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

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As Donald Trump assumes the presidency of the United States, we hear from a range of CSIS experts on what foreign policy challenges need to be addressed on Day One. Hosted by Colm Quinn.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/csis-podcast/president-trumps-day-one-challenges)

President Trump's Day One Challenges

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 examines China’s role in the World Health Organization (WHO), and how its relationship with the organization has changed over time. Our guest, Dr. Jeremy Youde, discusses how China has influenced how the WHO responds to global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Youde also explores the challenges WHO leadership faces when balancing public health concerns with sensitive geopolitical issues, best illustrated by China’s opposition to Taiwan’s inclusion in the organization. 

Dr. Jeremy Youde is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is a member of the editorial board of Global Health Governance and is the current chair of the Global Health Section of the International Studies Association. Previously, Dr. Youde was an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University.

Examining China's Influence in the World Health Organization: A Conversation with Jeremy Youde

In this episode, the Trade Guys and Andrew kick off the episode with more good news. They also discuss updates on EU export restrictions and a recent executive order allowing deferrals on some tariff payments.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/tariff-man-gonna-tariff-man)

Tariff Man Gonna Tariff Man

In this episode, the Trade Guys and Andrew welcome Joseph Glauber, a Senior Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC.&nbsp; They discuss the motivations behind the latest export restrictions by some countries, and the latest news on meat processing plants.
 (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys/meat-situation)

The Meat Situation

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Stephen Blank, Michael Petersen, and Samuel Bendett to discuss the Russian military's developing operational concepts and capabilities, and what they mean for the United States and its Allies. Steve, Mike, and Sam contributed chapters to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program's recent report "Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military." (Read more at https://csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/improvisation-and-adaptability-russian-military-part-i-russian-roulette)

Of Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military, Part I - Russian Roulette Episode 102

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.

President Trump's Day One Challenges

CSIS

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