The Trump administration has been has been ratcheting up the pressure on Iran over the past few weeks. As Trump and Zarif trade insults on Twitter, the United States has accused Iranian proxies of firing a missile into Baghdad and sabotaging oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Washington has responded by deploying an aircraft carrier and bombers to the region. What is each side hoping to get out of the escalating tensions? Could this brinkmanship spiral into a war that no one wants? Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour and Suzanne Maloney about what it would take to get to the negotiating table.

President Trump said the Islamic State was defeated after they lost the last territory of their self-declared caliphate. But then they claimed credit for the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, and elusive ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi appeared for the first time in five years, in a video praising the attack. Is ISIS really beaten, or are they just regrouping? Jen talks to Brett McGurk, former U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, about these questions and more.

Read Brett's recent op-ed in Foreign Affairs about U.S. strategy in Syria, and his piece in the Washington Post about a GI Bill for diplomacy

Today we're unpacking the news coming out of Venezuela. Jen talks to Moisés Naím about where the crisis in Venezuela came from, the showdown between Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, and why countries like Cuba, Russia, and the United States are so invested in what happens there. Listen to get smart on what's really happening in Venezuela.

Read Moisés' piece on Venezuela's suicide here.

This is the first episode of a three-part special series on sanctions—a 101 course on how sanctions work and how policymakers should use them. This episode, Jen talks with her Jarrett Blanc about what sanctions are and how they work. To make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Jarrett Blanc is a senior fellow in the Geoeconomics and Strategy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was previously the deputy lead coordinator and State Department coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama, responsible for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, including Iranian and U.S. commitments on sanctions.

Milan chats with Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj, star of the hit Netflix show, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. In the season finale of Patriot Act, which aired on March 17, Minhaj turned his focus to the Indian general elections. In just half an hour, Minhaj covered topics ranging from Narendra Modi to the Congress Party’s corruption scams to the rising tide of nationalism—all with his trademark satirical humor. Milan speaks with Hasan about what it’s like commenting on Indian politics as a member of the Indian diaspora, why the 2019 election is a battle for the soul of India, and how forwards on a family WhatsApp group convinced him to do a show on Indian politics.

Check out Milan's weekly podcast, Grand Tamasha, at grandtamasha.com

Jen talks to Karim Sadjadpour and Kim Ghattas about the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and how it shapes the Middle East. This episode originally aired on March 30, 2018. We'll be back with a new name, a new look, and new episodes on May 9.

879 million Indians head to the polls in the largest elections in history. Jen talks to Milan Vaishnav, host of Grand Tamasha, about what's at stake in the 2019 Indian general election. To learn more, check out Milan's explanation of the Indian elections, and listen to more election analysis on Milan's weekly podcast on Indian politics, Grand Tamasha.

What does Trump’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights mean for Israel, Syria, and the region? And what groundwork does it lay for Jared Kushner’s rumored Middle East peace plan? Jen talks to Marwan Muasher about his view on the prospects for peace, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future.

In our first ever live show, Jen talks to Carnegie President Bill Burns about his new book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal. They talked about his thirty-five year career in diplomacy, what it's like to meet with Muammar Qaddafi and Vladimir Putin.

Jen talks with Andrew Weiss and Balázs Jarábik about Ukraine five years after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula and a week before the Ukrainian presidential elections.

Don't forget to register for our live show! It's on Tuesday, March 26, at 11:00 a.m. at our Washington, DC office. Register here - it's free to attend, and books will be available for purchase.