The President’s Inbox

The Thai-Cambodian Border Clash, With Joshua Kurlantzick

Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia and if the current ceasefire will hold up.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, Beijing’s Global Media Offensive 

 

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Thailand and Cambodia’s Ceasefire: Will It Stop War When Elites Want Conflict?,” CFR.org 

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/cambodian-thai-border-clash-josh-kurlantzick

Donald Trump’s Russia Ultimatum, With Liana Fix

Liana Fix, Fellow for Europe at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the current status of the fighting in Ukraine and the significance of President Trump’s recent ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Liana Fix,  “Can NATO Keep It Together?” Foreign Policy

 

Liana Fix, “How the Berlin Bubble Failed in the Ukraine War,” Internationale Politik

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/donald-trumps-russia-ultimatum-liana-fix

Brazil and the BRICS, With Oliver Stuenkel

Oliver Stuenkel, associate professor at the School of International Relations at Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo, Brazil, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the recent BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro and what Brazil sees as the group’s purpose.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Oliver Stuenkel,  BRICS and the Future of Global Order

 

Oliver Stuenkel, IBSA: Rise of the Global South

 

Oliver Stuenkel, Post-Western World

 

Oliver Stuenkel, “In Rio, BRICS Tries to Play It Safe," Foreign Policy

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/brazil-brics-oliver-stuenkel

The Future of U.S. Foreign Aid, With William Henagan

William Henagan, a research fellow at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the current state of U.S. foreign aid programs after President Donald Trump’s reforms.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

William Henagan, “Reauthorizing DFC: A Primer for Policymakers,” CFR.org

 

William Henagan, “Sovereign Funds and American Investment Strategy: How to Responsibly Create a U.S. Strategic Investment Fund,” CFR.org

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/future-us-foreign-aid-william-henagan

The Elusive Ceasefire in Gaza, With Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss ongoing efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and the war’s ripple effects across the Middle East.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Elliott Abrams, If You Will It: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood for the Twenty-First Century

 

Elliott Abrams, "Meanwhile, Hamas Is Killing Civilians Who Seek Food," CFR.org

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/elusive-ceasefire-gaza-elliott-abrams

TPI Replay: The Fourth of July, With Jack Rakove

Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor emeritus of political science and law at Stanford University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss why the United States declared independence in 1776 and its meaning for the country today. 

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Paul Revere’s Ride”

 

Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution

 

Jack N. Rakove, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America

 

Jack N. Rakove, The Beginnings of National Politics: An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress

 

1619 Project, New York Times

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/fourth-july-jack-rakove

SPECIAL EPISODE | Answering Your Questions on the U.S. Airstrikes on Iran, With Erin Dumbacher

Erin Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities, what the strikes accomplished, and how the conflict might evolve.

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/answering-your-questions-us-airstrikes-iran-erin-dumbacher

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: A Return to Spheres of Influence, With Sarang Shidore

Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether a return to great power spheres of influence is practical in the twenty-first century.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Sarang Shidore, “Spheres of Influence Are Not the Answer,” Foreign Policy

 

Sarang Shidore, “The Quiet Development Shaking America’s Power,” New York Times

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-return-spheres-influence-sarang-shidore

Israel Strikes Iran, With Steven Cook

Steven Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s attacks on Iran’s senior military leadership and on its nuclear infrastructure.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Steven A. Cook, “Israel Is Going for the Death Blow on Iran,” Foreign Policy

 

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

 

Steven A. Cook, “The World’s Criticism Doesn’t Bother Israel,” Foreign Policy

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/israel-strikes-iran-steven-cook

Zbigniew Brzezinski, With Edward Luce

Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and a columnist for the Financial Times, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what we can learn from the life, career, and writings of Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Edward Luce, In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India

 

Edward Luce, Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent

 

Edward Luce, The Retreat of Western Liberalism

 

Edward Luce, Zbig, The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski: America's Great Power Prophet

 

Zbigniew Brzezinski, Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21st Century

 

Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Fragile Blossom: Crisis and Change in Japan

 

Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/zbigniew-brzezinski-edward-luce