Politicology

Host Ron Steslow talks to Isaac Stone Fish (founder and CEO of Strategy Risks and author of America Second) about Jensen Huang’s resignation from Nvidia, the alleged Chinese intelligence operation at the center of the scandal, and what it reveals about corporate America’s exposure to Beijing.  POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Isaac Stone Fish on X: https://x.com/isaacstonefish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Madrid (author of The Latino Century) joins host Ron Steslow to explain why a historic Democratic sweep is a repudiation, not a realignment.  They begin with the scale of the midterm results, from the House to the Senate to statehouses, and why the moment reads as a verdict on Trump and MAGA rather than an embrace of the Democratic Party.  Then, they dive into why Latino voters, who swung toward Trump in 2024 and back again this week, are shedding partisan loyalty altogether and why that might be closer to what the founders intended.  Next, they unpack what fueled the wave, as corruption fused with economic pain for a generation that feels its future was stolen.  Finally, ask whether MAGA outlives the Republican Party’s collapse and why politics may be shifting from coalitions to transactions.  In Politicology+, they discuss the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, why the Electoral College’s anti-majoritarian design matters more in an era of dealignment, and a fractured fight heading toward the 2028 Presidential Election.  POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Isaac Stone Fish (founder and CEO of Strategy Risks) about four new reports examining American university relationships with Chinese institutions and the risks they may raise.  They explore the party’s United Front Work Department and a curated 2024 trip that two Yale scholars took to Xinjiang, where the U.S. government has determined the CCP committed genocide.  Then, they turn to Wisconsin-Madison’s agreement with Southeast University, a Chinese school tied to the People’s Liberation Army, and the connected-vehicle technology that grew out of China’s national standards.  Later, they examine Michigan State’s joint degree with a Chinese university that calls itself a stronghold of party propaganda. They close on why universities should be debating these partnerships in public, and why China may be the next crisis for American higher education.  They discuss: 00:00) Why university ties to China deserve scrutiny (04:23) How the United Front recruits influence (07:08) The Yale scholars’ curated Xinjiang visit (09:14) Xinjiang repression and the purpose of staged tours (15:58) What the Xinjiang paramilitary corps does (17:40) Why Chinese universities answer to the CCP (21:42) Wisconsin’s connected-vehicle research partnership (27:41) Tencent, warning lists, and rising compliance costs (30:01) Xinjiang telescope research and dual-use concerns (34:51) Washington’s cryopreservation research and Origin Cell (39:53) Talent programs, disclosure, and technology-transfer concerns (43:37) Michigan State’s ties to a propaganda-focused university (50:48) Public-opinion monitoring and party orthodoxy (57:24) The broader case for public debate (1:01:18) Universities face a possible China crisis Check out the reports: https://strategyrisks.com/press/ Follow Ron on Twitter:https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Follow Isaac on Twitter: https://x.com/isaacstonefish Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine twelve consequential days in U.S.-Russia relations and whether Washington is switching sides in Russia’s war on Ukraine.  They begin with the diesel deal, separating the real driver of soaring fuel prices from the Trump-Putin arrangement. Next, they examine the pressure campaign on Kyiv, from a refinery truce that costs Moscow almost nothing to disrupt intelligence sharing and reported throttling of Starshield service. Then they unpack Steve Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg, his effusive praise for Putin, the Lukoil asset sale, and the Graham Act waiver that dwarfs the diesel story.  Finally, they debate whether the language of "competition" obscures a fundamentally adversarial relationship, and how the way Americans talk about China became a partisan question. In Politicology+, unpack the death of a young scientist at a Siberian anti-plague institute and the Kremilin’s suspicious response. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Check out Great Power: https://www.greatpower.us/ Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Molly McKew on X: https://x.com/MollyMcKew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hagar Chemali (Former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations) joins Host Ron Steslow to unpack Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington—and why the two powers keep meeting more often while agreeing on less. They begin with the administration's turn from tariffs to hospitality, and why a quickening calendar of summits signals not warming ties but a conflict neither side can resolve—with Beijing playing the longer game. Next, they examine the fragile trade truce beneath the pageantry—why rare earths and chip controls are ultimately questions of military advantage, and what it means that a crisis-communications pact remains unsigned. Then they compare the two governments' diverging readouts on Iran, Taiwan, and trade, and Xi's offer to host 100,000 young Americans—a soft-power play that could complicate the pipeline of future U.S. China experts. Finally, they debate whether the language of "competition" obscures a fundamentally adversarial relationship, and how the way Americans talk about China became a partisan question. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Hagar Chemali on X: https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices