Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs

In this special episode of the podcast, we discuss the future of U.S.-Russia relations under the Biden Administration with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War generated meteoric expectations for US-Russia relations. Just thirty years later, not only have these expectations not … Continue reading Russia: From Cold War t...

Today on the podcast, we discuss Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish foreign policy, and Turkey’s increasing impact on the Middle East and the world. Who is President Erdogan? What are his domestic and foreign policy goals and motivations? What has President Erdoğan’s policies been towards neighboring Middle Eastern countries, specifically Syria, Iraq, Iran, and … Continue...

Today, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated into office as the 46th President of the United States. Throughout his campaign, Biden promised to conduct a drastically different foreign policy than his predecessor. We look at what this change could look like in Latin America on issues such as global action for climate change, … Continue reading Biden and Latin America with Bria...

Welcome back to the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, the entirely student-run podcast out of Johns Hopkins University. In this episode, we dive into the topic of Hindu nationalism — how has it affected Indian politics, society, and foreign policy? To help us answer these questions, today on the podcast we are joined by Dr. … Continue reading The Rise of Hindu Nationalism with Dr. Mi...

Welcome back to the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, the entirely student-run podcast out of Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. – Russia relationship is at a near thirty year low. From the Russian annexation of Crimea, to covert poisonings authorized by the Kremlin abroad, interference in democratic elections, and most recently, a massive cyber espionage … Continue reading Recalcula...

Welcome back to the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, the entirely student-run podcast out of Johns Hopkins University. Today on the podcast, we will be discussing U.S. foreign policy toward Taiwan, and the future of U.S.-Taiwan relations under President Joe Biden. What are the drivers of the relationship between the United States and Taiwan? How … Continue reading Future of U.S.-Taiwan Re...

For some, the Central Intelligence Agency remains shrouded in secrecy. Others recall the CIA’s Cold War-era attempts at regime changes and the ensuing national repercussions of these actions. Today, we will discuss the basics of what the CIA is in order to understand what its true goals and missions are. What has the CIA done … Continue reading FP Toolbox: Central Intelligence Agency with Ch...

Years since the roar of the first steam engine, we have become increasingly dependent on non-renewable sources of energy that spurred growth but also created the current climate crisis.. Our generation stands at a crossroads. Faced with the monumental task of saving our planet, international cooperation on the issue of climate change is a necessity … Continue reading Global Climate Action wi...

NATO has been a critical pillar of US foreign policy since its inception in 1949. Since the end of the Cold War however, NATO’s purpose has been reimagined, its challenges expanded, and its unity weakened. What will the future of US-NATO relations look like under the incoming Biden administration, and what role will the alliance … Continue reading Future of US-NATO Relations with Dr. J...

The emergence of social media in recent years has profoundly improved communication and information-sharing around the world. However, social media has also become a powerful tool in conflicts and warfare. Today, the same platforms used to organize protests are used by terrorist groups and belligerent nations to spur attacks and sway elections. In this episode, … Continue reading Weaponizati...

For several months now, tens of thousands of Thais have taken to the streets of Thailand to demand constitutional and monarchical reforms. The movement gained steam in September and October, galvanized by student groups organizing pro-democracy protests over social media. What sparked these protests, what are the specifics of their demands, what may be the … Continue reading Thailand on the...

The United Kingdom is fraying. After decades of neoliberal economic policy, devolution, the end of empire, and recent events such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of Scotland have questioned their place in the United Kingdom. Support for a second independence referendum is at a record high, and those who favor independence now … Continue reading The Push for Scottish Independe...

Welcome to our second episode in our Foreign Policy Toolbox Series — where we unravel the mysteries of the most important institutions, concepts, and policies that decision makers actually use to implement foreign policy. In today’s episode, we are discussing the United Nations Peacekeepers. What do UN peacekeepers actually do, where are they deployed today, … Continue reading FP Toolb...

On this episode, we discuss China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the signature foreign policy project of Chinese President Xi Jinping. What are the objectives of the BRI, is debt-trap diplomacy a real threat, and what are the global implications of the initiative? To help us answer these questions, today on the podcast we are joined … Continue reading China’s Belt and Road Initiativ...

Today we’ll be talking about the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria. In October 2020, protests erupted in Nigeria against the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, mirroring the American Black Lives Matter movements. Though these protests are a new event, civil unrest and issue of government-sanctioned violence have existed in Nigeria since its colonization. To explain the #EndSARS … Continue read...

In our final episode of our 2020 election series, we discuss public opinion polling on issues of foreign policy. On what issues of foreign policy do Democrats and Republicans agree with each other? What does the American public view as most threatening to America’s national security? How have opinions of trade and alliances changed over … Continue reading 2020 Elections: Foreign Policy...

In this episode, we discuss what foreign policy may look like under a Biden Administration, should he win the November 2020 presidential election. What worldview guides Joe Biden’s decision making in foreign policy? What foreign policy priorities might a Biden Administration choose to tackle first? How would a Biden Administration’s foreign policy differ from the … Continue reading 202...

In this episode, we are discussing technology and its role in election interference, from 2016 to this new election cycle. Since the 2016 elections, Americans have been warned by their intelligence agencies that international actors, primarily Russia, have engaged in both cyberattacks and influence operations to attempt to sway the presidential elections. The Trump Administration … Continue...

You’re listening to the second episode of our 2020 presidential election series. In this series, POFA will cover the progressives’ as well as the Biden and Trump administrations’ approach to foreign policy. We will also examine the role of technology in election interference and the importance of polling Americans on foreign policy issues.  To listen … Continue reading 2020 Electi...

Welcome to the first episode of our 2020 presidential election series. To prepare for the upcoming election, POFA will discuss the recent emergence of a progressive approach to foreign policy as well as what foreign policy would look like under either a Biden administration or a second Trump term. Then, we will be examine the … Continue reading 2020 Elections: Progressive Foreign Policy with...

Today we will discuss the recent events in Mali and what a democratic future looks like for the Malian people. We will talk about the coup this summer, how it compares to the 2012 coup, and the recent transitional deal announced by the military government. Furthermore, we will explore the role of international actors and … Continue reading The Coup in Mali with Ambassador Michelle Gavin

Welcome to the first episode in our brand new series, the Foreign Policy Toolbox! In the FP Toolbox, POFA will be unraveling the mysteries of the most important institutions, concepts, and policies that decision makers actually use to implement foreign policy. What is the National Security Council? How do sanctions work? What is the process for … Continue reading FP Toolbox: The National Sec...

Since it was first discovered in Wuhan in late 2019, COVID-19 has risen to become a raging pandemic, with over 27 million confirmed cases around the world. Scientists, government leaders, and experts agree that a key strategy to ending the pandemic must be the development of a vaccine, which has prompted laboratories, academic institutions, and … Continue reading Race for the COVID-19 Vaccin...

On August 28, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest continuously serving Prime Minister of Japan, announced that he would resign the prime ministership. In order to further explain Prime Minister Abe’s domestic and foreign policy legacy, we are joined today on the podcast by Dr. Sheila Smith.  To listen to this episode, find the … Continue reading Shinzo Abe’s Legacy wi...

For over ten years, Venezuela has been engulfed in a political and economic crisis which has impoverished millions in the oil-rich country and brought authoritarianism to one of Latin America’s oldest democracies. Caught in a global geopolitical competition amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,  and with upcoming elections in December of this year, the stakes for Venezuela’s … Continue reading The F...