Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs

Over the past twenty years, Southeast Asia a diverse region of 10 nations, has become increasingly important to global economic development, U.S. interests, and great power geopolitics. In this special episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, we discuss with Congressman Ami Bera the growing importance of Southeast Asia in the world and in … Continue reading Strengthening U.S. Polic...

In the last decade, economic sanctions have increasingly become a foreign policy tool of choice in the United States, with the United States designating nearly 1000 entities per year during Trump’s presidency. So, how does the U.S. decide which individuals are sanctioned and how sanctions are enforced? In this episode, we will discuss these questions … Continue reading FP Toolbox: Sanctions

On September 15, U.S. President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced AUKUS, a new trilateral security pact. The agreement focuses on military capability, and the United States and the United Kingdom notably will be helping Australia acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines. What compelled Australia to seek this agreement? What …...

During the past few months, Nigeria has been in the news for the national Twitter ban that the country’s President Buhari instituted over the summer. What used to be a platform that gave international reach to Nigeria’s #EndSARS protests during the summer of 2020 is now banned for use in the country; President Buhari instituted … Continue reading Political Turmoil in Nigeria

The Covid-19 Pandemic has fundamentally altered the way of life of people, businesses, and whole countries. That has been well documented. What we will focus on this episode is whether and how Covid changed the US-built and Rules-based international system. How did the pandemic affect the global economic and financial system? How did it affect … Continue reading The End Of The Old Internatio...

Why has the UK struggled to find its place in a 21st-century? How have decades of decolonization and the fading of its great power status impacted the nation as a whole? How has it shaped the UK’s relationships with Europe and the world? What have recent events revealed about the UK’s political system? And, perhaps … Continue reading Up To Speed: The (Dis)United Kingdom

September 11, 2001 permanently reshaped counterterrorism policy in the U.S. and abroad, with more than 260 US government organizations created or reorganized to focus on terrorism-related issues in the last 20 years. n this episode, we’ll examine the history of counterterorrism in the U.S, including what practices and threats look like today, 20 years after … Continue reading FP Toolbox: Cou...

Afghanistan. Afghanistan. Afghanistan. That seems to be the only thing in the news nowadays. And, for good reason. Today we will explore the history of the US involvement in Afghanistan, what exactly went wrong, whether the withdrawal could have been handled better, and what this all means for America’s foreign policy in the long term. … Continue reading The Fallout of the Afghanistan E...

Today on the podcast we will discuss America’s supply chains and how the Covid-19 Pandemic fundamentally altered the way we think about globalization. Why do we keep hearing the terms near-shoring and on shoring? What’s the deal with microchips and rare earth metals? And how should policy makers think about securing America’s supply chains? To … Continue reading Securing America’s Supp...

Today on the podcast we will discuss the ongoing political, economic, and humanitarian crises stemming from the Northern Triangle. That term refers to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Why are tens of thousands of migrants fleeing those countries? How did the Obama and Trump Administration respond to this migration? And, what is the Biden Administration … Continue reading The Crisis of t...

Singapore is one of the most important economic players in Asia. Yet, as tensions between the United States and China continue to increase, it has found it self in a precarious situation. How to sustainably straddle the middle ground between these two superpowers while continuing to increase its economic power without alienating anyone? To answer … Continue reading Singapore & the U.S. &...

Since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006, the United States’ overarching strategy toward North Korea has been one of pressure through isolation. By imposing strict sanctions and avoiding sustained diplomatic dialogue with North Korea, US policymakers have sought to pressure the country  to unilaterally denuclearize. Dr. Van Jackson argues that this strategy has failed, … Continue...

On July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in a night time raid against his home in the country’s capital, Port-Au-Prince. Nearly a month after the assassination, critical questions surrounding the killing, from who masterminded the plot and for what purpose, remain unanswered. The assassination has catalyzed preexisting political, economic, and societal crises … Conti...

Tunisia has a history of beating the odds. It was the only country to come out of the Arab Spring as a democracy, and despite a difficult political environment in the country, civil society groups were able to come together to keep the government stable and democracy in place. However, the future of Tunisia’s democracy … Continue reading Tunisia on the Brink

At the time of this episode’s release, former Chief Justice of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, will have been inaugurated as Iran’s new president. His election in June was highly controversial; it saw record low voter turnout, with less than half of all registered voters showing up at the polls. Many have claimed that this was a … Continue reading Iran’s Changing Leadership

Lebanon is in crisis. In a recent report, the World Bank has said that Lebanon’s economic crisis may be one of the three worst economic crises since the mid 1800s, and estimates that more than half of Lebanon’s population is living in poverty. The reality on the ground in Lebanon for many of the country’s … Continue reading Lebanon in Crisis

With China on its way to developing a digitized central bank currency and the ease with which new cryptocurrencies are created today, we may now be entering a new era of national digital currencies.  But is the United States prepared for this new era? In this episode, we will discuss the motivations as well as … Continue reading The Digital Currency Revolution

On June 29, former South African President Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court while under investigation for corruption. Since his arrest, protests have erupted in South Africa with widespread violence. In this episode, we look at the politics of the post-apartheid republic including the prominence of Mandela’s former party … Continue reading President Zuma and Corr...

Sets of rules, norms, and standards that make up international law provide a broad framework for actions of countries around the world. It also has a profound effect on our daily lives, governing, for example, how we travel or how we send or receive money from abroad. On this podcast, we discuss how international law … Continue reading International Law and Global Governance

Since the games’ inception, the international olympic committee has argued that the olympics are apolitical, and promote a world message of peace. Yet, the truth of the matter is that the Olympics are political. Whether it is the politics of corruption as olympic officials take expensive gifts in return for their vote in granting host-city … Continue reading The Politics of the Olympics

Since 2018, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador– commonly referred to as AMLO– has been in power as the president of Mexico. However, 2018 was not the beginning of his political career; in fact, he has been a figure in Mexican politics for the past three decades. From Governor of his home province of Tabasco, to Head of … Continue reading AMLO’s Mexico

The alliance between the United States and South Korea is nearing its 70th anniversary. The success of the alliance is demonstrated both by its longevity and the ability to preserve peace in one of the most geopolitically fragile parts of the world. In the third decade of the 21st century, the alliance continues to confront … Continue reading Rejuvenating U.S.-South Korea Relations

Peru had one of its most consequential elections in its almost two century year old history. While the results are not yet official due to the tight margin of the race, Pedro Castillo is all but guaranteed to be Peru’s next President. What does his election mean for Peru, will he be able to deliver … Continue reading Peru’s Uncertain Future

For over 70 years, the United States and Pakistan have navigated a challenging yet productive security relationship. While it has not always been smooth sailing, Pakistan has been and remains a critical strategic partner in a turbulent region for the United States. What is the nature of the US-Pakistan relation, how can this strategic partnership … Continue reading The Complicated US-Pakista...

The expansion of humanity into the far reaches of space has long been a dream portrayed in science fiction and assessed by academics. The resources that can be mined from asteroids and other planets, the guaranteed survival of humanity if an existential catastrophe were to strike Earth all seem like compelling arguments.  But what if … Continue reading The Perils of Space Expansion...