The President’s Inbox

Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle East studies and the Council, and Ed Husain, senior fellow at the Council, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks and whether President Donald Trump's twenty-point peace plan will produce a lasting ceasefire.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Elliott Abrams, "The Teaching of Hate in Jordan," CFR.org

 

Naftali Bendavid, Scott Clement, and Emily Guskin, "Many American Jews Sharply Critical of Israel on Gaza, Post Poll Finds," Washington Post

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/two-years-since-october-7-elliott-abrams-ed-husain

Matt Waxman, adjunct senior fellow for law and foreign policy and Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia University sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the legality of the Trump administration's military strikes against drug traffickers and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

James Madison, “Federalist No. 51,” The Federalist Papers

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/legality-trumps-drug-boat-strikes-matthew-waxman

Liana Fix, senior fellow for Europe at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Russia’s recent drone incursions into Polish airspace, and whether the move signals an expansion of the war in Ukraine.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Liana Fix and Erin D. Dumbacher, “Russia Tests NATO With Poland Drone Breach,” CFR.org

 

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

Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the feasibility of a multi-layer missile defense system for the United States.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Phillip L. Swagel, “Effects of Lower Launch Costs on Previous Estimates for Space-Based, Boost-Phase Missile Defense,” Congressional Budget Office

 

Todd Harrison, “How Much Would a Space-Based Missile Interceptor System Cost and Does It Make Sense?” American Enterprise Institute

 

Todd Harrison, “Is Trump’s Golden Dome a Brilliant Idea or a Gilded Boondoggle?” American Enterprise Institute

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/golden-dome-missile-defense-system-todd-harrison

Michelle Gavin, Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what urbanization, a youth-heavy population, and social media mean for politics across the African continent.

 

Enter the CFR book giveaway by September 23, 2025, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Age of Change by Michelle Gavin. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/africas-urban-youth-revolution-michelle-gavin

Roxanna Vigil, International Affairs Fellow in National Security at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss rising political violence in Colombia and its consequences for the Andean region and beyond.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Paul J. Angelo, From Peril to Partnership: U.S. Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico, Oxford University Press

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:

https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/brewing-troubles-colombia-roxanna-vigil

Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what a realist U.S. foreign policy would look like.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

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

 

John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, “The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior U.S. Grand Strategy,” Foreign Affairs

 

Barry Posen, Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy, Cornell University Press

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-realist-foreign-policy-stephen-walt

Michael Kimmage, professor of history at the Catholic University of America, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on the war in Ukraine.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Michael Kimmage, Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability

 

Michael Kimmage and Maria Lipman, “The Limits of Putin’s Balancing Act," Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trump-putin-summit-michael-kimmage

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger distinguished professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how and why control of Eurasia affects U.S. national security. This episode is the fifth in a continuing TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

 

This episode was originally released by The President’s Inbox on January 21, 2025.

 

Mentioned on the Episode

 

Hal Brands, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World

 

H. J. Mackinder, “The Geographical Pivot of History,” The Geographical Journal

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/eurasia-challenge-hal-brands

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