Foreign Policy Live

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States for the first time in six years this week, announcing with U.S. President Joe Biden a range of new collaborations between the world’s two biggest economies. Host Ravi Agrawal convenes a panel to analyze takeaways from this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco and is joined by FP’s James Palmer, the Spectator’s Cindy...

The State Department has a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, and it’s run by Nathaniel Fick, a former cybersecurity executive and marine. Ambassador Fick joined the Biden administration to make sure that every department’s digital policy is connected up together. And his job is to make sure the White House can combat threats emerging from cyberspace and AI in the best possible way. Fick...

What does the Israel-Hamas war mean for the region and the world? That’s what’s on the minds of policymakers as the conflict enters a new phase with the start of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. Experts Kim Ghattas and Steven A. Cook share their analysis with host Ravi Agrawal. Ghattas is a journalist based in Beirut and the author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry Tha...

Over the weekend, Israel began its ground invasion of Gaza, compounding the humanitarian crisis there and causing record civilian losses. This comes amid growing concerns from experts of a larger regional conflict. How should the United States and the global community respond to prevent further escalation in the region and minimize harm to the Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians? Former Isr...

How is Russian President Vladimir Putin assessing the unfolding conflict in the Middle East? And how will that impact Western support for Ukraine?  Fiona Hill is just the person to ask. She’s advised both Democratic and Republican administrations on Russia policy and is currently a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Suggested reading: Fiona Hill: There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opp...

Renewed conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine have left policymakers scrambling. Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus joins FP Live to discuss America’s role and what he expects to happen next.  In a 37-year career in the military, Petraeus led missions in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming CIA director from 2011 to 2012. He is also a co-author of Conflict: The Evoluti...

Israel has demanded that 1.1 million Gazans relocate from the north into the south, as a siege of the strip intensifies. What is Washington’s role? Democratic Rep. Andy Kim joined Ravi Agrawal amid a continued failure to elect a new speaker of the House of Representatives.  Part of this conversation, focused on China, will also be featured in Foreign Policy’s podcast Global Reboot, in partnership...

An extra episode this week: Aaron David Miller joins Ravi Agrawal to share his insights as Israel orders a complete siege of Gaza and declares war on Hamas. The declaration comes after a deadly Hamas attack last weekend that killed hundreds of Israelis.  Miller has advised six Republican and Democratic secretaries of state on Middle East policy. He is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for...

The world’s second-largest economy is slowing down. But are concerns overblown? What’s at risk for the global economy? How should policymakers react? The Wall Street Journal’s chief China correspondent, Lingling Wei; economist Adam Posen; and FP’s James Palmer join Ravi Agrawal to decipher the economic data and news from China.  Suggested reading: James Palmer: As China’s Property Sector Crumbles,...

BONUS EPISODE: The Global Dispatches podcast—“How Interpol Works, with Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political polarization and disinformation may seem to be on the rise in the United States, but these tactics are not new. As historian Heather Cox Richardson notes, political candidates in early U.S. history would game elections by saying that their opponent was dead. Are there reasons to be hopeful about democracy? Boston College Professor Heather Cox Richardson joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss her...

Samantha Power is a powerful voice in the Biden administration. She not only is the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the country’s primary arm for international aid, but also sits on U.S. President Joe Biden’s National Security Council. How does Power think through which countries need U.S. aid the most, and how do decisions get made? Power joins Ravi Agrawal to disc...

The United Nations today is often criticized for being ineffective, even paralyzed, a far cry from what Winston Churchill once referred to as the “only hope of the world.” Is that true? Can it still serve as an effective tool for solving today’s global challenges? Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She joins Ravi Agrawal ahead of the United Nations General Assemb...

Taiwan has long lived under the shadow of China’s desire to take over its territory. And as China’s economy and military have grown, so too has the threat of a potential invasion. What is Taipei’s strategy for defense and security, and how is it marshaling support from other countries? Ravi Agrawal is joined by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Suggested reading: Hal Brands: Deterrence in Taiw...

People often describe the United Nations as paralyzed. If that’s the case, where do countries turn to if they want to advance global issues that require cooperation? Is it the G-20? The G-7? Smaller groups? Foreign Policy’s Fall 2023 print issue, “The Alliances That Matter Now,” explores the state of global policymaking. Princeton University’s G. John Ikenberry joins host Ravi Agrawal to discuss h...

BONUS EPISODE: The Irregular Warfare podcast—“Deterrence through Asymmetry: Preparing for Conflict in the Taiwan Strait.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democracies are in decline around the world. What can be done to strengthen democratic institutions? At the annual Aspen Ideas Festival, host Ravi Agrawal sat down with Nobel laureate Maria Ressa; Freedom House President Mike Abramowitz; and Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Suggested reading and listening: Hélène Landemore: More Power to More People Shadi Hamid: Lessons f...

As a special summer edition of Foreign Policy Live, Ravi Agrawal shares the mic with his colleague Amelia Lester and answers audience questions on China’s economic slowdown, the state of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and more. This episode was recorded before the Wagner group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was reportedly killed in a plane crash in Russia. And while you're here, listeners, we're offering...

Home to just over 3 million people, the Indian state of Manipur is the site of intense conflict between its two largest ethnic groups. The violence, which broke out in May, has largely gone uncovered in the West. Why is it happening? What can be done to stop it? And how will it impact the broader region? Journalist Barkha Dutt and defense analyst Sushant Singh join Ravi Agrawal to discuss. Suggest...

Inflation is slowing, unemployment remains low, and a recession is now considered unlikely. And the Biden administration is taking credit, citing its economic policies—Bidenomics—as the reason. But is that true? And have these policies followed through on their promise? White House economist Heather Boushey debates Ravi Agrawal on the merits of Bidenomics and how to strengthen the American middle...

The White House’s China policy needs a reset. So says Rep. Ro Khanna, who has a plan to rebalance trade ties with Beijing and reduce tensions. Host Ravi Agrawal quizzes Khanna on China, the war in Ukraine, India, and more.  Foreign Policy Live will be holding an ask-me-anything later this summer. Send in your questions to podcasts@foreignpolicy.com or by visiting foreignpolicy.com/live. Suggested...

Will China keep on rising? Or has it reached a peak? The answer to this question is crucial because it determines how countries should deal with Beijing. But there’s no clear consensus. Scholars Michael Beckley and Keyu Jin join FP’s Ravi Agrawal to debate opposite perspectives on China’s trajectory.  Foreign Policy Live will be holding an ask-me-anything later this summer. Send in your questions...

It’s been a mixed summer for Ukraine. Kyiv’s counteroffensive is progressing slowly, and the country was stymied in its bid to join NATO. But Russia has suffered military setbacks, and the West continues to offer Ukraine important security guarantees. Andrea Kendall-Taylor joins FP Live host Ravi Agrawal to discuss the latest in the war and assess where things might head next. Kendall-Taylor is th...

The world’s most powerful countries are racing to dominate artificial intelligence. Who will win? The answer might lie in who controls high-end chips—and the critical metals behind them. Paul Scharre, the author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, describes this competition in FP’s new Summer 2023 print issue and joins host Ravi Agrawal to discuss how AI will shape...

World leaders will gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week for NATO’s annual summit. Will Sweden be accepted into the security alliance? Will member states offer security guarantees for Ukraine? Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen joins host Ravi Agrawal for insights. Suggested reading: FP Contributors: NATO’s Next Decade Elisabeth Braw: Sweden Is Doing Fine in NATO’s Waiting Room...