy. 

 

Enter the CFR book giveaway by September 24, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here. 

 

Mentioned on the Episode

 

Max Boot, “Reagan Didn’t Win the Cold War,” Foreign Affairs 

 

Max Boot, Reagan: His Life and Legend

 

Max Boot, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam

 

Shreya Chattopadhyay and Miguel Salazar, "22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall," New York Times

 

Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan

 

Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation About Christmas and the Situation in Poland"

 

Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger"

 

Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day"

 

“Ronald Reagan, Mastermind,” Saturday Night Live

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/ronald-reagan-us-global-leadership-max-boot

A Wider Middle East War, With Steven Cook

Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the potential for a wider war in the Middle East as Iran vows to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a top Hamas official in Tehran.

 

Mentioned on the Episode

 

Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/a-wider-middle-east-war-with-steven-cook

Ukraine’s Attack on Kursk, With Liana Fix

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia.

 

Mentioned on the Episode

 

Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival

 

Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ukraines-attack-kursk-liana-fix 

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Multipolar Pluralism, With Stephen Heintz

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Stephen Heintz, “A Logic for the Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence,” Rockefeller Brothers Fund

John F. Kennedy, “Commencement Address at American University,” June 10, 1963

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/case-multipolar-pluralism-stephen-heintz

America’s China Strategy, With Rush Doshi

Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how America should navigate its geopolitical rivalry with China. 

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?

 

Hal Brands and Michael Beckley, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict With China

 

Rush Doshi, The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order

 

Rush Doshi, et al., “Debating the United States’ China Strategy,” CFR.org

 

Rush Doshi, et al., “What Does America Want From China?,” Foreign Affairs

 

Aaron Friedberg, The Weary Titan: Britain and the Experience of Relative Decline, 1895-1905

 

Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger, “No Substitute for Victory: America’s Competition With China Must Be Won, Not Managed,” Foreign Affairs

 

William Langley and Gloria Li, “Chinese Robot Maker Says Protectionism Will Not Stop Its March,” Financial Times

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/americas-china-strategy-rush-doshi 

Silicon Valley and the Future of Warfare, With Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah

Christopher Kirchhoff, former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to incorporate cutting-edge technology into its operations. 

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Ashton B. Carter, “Keeping America’s Military Edge,” Foreign Affairs

 

Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah, Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/silicon-valley-and-the-future-of-warfare

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Realism, With Charles A. Kupchan

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.   

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

"A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox

 

Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order

 

Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World

 

Jake Sullivan, "Renewing American Economic Leadership”

 

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan 

A U.S.-China Cold War, With Robin Niblett

Sir Robin Niblett, distinguished fellow at Chatham House, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss a potential second Cold War between the United States and China.

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can American and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?

 

Barry Buzan, “A New Cold War? The Case for a General Concept,” International Politics

 

Robin Niblett, “The G-7 Must Prepare Now for Trump,” Foreign Policy

 

Robin Niblett, The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century

 

Robin Niblett and Leslie Vinjamuri, “The Liberal Order Begins at Home,” Foreign Affairs

 

Jake Sullivan, “Remarks by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Renewing American Economic Leadership at the Brookings Institution,” April 27, 2023

 

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-china-cold-war-robin-niblett 

The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism, With Stephen Flynn

Stephen Flynn, chair of the Committee on Assessing WMD Nuclear Terrorism at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and a political science professor at Northeastern University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the steps the U.S. government should take to prevent and respond to nuclear terrorism.

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Nuclear Terrorism: Assessment of U.S. Strategies to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicines

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/threat-nuclear-terrorism-stephen-flynn 

The Elections in Britain and France, With Matthias Matthijs and Daniela Schwarzer

Matthias Matthijs, senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and Daniela Schwarzer, a member of the executive board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results and consequences of the snap elections in France and the United Kingdom.  

 

Mentioned on the Episode 

 

Matthias Matthijs, “Pivotal Elections for France—and Europe,” CFR.org

 

Matthias Matthijs and Mark Blyth, “Don’t Bet on a British Revival,” Foreign Affairs

Daniela Schwarzer, “It’s Time to Reset EU-UK Relations,” Financial Times

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/elections-britain-and-france-matthias-matthijs-and-daniela-schwarzer