World Class

By Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford UniversityNews Politics

World Class episodes

June 16, 2020 Systemic Racism and the Future of American Democracy, with Larry Diamond
Following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, widespread protests have erupted in cities around the United States and around the world. What can we learn from these protests, and what implications might they have for democracy in the United States?
Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. In this episode, Diamond discusses institutional racism and police brutality in the U.S., how recent protests for racial justice compare to the civil rights movement, and why he’s worried about the upcoming United States presidential election.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
22 min
May 26, 2020 COVID-19 and its Impact on Democracy, with Nate Persily and Larry Diamond
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, its effects could be potentially devastating to global democracy and the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Nate Persily, a senior fellow at FSI and co-director of the Stanford-MIT Project on a Healthy Election, and Larry Diamond, also a senior fellow at FSI, discuss how democracies and autocracies are doing in response to the global crisis, why some democracies are doing better than others, and the potential effects of the pandemic on the U.S. election in November.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
24 min
May 11, 2020 COVID-19 and the Importance of Immunity, with Michelle Mello and David Relman
COVID-19 has established itself around the globe and will be with us for the foreseeable future. What do we know about the virus so far, and what makes it unique?
Michelle Mello is a professor of law and medicine at Stanford whose research focuses on law, ethics, and health policy. David Relman is a professor in the departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at FSI.
In this episode, Mello and Relman discuss what scientists have learned about the virus, the U.S. response to the pandemic on both a state and national level, and lessons that can be learned from the global response. If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
21 min
March 09, 2020 Global Populisms and Their Threats to Democracy, with Anna Grzymala-Busse, Didi Kuo, and Frank Fukuyama
Global populism is on the rise. Once associated with Latin American and post-communist democracies, populist parties and politicians have now gained support and power in established democracies.
In a new white paper, “Global Populisms and Their Challenges,” co-authors Anna Grzymala-Busse, Didi Kuo, Frank Fukuyama, and World Class host Michael McFaul explore the threats that populism poses to democracy and what can be done to alleviate those problems.
In this episode the trio define populism, and discuss how to spot a populist and whether the movement can be stopped.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
22 min
February 24, 2020 What You Need To Know About the Coronavirus, with Karen Eggleston and David Relman
The coronavirus has infected more than 75,000 people and killed more than 2,000 since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, in late December. Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies experts Karen Eggleston and David Relman join host Michael McFaul to discuss what you should know about the virus, its impact on China and the world, and whether there is any truth to the rumors about its origins. If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
22 min
January 15, 2020 Post-Soleimani Life in Iran, with Abbas Milani
In the wake of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani by the United States, Abbas Milani — an expert on U.S.-Iran relations — discusses Iran’s economic and political troubles, Soleimani’s role in Iranian politics, and what the country’s decision to fire missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops means for relations between Iran and the U.S. going forward.
Abbas Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford, Adjunct Professor at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
22 min
December 12, 2019 Ukraine’s Fight for Democracy, with Francis Fukuyama
With an average age of 41, Ukraine’s new parliament — elected in July 2019 — is its least experienced one yet. 80 percent of the legislature had no political experience before the election last summer, and the nation is at a crossroads of sorts: will it transition into a successful reformist government, or will its efforts fail?
Francis Fukuyama — the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at FSI, and the director of both the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program — is optimistic. In this episode, Fukuyama discusses the struggle for democracy in Ukraine, and why we all should be paying attention. If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
19 min
November 04, 2019 The Fight Against ISIS, with Brett McGurk
President Donald Trump recently made the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria. Why was the U.S. there in the first place; where do things stand now with Turkey, the Kurds, and Syria; and what effect did that decision have on the fight against ISIS?
Brett McGurk is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He previously served as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State. In this episode, McGurk discusses why the removal of U.S. troops from Syria is a big deal, the effect it has had on the fight against ISIS and security in northern Syria, and what it signals to the rest of the world. If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars
at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following
us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing
to our newsletters and updates.
23 min
October 15, 2019 What Actually Happened Between Joe Biden and Ukraine, with Colin Kahl
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s name has appeared regularly in discussions about the controversial situation with Ukraine. What was Biden trying to achieve during his visit to Ukraine in 2015, and what is his connection to the controversy surrounding the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky?
Colin Kahl is co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation and a senior fellow at FSI. From 2014 to 2017, he served as deputy assistant to President Barack Obama and national security advisor to Biden. In this episode, Kahl provides an inside look into what really happened between Biden and Ukrainian officials during that time period.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates.
27 min
October 08, 2019 Understanding Ukrainian Politics, with Sasha Ustinova
Ukraine has been in the news a lot lately in the context of U.S. politics, but we haven’t heard many Ukrainian perspectives in the U.S. media following the controversy surrounding the recent interactions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In this episode, Sasha Ustinova shares a Ukrainian perspective on the Trump-Zelensky phone call, provides context and background of Ukrainian politics, and discusses the fight against corruption inside Ukraine. A member of the Ukrainian parliament, Ustinova is also an alumna of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates.
21 min

About World Class

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Podcast from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, featuring Director Colin Kahl, former under secretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Department of…