Deep Dish on Global Affairs

German voters prioritized stability in the first post-Merkel election—voting for the party who most emulated the former chancellor's approach to government, the Social Democrats (SPD), instead of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU). What does the narrow SPD victory tell us about the German political landscape and important Western trends like populism? Ulrike Franke and Sheri Berman join  De...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gambled on a snap election that left him in power, but without a majority in Parliament. With an election behind him, can he make progress on the critical foreign policy issues his government must tackle—from COVID-19 to multilateral engagement—during his third term? Canadian political scientists Roland Paris and Jennifer Welsh join Deep Dish to explain why i...

Years of underinvestment, politicization, and data on looming retention problems raise urgent questions about the need for change in the United States Department of State. Ambassador Marcie Ries and Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow Constanza Castro Zúñiga join  Deep Dish  to explain why diplomacy is still critical for American foreign policy and offer solutions to reimagine the diplo...

The US military may have exited the conflict in Afghanistan, but thousands of those who helped during the war remain. What does the United States owe those we leave behind, and is there a better way to prevent chaos and loss of life after war? Virginia Tech's Amanda Demmer and the Council's Elizabeth Shackelford join  Deep Dish  to explore the lessons from past military evacuations in Vietnam and...

Globalization promised us collaboration, peace, and prosperity. But did the connectivity that linked our world together increase conflict and drive our geopolitical priorities farther apart? The European Council on Foreign Relation's Mark Leonard joins  Deep Dish  to discuss his new book The Age of Unpeace and his proposal for policymakers navigating our connected future. 

After weeks of finger-pointing and accusations about the catastrophic US retreat from Afghanistan, we're taking a step back to ask some big-picture questions. What if the problem isn't the exit, but the strategy that started the intervention in the first place: counterinsurgency? US Naval War College author Jacqueline Hazelton joins Deep Dish to explain what went wrong and why we're doomed to repe...

What will the Taliban's Afghanistan takeover mean for Pakistan—a US ally, a nuclear power, and a country beset by its own terrorism threats—and will the government's decades-long support of the Taliban backfire? Brookings' Madiha Afzal and the  Financial Times'  Farhan Bokhari join  Deep Dish  to explain Pakistan's priorities, foreign policy, and options for the future.

Cryptocurrencies have moved away from their anarchic origins to spark political conversations that could shift national currencies and redefine the global economy. Former Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission Tim Massad and the Financial Times' Gillian Tett join Brian Hanson on Deep Dish to explore digital currencies and their effect on geopolitics.  

China's massive investment in Africa through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has prompted concern over political influence—enough for the G-7 to form a rival initiative, the Build Back Better World (B3W). The Center for Global Development's Gyude Moore and the US Navy's Michele Lowe join Elizabeth Shackelford on  Deep Dish  to explore whether these programs are positive or negative and how Afri...

This week a bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill to reform the 48-year-old War Powers Act—the law intended to check a president's ability to declare war. Yale Law School's Oona Hathaway join s   Deep Dish  to explain why it's so important for Congress to revive its war powers and offer a potential solution.  

Haiti is in political turmoil after President Moïse's assassination in his home last week. The  Miami Herald's  Jacqueline Charles and the University of Virginia's Robert Fatton Jr. join  Deep Dish to assess the country's stability, how international interference factored into the hollowing out of democratic institutions, and what could tip the scales towards disaster or hope for the future. 

Ten years after South Sudan's independence, Ambassador Susan D. Page joins the Council's Elizabeth Shackelford on  Deep Dish  to discuss their shared history in the country, what went wrong with statehood, and  the lessons  the international community  must  learn for the future.    

A century after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, Bruce Dickson, author of  The Party and the People: Chinese Politics in the 21st Century ,  joins  Deep Dish  to examine how the party maintains its power and what influences will shape its future—and geopolitics.  

After nearly 20 politically motivated arrests in the last month, Nicaraguan President Ortega's crackdown on his opposition could shake the country's democracy. Researcher Ryan Berg and journalist Cindy Regidor join  Deep Dish  to explain the field for November's presidential election and whether we're witnessing the rise of a "second dictatorship."

Underneath the public face of unity at this week's NATO meetings, potential disagreements and fissures between the United States and its European allies could significantly complicate the US' return to the global stage. Council President Ivo Daalder and the New York Times' Steve Erlanger join  Deep Dish  to analyze if President Biden has successfully reinvigorated the alliance and whether a shared...

Researcher and practitioner Séverine Autesserre argues that traditional approaches to peacebuilding often fail because they follow a top-down formula: expert expatriates parachute in to solve a problem with big budgets, cut-and-paste solutions, and a return ticket home. She joins  Deep Dish  to explain why a new strategy is needed and how grassroots efforts offer hope for an end to violent conflic...

China announced families can now have three children as opposed to two — a reaction to new data showing shocking population growth slowdowns and mirroring global declines. Demographics expert Nicholas Eberstadt joins Deep Dish  to explain why population size, capabilities, and characteristics matter more for competition between great powers than economic or military power. 

US Secretary of State Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitment to protecting American interests in the Arctic last week—but what does that mean, exactly? Arctic experts Eugene Rumer and Rebecca Pincus join  Deep Dish  to unpack the debate over the Arctic's potential as a geopolitical flashpoint and possibilities for a very cold new Cold War.

A fter a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, former United States Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Martin Indyk joins Deep Dish  to explain the pattern driving the latest violence, and implications for the peace process, regional stability, and President Biden's desire to pivot away from the Middle East.  

Turkish President Erdoğan initially pursued "zero problems with neighbors" as a foreign policy strategy, but now relies on the country's military might to achieve political goals. Brookings' Kemal Kirişci and journalist Ayla Jean Yackley join  Deep Dish  to explain what Turkey's approach means for neighbors, allies, and foes.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the United States' decision to leave Afghanistan by September 11 a "moment of both opportunity and risk" this week. The University of Texas at Austin's Aaron O'Connell and the International Crisis Group's Andrew Watkins join guest host Elizabeth Shackelford on  Deep Dish to examine whether the United States can withdraw without undermining regional stability.  

Vice President Kamala Harris urged world leaders at the United Nations this week to begin preparing for the next pandemic, even as COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in some parts of the world. Abbott's Gavin Cloherty and the Cary Institute's Barbara Han join Deep Dish to explain their strategies for tracking infections and why collaboration is the key to preventing future outbreaks. 

Twenty-three years after the Good Friday Accords, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland is once again making headlines. The European University Institute's Brigid Laffan and  POLITICO Europe's  Shawn Pogatchnik join  Deep Dish  to explain why the trade fallout from Brexit could destroy the fragile peace.

After failing to hold elections in February, Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo passed legislation this week to extend his power for at least two more years, prompting global concern. Somali academic Abdi Aynte and former US diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford join  Deep Dish  to unpack the players in Somalia's politics and what role the international community should — or shouldn't— have in...

Brazil's daily COVID-19 deaths passed 4,000 for first time this week, while President Jair Bolsonaro focused on firing his defense minister; reshuffling congress to ward off impeachment; and replacing the top commanders of the army, navy, and air force. Oliver Stuenkel and Sarah Maslin join  Deep Dish to examine whether the pandemic could cost Bolsonaro the 2022 presidential election—or if he will...