Need to Know

Bradley Jardine joins us to discuss his new publication, The Great Wall of Steel - https://www.wilsoncenter.org/book/great-wall-steel For years, the international community has known about China's treatment of Uyghurs within China, particularly in Xinjiang Province.  But here for the first time, the campaign against the Uyghurs beyond China's borders is documented.

Touching base with Latin America expert (and fellow Wilson Center Podcast Host!) Benjamin Gedan to discuss a recent piece he co-wrote with Richard Feinberg in Foreign Policy magazine, "Latin America's Leftists Aren't Who You Think."  Check out the article at https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/31/latin-americas-leftists-arent-who-you-think/  

No one can read Vladimir Putin's mind, but we bring in Kennan Institute expert Joseph Dresen to analyze his actions in the recent invasion.  We discuss world reaction and also what may happen next with sanctions.  Further Reading: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/putin-has-already-lost

Experts from our Canada Institute at the Wilson Center walk us through the causes and iterations of protests in Canada which led to the closure of border crossings, having an affect on supply chains and regular cross border commerce and traffic.  This audio is taken and edited from a briefing we held for congressional staff on February 14, 2022.

With a long history of strife on both sides of the border, the Colombia/Venezuela relationship is one of the most interesting ones in Latin America.  And with one of the world's largest humanitarian crises occurring there right now, it is even more prescient that we talk to one of the world's leading experts on the region, Cindy Arnson.

The ongoing crisis on the Russian-Ukrainian border has brought new attention to how Washington and Moscow navigated the end of the Cold War thirty years ago. Today, Russian officials justify aggression against Ukraine by claiming that NATO had reneged on an assurance President Bush had provided to Gorbachev that NATO would not expand eastward. Wilson Center President and CEO, Ambassador Mark Green...

Asia Expert Abraham Denmark fills us in on the relationship and rivalry between mainland China and Taiwan. In this episode we quickly cover history, but also analyze the potential for US involvement in a possible attempt by Beijing to reunify Taiwan to the mainland, and the fact that China has been able to develop a tailored capability to fight the US in a Taiwan scenario.

Kazakhstan does not get much attention in US foreign policy, but maybe it should.  Recent protests in the country have uncovered the complicated situation that exists at a place where Russia, the US, and China intersect.  Edward Lemon and Lucian Kim help walk us through it.

Here we go again.  Russia has massed troops at the border of Ukraine and everyone is trying to figure out what Vladimir Putin is thinking.  In this episode, Kennan experts Will Pomeranz and Nigel Gould-Davies help us piece together what is going on what what we could see in coming days.

Everyone likes to talk about China, and we've covered India on our podcast as well, including the relationship between those two neighbors. But what happens when you consider Myanmar as well? Michael Kugelman and Lucas Myers have been tracking this and give us a breakdown of what to look out for.

China and India. Two massive neighbors, with big problems growing between them. Asia Program associates Michael Kugelman and Lucas Meyers help us sort it out and see what could be on the horizon for US foreign policy should the region become a hotspot.

We've heard for years that China has leverage over North Korea. But do they? and if they do, how much, and does that align with US strategy? Robert Daly and Sue Terry discuss.

You know China, and you know the European Union. But do you know their relationship? And how could it affect US Foreign policy? Wilson Fellow Nicola Casarini talks with us about this complicated relationship and where we could see it impact us in the future.

The first in a new series from the Need To Know Podcast - "Relationships and Rivalries."  In this series, we'll take a look at how other countries relate to one another - and where the hotspots could be if the US becomes involved in a region.  In this episode, we dive into the relationships that Mexico has with leftist leaning governments such as Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua. 

Latin American Program Director Dr. Cindy Arnson and Ambassador Mark Green hear from Colombian President Iván Duque and have a conversation with him about the challenges in South America and in dealing with migrants from Venezuela.

In this special event episode, we drop in on a discussion with the Ambassadors from the Abraham Accords signatory countries for their perspective, one year later. Hosted by Ambassador James Jeffrey, the event also includes a message from Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. and United Nations.

China's recent crackdown on many things cultural rang some alarm bells. But what does it mean in practice? And what should US policymakers think about it? We talk to China experts Aynne Kokas and Robert Daly to understand.

Amy Austin Holmes has been tracking attacks that Turkey has been making against Kurdish and Yazidi regions in Iraq and Syria for quite some time. And with so much going on in the world, many may have missed the fact that Turkey has struck again, this time killing a popular Yazidi leader within Iraqi territory. Check out some of Amy's work on this issue here: https://thehill.com/opinion/internation...

The withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan, the rapid deterioration of the Afghan government and military, and the return of the Taliban will have profound implications for the future of South Asia. Check out our “ Afghanistan: Hindsight Up Front ” initiative as we discuss the future of the region with leading journalists, former diplomats, and thought leaders from India and Paki...

Bringing back our former congressional staffer round table with Monica Pham and Natalee Binkholder to discuss the top ten things that are common in good staffers. Take a listen. If you are on the Hill, maybe you can find some ways to grow professionally, and if you want to work on the Hill, this is a good start to know what you have to do. Happy August everyone!

This event is a part of our series, Hindsight Up Front, examining the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Search for "Wilson Center Special Events" or go to our Apple Podcasts page to find more! 

This event is a part of our series, Hindsight Up Front, examining the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Search for "Wilson Center Special Events" or go to our Apple Podcasts page to find more! 

They're right on our northern border, they have close ties, a lot of trade, a lot of love, so you really need to know more about Canada. That is why we started the Canusa Street podcast! And here with me today are hosts Scotty Greenwood and Chris Sands.

Nicaragua's president has jailed the opposition ahead of the presidential election in a bid to stay in power. Global Fellow Eric Olson takes us through the situation, and what it means for US interests (and dollars) in the region.

We catch up with resident Afghanistan expert Michael Kugelman, hearkening back to our last Afghanistan episode in May.  We evaluate his predictions, and how he sees things going as US troops continue to pull out of the region.