Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan faces off with opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in Turkey’s presidential election; Thais vote in their first general election since 2019; the Black Sea grain deal faces possible expiration; international film makers step forward at the Cannes Film Festival; and Ukraine fends off Russia’s recent drone attack.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Steven Cook, “What if Kemal Kilicdaroglu Wins Turkey’s Election?,” Foreign Policy

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/momentous-elections-turkey-and-thailand-black-sea-grain-initiative-and-more

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea; major pandemic-related U.S. immigration policies such as Title 42 end, straining an already overwhelmed southern border; the director of national intelligence and the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency brief a Senate panel on the top international threats to U.S. national security; and the U.S. Congress debates a plan to prevent default.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Paul B. Stares, “Conflicts to Watch in 2023,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/south-korea-japan-summit-us-border-policy-changes-us-annual-threat-assessment-and-more

Iran and Russia aim to broker a rapprochement between Syria and Turkey; the Israeli Knesset begins its summer session in the face of mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms; Pope Francis makes a three-day visit to Hungary, where he is expected to raise concerns about migration and the war in Ukraine; and a cease-fire fails to put an end to conflict in Sudan.

Mentioned on the Podcast

George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/syria-turkey-relations-israels-ongoing-domestic-tensions-pope-visits-hungary-and-more

U.S. President Joe Biden hosts South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for a state visit, marking the seventy-year U.S.-South Korean alliance; people worldwide celebrate Earth Day with pledges to take environmental action; and the UN Security Council discusses its mission to Haiti and plans to stabilize the turbulent country.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Earthday.org

Rocio Cara Labrador and Diana Roy, “Haiti’s Troubled Path to Development,” CFR.org

Scott Snyder, “How to Prepare for the Future After Seven Decades of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/biden-hosts-south-koreas-president-earth-day-un-addresses-haiti-and-more

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group wrap up their joint spring meetings, where the focus is on restructuring debt for low-income countries; expected Republican presidential candidates convene at a National Rifle Association Leadership Forum amid ongoing mass shooting concerns; and the United Nations discusses the prospects for national elections in Libya, as the country continues to grapple with sharp divisions.

Mentioned on the Podcast

“A Conversation With David Malpass” 

Brad W. Setser, “The World Bank Stepped Up During the Pandemic,” CFR.org

Ian Shapira, “Before Trump’s Wild Shifts on the NRA, Ronald Reagan Took on the Gun Lobby,” Washington Post

“The IMF Faces a Nightmarish Identity Crisis,” The Economist

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/imf-and-world-bank-spring-meetings-nra-ila-leadership-forum-un-libya-and-more

China’s President Xi Jinping woos France’s President Emmanuel Macron, while Macron urges Xi to bring “Russia back to reason” on Ukraine; Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace agreement turns twenty-five; and as Iran celebrates National Nuclear Technology Day, its enriched uranium stocks grow. 

Mentioned on the Podcast

Steven Erlanger and Matina Stevis-Gridneff, “China’s Ambassador to the E.U. Tries to Distance Beijing From Moscow,” New York Times

Barak Ravid, “Scoop: U.S. Discussing Freeze-for-Freeze Approach to Iran Nuclear Program,” Axios

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/macron-goes-china-good-friday-agreement-turns-25-irans-nuclear-technology-day-and-more

Turkey’s presidential candidates officially kick-off their campaigns ahead of May elections; Russia begins its term as president of the UN Security Council; and Walt Disney World wraps up its fiftieth anniversary celebration amid legal disputes with the Florida state government. 

Mentioned on the Podcast

Will Freeman and Ariana Rios, “How Peru’s Crisis Could Send Shockwaves Through the Region,” CFR.org

Rone Tempest, “Protesters Block Euro Disneyland : France: Irked by U.S. Trade Policies, Farmers Use Tractors to Keep Cars and Buses Out of the Park,” Los Angeles Times

“​​U.S. Immigration Policy, With Edward Alden,” The President’s Inbox

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/turkish-presidential-campaigning-begins-russias-cloudy-security-council-presidency-disney

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China to discuss Brazil-China economic ties; millions of people around the world switch off their lights for 60 minutes to celebrate Earth Hour; and the United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia co-host the second Summit for Democracy.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report 

Michelle Gavin, “Zimbabwe Limps Toward Elections,” CFR.org

Joshua Kurlantzick, “Thailand’s Parliament Has Been Dissolved: Elections Loom, But Will They Be Free?,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/brazils-lula-visits-china-earth-hour-second-summit-democracy-and-more

The UN Security Council decides whether to renew the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan; on its twentieth anniversary, Americans and Iraqis take stock of the U.S. invasion of Iraq; and the future of the Ukraine-Russia Black Sea Grain Initiative, a vital food export agreement, is decided.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Max Boot, “What the Neocons Got Wrong,” Foreign Affairs

Peter Feaver, Christopher Gelpi, and Jason Reifler, “The Strange Case of Iraq Syndrome,” Foreign Affairs

Sebastian Mallaby, “What the Silicon Valley Bank Bailout Teaches Us,” Washington Post

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/un-afghanistan-twenty-years-us-invasion-iraq-black-sea-grain-initiative-and-more

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss migration, trade, security, and other issues; the world enters the fourth year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic; and Academy Award-nominated films spotlight international issues.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl

Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front

Lukas Dhont, Close

Sara Dosa, Fire of Love

Stanley Kubrick, Paths of Glory

Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front

Santiago Mitre, Argentina, 1985

Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front

Daniel Roher, Navalny

Jerzy Skolimowski, EO

Simon Lereng Wilmont, A House Made of Splinters

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/uk-france-summit-3-years-covid-19-pandemic-foreign-films-oscars-and-more