Why It Matters

By Council on Foreign RelationsNews

Why It Matters episodes

October 01 How Demand for GLP-1s Overwhelmed the Global Drug System
GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic have become some of the world's most-wanted medicines, but soaring demand has also turned them into a stress test for the global drug system. On this episode of Why It Matters, Gabrielle Sierra and CFR Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav trace how the GLP-1 trend led to shortages, a booming gray market, and steep price gaps driven by patent laws that vary across borders.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guest:

Prashant Yadav, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Read More:

“6 Facts About Obesity and Weight Loss Drugs In the U.S.,” Pew Research Center

“The Expanding Benefits of GLP-1 Medicines,” Cell Reports Medicine

“Obesity Drugs Are Scaling Fast,” Morgan Stanley

“FDA’s Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
27 min
April 10Honey, I Tracked the War
This episode explores how drones, cell phones, and other widely-available intelligence tools are turning civilians and aid workers into frontline witnesses—documenting war in real time, guiding humanitarian aid, and helping build evidence that could power future war crimes cases.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guest:

Anthony Vinci, Cofounder and CEO, Vico; Adjunct Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

Sam Vigersky, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:
How drones, satellites, smartphones, and other widely-available tools are changing who gets to document war.
How civilians are no longer just witnesses to conflict but are also recording attacks in real time and helping gather intelligence
As Anthony Vinci puts it: “We’re becoming civilian spies.”
How ordinary people are building digital evidence libraries online that may later support investigations into war crimes and accountability efforts.
How drones are blurring the line between surveillance, intelligence gathering, and direct attacks on the battlefield.
Why more access to information does not always lead to justice, especially when politics and institutions fail to act.
How journalists, aid workers, and civilians face greater danger when documenting violence and sharing what they see.
Why the growing flood of footage, data, and digital records is changing how audiences process war emotionally.

Read more:

Anthony Vinci, The Fourth Intelligence Revolution

Sam Vigersky, “Beyond Conventional Aid: Institutionalizing Public-Private Partnership in Ukraine’s Humanitarian Response,” CFR.org

“Counting the Dead,” Human Rights Watch

“Listen, Run, Hide: How Russia Uses Quadcopter Drones to Hunt and Kill Civilians in Kherson, Ukraine,” Human Rights Watch

“UN Commission Concludes that Russian Armed Forces’ Drone Attacks Against Civilians in Kherson Province Amount to Crimes Against Humanity of Murder,” United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
39 min
March 26One Woman's Path From a U.S. College Campus to the Ukrainian Battlefield
This episode traces one young woman's journey home to a new kind of war—and Ukraine’s fight for survival.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guest:

Catarina Buchatskiy, Co-Founder & Director of Analytics, Snake Island Institute

We discuss:
The story of a young Ukrainian woman who left college in the U.S. to join the fight at home within days of the invasion.
How Ukraine transformed its drone manufacturing from garage shops to a sophisticated, rapidly scaling defense industry.
Ukraine’s surprising dependence on China in its drone supply chain, and its push to make ‘China-free’ drones by 2026.
Stories of Ukrainian resilience and resolve.
How the Snake Island Institute bridges the gap between the battlefield and Western policymaking by connecting Ukrainian military insights to the allies who are shaping defense strategy.
As Buchatskiy puts it: “The overarching definition of victory is that the Ukrainian nation is whole, that the state is legitimate, that we have control over the state, that we have our democracy, and that we’re at peace and can live freely.”

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
32 min
March 11Allies, Partners, or Frenemies?
This episode outlines the global network sustaining both sides of the war in Ukraine, with NATO allies on one side and Russia with backing from China, Iran, and North Korea on the other, and how the limits and tensions within these alliances are shaping the war’s next phase and raising broader global security risks.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guests:

Liana Fix, Senior Fellow for Europe, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Joseph Torigian, Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:
How the war in Ukraine has become a global conflict fueled by competing networks of allies and partners on both sides.
Why Ukraine’s survival depends on sustained military, financial, and intelligence support from the United States and NATO.
How Russia has built its own wartime coalition, relying on Iran for drones, North Korea for munitions, and China for economic backing.
Why the Russian alliance with China is driven more by shared opposition to Western power than true strategic alignment.
How cracks are emerging within both coalitions, from political fatigue in the West to quiet limits in China’s support for Russia.
As Liana Fix puts it: “A more transactional idea of alliances is exactly where we are headed.”
How sanctions, supply chains, and defense production have turned global economics into a second front in the war.
How shifting alliances could expand the conflict’s risks beyond Ukraine and reshape global security dynamics.
What this war reveals about the return of bloc politics in a new era of great power competition.

Read More:

Liana Fix, “Defending Europe if Russia Steps Out of the Gray Zone,” CFR.org

Liana Fix, Heidi E. Crebo-Rediker, Thomas Graham, Paul B. Stares, and Sam Vigersky, “Securing Ukraine’s Future: Adapting to New Realities After Four Years of War,” CFR.org

Joseph Torigian, “Xi Jinping’s Russian Lessons,” Foreign Affairs

Clara Fong and Lindsay Maizland, “China and Russia: Exploring Ties Between Two Authoritarian Powers”

Anya Konstantinovsky, “China, Russia, and Ukraine: December 2024”

Molly Carlough and James Kennedy, “How North Korea Has Bolstered Russia’s War in Ukraine”

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
38 min
March 11We Are in a New Era of Warfare
This episode explores how the emergence of drone warfare and innovation under fire is transforming power and forcing nations to rethink strategy and military capacity.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guests:
Michael C. Horowitz, Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Erin D. Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:
How Ukraine is redefining modern warfare with cheap, scalable drone technology that can take down multimillion-dollar weapons.
As Michael Horowitz puts it: “We’ve entered the era of precise mass in war.”
How Ukraine became a real-world testing ground for autonomous weapons and AI-driven combat systems.
Why small countries can now challenge military superpowers using precision strike at scale.
How 70% of battlefield casualties in Ukraine are now linked to drone warfare, not traditional weapons.
How Silicon Valley quietly became a key player in the war, from Starlink to AI intelligence and communication tools.
How Russia is adapting just as quickly, scaling drone production and learning in real time.
What the U.S. risks if it fails to keep up with rapid battlefield innovation and production speed.

Read More:

Securing Ukraine’s Future, CFR

Michael C. Horowitz and Lauren Kahn, “Military AI Adoption Is Outpacing Global Cooperation,” CFR.org

Michael Horowitz, “What Drones Can—and Cannot—Do on the Battlefield,” Foreign Affairs

Erin D. Dumbacher, “Nukes Without Limits? A New Era After the End of New START,” CFR.org

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
33 min
December 18, 2025 The Risk Report for 2026
As 2025 draws to a close, U.S. foreign policy stands at an inflection point. Under the second Trump administration, traditional alliances have been tested, a hard-edged national security strategy has been rolled out, and for the first time, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey has ranked a military conflict with Venezuela as a top threat facing the U.S. in 2026.

Whether these and other flashpoints erupt next year will hinge on how world leaders manage mounting pressures, both at home and abroad.

Read the full 2026 Preventive Priorities Survey.

Featured Guest:
Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)

Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
33 min
June 05, 2025 Where Does U.S. Trade Go From Here?
The unprecedented trade policies since the beginning of this year, driven largely by the Donald Trump administration’s pro-tariff agenda, have propelled the United States into uncertain and rocky territory. When it comes to our trading partners, the potential damage to U.S. alliances has left economists and policymakers in Washington questioning what’s next. Where do experts foresee U.S. trade policy heading?

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this season finale, CFR’s Michael Froman and Shannon K. O’Neil tackle your biggest questions about what’s at stake and what’s next for U.S. trade policy.

Featured Guests:

Michael Froman (President of the Council on Foreign Relations)

Shannon K. O’Neil (Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, CFR)

To hear more from Michael Froman, subscribe to his newsletter, The World This Week.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/where-does-trade-go-here
38 min
June 03, 2025 Mind the Trade Gap
Is having a trade deficit necessarily a bad thing? Many experts argue that the U.S. trade deficit is largely good for our economy. It allows Americans to enjoy a wider variety of cheap goods, attracts foreign investment, and reflects the strength of the U.S. dollar. Others believe it’s a warning sign that we’re relying too much on imports, hurting American jobs, and racking up debt owed to other countries.

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this episode, we unpack the trade deficit. What is it and why has it become a primary focus of the second Trump administration?

Featured Guests:

Brad W. Setser (The Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow specializing in global trade and capital flows, financial vulnerability analysis, and sovereign debt restructuring, CFR)

Heather Hurlburt (Associate Fellow for the U.S. and the Americas Programme, Chatham House)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/mind-trade-gap
33 min
May 21, 2025 Why It Matters Live!: Food Diplomacy
Host Gabrielle Sierra and podcast guests Johanna Mendelson Forman and Matthew Costello discuss food diplomacy, share stories from White House state dinners, and unpack how food has helped to create lasting international partnerships.

This taping was originally recorded on April 17, 2025.

Featured Guests

Johanna Mendelson Forman (Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of International Service)

Matthew Costello (Chief Education Officer and Director of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association)
40 min
May 21, 2025 Trade Agreements: Deal or No Deal
What role does the president have when it comes to making trade deals? In this episode, we dig into the expansive powers of the U.S. president when it comes to trade. From unilateral authority to congressional oversight, we unpack who truly calls the shots when the U.S. negotiates trade agreements.

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this episode, Why It Matters dissects the current state of U.S. trade agreements; what deals exist, which ones are under strain, and how President Donald Trump’s unconventional approach to trade negotiations is shifting the United States away from the norm.

Featured Guest:
Inu Manak (Fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/trade-agreements-deal-or-no-deal
30 min

About Why It Matters

From the publisher's feed

Each episode of Why It Matters breaks down an issue that is shaping our world’s future. Join host Gabrielle Sierra as she speaks with the leaders and thinkers who are facing these questions head on.…