Relevant Reading:

Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America’s Power

The Russian Interference Racket

Good evening listeners! We have a great show for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Meghan O’Sullivan about her new book about global energy abundance, before discussing election interference from Moscow with Sean Keeley.

Meghan O’Sullivan is the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and was special assistant to President George W. Bush and Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan. Her new book looks at our new era of energy abundance—both in the United States and globally—and she discusses how that’s affecting America’s foreign policy options.

Then, TAI staff writer Sean Keeley argues that while we need to take Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election seriously, the current debate on the subject and the way it’s being covered in the media empowers partisans and hacks—and that hysteria is counter-productive.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Meghan O’Sullivan @OSullivanMeghan, Sean Keeley @seankeeley, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

How to Manage Post-Democracy Turkey

Good evening, listeners! On this week’s episode, host Richard Aldous speaks with Henri J. Barkey about Erdogan’s Turkey.

Henri J. Barkey is the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University, and he discusses with Richard how America ought to position itself towards post-democratic Turkey.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Henri J. Barkey @hbarkey and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Take Them All Away

Will the Nazi Purge Work?

Greetings, listeners! We have a great episode for you this week as host Richard Aldous speaks with Adam Garfinkle about the case for taking down all Civil War memorials, before discussing the tech industry’s attempted take-down of resurgent white nationalism online.

First, TAI editor Adam Garfinkle returns to the program to discuss the poor understanding so many Americans have of the U.S. Civil War, describing it as a cross between a passion play and a comic book. Putting that in the context of the recent politicization of Confederate statues, he argues that we should be taking all of these Civil War monuments down.

Then, TAI staff writer Jason Willick tells Richard that Silicon Valley’s to quash the recent uprising of alt-right white nationalism on the internet is problematic in practice, not in theory, because tech executives aren’t up to the task.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Jason Willick @jawillick and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

From Chanakya to Modi: The Evolution of India’s Foreign Policy

Good evening listeners, and welcome back to the program. We hope you had a pleasant August, and that yesterday’s eclipse somewhat made up for our extended hiatus.

We’re getting right back into the swing of things with a timely interview, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Aparna Pande about India, Afghanistan, and—who else?—Donald Trump. Pande is the Director of the Hudson Institute’s Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, and is also a fellow at Hudson’s Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World. She is the author of the new book From Chanakya to Modi: The Evolution of India’s Foreign Policy, and on the show she traces the history of Indian foreign policy and its evolution into its current form. She discusses how Trump’s renewed focus on Afghanistan will affect (and is affected by) Prime Minister Modi’s efforts in the region.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Aparna Pande @Aparna_Pande and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Mahmoud Abbas and the Years of Terror

The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas

The Zuma Dynasty

Good evening, listeners! We have another great episode for you this week.

First, our host Richard Aldous speaks with Amir Tibon, the Washington, DC correspondent for Haaretz, about Mahmoud Abbas’s role in Palestinian politics.

Then, Matthew Taylor King, a contributing writer for The American Interest, comes on the show to discuss the potential for a Zuma dynasty in South Africa.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Amir Tibon @amirtibon, Matthew Taylor King @longlivethematt, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

The Paradoxes of Trump’s Russia Strategy

Mosul Mourns Its Minaret, Sort Of

Good evening, listeners! On this week’s episode, host Richard Aldous speaks with Damir Marusic about the Russia policy cobbled together by Trump’s cabinet before speaking with Rasha Al Aqeedi about the legacy of a destroyed minaret in Mosul.

First, Damir Marusic, Executive Editor of The American Interest, speaks with Richard about how Donald Trump’s cabinet has produced something of a sound approach to Russia in spite of the president himself.

Then, Rasha Al Aqeedi, a fellow at Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center in Dubai and a native of Mosul, Iraq, returns to the show to discuss how an historic minaret in Mosul, destroyed by the Islamic State, is “now being remembered for what it never was.”

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Damir Marusic @dmarusic, Rasha Al Aqeedi @RashaAlAqeedi, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Free the Spectrum!

Good evening, listeners! This week, our host Richard Aldous speaks with Thomas Winslow Hazlett, author of The Political Spectrum: The Tumultuous Liberation of Wireless Technology, from Herbert Hoover to the Smartphone about everything from Google’s Project Loon to why it’s so hard to get reliable and consistent cell phone reception while driving across the United States.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Sympathy for the Kremlin

Good evening, listeners! We have a great episode for you this week as host Richard Aldous speaks with Sean Keeley about Oliver Stone’s recent controversial HBO interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They discuss what was a flawed, self serving, but ultimately illuminating program, and one that revealed insights into both the interviewer (Oliver Stone) and interviewee (Vladimir Putin).

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Sean Keeley @seankeeley and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Why Scholars and Policymakers Disagree

The Coming Conflict Over Eastern Syria

Good evening, we have a great episode for you this week! First, host Richard Aldous speaks with Hal Brands about why policymakers and scholars can’t just get along, before discussing in depth the situation in Syria with Andrew Bernard.

First, Hal Brands, the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of History at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, discusses why academics and policymakers so often disagree—and why that divide may be exaggerated by some.

Then, Andrew Bernard, a contributing writer here at The American Interest, speaks about the situation in Syria today. He ties in all of the disparate forces currently affecting the conflict, including Russia, the United States, Turkey, the Kurds, and more.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Andrew Bernard @andrewjbernie and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Mayday in the UK

The Secrets of His Success

Good evening, listeners! We have a European election special for you this week as host Richard Aldous speaks with George Walden about Theresa May’s bad day before discussing Macron’s ascendance with Benjamin Haddad.

First, George Walden, a former diplomat and government minister, discusses the Tories’ disastrous day at the polls late last week, and what this means for Theresa May and the UK going forward.

Then, Benjamin Haddad, a research fellow at Hudson Institute, speaks with Richard about French president Emmanuel Macron’s remarkable ascent to power, and his party’s surprising victory in Parliamentary elections over the weekend.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Benjamin Haddad @benjaminhaddad and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.