The World Unpacked

As President Biden seeks to affirm America’s alliances and partnerships in Asia, countries in the region are jostling over maritime dominance in the Indo-Pacific. Marked by strategic choke points and vital shipping routes, the Indo-Pacific has long played a pivotal role in geopolitics and the flows of global trade. 

Darshana Baruah, an associate fellow and the director of Carnegie’s Indian Ocean Initiative, joins Laura to discuss the future of the Indo-Pacific and the power politics at play in the region.

Since his inauguration, President Joe Biden has put a hold on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, sanctioned Saudi officials for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and pledged to end US support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen. Taken together, these measures indicate that the administration is recalibrating the relationship between the US and its Gulf partners.

Frederic Wehrey, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program and former U.S. Air Force officer with tours across the Middle East, joins Laura to discuss a rethink of security assistance in the Persian Gulf. The two also discuss how Fred’s experiences on the ground in Libya and Iraq have shaped his outlook on US military support in the region.

Read more from Fred:

“How Joe Biden Can Rein in Donald Trump’s Reckless Middle East Policy,” in Politiico

“‘Our Hearts Are Dead.’ After 9 Years of Civil War, Libyans Are Tired of Being Pawns in a Geopolitical Game of Chess,” in Time

“China's Balancing Act in Libya,” in Lawfare

The coup in Myanmar on February 1 took the world by surprise as the military arrested civilian officials, including Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in November 2020. Many in the international community have condemned the coup, and thousands of protestors have taken to the streets this week.

Sana Jaffrey, a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Asia Program, joins Laura to talk about how Myanmar got to this point and how the region and the West are responding.

On January 18, opposition leader Alexei Navalny returned to Russia following his near fatal poisoning. Immediately after his arrival, he was arrested, prompting massive protests over the following weeks. 

Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow center, joins Laura to discuss who took to the streets, what the protests mean for Putin’s regime, and what the future of the opposition movement looks like with Navalny in prison.

To learn more:

Follow Alexander Gabuev on Twitter

On GPS: Diplomatic Fallout from the Navalny Protests featuring Alexander Gabuev

On GPS: Russians take to the streets featuring Alexander Gabuev

The New Face of Russian Protest by Alexander Baunov

Russian Protest in the Age of Online Transparency by Andrei Kolesnikov

Makila James was the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Swaziland and later served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa and the Sudans until her retirement from the Foreign Service last year.

In this week’s episode, Makila and Laura discuss the Biden administration’s priorities in Africa, as well as recent elections in Uganda and upcoming elections in Somalia. The two take a close look at democratic trends and how Africa’s youthful population is looking for America to engage.

On December 17, 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest corruption and poor economic conditions. His death sparked mass popular protests in Tunisia that quickly carried over to other countries in the Middle East. 

Tunisia is often hailed as the success story of the Arab Spring. The protests that shook the country led to the ousting of long-time president Ben Ali in January 2011 and resulted in democratic elections. Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East program, joins Laura to discuss the country’s progress – and challenges – over the last decade. 

In a special end of year episode, Laura examines the most significant developments of 2020 in three key regions: Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

First, Evan Feigenbaum and Laura talk about the development of regional trade deals, the India-China border dispute, and the shaky way forward for US-China relations.

Next, Rosa Balfour joins Laura to discuss about European cooperation on coronavirus, the continued migration crisis, and the challenges 2021 may bring for UK-EU relations.

Finally, Aaron David Miller and Laura look at how the pandemic impacted the Middle East, tensions between Iran and the US, and the glimmer of hope offered by the normalization between Israel and several Arab states.

Despite close proximity, Latin America is a historically overlooked area of U.S. foreign policy. Muni Jensen, who co-hosts the Altamar podcast, joins Laura to discuss the incoming Biden administration’s likely priorities in the region, such as economic reform, climate change, and the impact of U.S.-China competition on Latin America.

The two also talk about the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic, protests highlighting economic and social inequality in Argentina and Colombia, and political turmoil in Peru.

Tensions between the US and China have been escalating for years, with a downturn accelerating during the Trump administration. Given fundamental differences in worldviews and continued economic competition between the two countries, how likely are changes under President-elect Biden?

Today, Laura speaks with Paul Haenle, the director of Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. They talk about Beijing’s view of the US election, Biden’s policy options, and the prospects for regional cooperation under new US leadership.

Learn more:

The World is Responding to A Changing China

China in the World Podcast

Programming note: The World Unpacked will take a short break to celebrate Thanksgiving. We’ll be back with a new episode on December 3rd. Stay safe and healthy!

Democrats and Republicans are more divided than ever when it comes to assessing threats facing the United States and how America should engage in the world, according to findings of the 2020 Chicago Council Survey. 

Ivo Daalder, the president of the Chicago Council, joins Laura for a discussion about the survey’s findings. The two talk about how coronavirus impacts foreign policy attitudes, the future of NATO and US global leadership, and how deep political polarization manifests in the way we view the world.

Read more about the survey here.