The President’s Inbox

This episode unpacks Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's purge of senior military leaders and what it means for civilian control, retention, and the armed forces.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Charles Bolden , retired Marine Corps major general and former NASA administrator   Michael E. Smith , retired rear admiral...

This episode unpacks unsettling parallels between today’s increasingly multipolar world and geopolitical conditions on the eve of World War I, and reviews lessons from history about the cost of great-power war.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Odd Arne Westad , the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs, Yale Un...

This episode surveys the foreign policy stakes of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, from the Iran war and gas prices to tariffs, Ukraine, and Israel.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guests: Hannah Hartig , Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center Jessica Huseman , Editorial Director, Votebeat   We Discuss: Why the national mood...

This episode unpacks America’s strategic stalemate with Iran, Trump’s post-midterm options, and how Tehran and the Gulf see the war.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guests: Cole Bucy , former CIA analyst; former director for Iran at the National Security Council   Nate Swanson , director of the Iran Strategy Project, Atlanti...

This episode unpacks the ongoing threat of influence and interference operations posed by Russia, China, and Iran as the 2026 U.S. midterm elections approach. Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Jessica Brandt , Senior Fellow for Technology and National Security, CFR, and former director of the Foreign Malign Influence Cent...

This episode unpacks what strategy really is, the seven questions every strategist must ask themselves before initiating a military operation, and why war stays so stubbornly unpredictable.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Eliot A. Cohen , Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International...

This episode unpacks Xi Jinping’s high-stakes Washington visit, discussions of “constructive stability,” and tensions over Taiwan, AI, and Iran.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guests: Julian Gewirtz , Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs Bonny Lin , Director of the China...

This episode unpacks the deepening U.S.-Canada trade war, the collapse of a potential deal to end it, and whether decades of economic integration are rupturing.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Rohinton Medhora , Professor of Practice at McGill University and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for International Governa...

This episode unpacks how the September 11 attacks reshaped the U.S. approach to global threats and internal security.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Walter Russell Mead , Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship, Hudson Institute   We Discuss: Why the September 11 attacks were such a pi...

This episode unpacks the potential purposes and implications of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s recent surprise trip to Moscow.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Stephen Sestanovich , George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies, CFR   We Discuss: What is actually known about CIA Director John Ratcliffe...

This episode unpacks the current state of the U.S.-Iran conflict, broader dynamics in the Middle East, and the shifting U.S. role in the region.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Steven A. Cook , Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies, CFR   We Discuss: Who, if anyone, is winning the six-mont...

This episode unpacks reporting that U.S. munitions stockpiles are dangerously low and lays out the consequences of the shortage both for Washington’s ongoing war with Iran, and for its deterrence of adversaries.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Michael C. Horowitz , Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation and Direc...

This episode unpacks how the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign is accelerating Cuba's economic collapse and what a firsthand trip to the country reveals about life amidst the crisis.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Will Freeman , Fellow for Latin America Studies, CFR   We Discuss: What the Trump adminis...

U.S.-India relations have struggled despite U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close personal relationship. This episode unpacks why tariffs, security concerns, and a détente with China has reframed the importance of the relationship, and what it could take to put it back on track.    Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U....

This episode unpacks U.S. and Chinese AI strategies, regulation approaches, and the future implications for society and security.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Alvin Wang Graylin , Senior Fellow for Technology, Asia Society; Digital Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence; Professor of...

This episode unpacks the history of 250 years of U.S. foreign policy and examines patterns of the United States’ engagement with the world.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Robert Kagan , Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Author, Dangerous Nation: America’s Place in the World From Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of t...

This episode unpacks the unique challenges faced by women leaders, their contributions to democracy, and the critical lessons they offer in the fight against authoritarianism.   Enter the CFR book giveaway by July 8, 2026, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Women in Power by Linda Robinson. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here .   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and D...

This episode unpacks whether Ukraine has turned the tide against Russia on the battlefield and assesses the new security relationship between Ukraine and Europe.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Liana Fix , Senior Fellow for Europe, CFR   We Discuss: The state of the battlefield in Ukraine after four and a half years o...

This episode unpacks how a major Ebola outbreak in Central Africa exposed critical gaps in global health surveillance and assesses U.S. preparedness for future biological threats.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Thomas J. Bollyky , Bloomberg Chair in Global Health; Senior Fellow for International Economics, Law, and D...

This episode unpacks how the Marshall Plan transformed postwar Western Europe and why security, allied cooperation, and forward thinking were the real keys to its enduring success.   To mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence, CFR is dedicating a yearlong series of articles, videos, podcasts, events, and special projects that will reflect on two and a half centuries of U...

This episode unpacks how Africa's demographic surge, critical mineral wealth, and expanding security threats are reshaping its relevance to U.S. foreign policy in the twenty-first century.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Michelle Gavin , Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, CFR   We Discuss: Why U.S....

This episode unpacks the key discussion points from the U.S.-China summit, including Taiwan, the Iran war, AI regulation, and the future of U.S.-China relations.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Nicholas Burns , Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Harvard U...

This episode unpacks President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the first by a sitting U.S. President in nearly a decade, as the United States and China work through a tense period of détente.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Rush Doshi , C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Stu...

Prediction markets have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. This episode asks whether they are powerful forecasting tools or gambling platforms in disguise—and what their rise means for how risk and information are priced.    Hosts:    Rebecca Patterson , Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)   Sebastian Mallaby , Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Counci...

This episode unpacks three enduring pillars that have defined U.S. foreign policy from the nation’s founding to today: ideology, economic statecraft, and democratic accountability.   Host: James M. Lindsay , Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Michael Mandelbaum , Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced...