Building the Future: Freedom, Prosperity, and Foreign Policy with Dan Runde

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Colombian Admiral Álvaro Echandía Durán, who discusses his career, his experiences with the FARC, the role of civil intelligence in a democracy, and why we should renew our commitment to counternarcotics. Throughout his career the Admiral has held various high level positions, including Chief of Naval Operations of Colombia’s National...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by David Hoffman, a contributing editor and member of the editorial board of The Washington Post. In this podcast, they discuss Hoffman’s latest book, Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Payá and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba, his motivation for writing this book, and predictions about the future of democracy in Cuba.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Cynthia Arnson, a distinguished fellow and former director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. Arnson is one of the country’s foremost experts on the Spanish-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere. In today’s podcast, Dan and Cynthia discuss her impressive career in Latin American affairs, the challenges of entering a...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan women's rights activist and the first woman in the Afghan Parliament to be elected Second Deputy Speaker. Fawzia reflects on the current state of human rights for women and girls under Taliban rule and the consequences of U.S. withdrawal from the country.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Harold Rosen, founder and Executive Director of the IFC’s Grassroots Business Initiative. They discuss Harold’s work at the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Development Finance Corporation, as well as his newly published report, “18 Years of Blended Finance- Impact and Lessons Learned.” 

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan hosts Andrew Sady-Kennedy, a former research intern with the CSIS Americas Program. Andrew recently earned his Master’s in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), where he specialized in international and global affairs. During his time at HKS, Andrew completed a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) for his client, the Bureau of Energy Resources at...

In this week’s episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Dr. Evan Ellis, a CSIS non-resident senior associate for the Americas Program and a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. Dr. Ellis focuses on Latin American countries’ relationships with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors as well as transnational organized cr...

On this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Shelly Stoneman, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for BAE Systems, Inc., and Co-chair of the Executive Committee for the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Earlier in her career, Shelly worked in the Executive Branch and Congress. In this podcast, Shelly delves into her career trajectory in Washington, D.C....

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Dr. Matthew Kroenig and Dan Negrea. Dr. Kroenig serves as the Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the director of the Scowcroft Center’s Scowcroft Strategy Initiative. Mr. Negrea serves as the Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center. In this podcast, t...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Ambassador John Simon to discuss sustainable water infrastructure financing. Ambassador Simon is the founding partner of Total Impact Capital. Prior to founding Total Impact Capital, Ambassador Simon held a variety of posts in the U.S. government, the most recent of which include ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice P...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Vladyslav Rashkovan, Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund, IMF, who is representing Ukraine and fourteen other states on the IMF Executive Board. Prior to joining the IMF, Mr. Rashkovan served as Deputy Governor and a Member of the Board of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), where he was responsible for the...

This week, CSIS research associate and friend of the pod, Sundar Ramanujam, takes over from Dan to host Mahfuz Sadique, Chief Communications Officer of bKash - a Bangladesh-based digital payments service provider that is rapidly changing how the financial sector engages with the Bangladeshi society. Sundar asks Mahfuz: is there a "secret recipe" which other developing countries can use to replicat...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Bennett Freeman and Allison Gill from the Cotton Campaign, a coalition of human rights NGOs, independent trade unions, brand associations, responsible investors, and academics, united to end forced labor in cotton production. Bennett and Allison share key elements to the Cotton Campaigns' success, and the critical steps necessary to fi...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Co-Director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University, Arizona Centennial Professor of International Affairs at Arizona State, and renowned author Dr. Ethan Kapstein. Dr. Kapstein has had an esteemed career at the OECD and has published books across all vectors of global affairs, from U.S. foreign policy to d...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Global Environment & Technology Foundation's CEO and founding member Monica Ellis to discuss today’s most pressing challenges to global water security. Monica emphasizes water as a foundational issue that intersects with other development challenges such as climate change, COVID-19, women’s empowerment, and conflict – including Afghani...

Dan is out this week. But Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Director and Senior Fellow for CSIS Africa, guest hosts to discusses the digital revolution in Africa with Togo’s Minister of Digital Economy and Transformation, Cina Lawson, and Better Than Cash Alliance’s Lead of Africa Policy and Partnerships, Nshuti Mbabazi. Cina shares the innovative digital strategies Togo employed to alleviate the poverty exa...

In this episode of Building the Future, Women’s World Banking President and CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian joins Dan Runde to discuss women’s economic empowerment, opportunity, and inclusion. Mary shares insights from her new book There’s Nothing Micro About a Billion Women, which talks about women's financial inclusion and the different opportunities for empowerment and economic growth. FinTech, the...

In this episode of Building the Future, Nazak Nikakhtar, former Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis at the Department of Commerce, joins Dan Runde to discuss her journey from her family's migration from Iran to the U.S. and how she lived the American dream to become a civil and public servant. As a key national security expert, Nazak forecasts the economic tools the U.S. should employ in...

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Eddy Acevedo, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President of the Wilson Center. Eddy shares insights from his recent National Review article “America Must Prioritize Trade Policy in its Global Competition with China.” The two talk about the importance of trade in the context of national security and address the common misconcept...

On this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Dr. Douglas Johnston. President Emeritus and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). Dr. Johnston pioneered the discourse on religion, conflict, and peacebuilding, which he details in his new book Mountain Tops and Mai Tais: Scaling the Heights Toward a Higher Calling. In the wake of heightened secularism...

China e-commerce expert and former Ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin joins Dan Runde on this week’s episode of Building the Future. Frank shares key takeaways from his book “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce" and the opportunities that China’s market presents to U.S. businesses. The future of the U.S.-China commercial relationship and China's middle-income trap will play important rol...

On this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde speaks with Marie Royce, former Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, about the importance of people-to-people exchanges in the context of U.S. national security. As a diplomat, businesswoman, and educator, Mrs. Royce offers her perspective on international education and the cultural economy. The two share their personal experien...

Matthew Rojansky, CEO and President of the U.S.-Russia Foundation (USRF), joins Dan Runde on this week’s episode of Building the Future. As one of the leading experts in the United States on Russia and Ukraine, Matthew covers a wide variety of topical issues, from Russian support for Putin, to the possibility of democracy in Russia, and the roles that USRF, the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF)...

Nicole Robinson joins Dan Runde on this episode of Building the Future to discuss her recent publication “Women, Peace, and Security Initiative: Advancing U.S. Interests Through Women’s Empowerment.” Nicole is a research associate at the Heritage Foundation who specializes in political, economic, and security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. In this episode, Nicole shares her insigh...

In this episode of Building the Future, former Finance Minister of Ukraine Natalie Jaresko joins Dan Runde to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Natalie, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, shares how she became involved with Ukraine and explains what strategic value Ukraine has to Russia. She and Dan discuss the financial aspects of the invasion, what is next if Ukraine falls, and how lis...