The World Unpacked

How should we understand China’s unique variety of party-state capitalism? In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac Kardon sits down with Dr. Meg Rithmire, a renowned scholar of political economy in China and the James E. Robison Professor at Harvard Business School, to discuss how capitalism functions in a party-state that tries to maintain “rule by market” without ceding too much control to private capital. Their discussion is based on Dr. Rithmire’s chapter in a new volume released from Carnegie called The Life of the Party: Past and Present Constraints on the Future of the Chinese Communist Party. They explore how private capitalists have been important to China’s economy since the 1950s, and how China attempts to exert control over companies to ensure that their activities serve party-state objectives, like Made in China 2025.

Notes:

1. Yvonne Chiu, Isaac B. Kardon, Jason M. Kelly, “The Life of the Party: Past and Present Constraints on the Future of the Chinese Communist Party,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 9, 2025. 

The world is entering a new nuclear age—one defined by proliferating arsenals, eroding arms control, and rising geopolitical tensions. In this episode, Isaac Kardon sits down with international security expert and Stanton Senior Fellow Ankit Panda to discuss the return of nuclear weapons to the center of global strategy. As Russia issues nuclear threats, China and North Korea expand their capabilities, and emerging technologies like AI reshape the battlefield, the risks of confrontation are growing. Can new approaches to stability and deterrence pull us back from the brink? Learn more in this week's episode of The World Unpacked.

Notes:

1. Ankit Panda, The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon (Cambridge: Polity, 2025), https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/04/the-new-nuclear-age-at-the-precipice-of-armageddon?lang=en

As U.S.-China tensions deepen, Beijing is carving out a new role for itself—not just as an economic powerhouse, but as a global security player. What does China’s vision of “comprehensive national security” mean for countries caught in the middle of great-power competition? And how are smaller states navigating the shifting landscape of global security partnerships? In this episode, Isaac Kardon sits down with Sheena Chestnut Greitens to explore how China is providing security assistance to governments around the world—and how Beijing is reshaping the current landscape of international security cooperation.

Notes:

1. Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment under U.S.-China Competition,” International Security (Winter 2024-25), https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00504
2. Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Vietnam Wants U.S. Help at Sea and Chinese Help at Home,” Foreign Policy (Jan. 2025), https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/13/vietnam-us-strategic-partnership-china-great-power-rivalry/
3. Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Isaac B. Kardon, “Playing Both Sides of the US-China Rivalry: Why Countries Get External Security from the US—and Internal Security from Beijing,” Foreign Affairs (March 2024), https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/playing-both-sides-us-chinese-rivalry

In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac B. Kardon sits down with Ashley J. Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Andrew Yeo, Senior Fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution. They explore how the role of overseas bases has changed over time and how the U.S., China, and Russia—among other countries—use them to project power today. Despite advances in technology and long-range weapons, bases remain key to grand strategy, political influence, and sustained military reach.

In this episode of The World Unpacked, Isaac Kardon is joined by Darcie Draudt-Véjares to explore how the shipbuilding industry is reshaping global security and industrial policy. They discuss Washington's faltering commercial shipbuilding sector, China's rise through state-led integration, and South Korea and Japan’s dominance in high-tech ship production. Can the U.S. rebuild its maritime power—and what lessons can it learn from its global allies?

In President Donald Trump’s second term, Latin America has taken center stage in U.S. foreign policy—but not without controversy. From aggressive deportation flights to economic coercion and even veiled threats of military action, the Trump administration’s confrontational stance is straining relations across the region.

In this episode, Oliver Stuenkel joins Sophia to unpack how these developments are reshaping regional politics and prompting Latin American leaders to reassess their relationship to the United States. Could China emerge as a more stable and attractive partner for countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico? And what would this mean for U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere?

Notes: 

1. Oliver Stuenkel and Margot Treadwell, "Will Trump's Unpredictable Foreign Policy Boost BRICS?" Foreign Policy, March 24, 2025.

After over a year of devastating conflict, Israel and Hamas reached a three-phase ceasefire agreement in January 2025, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The deal allowed for significant increases in humanitarian aid deliveries, prisoner and hostage exchanges, and discussions for a potential permanent ceasefire.

This episode was recorded on March 11, ten days after the scheduled completion of Phase 1. Since then, the ceasefire has remained in limbo—Israel is pushing to extend Phase 1, while Hamas wants to advance to Phase 2 negotiations, under which a permanent ceasefire would be established. With talks stalled and a spike in resumed violence on March 18, the road ahead remains uncertain, especially as U.S. policy under President Trump continues to shift.

In this episode, Sophia Besch sits down with Zaha Hassan, a Fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program and a human rights lawyer. She previously served as the senior legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during Palestine’s bid for UN membership and is a regular participant in track II peace efforts. Together, they explore the fragile ceasefire in Gaza—its implications, challenges and delays with implementation, and the evolving role of the United States in the region under President Donald Trump's administration.

Notes:

1. Zaha Hassan and H. A. Hellyer, Suppressing Dissent: Shrinking Civic Space, Transnational Repression and Palestine-Israel, (Oneworld, 2024).

Nearly a week after the tense Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky, and just days after the Trump administration’s abrupt decision to pause military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, serious questions loom over America’s commitment to Kyiv’s security. At the same time, the White House appears to be exploring a thaw with Moscow—including potential sanctions relief with little in return.

In this episode, Sophia Besch and Dara Massicot unpack the implications of these moves: What message does this send to Ukraine and its European allies? How are European leaders responding? And what does this shift mean for U.S. foreign policy and great power competition?

Notes:

1. Dara Massicot, Russian Military Reconstitution: 2030 Pathways and Prospects, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 12, 2024.

What's going on in the Korean Peninsula following the impeachment of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol? How will evolving politics shape Seoul's future relations with North Korea? How will domestic political shifts in the U.S. shape foreign policy and great power relations among Washington, Beijing, Seoul, and Pyongyang?

Asia Program Fellow Darcie Draudt-Véjares and Senior Fellow Chung Min Lee discuss these questions and more in this special feature episode of The World Unpacked.

Rising sea levels and climate-driven flooding are reshaping the global economy, with major implications for the U.S. housing market and the global economy. As millions of homes face increased risk, mortgage defaults could surge, home values may plummet, and financial instability could spread worldwide. Governments will soon need large-scale strategies to relocate coastal populations and manage mounting disaster relief costs.

In this episode, we explore how climate change threatens financial stability and whether the U.S. is facing another housing market bubble. Sophia Besch discusses these questions with Susan Crawford, a senior fellow for Carnegie's Climate, Sustainability, and Geopolitics Program.

Notes:

1. Susan Crawford, Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm, (Pegasus Books, 2023).
2. Amitov Ghosh, The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis, (University of Chicago Press, 2021).