CSIS’s Jon Alterman joins the podcast to discuss the dramatic developments in Syria, the external actors involved, and potential U.S. approaches.

CSIS’s director of the Missile Defense Project Tom Karako joins the podcast to talk about missile escalations in the Ukraine Russia war, plus how missiles are critical to the conflicts in the Middle East.

Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of AI and energy policy, AI’s huge energy requirements, and how to finance infrastructure development to meet these energy needs.

Watch CSIS’s recent event on the intersection of AI and energy policy here.

In this episode, we discuss what AI policy might look like under the second Trump administration. We dive into the first Trump administration's achievements (0:50), how the Trump campaign handled AI policy (3:37), and where the new administration might fall on key issue areas like national security (5:59), safety (7:37), export controls (11:27), open-source (14:04), and more. 

Aspen Strategy Group executive director Anja Manuel joins the podcast to discuss issues surrounding AI and national security, and a new series of original papers and op-eds called “Intelligent Defense: Navigating National Security in the Age of AI.” The papers are authored by Aspen Strategy Group members including: Manuel, Mark Esper, General David Petraeus, David Ignatius, Nick Kristof, Steve Bowsher, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Yoshua Bengio, Senator Chris Coons, Kent Walker, Jennifer Ewbank, Daniel Poneman, Eileen O’Connor, and Graham Allison.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz, Victor Cha, and distinguished guests discuss the Kremlin's motivations, the potential impacts on the battlefield in Ukraine, what North Korea is likely to receive in return, how Beijing may perceive this development, and more.

Aram Nerguizian, CSIS senior associate and an expert on the Levant, joins the podcast to discuss the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s current political and military capabilities, and the impact of the conflict on the Lebanese people.

In this special episode, Andrew and Gregory C. Allen discuss the National Security Memorandum on AI the Biden administration released on October 24th, its primary audience and main objectives, and what the upcoming U.S. election could mean for its implementation. 

Suzanne Spaulding, director of the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project, joins a special crossover episode with CSIS’s Smart Women, Smart Power podcast to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Charles Edel, CSIS Senior Adviser and Australia Chair, and Kathryn Paik, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Australia Chair, join the podcast to discuss their new Foreign Affairs article on how China is dominating foreign policy in the Pacific.

Read the article - The Peril of American Neglect in the Pacific