The President’s Inbox

Epidemics in World History, With Frank M. Snowden

Frank M. Snowden, Andrew Downey Orrick professor emeritus of history and history of medicine at Yale University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how epidemics have shaped world history. Snowden’s most recent book, which was released in October 2019, is Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present.

U.S. Global Leadership Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, With Philip H. Gordon

Philip H. Gordon, CFR’s Mary and David Boies senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether the United States should do more internationally to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Read Gordon’s article “‘America First’ Is a Dangerous Fantasy in a Pandemic: Foreign Aid and Global Leadership Will Be Integral to Any Solution” on ForeignAffairs.com.

The United States, China, and the Coronavirus, With Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, China reporter for Axios, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of U.S.-China relations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Coronavirus’s Impact Throughout Africa, With Michelle D. Gavin

Michelle D. Gavin, CFR’s senior fellow for Africa studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the novel coronavirus is affecting Angola, Botswana, Sudan, and other nations throughout Africa.

The Coronavirus in the Middle East, With Steven A. Cook

Steven A. Cook, CFR’s Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies and director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the novel coronavirus’s impact in Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and other nations in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Instability of Global Supply Chains in a Pandemic, With Shannon K. O’Neil

Shannon K. O’Neil, CFR vice president, deputy director of studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America Studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what the coronavirus pandemic means for international supply chains and trade. Read O’Neil’s article, “How to Pandemic-Proof Globalization: Redundancy, Not Reshoring, Is the Key to Supply Chain Security,” on ForeignAffairs.com.

The Russian-Saudi Oil Price War, With Amy Myers Jaffe

Amy Myers Jaffe, CFR’s David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment and director of the Energy Security and Climate Change program, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the standoff between Russia and Saudi Arabia over oil prices.

The Coronavirus Pandemic, With Tom Bollyky

Thomas J. Bollyky, director of CFR’s Global Health program and senior fellow for global health, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the World Health Organization’s newly declared pandemic, COVID-19.

The Fate of Germany’s Leadership, With Constanze Stelzenmüller

Constanze Stelzenmüller, Kissinger Chair on Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress and senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss German politics and the future of Germany’s leadership.

The Rise of Digital Dictators, With Andrea Kendall-Taylor

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the increasing use of technology by authoritarian regimes. Kendall-Taylor’s article “The Digital Dictators: How Technology Strengthens Autocracy,” coauthored with Erica Frantz and Joseph Wright, can be found in the March/April 2020 issue of Foreign Affairs.