Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs

South Koreans will cast their ballots for president on March 9. What do the elections mean for the country, its domestic challenges, and foreign policy outlook? This is the country’s second Covid-era election following the legislative election in April 2020. South Korea is considered as one of the success stories of third wave democratization in … Continue reading South Korea Goes to the&#16...

In today’s episode, we’ll have an important discussion on Bruce Jones’ new book, Rule the Waves: How Control of the World’s Oceans Shapes the Fate of the Superpowers. What are the current tensions that exist in naval trade and how has this become a part of the major powers’ agenda? How have oceans impacted transnational … Continue reading To Rule the Waves: Superpowers and Control of the&#16...

Are Russia and China allies? Will their alignment last? Are we living in a new Cold War? On today’s episode, we discuss these questions with Sergey Radchenko, a cold war and Russia-China expert. Hey POFA fans just a quick disclaimer before we get started. This episode was recorded on February 18th, a week before Russia’s … Continue reading The Russia-China Alignment

After the fall of the Soviet Union, it seemed that there was no end in sight for liberal democracy: the end of history was here, and global democracy was a dream that had come true. In 2022, we know that this is far from the reality of the state of democracy around the world. Over … Continue reading The Fight for Global Democracy

We explore the state of energy security in Europe today, Ukraine, and Russia’s important roles in the energy market. How have gas supply policies affected the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, how likely is a Russian shut-off of Ukrainian energy, and what does the future of energy security in Europe look like? To answer … Continue reading Will Russia Shut off Europe’s Ga...

With the end of the Cold War, a 45-year-long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, many predicted that long-term peace would ensue, with liberal democracy as the final form of government for all nations. Yet, just 30 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, American hegemony has been displaced by long-term … Continue reading Cold War Lessons for Great-Power Com...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is one of the longest-serving leaders in the world, having retained power since 1985. Following his government’s dissolution of the opposition party in 2017 and exile of its leaders, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won the 2018 elections unchallenged, raising major questions about the future of democracy in Cambodia. In … Continue reading Hun Sen’s C...

An opportunistic former KGB official, Vladimir Putin continues to stir up conflict in Europe and present himself as a force to be reckoned with. Using Russian arms, Putin has successfully amassed power and has orchestrated successful military operations in Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, and Syria. Popular uprisings in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan over the past two … Continue reading How...

Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s largest country: this former Soviet republic has worked to chart its own course in a restive region, navigating the geopolitical tensions of its over thirty year existence. Much of that period occurred under longtime leader Nursultan Nazarbayev. That was, until the dawn of 2022. Mass protests in Kazakhstan began peacefully, with … Continue reading An Uprising in&...

Due to the electoral irregularities seen during the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election, Nicolas Maduro has faced a crisis of legitimacy, especially as the United States, the European Union, and the Organization of American States refuse to recognize him as Venezuela’s rightful president. Who is Nicolas Maduro, what does he stand for, and what does the … Continue reading Maduro’s Ven...

Today on the podcast, we talk about Chile and the results and implications of its December 19th presidential election. With the election of its first millennial leader and the drafting of a new constitution, Chile is experiencing one of its most politically consequential moments of its modern history. What does it all mean and what … Continue reading A Generational Shift in Chile

The POFA hosts take a look back at 2021: What happened, why was it important, and what is to come in 2022? POFA Roundtable: 2021 Year in Review

In this episode of POFA, we discuss the conflict in Ukraine with Angela Stent.   Angela Stent is Senior Adviser to the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and Professor Emerita of Government at Georgetown University. An expert on US-Russia relations, she is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She served … Continue reading Preventing Conflict in&...

In this episode of POFA, we discuss the development and popularization of the Internet and cyberspace with Dr. Adam Segal.  The development and popularization of the Internet and cyberspace fundamentally changed the world. With information readily available at the click of a button, it was championed by many that the Internet would lead to the … Continue reading Cyberspace in Internatio...

In this episode of POFA, we discuss the a groundbreaking malaria vaccine and its potential effects on the developing world with Nobel Laureate Dr. Peter Agre. Africa has long been plagued by malaria — each year, the disease kills nearly 300,000 African children under 5 years old. But on October 6, the W.H.O. approved the … Continue reading The Promise of the Malaria Vaccine

No moment has changed the modern Middle East more fundamentally than the year 1979. Within months, three major events sparked a deep rivalry that plagues the world to this day. In Iran, a popular revolt took down the Shah, but a theocratic government seized the vacuum and took his place. In Saudi Arabia, a group … Continue reading Up To Speed: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Unravel...

Rodrigo Durterte has brought the world’s attention to the Philippines with his brash, populist rhetoric and tough-on-crime policies. In this episode we look at the president’s rise to power, his major foreign, and domestic policies, and to what extent he will step back from Filipino politics. Joining us to answer these questions is Joshua Kurlantzick.  … Continue reading A Post-Duterte...

In late July, China conducted a test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that entered low earth orbit, circled the globe,  and struck a predetermined target in China. The test allegedly stunned U.S. military and intelligence officials for its complexity, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley calling the test a near “sputnik … Continue reading China’s Evolving Nuclea...

Since August, of last year there have been more coups in sub-Saharan Africa than at any time for the past two decades – Mali in August 2020, Chad in April 2020, Mali again in May 2021, Guinea in September, and Sudan just last month. In this episode we discuss the recent trends of turmoil and … Continue reading A Fraught Moment for African Democracy

Specifically, we are going to have a conversation about whether the United States can still produce and whether it even needs great leaders to tackle the challenges of the evolving international system. Joining us to help answer some of these questions is Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace … Continue reading The Future of Global Leaders...

On October 31st, Japan held a general election to determine the make-up of its lower house of parliament. It was also an opportunity for the ruling party’s new leader Fumio Kishida to gauge his popularity and determine the size of his government’s mandate. What do the results of this election mean for Japanese domestic policy, … Continue reading Fumio Kishida and Japan’s Changing ...

In the past several years, addressing climate change has become an increasing priority on the global stage. However, multiple scientists and politicians have raised the alarm that current global and national initiatives are not enough to curb the adverse effects of anthropogenic climate change. With competing interests on eliminating fossil fuels on national and international … Continue read...

Ever since Germany’s current Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that she would not be running for a record fifth term as Chancellor, there have been major question marks as to who will be the one to succeed her. On this episode of Hopkins POFA, we discuss the domestic and foreign policy legacy of Angela Merkel, delve … Continue reading Succeeding Angela Merkel

For the past four decades, the United States has had robust unofficial relations with Taiwan, an island nation of about 23 million people. A strong multi-party democracy and an economic powerhouse, Taiwan has been a critically important entity in Northeast Asia. The status of the island and its future also have been key points of … Continue reading Charting U.S. Strategy in Taiwan with U.S....

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was allowed to leave Canada in late September, after spending more than 1,000 days under house arrest in Vancouver on an American extradition request. China subsequently set free Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who have been detained since 2018. While the three-year old saga now appears to be over, important questions … Continue reading Hostage Diplomacy