The President’s Inbox

Oriana Mastro, a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Taiwan in light of talk that China might seek to compel the island’s reunification with the mainland. This episode is the fifth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Mentioned on the Episode   Council on Foreign Relations, China's Belt and Road: Implications for the United States   Council on Foreign Relations, U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era: Responding to a More Assertive China   Oriana Skylar Mastro, “The Pivot That Wasn’t,” Foreign Affairs   Oriana Skylar Mastro, “This Is What America Is Getting Wrong About China and Taiwan,” New York Times    Oriana Skylar Mastro, Upstart: How China Became a Great Power   David Sacks, “Taiwan’s Trump Conundrum,” CFR.org.   The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/taiwan-challenge-oriana-mastro-and-david-sacks-election-2024-episode-5

Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at CFR, and Amy Hawthorne, independent consultant on the Middle East, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the widening war in the Middle East and the challenges it poses for the United States. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Mentioned on the Episode   Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East   Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power,” Foreign Affairs   The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/middle-east-challenge-steven-cook-and-amy-hawthorne-election-2024-episode-4   

Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the CFR and the Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor at Western Washington University, and Ana Swanson, a trade and international economics journalist at the New York Times, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss opportunities and constraints that the next U.S. president will confront on U.S. trade policy. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Mentioned on the Episode    Edward Alden, Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy   When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders- https://global.oup.com/academic/product/when-the-world-closed-its-doors-9780197697818?cc=us&lang=en&    David Autor, Anne Beck, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson, “Help for the Heartland? The Employment and Electoral Effects of the Trump Tariffs in the United States,” National Bureau of Economic Research   The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trade-challenge-edward-alden-and-ana-swanson-election-2024-episode-3

Alice Hill, the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at CFR, and Varun Sivaram, a senior fellow for energy and climate at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss what the United States has done and should do to confront a changing climate. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Mentioned on the Episode    Alice C. Hill, The Fight for Climate After COVID-19   Varun Sivaram, Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet   The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/climate-challenge-alice-hill-and-varun-sivaram-election-2024-episode-2 

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, and Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the future of U.S. policy toward Russia and the risks posed by heightened tensions between two nuclear powers. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Mentioned on the Episode    Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival   Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs   The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org   Thomas Graham, Getting Russia Right For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/russia-challenge-liana-fix-and-thomas-graham-election-2024-episode-1 

Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at CFR and a columnist for The Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ronald Reagan’s life and his impact on U.S. foreign policy.    Enter the CFR book giveaway by September 24, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.    Mentioned on the Episode   Max Boot, “Reagan Didn’t Win the Cold War,” Foreign Affairs    Max Boot, Reagan: His Life and Legend   Max Boot, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam   Shreya Chattopadhyay and Miguel Salazar, "22 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall," New York Times   Edmund Morris, Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan   Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation About Christmas and the Situation in Poland"   Ronald Reagan, "Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger"   Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at a Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day"   “Ronald Reagan, Mastermind,” Saturday Night Live   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/ronald-reagan-us-global-leadership-max-boot

Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the potential for a wider war in the Middle East as Iran vows to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a top Hamas official in Tehran.   Mentioned on the Episode   Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/a-wider-middle-east-war-with-steven-cook

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia.   Mentioned on the Episode   Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival   Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ukraines-attack-kursk-liana-fix 

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.   Mentioned on the Episode    Stephen Heintz, “A Logic for the Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence,” Rockefeller Brothers Fund John F. Kennedy, “Commencement Address at American University,” June 10, 1963   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/case-multipolar-pluralism-stephen-heintz

Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how America should navigate its geopolitical rivalry with China.    Mentioned on the Episode    Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?   Hal Brands and Michael Beckley, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict With China   Rush Doshi, The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order   Rush Doshi, et al., “Debating the United States’ China Strategy,” CFR.org   Rush Doshi, et al., “What Does America Want From China?,” Foreign Affairs   Aaron Friedberg, The Weary Titan: Britain and the Experience of Relative Decline, 1895-1905   Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger, “No Substitute for Victory: America’s Competition With China Must Be Won, Not Managed,” Foreign Affairs   William Langley and Gloria Li, “Chinese Robot Maker Says Protectionism Will Not Stop Its March,” Financial Times   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/americas-china-strategy-rush-doshi 

Christopher Kirchhoff, former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to incorporate cutting-edge technology into its operations.    Mentioned on the Episode    Ashton B. Carter, “Keeping America’s Military Edge,” Foreign Affairs   Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah, Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/silicon-valley-and-the-future-of-warfare

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.      Mentioned on the Episode    "A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox   Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order   Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World   Jake Sullivan, "Renewing American Economic Leadership”   Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan 

Sir Robin Niblett, distinguished fellow at Chatham House, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss a potential second Cold War between the United States and China.   Mentioned on the Episode    Graham Allison, Destined for War: Can American and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap?   Barry Buzan, “A New Cold War? The Case for a General Concept,” International Politics   Robin Niblett, “The G-7 Must Prepare Now for Trump,” Foreign Policy   Robin Niblett, The New Cold War: How the Contest Between the US and China Will Shape Our Century   Robin Niblett and Leslie Vinjamuri, “The Liberal Order Begins at Home,” Foreign Affairs   Jake Sullivan, “Remarks by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Renewing American Economic Leadership at the Brookings Institution,” April 27, 2023   Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-china-cold-war-robin-niblett 

Stephen Flynn, chair of the Committee on Assessing WMD Nuclear Terrorism at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and a political science professor at Northeastern University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the steps the U.S. government should take to prevent and respond to nuclear terrorism.   Mentioned on the Episode    Nuclear Terrorism: Assessment of U.S. Strategies to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicines   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/threat-nuclear-terrorism-stephen-flynn 

Matthias Matthijs, senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and Daniela Schwarzer, a member of the executive board of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the results and consequences of the snap elections in France and the United Kingdom.     Mentioned on the Episode    Matthias Matthijs, “Pivotal Elections for France—and Europe,” CFR.org   Matthias Matthijs and Mark Blyth, “Don’t Bet on a British Revival,” Foreign Affairs Daniela Schwarzer, “It’s Time to Reset EU-UK Relations,” Financial Times For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/elections-britain-and-france-matthias-matthijs-and-daniela-schwarzer