None Of The Above

World War II is nostalgically remembered throughout American culture as the "good war"––a conflict where Americans idealistically banded together to free the world from tyranny. Of course there is more to this story, but is this simplified popular understanding dangerous?   In this week's episode of None Of The Above , the Eurasia Group Foundation's Mark Hannah talks with West Point English profes...

Speaking at the United Nations Climate Conference this November, President Biden called climate change " the existential threat to human existence." And in October, the Department of Defense issued its own warning , noting the effects of climate change are "exacerbating existing risks and creating new security challenges for U.S. interests." But while the Pentagon takes climate change's risks seri...

President Joe Biden argues the contest between democracy and autocracy will be the defining challenge of the twenty-first century. Meanwhile, Freedom House observes democracy around the world has experienced its steepest drop in its fifteen-year decline. Seeking to reverse this trend, the United States is hoping to "set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal" this week when it brings t...

As the United States competes for influence around the globe, and as authoritarianism gains ground in places like Brazil, what will US engagement in the region look like? US intervention and influence in the region is nothing new, especially in Brazil, which this week's guest walks us through. Professor Riordan Roett takes us on his journey as a young Fulbright Scholar living in northeast Brazil d...

This week we bring back a timely episode from season 1 with journalist Amanda Sperber and anthropologist Catherine Besteman, who helped us understand an important, yet underreported topic: America's military involvement in Somalia. Since we last spoke to Catherine and Amanda, The New York Times has reported that the terrorist organization, Al Shabab, is at its "strongest in years" and that the Bid...

What impact did Colin Powell, America's 65th secretary of state under President George W. Bush, who passed away last week, make on US foreign policy? What is the legacy he leaves behind, and how does it inform where the United States is headed? This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation's  Mark Hannah  is joined by  Ravi Agrawal , Editor in Chief of Foreign Policy magazine to discuss Powell's lasting...

Although President Biden has ended the war in Afghanistan, America's twenty-year global war on terror has not yet drawn to a close. Initiated by the Bush administration, and waged in various forms under four presidents, the war on terror has shaped not just US foreign policy, but many aspects of American life. This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation's Mark Hannah is joined by Spencer Ackerman , wh...

Tensions have been high on the Korean Peninsula this past month. In mid-September, both North and South Korea tested ballistic missiles just hours apart. And though Pyongyang had signaled interest in convening discussions to formally end the Korean War, it launched a short-range missile on Tuesday. This week on None Of The Above, we're bringing back another one of our favorite episodes from Season...

Since the end of World War II, policymakers have puzzled over the proper way to approach Russia. U.S.-Russia relations have arguably deteriorated to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War as a myriad of issues strain the relationship. From election interference to cyberattacks and Russia's military expansion Westward, is America's response effective? Or, does the United States need to co...

In April, President Biden announced he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Within months, Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. The Biden administration's evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans, including one of this week's guests, Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI-3). But Meijer is also a critic of America's twe...

This week, we're bringing back an episode from  Season 1  with journalist and political analyst Peter Beinart. When we spoke with Peter last spring, we discussed the questionable value of America's extensive overseas military network and the limits of America's global role. From Taiwan to Afghanistan, what price are Americans willing to pay to pursue stability and security around the globe? Does A...

On July 1, the Communist Party of China celebrated its 100th anniversary. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a speech that unsettled some China watchers with provocative comments about the existing world order. Symptomatic of increasing U.S.-China tensions, Xi's speech comes amid efforts in both countries to decouple these two large and intertwined national economies. But is decoupling in eith...

President Biden campaigned on a swift return to the Iran nuclear deal. But with Iran freezing what have become laborious negotiations until the new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, takes office next month, the prospect for a revitalized agreement remains uncertain. Is Tehran solely to blame for this impasse? This week,  Eurasia Group Foundation 's  Mark Hannah  is joined by Barbara Slavin and Jo...

This week, we're bringing back another one of our favorite episodes from Season 2. When we sat down with Bishop Garrison last summer, he was directing national security outreach at Human Rights First. Today, Bishop's new role has become the center of much discussion in Washington, as he attempts to tackle white supremacy and racism in the ranks of the U.S. military as Senior Advisor to Secretary o...

For many, America's Cold War victory validated the country's self-image as a "shining city upon the hill," whose democratic ideals were worthy of emulation. More than thirty years later, as authoritarianism and ultranationalism surge around the world, it is worth asking whether a dark undercurrent of America's international conduct is somehow responsible. This week, the Eurasia Group Foundation 's...

This week, we're bringing back one of our favorite episodes from Season 1. When we caught up with Rosa Brooks two summers ago, Donald Trump was president, and despite his stated desire to end endless wars, the conclusion of America's war in Afghanistan was not yet in sight.  What happens when the distinction between war and peace starts to disappear? Together, Eurasia Group Foundation 's Mark Hann...

In 2015, following Myanmar's first free election in a quarter-century, Western governments, including that of the United States, staked their hopes for democracy on Myanmar's de facto civilian leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Once regarded as a nascent democracy, Myanmar has sharply backslid in recent years. Suu Kyi's denial of what the United Nations deems a genocide of the coun...

After the Cold War, many in the United States believed democracy was fait accompli around the world. Thirty years later, it is on shaky ground. U.S. allies such as Turkey, Hungary, and Poland are sliding into authoritarianism .In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, dreams of economic and social stability are finding renewed purchase over more liberal values. President Biden plans to host...

On September 14th, 2001, Congress passed a 60-word joint resolution granting President George W. Bush nearly unchecked authority to fight a "War on Terror." Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California was the sole vote against that resolution. She warned that the broad authorities granted by its Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) would be abused by the executive branch. Nearly twenty y...

President Biden came into office vowing to restore America's longstanding alliances across the Atlantic. However, while Europe's security relationship with the United States remains relatively strong, Europe's economic ties to China have surged. Will Europe keep growing closer to America's strategic rival? If so, what are the consequences for American security and prosperity? This week, Ian Bremme...

Mexico ought to occupy a prominent place on the list of America's foreign policy priorities, given its proximity. Yet political leaders in the United States historically devote resources and attention to further reaches of the globe, neglecting their Southern neighbor and downplaying the ways in which the two countries' histories and futures are intertwined. That might be changing with President B...

Few places in the world symbolize America's "War On Terror" as poignantly as Guantanamo Bay. Opened in January 2002, the detention center has extrajudicially imprisoned terrorism suspects without due process throughout four presidencies. One such prisoner was Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man from Mauritania, who was kidnapped, tortured, and detained without charges, for fourteen years. While imprisoned...

In just two months, U.S. troops are slated to withdraw from Afghanistan per an agreement with the Taliban. It's unclear whether President Biden will adhere to the terms of the agreement, or whether he'll try to extend the withdrawal deadline and keep American troops in Afghanistan. Many are calling on the president to prolong the troop deployment until Afghanistan stabilizes -- or perhaps indefini...

President Biden promises to restore and renew America's commitment to NATO and its European allies. Supporters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization argue Russian aggression compels continued American military engagement on the continent. But is Russia really so threatening and is Europe really so weak? Professor Barry Posen of MIT joins the Eurasia Group Foundation's Mark Hannah to discuss th...

As the Biden administration takes shape, many wonder whether it will implement a truly progressive foreign policy agenda. President Biden's early action to freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia has given progressives hope. However, several key national security and foreign policy appointments project a more complicated picture. Katrina vanden Heuvel, long-time editor and part owner of The Nation, join...