Hosted by Colm Quinn, The CSIS Podcast dissects the big (and soon-to-be big) stories of the week in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.

The Readout

The Trade Guys

In the space of just a few years, the public discourse on trade has undergone a significant shift. Where trade was once commonly agreed upon as a net benefit to the U.S. economy and the global good, it is now used as a scapegoat across the political spectrum for systemic issues. As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference, deep questions are emerging about the post-War economy it reconstructed, the multilateral system it created, and the liberal values it codified. The international trading system and its norms have unleashed an unprecedented wave of globalization but how the world understands free and open trade and its value is undergoing a generational shift. Join the Scholl Chair in International Business and CSIS to launch a major initiative to investigate and reshape the conversation on trade for the 21st century.

A Positive Trade Agenda

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Paul Reicher, partner at Foley Hoag and lead counsel for Manila in its arbitration case against Beijing’s South China Sea claims, sits down with AMTI director Gregory Poling to discuss why Manila is pursuing arbitration, the proceedings to-date, and what comes next.
 

Interview with Paul Reichler, Lead Counsel for the Philippines in its Case against China

Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation opens up to Nina Easton about philanthropy, her life, and her passion for improving the lives of women and girls globally. (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/smart-women-smart-power-podcast/audio-melinda-gates-women-girls-development-and-life)

Melinda Gates on Women, Girls, Development, and Life

The Center   for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and TCU&rsquo;s Schieffer School of   Journalism hosted a sessopm of:
The   CSIS-Schieffer Series Dialogues 
Presented by United Technologies Corporation   (UTC)
on
Public   Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in the Technology Age
Moderated by (Read more at https://csis.org/events/schieffer-series-public-diplomacy-digital-age)

Schieffer Series: Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age

This week's agreement on Iran's nuclear program dominated world news. Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski gives his perspective on the deal's significance and the tough next steps for Iran and the United States. With Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/brzezinski-iran-deal)

Brzezinski on the Iran Deal

Voice of a Practitioner in Nigeria – Fatima Akilu

Understanding China’s Intelligence Services

In this episode, Olga and Jeff welcome CSIS Visiting Fellow Ivan Safranchuk into the studio for an in-depth discussion of the geopolitical dynamics of Central Asia. Later, Olga, Jeff, and Ivan speak with Shigeo Katsu, President of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, about the challenges in building an international university in Central Asia and the future of Kazakhstan and the region. (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/geopolitics-central-asia-–-russian-roulette-episode-10)

The Geopolitics of Central Asia â Russian Roulette Episode #10

In this last episode of August 2016, Olga and Jeff sit down with Ruslan Pukhov, the director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) in Moscow for an in-depth discussion of Russian defense industry, the global arms trade, and Russian policy in Syria. Later, Olga and Jeff look back at the month of August and ask whether or not this month has given us an “August surprise” that measures up to those of past years (spoiler: not yet, but it has been an interesting month). (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/weapons-and-surprises-–-russian-roulette-episode-11-2)

Of Weapons and Surprises â Russian Roulette Episode #11

Voice of Mark Penn - Global CVE Perceptions Survey

In conjunction with a new AMTI feature, Admiral Mike McDevitt (Ret.) of the Center for Naval Analyses and Cortez Cooper of the RAND Corporation sit down with AMTI director Gregory Poling to look at new imagery of Chinese point defenses on the Spratly Islands. After discussing the defense systems and their capabilities, the experts offer their thoughts on Chinese militarization in the South China Sea, Chinese capabilities for a potential crisis in the region, and the impact on U.S. strategy.

Podcast: China’s New Spratly Island Defenses, with Michael McDevitt and Cortez Cooper

China’s Energy Security: A Conversation with Zha Daojiong

Global Security Forum 2016: Russia Today and Tomorrow

The U.S. bombing campaign and paramilitary support for anti-communist forces in Laos during the 1960s and 1970s took place almost entirely out of the public eye. The full scope of the conflict and its impact on Laos has only come to light after more than 30 years. Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins the podcast to discuss his new book A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA, which sheds light on the details of the secret war in Laos and describes how the war changed the culture of the U.S. intelligence community, primarily the Central Intelligence Agency.

Learn more about the book: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Great-Place-to-Have-a-War/Joshua-Kurlantzick/9781451667868

Hosted by Will Colson. Audio edited by Ribka Gemilangsari. Written and produced by Jeffrey Bean.

