America Explained

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Andy is joined by Elena Guido from the Leiden Asia Centre to discuss all things North Korea. We talked about North Korea's growing alignment with Russia and China, what trends have been affecting the country domestically, and whether - as some former U.S. officials have claimed - war on the peninsula is imminent.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Catherine Wood

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Andy and Martijn talk about what the foreign policy of a Harris administration might look like, touching on Ukraine, Israel, China and more. Plus, what's the foreign policy connection of ther recent Trump assassination attempt?

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Catherine Wood

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Andy and Catherine discuss the latest from the DNC, how Tim Walz is being received, and the protests over U.S. policy towards Gaza. They also talk about the history of party conventions and how modern conventions differ from those of the past.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Catherine Wood

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Andy and Martijn discuss last month's NATO summit. Although the event ended up getting overshadowed by concerns about Biden's health and age, it was an important event in its own right - and a good moment to take stock of the challenges currently facing the alliance. We talked about NATO's new secretary general Mark Rutte, the state of the war in Ukraine, and the threat Trump poses to the alliance.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Martijn van Ette

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Andy and Catherine discuss the head-spinning events of the past few weeks, focusing on why Joe Biden decided to drop out and what Kamala Harris needs to do next to win.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Catherine Wood

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Nowadays we're used to the idea that America will stick by Israel almost no matter what. But American policymakers didn't always view Israel as an ally or a strategic asset for the United States. On the anniversary of the partition of Palestine by the United Nations - an event which set the stage for the modern Middle East - Andy discusses America's attitude towards the creation of the state of Israel in the 1940s.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

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What's the relationship between U.S.-China competition, and the global struggle against climate change? Andy explores how the former is making the latter harder.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

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In the first of a series, Andy gives explainers on U.S. swing states. Up first is Arizona, whose identity and politics are very different to the Midwestern states which people usually have in mind when they think about the most hotly-contested states. It's also a place where the big issues driving this election - immigration, election denialism, and abortion are unusually turbo-charged.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

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Andy and Catherine talk about Trump's trial in New York, and whether there's any real chance of him going to jail before the November election.

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Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Co-host - Catherine Wood

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In this episode I spoke to Gregory Brew, deputy editor of the Texas National Security Review and a historian of U.S.-Iranian relations, about U.S. relations with Iran. We talked about the deeper history of the relationship, what drove policy during the Trump administration, and the role that oil plays in the broader U.S. stance in the Middle East.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe