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A rising China. War in Europe. A warming planet. The United States faces a complex and rapidly changing world. With more than four million downloads, The President’s Inbox goes beyond the headlines as host James M. Lindsay speaks with leading experts about how the United States should respond to global challenges and opportunities that are shaping the future.
315 Episodes
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Rush Doshi, the C.V. Starr senior fellow for Asia Studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States is reckoning with the rise of China and a world of renewed geopolitical competition.
This is the first episode in a special series from The President’s Inbox, bringing you conversations with Washington insiders to assess whether the United States is ready for a new, more dangerous world.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Rush Doshi, The Long Game: China's Grand Strategy to Displace American Order, Oxford University Press
David J. Lynch, The World’s Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right), PublicAffairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/are-we-ready-china-reckoning-rush-doshi
Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of civil-military relations as President Donald Trump remakes the senior leadership of the U.S. military and deploys the National Guard to U.S. cities.
Mentioned on the Episode:
William Manchester, American Ceasar: Douglas McArthur, 1880-1964, Back Bay Books
Kori Schake, The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States, Polity
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:
https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/civil-military-relations-under-trump-kori-schake
Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle East studies and the Council, and Ed Husain, senior fellow at the Council, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks and whether President Donald Trump's twenty-point peace plan will produce a lasting ceasefire.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Elliott Abrams, "The Teaching of Hate in Jordan," CFR.org
Naftali Bendavid, Scott Clement, and Emily Guskin, "Many American Jews Sharply Critical of Israel on Gaza, Post Poll Finds," Washington Post
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/two-years-since-october-7-elliott-abrams-ed-husain
Matt Waxman, adjunct senior fellow for law and foreign policy and Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia University sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the legality of the Trump administration's military strikes against drug traffickers and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.
Mentioned on the Episode:
James Madison, “Federalist No. 51,” The Federalist Papers
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/legality-trumps-drug-boat-strikes-matthew-waxman
Liana Fix, senior fellow for Europe at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Russia’s recent drone incursions into Polish airspace, and whether the move signals an expansion of the war in Ukraine.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Liana Fix and Erin D. Dumbacher, “Russia Tests NATO With Poland Drone Breach,” CFR.org
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/russia-violates-nato-airspace-liana-fix
Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the feasibility of a multi-layer missile defense system for the United States.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Phillip L. Swagel, “Effects of Lower Launch Costs on Previous Estimates for Space-Based, Boost-Phase Missile Defense,” Congressional Budget Office
Todd Harrison, “How Much Would a Space-Based Missile Interceptor System Cost and Does It Make Sense?” American Enterprise Institute
Todd Harrison, “Is Trump’s Golden Dome a Brilliant Idea or a Gilded Boondoggle?” American Enterprise Institute
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/golden-dome-missile-defense-system-todd-harrison
Michelle Gavin, Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what urbanization, a youth-heavy population, and social media mean for politics across the African continent.
Enter the CFR book giveaway by September 23, 2025, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Age of Change by Michelle Gavin. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/africas-urban-youth-revolution-michelle-gavin
Roxanna Vigil, International Affairs Fellow in National Security at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss rising political violence in Colombia and its consequences for the Andean region and beyond.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Paul J. Angelo, From Peril to Partnership: U.S. Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico, Oxford University Press
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:
https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/brewing-troubles-colombia-roxanna-vigil
Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what a realist U.S. foreign policy would look like.
Mentioned on the Episode:
John Ikenberry, “A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With G. John Ikenberry," The President's Inbox
John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, “The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior U.S. Grand Strategy,” Foreign Affairs
Barry Posen, Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy, Cornell University Press
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-realist-foreign-policy-stephen-walt
Michael Kimmage, professor of history at the Catholic University of America, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on the war in Ukraine.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Michael Kimmage, Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability
Michael Kimmage and Maria Lipman, “The Limits of Putin’s Balancing Act," Foreign Affairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trump-putin-summit-michael-kimmage
Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger distinguished professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how and why control of Eurasia affects U.S. national security. This episode is the fifth in a continuing TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.
This episode was originally released by The President’s Inbox on January 21, 2025.
Mentioned on the Episode
Hal Brands, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World
H. J. Mackinder, “The Geographical Pivot of History,” The Geographical Journal
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/eurasia-challenge-hal-brands
Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia and if the current ceasefire will hold up.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Joshua Kurlantzick, Beijing’s Global Media Offensive
Joshua Kurlantzick, “Thailand and Cambodia’s Ceasefire: Will It Stop War When Elites Want Conflict?,” CFR.org
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/cambodian-thai-border-clash-josh-kurlantzick
Liana Fix, Fellow for Europe at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the current status of the fighting in Ukraine and the significance of President Trump’s recent ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Liana Fix, “Can NATO Keep It Together?” Foreign Policy
Liana Fix, “How the Berlin Bubble Failed in the Ukraine War,” Internationale Politik
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/donald-trumps-russia-ultimatum-liana-fix
Oliver Stuenkel, associate professor at the School of International Relations at Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo, Brazil, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the recent BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro and what Brazil sees as the group’s purpose.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Oliver Stuenkel, BRICS and the Future of Global Order
Oliver Stuenkel, IBSA: Rise of the Global South
Oliver Stuenkel, Post-Western World
Oliver Stuenkel, “In Rio, BRICS Tries to Play It Safe," Foreign Policy
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/brazil-brics-oliver-stuenkel
William Henagan, a research fellow at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the current state of U.S. foreign aid programs after President Donald Trump’s reforms.
Mentioned on the Episode:
William Henagan, “Reauthorizing DFC: A Primer for Policymakers,” CFR.org
William Henagan, “Sovereign Funds and American Investment Strategy: How to Responsibly Create a U.S. Strategic Investment Fund,” CFR.org
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/future-us-foreign-aid-william-henagan
Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss ongoing efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and the war’s ripple effects across the Middle East.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Elliott Abrams, If You Will It: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood for the Twenty-First Century
Elliott Abrams, "Meanwhile, Hamas Is Killing Civilians Who Seek Food," CFR.org
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/elusive-ceasefire-gaza-elliott-abrams
Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor emeritus of political science and law at Stanford University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss why the United States declared independence in 1776 and its meaning for the country today.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution
Jack N. Rakove, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America
Jack N. Rakove, The Beginnings of National Politics: An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress
1619 Project, New York Times
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/fourth-july-jack-rakove
Erin Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities, what the strikes accomplished, and how the conflict might evolve.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/answering-your-questions-us-airstrikes-iran-erin-dumbacher
Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether a return to great power spheres of influence is practical in the twenty-first century.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Sarang Shidore, “Spheres of Influence Are Not the Answer,” Foreign Policy
Sarang Shidore, “The Quiet Development Shaking America’s Power,” New York Times
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-return-spheres-influence-sarang-shidore
Steven Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s attacks on Iran’s senior military leadership and on its nuclear infrastructure.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Steven A. Cook, “Israel Is Going for the Death Blow on Iran,” Foreign Policy
Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East
Steven A. Cook, “The World’s Criticism Doesn’t Bother Israel,” Foreign Policy
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/israel-strikes-iran-steven-cook
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