The Tea Leaves Podcast

In this Tea Leaves episode, Kurt and Rich speak with the Asia Group Partner and U.S. Ambassador (ret.) Kurt Tong about his recent post as U.S. Consul General for Hong Kong and Macau. Kurt shares his thoughts on some of the forces behind the Hong Kong protests and helps untangle the city’s complex political and cultural dynamics.

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich sit down with Dr. Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, Australia’s leading think tank based in Sydney. Michael, a renowned expert on Australian foreign policy, discusses Australia’s complicated relationship with China, Australian domestic politics, and how Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison can establish a solid relationshi...

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich discuss the great unsolved mystery of the Pacific – the disappearance of famed explorer and aviator Amelia Earhart. Kurt also shares his involvement in the search for Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra plane as well as the mission that is currently underway on Nikumaroro Island.

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich are joined by Julianne (“Julie”) Smith, an expert on transatlantic issues and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). The three discuss Julie’s experiences in the national security field as a woman, the complexities of Europe’s multifaceted relationship with Beijing, and the European perspective towards the Trump administ...

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich continue the discussion with Jake Sullivan about U.S.-China strategic competition and where it’s headed, Jake’s travels with Secretary Clinton, his take on the 2016 campaign, and the Democratic Party moving forward.

In this first portion of a two-part Tea Leaves conversation, Kurt and Rich sit down with Jake Sullivan, former National Security Advisory to Vice President Joe Biden and former Policy Planning Director at the State Department. The three discuss Jake’s views on what a modern Democratic foreign policy strategy looks like, his involvement in the Iran nuclear deal, and his career beginnings.

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich sit down with Kelly Magsamen, the Vice President for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress. The three discuss Kelly’s early interest in national security, her experience in the Pentagon and the National Security Council, and her work at the Center for American Progress.

In this episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich sit down with Ashley Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior adviser at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former senior adviser to the ambassador at the U.S.

In this latest episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich sit down with Admiral Mike Mullen (ret.) to hear about the Admiral’s experiences in the military and his role as 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As part of Tea Leaves’ mission to highlight rising young voices, Kurt sits down with Ali Wyne, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, for a conversation about U.S.-China relations and America’s role in the world.

Ben Rhodes, the former deputy national security advisor for President Barack Obama, joins Kurt and Rich to discuss the challenges facing the United States in Asia. Ben shares insights from his experience planning President Obama’s foreign trips and cha...

Michael Morell, the former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, joins Kurt and Rich to discuss China, Pakistan, and the role of the U.S. intelligence community. Morell shares experiences from more than 30 years working at the CIA and ins...

In this special episode of Tea Leaves, Kurt and Rich sit down with Dr. Siddharth Mohandas, The Asia Group’s director of research, to discuss the firm’s groundbreaking Asia Power Trends report. The three talk about the changing role of the United States...

In this second episode in our two part series, Kurt and Rich continue their conversation with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns. Together they discuss Burns’ new book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its...

In this first episode in a two part series, Kurt and Rich sit down with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns to discuss the changing role of U.S. diplomacy, Burns’ newest book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case f...

In this latest episode of Tea Leaves, Rich sits down with C. Raja Mohan in Singapore to discuss shifting dynamics between the United States and India and the changing geopolitical balance as China looms ever larger in the international scene.

In this episode, Kurt and Rich welcome U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mike McDevitt (ret.) to the Tea Leaves studio to chat about his experiences serving in the U.S. Navy and his career focus on U.S. defense and security strategy in the Asia-Pacific.

Kurt and Rich welcome Kristin Lord, the president and CEO of IREX, and Tina Sciabica, the executive director of READ Global, to the Tea Leaves studio. As leaders of two prominent non-profits with operations around the world,

Evan Medeiros, the former senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, returns to the studio to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bilateral relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

Evan Medeiros, the former senior director for Asia at President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, joins Kurt and Rich for a special New Year’s Day episode commemorating the 40th anniversary of the bilateral relationship between the United State...

CNN analyst Sam Vinograd, the former senior advisor to White House national security Tom Donilon, joins Kurt and Rich for a conversation about her career in foreign policy and her views on U.S. policy in Asia.

Kishore Mahbubani, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Singapore’s former permanent representative to the United Nations, joins Kurt and Rich for a conversation about Asia’s role in the international order. Mahbubani,

Dr. Elizabeth Economy, the C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Kurt for a conversation about her career and the way that Chinese domestic politics is shaping the country’s approach to its i...

Former White House national security advisor Tom Donilon joins Kurt and Rich to discuss his experience serving as one of President Barack Obama’s closest advisors and the current challenges facing the United States.

As a journalist, CNN correspondent and anchor Jim Sciutto has travelled throughout Asia reporting on crises and geopolitical developments that have tested world leaders. He joins Rich for a discussion about his life as correspondent both at home in Was...