Foreign Policy Live

Foreign policy is not typically a priority for the American voter. And yet, the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election will have an outsized impact on world affairs. How are allies and adversaries alike weighing the 2024 election? Former diplomat Richard Haass joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss.

Richard Haass is president emeritus at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the popular substack at Home and Away.

Suggested reading:

Richard Haass: The War That Israel Could Have Fought

Richard Haass: At Home and Away

Fareed Zakaria: The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad

Damon Wilson and Lynn Lee: South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader

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Negotiators failed to reach a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that would have paused hostilities before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. How does the rest of the Middle East view this breakdown in negotiations? For the United States in particular, how will this shape its standing in the region, and what does it mean for the conflict moving forward?

Mina Al-Oraibi, the editor in chief of the National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, shares her insights with Ravi Agrawal.

Suggested reading:

Aaron David Miller: Why an End to the War in Gaza Is Still Far Off

Daniel Byman: Will Gaza Ever Recover?

Caroline de Gruyter: Israel and Palestine Are Now in a Religious War

Stephen M. Walt: It’s Not Too Late for Restrained Foreign Policy

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President Biden’s tenure has been marked by numerous foreign-policy flash points: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. Public perception of how he has handled these challenges could have a direct effect on his chances for reelection—a factor he tried to influence in his annual State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7.

Journalist Susan Glasser joins Ravi Agrawal to share her reactions to Biden’s speech. Glasser is a staff writer at the New Yorker and a former editor in chief of Foreign Policy.

Suggested reading:

Michael Hirsh: Biden Starkly Lays Out the Stakes for 2024

Susan Glasser: So Much for “Sleepy Joe”: On Biden’s Rowdy, Shouty State of the Union

Steven A. Cook: War Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Becoming Inevitable

Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: State Department Beefs Up U.S. Diplomatic Presence in Kyiv

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The Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ annual survey of American voters shows that for the first time in nearly 50 years, a majority of Republicans prefer an isolationist approach to foreign policy. Before the Trump presidency, the Republican Party was more likely to support an active U.S. presence in the world.

Former U.S. ambassador to NATO and the CEO of the Chicago Council Ivo Daalder joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss the survey and what it could mean for the 2024 election. You can listen to Daalder’s podcast, “World Review,” here.

Suggested reading:

Survey: Majority of Trump Republicans Prefer the United States Stay Out of World Affairs

Edward Alden: A Self-Absorbed America Means Disorder for the World

Doug Klain: How Europe Can Prepare for a Second Trump Term—Now

Anna Merlan: Trump’s International Fan Club Descends on Maryland

For more podcasts, check out: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline

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Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. The conflict has changed the face of Europe and set off a protracted war that has had ramifications reaching far beyond its borders. 

Could Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy of waiting out the West prove successful, or can Western leaders rally to continue supporting a drawn-out war? What would a future peace deal look like? 

NATO’s former secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, argues that Western leaders need to continue to supply Ukraine with weapons—and quickly, before the war results in further instability. He joined FP’s Ravi Agrawal ahead of the war’s second anniversary to discuss the state of the conflict, lessons learned, and what the future might hold for Ukraine.

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Economics is sometimes called the “dismal science.” But the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a surprisingly positive outlook for the U.S. economy—even if public sentiment hasn’t yet caught up. Host Ravi Agrawal discusses the state of the global economy with Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s first deputy managing director. The two begin with Gopinath’s latest essay in Foreign Policy about trade fragmentation and fears of a new Cold War. 

Suggested reading:

Gita Gopinath: How Policymakers Should Handle a Fragmenting World

Adam Posen: America’s Zero-Sum Economics Doesn’t Add Up

Adam Tooze: The IMF is an anchor adrift in a changing world economy

And FP is looking for a new producer of this show. If you’d like to work with us, please check out the job description: https://foreignpolicy.com/employment-opportunities/. 

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James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander and retired four-star admiral, sits down with Ravi Agrawal to share his insight on how Washington is navigating conflicts across two continents.

Suggested reading:

Thomas L. Friedman: A Biden Doctrine for the Middle East Is Forming. And It’s Big.

Keith Johnson: The Houthis’ Next Target May Be Underwater

Stephen J. Hadley and Richard Fontaine: Americans Need Domestic Unity for Effective Foreign Policy

FP Live: ‘We Do Not Have an Iran Plan’

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A drone strike by an Iran-backed militant group, which resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members, threatens to push the Middle East into a wider regional conflict. Iran has distanced itself from the attack, while President Biden has said that the U.S. will respond.

Middle East experts Vali Nasr and Sanam Vakil join Ravi Agrawal to discuss what Tehran might be thinking at this moment. Nasr is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Vakil is the director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program.

Suggested reading:

Jack Detsch: 3 Options for How Biden Could Respond to Iran

Adam Weinstein and Steven Simon: U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East

Ravi Agrawal: Ian Bremmer: Attack on U.S. Troops a ‘Red Line’ for Biden

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Geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer joins Ravi Agrawal to forecast the world ahead in 2024. From expanding conflict in the Middle East and a potentially partitioned Ukraine to a more optimistic take on the rise of artificial intelligence, listen in to hear his predictions.

Suggested reading:

Jack Detsch: 3 Options for How Biden Could Respond to Iran

Jared Cohen and Ian Bremmer: The Global Credibility Gap

Adam Weinstein and Steven Simon: U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East

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Taiwan’s recent election resulted in the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party retaining power, prompting China-watchers to wonder how Beijing might respond. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, shares his insights with host Ravi Agrawal.

Suggested reading:

Hal Brands and Michael Beckley: China Is a Declining Power–and That’s the Problem

James Palmer: Taiwan’s New President Won’t Placate China

Howard W. French: The Reason China Can’t Stop Its Decline

The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party: Reset, Prevent, Build: A Strategy to Win America’s Economic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party

The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party: Ten for Taiwan: Policy Recommendations to Preserve Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait

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