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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.
311 Episodes
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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
Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and a columnist for the Financial Times, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what we can learn from the life, career, and writings of Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Edward Luce, In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India
Edward Luce, Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent
Edward Luce, The Retreat of Western Liberalism
Edward Luce, Zbig, The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski: America's Great Power Prophet
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21st Century
Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Fragile Blossom: Crisis and Change in Japan
Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/zbigniew-brzezinski-edward-luce
1Derek Grossman, senior defense analyst at RAND and professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the confrontations between China and the Philippines over their competing claims in the South China Sea and the consequences for the United States.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/china-philippines-standoff-derek-grossman
Reuben Brigety, President of Busara Advisors and U.S. Ambassador to South Africa from 2022 to 2025, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss relations between Washington and Pretoria in the wake of last week’s meeting between President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/united-states-and-south-africa-reuben-brigety
Šumit Ganguly, senior fellow and director of the U.S.-India Program at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the origins and consequences of the recent military clash between nuclear powers India and Pakistan.
Mentioned on the Episode:
Šumit Ganguly, “What Is the Risk of a Conflict Spiral Between India and Pakistan?” Foreign Policy
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/india-pakistan-crisis-sumit-ganguly
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