The President’s Inbox

China’s Underground Historians, With Ian Johnson

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 

 

Ukraine’s 2023 Counteroffensive, With Max Boot

Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow in national security studies at CFR and a columnist for the Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the progress Ukraine is making in its ongoing effort to retake the territory Russia seized in its 2022 invasion.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

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

 

Max Boot, “Ukraine May Have a Better Chance to Win in 2024, a Retired U.S. General Says,” The Washington Post

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ukraines-2023-counteroffensive-max-boot 

AI’s Impact on the 2024 U.S. Elections, With Jessica Brandt

Jessica Brandt, policy director for the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution, where she is a fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how artificial intelligence might affect the 2024 U.S. elections.

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ais-impact-2024-us-elections-jessica-brandt

Europe’s Geoeconomic Revolution, With Matthias Matthijs & Sophie Meunier

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 Sophie Meunier, a senior research scholar at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the European Union has transformed its approach to economics and the implications for transatlantic relations.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Matthias Matthijs and Sophie Meunier, “Europe’s Geoeconomic Revolution,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/europes-geoeconomic-revolution-matthias-mattijs-sophie-meunier 

TPI Replay: China’s Nuclear Forces, With Fiona S. Cunningham

Fiona S. Cunningham, assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss China’s expanding nuclear weapons program and the likelihood of an arms race with the United States.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Fiona S. Cunningham, “Cooperation Under Asymmetry? The Future of U.S.-China Nuclear Relations,” The Washington Quarterly

 

Fiona S. Cunningham, “Strategic Substitution: China's Search for Coercive Leverage in the Information Age,” International Security

 

M. Taylor Fravel, Active Defense: China's Military Strategy Since 1949

 

M. Taylor Fravel and Evan S. Medeiros, “China’s Search for Assured Retaliation: The Evolution of Chinese Nuclear Strategy and Force Structure [PDF],” International Security

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-nuclear-forces-fiona-s-cunningham 

 

This episode first aired: February 28, 2023

Israeli-Saudi Peace Deal, With Steven A. Cook

Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ongoing negotiations to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Steven A. Cook, “How Sisi Ruined Egypt,” Foreign Policy

 

Steven A. Cook and Martin Indyk, The Case for a New U.S.-Saudi Strategic Compact 

 

Andrew Exum, “The Israeli Saudi Deal Had Better Be a Good One,” The Atlantic

 

Thomas Friedman, “Biden Is Weighing a Big Middle East Deal,” New York Times

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/israeli-saudi-peace-deal-steven-cook 

China’s Economic Downturn, With Zongyuan Zoe Liu

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, the Maurice R. Greenberg fellow for China studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the causes and consequences of China’s faltering economy.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“China’s Economy Is Slowing. Here’s Why That Matters,” Bloomberg

 

Thomas Hale and Andy Lin, “Chinese Economy Falls Into Deflation as Recovery Stumbles,” Financial Times

 

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “Zero-COVID Is the Least of Xi's Economic Problems,” Foreign Policy

 

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “Beijing Needs to Junk Its Economic Playbook,” Foreign Policy

 

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “China's Pensions System Is Buckling Under an Aging Population,” Foreign Policy

 

Zongyuan Zoe Liu and Benn Steil, “Xi's Plan for China's Economy Is Doomed to Fail,” Foreign Affairs

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-economic-downturn-zongyuan-zoe-liu

Global Food Insecurity, With Caitlin Welsh

Caitlin Welsh, director of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Kremlin’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative threaten global food security.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Black Sea Grain Initiative Joint Coordination Centre, United Nations

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/global-food-insecurity-caitlin-welsh 

Latin America’s Crime Surge, With Will Freeman

Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss spiking crime rates across Latin America and their consequences for the region and the United States.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

“Informe Latinobarómetro 2023: La Recesión Democrática de América Latina,” Latinobarómetro

 

“The Fentanyl Epidemic, With Vanda Felbab-Brown,” The President’s Inbox

 

Will Freeman, “A Surge in Crime and Violence Has Ecuador Reeling,” World Politics Review

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/latin-americas-crime-surge-will-freeman 

Sudan’s Civil War, With Michelle Gavin

Michelle Gavin, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the deadly struggle between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of Sudan.

 

Mentioned on the Podcast

 

Michelle Gavin, “Seeking Urgency on Sudan,” CFR.org

 

Michelle Gavin, “Sudan’s Two Truths,” CFR.org

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/sudans-civil-war-michelle-gavin