Foreign Policy Live

Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend accelerated concerns of a widening Middle East crisis. Israel’s response on Friday was limited and appeared to heed calls for caution by Western allies. What does this mean for the conflict in Gaza as well as the region? Ravi Agrawal is joined by Iran expert Suzanne Maloney and Israeli journalist Ronan Bergman for this discussion. Suggested reading: Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig: Have Israel and the United States Done Enough to Deter Iran? Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: Israel’s Military Risks Being Overstretched Sina Toossi: Iran Has Defined Its Red Line With Israel David E. Rosenberg: Why Arab States Haven’t Broken With Israel For more podcasts, check out the latest episode of Disorder, 'How Small States Can Save the World,' featuring Former President of Armenia Dr Armen Sarkissian: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

Why is Narendra Modi so popular? As India begins voting this week, FP Live host Ravi Agrawal discusses his essay “The New Idea of India” with executive editor Amelia Lester. The two take subscriber questions on how India is changing under Modi and what New Delhi’s foreign policy will look like in the future.  Suggested reading: Ravi Agrawal: The New Idea of India Rishi Iyengar: Modi’s Messenger to the World Snigdha Poonam: Meet India’s Generation Z Josh Felman, Arvind Subramanian: Is India Really the Next China? Anusha Rathi: 5 Charts That Explain India Amitava Kumar: Becoming Indian Mukul Kesavan: 4 Books to Understand Modern India

The largest security crisis in the Western Hemisphere—the ongoing violence in Haiti—is severely underreported. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the capital. Aid organizations are warning of an impending famine. What should be done? FP Live host Ravi Agrawal is joined by Miami-based journalist Jacqueline Charles and Jake Johnson, the author of Aid State, to discuss the crisis and possible responses by the international community. Suggested reading: Jake Johnson: Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti Howard W. French: Haiti Must Liberate Itself, Again Alexander Causwell: Haiti is Facing an Insurgency, Not a Gang Problem  Imran Bayoumi: Haiti’s Chaos Shows How Far U.S. Stability Efforts Have to Go

CNN’s chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto sits down with FP Live to share insights from his new book, The Return of Great Powers. What does a growing alliance between Russia and China mean for U.S. influence abroad? How does this moment differ from past historical instances of great-power competition? And how could this all shift with a potential second term for Donald Trump? Suggested reading:  Ravi Agrawal: Did Russia Come Close to Using a Nuclear Device in 2022? Jim Sciutto: The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War Jim Sciutto: The Shadow War: Inside Russia’s and China’s Secret Operations to Defeat America

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the recent attack in Moscow that killed at least 139 people. It was the country’s deadliest terrorist attack in more than a decade. Why did the Islamic State choose Russia as a target? And what does this mean for terrorism globally? Counterterrorism analyst and regular FP contributor Colin P. Clarke shares his insights with Ravi Agrawal. Clarke also serves as a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center. Suggested reading: Lucas Webber, Riccardo Valle, and Colin P. Clarke: The Islamic State Has a New Target: Russia Colin P. Clarke: Could Hamas Become a Global Threat? Lynne O’Donnell: Al Qaeda Is Back—and Thriving—in Afghanistan

Foreign policy is not typically a priority for the American voter. And yet, the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election will have an outsized impact on world affairs. How are allies and adversaries alike weighing the 2024 election? Former diplomat Richard Haass joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss. Richard Haass is president emeritus at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the popular substack at Home and Away. Suggested reading: Richard Haass: The War That Israel Could Have Fought Richard Haass: At Home and Away Fareed Zakaria: The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad Damon Wilson and Lynn Lee: South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader

Negotiators failed to reach a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that would have paused hostilities before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. How does the rest of the Middle East view this breakdown in negotiations? For the United States in particular, how will this shape its standing in the region, and what does it mean for the conflict moving forward? Mina Al-Oraibi, the editor in chief of the National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, shares her insights with Ravi Agrawal. Suggested reading: Aaron David Miller: Why an End to the War in Gaza Is Still Far Off Daniel Byman: Will Gaza Ever Recover? Caroline de Gruyter: Israel and Palestine Are Now in a Religious War Stephen M. Walt: It’s Not Too Late for Restrained Foreign Policy

President Biden’s tenure has been marked by numerous foreign-policy flash points: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. Public perception of how he has handled these challenges could have a direct effect on his chances for reelection—a factor he tried to influence in his annual State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7. Journalist Susan Glasser joins Ravi Agrawal to share her reactions to Biden’s speech. Glasser is a staff writer at the New Yorker and a former editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Suggested reading: Michael Hirsh: Biden Starkly Lays Out the Stakes for 2024 Susan Glasser: So Much for “Sleepy Joe”: On Biden’s Rowdy, Shouty State of the Union Steven A. Cook: War Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Becoming Inevitable Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: State Department Beefs Up U.S. Diplomatic Presence in Kyiv

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ annual survey of American voters shows that for the first time in nearly 50 years, a majority of Republicans prefer an isolationist approach to foreign policy. Before the Trump presidency, the Republican Party was more likely to support an active U.S. presence in the world. Former U.S. ambassador to NATO and the CEO of the Chicago Council Ivo Daalder joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss the survey and what it could mean for the 2024 election. You can listen to Daalder’s podcast, “World Review,” here. Suggested reading: Survey: Majority of Trump Republicans Prefer the United States Stay Out of World Affairs Edward Alden: A Self-Absorbed America Means Disorder for the World Doug Klain: How Europe Can Prepare for a Second Trump Term—Now Anna Merlan: Trump’s International Fan Club Descends on Maryland For more podcasts, check out: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline

Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. The conflict has changed the face of Europe and set off a protracted war that has had ramifications reaching far beyond its borders.  Could Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy of waiting out the West prove successful, or can Western leaders rally to continue supporting a drawn-out war? What would a future peace deal look like?  NATO’s former secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, argues that Western leaders need to continue to supply Ukraine with weapons—and quickly, before the war results in further instability. He joined FP’s Ravi Agrawal ahead of the war’s second anniversary to discuss the state of the conflict, lessons learned, and what the future might hold for Ukraine.

Economics is sometimes called the “dismal science.” But the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a surprisingly positive outlook for the U.S. economy—even if public sentiment hasn’t yet caught up. Host Ravi Agrawal discusses the state of the global economy with Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s first deputy managing director. The two begin with Gopinath’s latest essay in Foreign Policy about trade fragmentation and fears of a new Cold War.  Suggested reading: Gita Gopinath: How Policymakers Should Handle a Fragmenting World Adam Posen: America’s Zero-Sum Economics Doesn’t Add Up Adam Tooze: The IMF is an anchor adrift in a changing world economy And FP is looking for a new producer of this show. If you’d like to work with us, please check out the job description: https://foreignpolicy.com/employment-opportunities/.

James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander and retired four-star admiral, sits down with Ravi Agrawal to share his insight on how Washington is navigating conflicts across two continents. Suggested reading: Thomas L. Friedman: A Biden Doctrine for the Middle East Is Forming. And It’s Big. Keith Johnson: The Houthis’ Next Target May Be Underwater Stephen J. Hadley and Richard Fontaine: Americans Need Domestic Unity for Effective Foreign Policy FP Live: ‘We Do Not Have an Iran Plan’ Brought to you by: hellofresh.com/FPLiveFree

A drone strike by an Iran-backed militant group, which resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members, threatens to push the Middle East into a wider regional conflict. Iran has distanced itself from the attack, while President Biden has said that the U.S. will respond. Middle East experts Vali Nasr and Sanam Vakil join Ravi Agrawal to discuss what Tehran might be thinking at this moment. Nasr is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Vakil is the director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program. Suggested reading: Jack Detsch: 3 Options for How Biden Could Respond to Iran Adam Weinstein and Steven Simon: U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East Ravi Agrawal: Ian Bremmer: Attack on U.S. Troops a ‘Red Line’ for Biden