Secret War in Laos

On May 14-15, 28 heads of state will attend China’s Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation—an event Beijing has deemed “the year’s diplomatic highlight.” First introduced in November 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative is a foreign policy and economic strategy led by President Xi Jinping. BRI seeks to interconnect Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania with East Asia through two routes—one land based and one maritime based. While estimates vary, together the Belt and Road Initiative is reported to involve 65 countries, 4.4 billion people and about 40% of global GDP. In this episode, we discuss BRI with Professor David M. Lampton, and what it means for Chinese power and influence around its periphery.

One Belt, One Road, One Asia?: A Conversation with David M. Lampton

On the second show this week, we talk about what’s behind Catalonia’s independence drive, how the EU-UK Brexit negotiations are stalling, and a now-familiar story: the rise of the far-right in Europe, this time in Austria. With CSIS Europe Program Director Heather Conley. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/catalonias-independence-push-brexit-update-and-austrias-elections-0)

Cataloniaâs Independence Push, Brexit Update, and Austriaâs Elections

After Chinese President Xi Jinping’s elevation to Mao-like status at the Chinese Communist Party National Congress this week, we look at what his rise means for China and the rest of the world. We’re joined by CSIS’s Freeman Chair in China Studies Chris Johnson. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
Chris’s analysis from October 18: “Xi Jinping Opens 19th Party Congress Proclaiming a New Era—His”
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/what-xi-jinpings-ascent-means)

What Xi Jinpingâs Ascent Means

Following the deaths of four U.S. servicemen last month in a militant ambush, the question of America’s involvement in that country and wider region have been hotly debated. This week we hear from Africa Program Director Jennifer Cooke on why the U.S. is there to begin with, the danger of over-militarizing the region, and what an African-led solution would look like. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/why-us-forces-are-niger)

Why U.S. forces are in Niger

After the mass-arrests of dozens of royal family members in Saudi Arabia on corruption charges, we look at how Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's latest move will affect the kingdom and the wider region. With Middle East Program Director Jon Alterman. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/royal-mess-whats-happening-saudi-arabia)

A Royal Mess: What's Happening in Saudi Arabia

As conditions in Yemen continue to deteroriate from a disastrous civil war, we get an update on the facts on the ground from the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick. Hosted by Colm Quinn.

Yemen's Human Catastrophe

This episode focuses on China’s political influence activities beyond its borders, as it seeks to shape both public opinion and domestic policy of countries around the world. Our guest, Anne-Marie Brady, discusses her new report from the Woodrow Wilson Center, titled “Magic weapons: China’s Political influence activities under Xi Jinping,” and how China has sought to influence both New Zealand’s domestic politics and its public perception of China. Professor Brady explores the history of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department, and the various methods it uses to influence policy in various countries. She also discusses how politicians should strive to guard against this type of meddling in the internal politics of their countries.

Dr. Anne-Marie Brady is a professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and a global fellow with the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States’ Polar Initiative at the Wilson Center. Dr. Brady is the Executive Editor of The Polar Journal. Her research focuses on Chinese domestic and foreign politics as well as polar politics.

China’s Political Influence Activities: A Conversation with Anne-Marie Brady

In this episode of The Trade Guys, Scott Miller and Bill Reinsch recap the fallout from the Trump administration’s move to impose tariffs on the EU and Canada. The Trade Guys also look ahead to the G7 Summit, and the bad blood brewing between the U.S. and some of its key allies on trade. The Trade Guys also chat about President Trump’s pursuit of an aggressive trade agenda and the politics of it all. Recorded in front of a live audience of Tulane University Students participating in the center’s journalism practicum. Hosted by H. (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/4-bad-moon-rising-over-g7)

#4: Bad Moon Rising Over G7

The CSIS Trade Guys, Bill Reinsch and Scott Miller, take on the Trump administration’s announcement that it will impose tariffs on $50 billion of goods from China, raising the potential for a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Plus, the Trade Guys weigh in on the continuing G7 fallout and what it means for the United States. Hosted by H. Andrew Schwartz and produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/i-smell-trade-war)

I Smell a Trade War

The tit-for-tat tariff offensive continues as Canada slaps retaliatory tariffs on Heintz ketchup, and tariffs on steel and aluminum wreak havoc on all kinds of American products—from cars to beer. In this episode of The Trade Guys, Scott Miller and Bill Reinsch put President Trump’s notion that trade wars are “good, and easy to win” to the test. The Trade Guys also examine whether or not the administration’s trade war is at odds with its domestic economic policies. Hosted by H. Andrew Schwartz and produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/trade-war-hitting-fever-pitch)

Trade War Hitting A Fever Pitch

Listen to our conversation with the CSIS Americas Program on the current state of the Temporary Protected Status program, and its potential future impact on the Latin American and Caribbean region. Following the decision of the Trump Administration not to extend TPS for Hondurans announced on May 4, 2018, some 300,000 TPS recipients from Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti are in jeopardy of deportation over the next year and a half, along with their dependents, including some 267,000 U.S.-born children. (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/curated-conversations/consequences-ending-temporary-protected-status-tps)

The Consequences of Ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

In this episode, Trade Guys Bill Reinsch and Scott Miller discuss Harley Davidson’s decision to outsource some of their production and why it has upset the President. Plus, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin doesn’t give credence to the news about President Trump considering leaving the WTO (World Trade Organization), but it has made a lot of buzz and has the Trade Guys thinking. Hosted by H. Andrew Schwartz and produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/goodbye-harley-davidson-and-wto)

Goodbye to Harley Davidson and the WTO?

In this episode, the Trade Guys discuss the mayhem right before the United States pulls the trigger on imposing tariffs on China. The tariffs are set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. in Washington on Friday, and the administration is slated to slap tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods. The administration says they want to level the playing field, but is this good for American workers and companies? Hosted by H. Andrew Schwartz and produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/counting-down-tariff-time)

Counting Down to Tariff Time

What Is The Future For America's Alliances

This episode explores the ins and outs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) nearly two decades after its founding, as well as China’s evolving role within the organization. Our guest, Dr. Alexander Cooley, uncovers the current challenges and opportunities for the organization as the SCO’s membership and China’s foreign policy aspirations expand. Dr. Cooley analyzes potential future areas of contention and cooperation between China and other SCO member states.

Dr. Alexander Cooley is Director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University and a professor of political science at Barnard College. He has written extensively on Eurasian and Central Asian politics, including opinion pieces for The New York Times and Foreign Affairs. Additionally, Dr. Cooley serves on multiple international advisory boards and policy committees.

China’s Interests and Role in the SCO: A Conversation with Alexander Cooley

This week we look at the two big stories from the week - the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi dissident "disappeared" in Istanbul and the US-Saudi relations fallout and the IPCC's climate change report that warns of quick action needed by the global community before 2030 to avert climate disaster. With CSIS's Jon Alterman and Sarah Ladislaw. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/readout/climate-change-and-case-jamal-khashoggi-0)

Climate Change and the Case of Jamal Khashoggi

This episode explores the rapid modernization of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its growing naval capacity. Our guest, Dr. Andrew Erickson, explains the motivations behind this effort as well as the most recent capabilities of the PLAN’s expanding naval fleet. He also discusses the synergies between commercial and military shipbuilding in China and revisits the current state of China’s aircraft carrier program, which he discussed with ChinaPower several years ago.

Dr. Andrew Erickson is a Professor of Strategy in the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute. He is the author of a study published in 2017 titled Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: An Ambitious and Uncertain Course. Since 2008, Dr. Erickson has been an Associate in Research at Harvard University’s John King Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. He is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The PLA Navy’s Growing Prowess: A Conversation with Andrew Erickson

A Positive Trade Agenda Part 5 - Afternoon Discussion

A Positive Trade Agenda Part 4 - Meeting The China Challenge

A Positive Trade Agenda Part 3 - Out With The Old, In With The New

A Positive Trade Agenda Part 2 - Envisioning A World Of Three Zeroes

A Positive Trade Agenda Part 1 - Opening Keynote With Hank Paulson

This episode examines recent developments in Sino-Russian relations and the effects on the United States. Our guest, Mr. Alexander Gabuev, explains the impetus behind the growing geostrategic and military collaborations between China and Russia. He discusses how mutual economic interests and close relations between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have strengthened and diversified the partnership between the two countries. Mr. Gabuev also evaluates critical areas of political and economic friction in the relationship, including the protection of technology and intellectual property, management of influence in Central Asia, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Mr. Alexander Gabuev is a senior fellow and the chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. He is a Munich Young Leader of the Munich International Security Conference as well as a member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (Russia). His research is focused on Russia’s policy toward East and Southeast Asia, political and ideological trends in China, and China’s relations with its neighbors, especially those in Central Asia.

China and Russia’s Converging Interests: A Conversation with Alexander Gabuev

This episode evaluates China’s progress in the global endeavor to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions and investing in green technology. Our guest, Ms. Barbara Finamore, explains Beijing’s current climate change policies and their role in China’s national priorities like the Belt and Road Initiative. She also looks ahead to how China might continue advancing clean energy at home while playing a growing role in international climate change initiatives.
 
Ms. Barbara Finamore is Senior Strategic Director for Asia and the founder of the China program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, focusing on climate, clean energy, and urban solutions in China. Ms. Finamore also served as president and chair of the Professional Association for China's Environment (PACE) and is the co-founder and president of the China-U.S. Energy Innovation Alliance.

Carbon, Climate, and China: A Conversation with Barbara Finamore

Andrew Schwartz interviews the host, Dr. Mike Green, Senior Vice President for Asia at CSIS, director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University, and former senior director for Asia on George W. Bush’s national security council. Andrew explores Dr. Green’s career, examining how Dr. Green originally became interested in the study of grand strategy and how he landed on Asia as his focus. Dr. Green and Andrew further consider the questions that will frame The Asia Chessboard going forward: is grand strategy possible in the United States today? (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/asia-chessboard/opening-move-mike-green)

The Opening Move with Mike Green

This episode discusses China’s role and actions as a United Nations Security Council permanent member. Our guest, Dr. Courtney Fung, analyzes China’s “status dilemma” and the evolution of its behavior in the UN since being admitted in 1971. She also explains the motivations behind China’s leading role in UN Peacekeeping Operations, as well as how its position in the UN could factor in to China’s push for global governance reform.
 
Dr. Courtney Fung is Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. Her forthcoming book, China and Intervention at the UN Security Council: Reconciling Status, explains the effects of status on China's varied response to intervention and foreign-imposed regime change at the United Nations.

China’s Evolving Role in the United Nations: A Conversation with Courtney Fung

A panel discussion of benefits and challenges in using international institutions as a tool of statecraft. The conversation features Dr. Esther Brimmer, Heather Conley, Naima Green, Dr. Kristina Spohr, and Dr. Mischa Thompson and was held at the Future Strategy Forum in April 2019.

The Importance of International Institutions

For the past few years the U.S.-China interaction in high tech has gradually shifted in emphasis from cooperation to competition. The U.S. has adopted a variety of stern “defensive” measures, China has made technology independence an important goal, and both are trying to attract support for their initiatives from other countries in Asia and Europe. Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed this trajectory? Should we expect greater confrontation, or are there new opportunities for cooperation, particularly in bio-tech? And what is likely to happen when the pandemic is behind us? Three of the world’s keenest tech sector observers — Gary Rieschel, Rebecca Fannin, and Andrew Browne — will offer their reactions to these questions, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

This is an online, public event that will be held on the Zoom platform and livestreamed on Facebook. You will be emailed the login information for Zoom as well as how to watch live online. To watch on Facebook, visit our program page here.

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS and the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics.

Online Event: US-China Tech Competition and Cooperation in the COVID-19 Era

This episode explores China’s efforts to integrate its military and civilian sectors to support its military development and broader national security agenda. Our guest, Mr. Greg Levesque, discusses how Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) fits into China’s grand strategy and evaluates how effectively it has implemented the program to date. Mr. Levesque also weighs the risks and rewards of MCF in Beijing’s strategic calculus, and offers a path for how the US and its allies can respond to the growing nexus between military and civil development in China.
 
Greg Levesque is co-founder and CEO of Strider, a technology company enabling organizations to combat intellectual property theft and supply chain vulnerabilities outside of the cyber domain. Greg has advised and supported Fortune 500 companies as well as US and European government agencies on matters of economic statecraft, particularly around China.

Xi Jinping's Military-Civil Fusion Project: A Conversation with Greg Levesque

CSIS Events

Online Event: Humanitarian Operations During Covid-19: A Conversation with Peter Maurer of the ICRC

This episode unpacks China’s push to develop a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Our guest, Dr. Kevin Desouza, explains Beijing's motives and compares China’s plans for creating its own national digital currency with those of other countries that have undertaken similar initiatives. Dr. Desouza explores how a national digital currency can be used to bolster China’s finance and technology sectors, as well as its economy as a whole. He also offers his views on what China’s timeline might be for rolling out its own CBDC, particularly in light of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Kevin Desouza is a professor of Business, Technology and Strategy in the School of Management at the Queensland University of Technology Business School. Dr. Desouza is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Governance Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the China Institute for Urban Governance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has held tenured faculty appointments at the University of Washington, Virginia Tech, and Arizona State University.

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