Carnegie Council Podcasts

Larry Diamond's core argument is stark: the defense and advancement of democratic ideals relies on U.S. global leadership. If the U.S. does not reclaim its traditional place as the keystone of democracy, today's authoritarian trend could become a tsunami that could provide an opening for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and their admirers to turn the 21st century into a dark time of surging authoritarianism.

Will Joe Biden's "restorationist" foreign policy resonate with voters? What would a "progressive" approach to international relations look like for Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders? What role will foreign policy play in the 2020 Election? Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at these questions and more as he and host Alex Woodson discuss a crowded 2020 Democratic primary field.

In the latest "Crack-Up" podcast, China expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom discusses the rich history of Chinese student protests. From the May Fourth movement in 1919 to Tiananmen Square in 1989 to today's mass demonstrations in Hong Kong, what are the threads that tie these moments together? Don't miss this fascinating talk, which also touches on Woodrow Wilson, the Russian Revolution, and a young Mao Zedong.

The original idea of the Internet was for it to be a "free speech nirvana," but in 2019, the reality is quite different. Authoritarians spread disinformation and extremists incite hatred, often on the huge, U.S.-based platforms, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. David Kaye, UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion & expression, details the different approaches to these issues in Europe and the United States and looks for solutions in this informed and important talk.

Following up on his talk with RAND analyst Ali Wyne on great-power competition, Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev gives an update on U.S.-Russian relations, touching on the war in Eastern Ukraine, the crisis in Venezuela, and election interference. He also previews the upcoming G-20 Summit in Japan, with Trump possibly hampered by his domestic controversies and talk of impeachment.

Looking ahead to the 2020 election and the role that foreign policy will play on the campaign trail, Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev talks with RAND Corporation's Ali Wyne about the dominant international relations narrative in Trump-era Washington: "great-power competition." With Russia and China as the main competitors, how should we differentiate between the two nations? What is the U.S. actually competing for? And what would "victory" look like?

Christina Madden, now a director at Criterion Institute, discusses her work on Myanmar's massive electrification project in 2013-2014. With less than one-third of the population connected to the grid after a decades-long military dictatorship, what were the complications in getting millions in Myanmar connected? What were the political and cross-border issues, specifically when it came to cooperating with China?

Just back from China, Sinologist (and fluent Mandarin speaker) Joshua Eisenman discusses the pervasive camera surveillance and facial recognition systems there; the omnipresent power of "the security state;" the effect of the U.S.-China trade war on everyday life and future business; and the expansion of the original Belt and Road project, a term than is now applied to almost any project anywhere in the world.

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more can be done? Notre Dame's Michael Desch, founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, and George Washington's Henry Farrell, an editor and writer at the "Washington Post"-affiliated "Monkey Cage" blog, engage in a thoughtful debate on the relevance of political science.

Don't miss this podcast! Turkish novelist and journalist Ece Temelkuran details how a country goes from "democracy to dictatorship." She touches on humor, shame, "post-truth," women's rights, and much more, as she talks Erdoğan, Trump, & populism throughout Europe.