Geopolitical analyst Ian Bremmer joins Ravi Agrawal to forecast the world ahead in 2024. From expanding conflict in the Middle East and a potentially partitioned Ukraine to a more optimistic take on the rise of artificial intelligence, listen in to hear his predictions. Suggested reading: Jack Detsch: 3 Options for How Biden Could Respond to Iran Jared Cohen and Ian Bremmer: The Global Credibility Gap Adam Weinstein and Steven Simon: U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East

Taiwan’s recent election resulted in the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party retaining power, prompting China-watchers to wonder how Beijing might respond. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, shares his insights with host Ravi Agrawal. Suggested reading: Hal Brands and Michael Beckley: China Is a Declining Power–and That’s the Problem James Palmer: Taiwan’s New President Won’t Placate China Howard W. French: The Reason China Can’t Stop Its Decline The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party: Reset, Prevent, Build: A Strategy to Win America’s Economic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party: Ten for Taiwan: Policy Recommendations to Preserve Peace and Stability in the Taiwan Strait

Host Ravi Agrawal sits down with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for a special one-on-one conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  Suggested reading: The Economist’s Country of the Year for 2023 Elisabeth Braw: In the Red Sea, the Royal Navy Is Back

The rise of artificial intelligence, and its potential risk to the democratic process, is top of mind in a year of record elections. From mis- and disinformation to deepfake videos, this emerging technology could dramatically shape election outcomes. How should policymakers and tech companies work together to combat this threat? Host Ravi Agrawal moderated a panel discussion titled “Protecting Democracy Against Bots and Plots” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Panelists: Jan Lipavský is the foreign minister for the Czech Republic. Smriti Zubin Irani is India’s minister of women and child development.  André Kudelski is the CEO of the Kudelski Group. Alexandra Reeve Givens is the CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology. Matthew Prince is the co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. Suggested reading: Ravi Agrawal: The Year the World Votes Rishi Iyengar: What AI Will Do to Elections Pratap Bhanu Mehta: The Specter of Nationalism Jan-Werner Müller: The Myth of Social Media and Populism Leslie Vinjamuri: What Another Trump-Biden Showdown Means for the World

Jan. 15 marks 100 days since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people. Israel then retaliated by launching a ground invasion of Gaza. More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed, and numerous others face a dire humanitarian crisis.  After months of conflict and mounting international pressure, Israel announced on Jan. 1 that it would begin to pull some troops back from Gaza. But the war’s reverberations continue to threaten the stability of the larger region as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon rise and the United States responds to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Hezbollah and the Houthis are both backed by Iran.  Host Ravi Agrawal revisits conversations with experts on all sides of this conflict as we enter a new phase of the war. Suggested reading: Jon Hoffman: U.S. Middle East Policy Has Failed Elisabeth Braw: In the Red Sea, the Royal Navy Is Back Amy Mackinnon: How the Gaza War Could Shape Global Politics in 2024 Raphael S. Cohen: The Trouble With a Cease-Fire

With wars in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the world begins the new year on high alert. Comfort Ero, the president of the International Crisis Group, joins Ravi Agrawal to share her analysis of the state of the world, building on her annual essay in Foreign Policy.  Suggested reading: Comfort Ero and Richard Atwood: 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2024 FP Contributors: 8 Simmering Threats You Shouldn’t Ignore in 2024 FP Contributors: 5 Issues to Watch in 2024

We already know that 2024 will be the year that more people vote than in any other time in history. That’s an easy prediction to make. But what other global trends will impact the world this year? FP columnist and Harvard University professor Stephen M. Walt sits down with Ravi Agrawal to look ahead at the next 12 months. Suggested reading: Allison Meakem: Elections to Watch in 2024 Comfort Ero and Richard Atwood: 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2024 FP Contributors: 5 Issues to Watch in 2024