Foreign Policy ProvCast

On March 5, 1946—75 years ago—Winston Churchill delivered the "Sinews of Peace" at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The terms "special relationship" to describe US-UK relations and "Iron Curtain" both become household terms after the speech, and some, particularly Russian historians, point to this moment as the official start to the Cold War. At the time, Churchill was serving as leader of...

In this Advent Special of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Mark Melton speaks with Walter Russell Mead about his annual Yule Blog series, which begins on Christmas Eve and runs through Epiphany on January 6. Mead explains that he originally created the Yule Blog several years ago because Americans have forgotten so much about the holiday's religious grounding and message. While the series covers a ran...

In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Mark Melton and Marc LiVecche bring back the "Dark Ops," Providence's podcast movie reviews. They discuss the Netflix series The Liberator, which came out on Veterans Day last month. It's an animated series with four episodes and is based on a book by Alex Kershaw. The miniseries tells the story of Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment as they...

Starting on September 27, the war between Azerbaijan and Republic of Artsakh resumed. Also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh is a region within Azerbaijan that is predominately Armenian, and since 1994 has been controlled by Armenians. The war ended on November 10 with the Armenians of Artsakh losing most of the territory it had controlled. In this episode, Robert Nicholson of the Philos Project...

In this episode of the ProvCast recorded on September 10, executive editor Marc LiVecche speaks with senior editor Keith Pavlischek about a variety of themes that emerge from an initial discussion of the Kyle Rittenhouse shootings in Kenosha. Topics include vigilantism versus just force, contextual factors—such as provocation—that complicate easy claims about self-defense, and the responsibilities...

In this episode, Nadine Maenza talks about religious freedom issues in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria where the Yazidis suffered genocide starting six years ago. First, she explains the role of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), of which she is vice-chairman, and how its operations differ from the US State Department. Then she reviews what the Islamic Sta...

A couple months ago, Providence contributor Paul D. Miller complained on Twitter about people confused liberalism and progressivism. In this episode hosted by Mark Melton, he explains how the two concepts are different. He specifically makes the case that conservatives wrongly blame liberalism for the excesses of progressivism. He then explains what classical liberalism is, and how this idea can b...

In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Joshua Walker speaks with Mark Melton about Japan's global role, especially as the rivalry between the United States and China intensifies. The last time Walker spoke for Providence, he was in the process of leaving the Eurasia Group to become the president of the Japan Society, so he talks about his new organization's projects and mission. Then he d...

Providence has recently published a few articles about race and racism after the murder of George Floyd, and in this episode of the ProvCast Trillia Newbell speaks about a Christian perspective on racism, the imago Dei, practical ways Christians can respond to racism, and hope for the future. Newbell is the director of community outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Sout...

Michael Sobolik, a fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC, speaks with Mark Melton about recent developments in China. In particular, Sobolik explains new revelations that the Chinese Communist Party is forcing Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang to have sterilizations and abortions, which he wrote about in Newsweek. They also talk about the United Kingdom b...

This week the Chinese Communist Party approved a decision to "establish and enhance the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for national security" in Hong Kong. In response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China so no longer warrants special treatment from the US. Olivia Enos, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation's Asian Stu...

Tobias Cremer, a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, speaks with Mark Melton about the role religion plays in populist movements in Germany, France, and the United States. They discuss how populists on the streets of Dresden carried oversized crosses, but when asked the vast majority of protestors self-identified as agnostic or atheist. Instead of believing in the basic Christian tenets...

Earlier this year David Curry, CEO and president of Open Doors USA, spoke about persecution against Christians globally and his organization's annual report, the World Watch List. For more information about the report, visit https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/ And for more information about Providence, please visit https://providencemag.com/

Assistant Editor Grayson Logue interviews Rich Lowry, Editor in Chief of National Review and author of "The Case for Nationalism." They discuss the history of nationalism and its resurgence in the modern-day as well as President Trump's strike against Iran.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Travis Wussow (VP of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) from the front lines of the democracy protests in Hong Kong. They discuss the stand-off at Polytechnic University and role of Christians amidst the political chaos in China.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Emily de La Bruyere and Nate Picarsic, Founders of Radar Lock Research, as they discuss their recent article on the growing threat of Chinese power and the strategy behind China's economic and political drive for cultural influence.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council on the US withdrawal from Syria, the identity of the Kurds, the prospects for ISIS and the religious minorities in the region.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with Prof. Paul Miller to discuss the lack of civility in American politics, the rise of nationalism, and his recently published report on Faith and Healthy Democracy.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with David French of the National Review to discuss his debate with Sohrab Ahmari, the future of American conservatism, and America's proposed withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Managing editor Drew Griffin sits down with Olivia Enos of the Heritage Foundation to discuss the ongoing crisis in Hong Kong, human rights, and the plight of Christians and Communist China.

Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with GWU Professor Samuel Goldman to discuss his piece in Modern Age on Finis Germania, Rolf Peter Seiferle, and the particular difficulty that the Holocaust poses for modern German Identity.

Deputy Editor Mark Melton speaks with Niall Walsh, the Western Europe analyst at Oxford Analytica. They cover how and whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson will deliver Brexit by October 31, rising populism and nationalism in the UK, the possibility of Scotland becoming an independent country, problems with the UK Royal Navy, what a US-UK free trade deal might entail, how the UK is responding to th...

Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council talks with Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin about the continuing crisis in Syria, and its ramifications throughout the broader middle east.

Author Shadi Hamid sits down with Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss the rise of Islam in the West and the role of religion in Foreign Policy.

Managing editor Drew Griffin sits down with Eric Farnsworth, VP of the Council of the Americas, to discuss the growing influence and threat of Chinese involvement in Latin America.