Why It Matters

On this episode of Why It Matters, we sit down with experts to discuss medical tourism, examining the forces that push patients to go abroad for care, the countries that have capitalized on demand, and the question of who bears the cost.

Host:

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

Guest:

Glenn Cohen, Faculty Director of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics, Harvard University

Valorie Crooks, Associate Vice President of Research, Canada Research Chair in Health Services Geographies, Simon Fraser University

Read More:

“Medical Tourism,” CDC

“Medical Tourism to Witness Exponential Growth by 2034,” World Health Expo

“Decision-making about bariatric and cosmetic medical tourism from countries with universal healthcare: a rapid systematic review,” National Institute of Health

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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.

What happens if the world’s pharmacy decides to close? From ibuprofen to amoxicillin, a majority of the essential medicines used in the United States depend on ingredients from China. This dependence has left the United States vulnerable to a geopolitical rival that could decide to cut off its access at any time.

On this episode of Why It Matters, we unpack how the U.S. became dependent on China for a majority of its pharmaceuticals and what’s at risk if the pharma supply chain snaps.

Host:

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

Guest:

Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Olivia Kosloff, Senior Fellow, American Economic Liberties Project

Read More:

Thomas J. Bollyky, Rush Doshi, Prashant Yadav, Olivia Kosloff, and Elena Every, “The Pharma Choke Point,” CFR.org

Tim Rühlig, “The China Drug Dependency,” CFR.org

“Executive Order 13944 List of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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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.

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, we 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.

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:

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.

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:

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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.

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:

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.

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:

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:

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

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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.

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.

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)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/where-does-trade-go-here 

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)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/mind-trade-gap