Earlier this week, in retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, Iran fired a dozen missiles on two bases in Iraq housing US troops. After, President Trump said Iran "appears to be standing down." But Kelly Magsamen, NSC director for Iran under US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and now at the Center for American Progress, explains on Deep Dish that the repercussions of killing Soleimani will be felt for days, months, and even years to come.
Jan 09, 2020•22 min
Following the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani last week, Iraq's parliament voted to ask the prime minister to oust US forces from the country. It comes after violent protests in Iraq against both the Iraqi government and the US embassy in Baghdad. Emma Sky, a former political adviser to the commanding general of US forces in Iraq and now at Yale University, joins Deep Dish to explain why US-Iraq relations have deteriorated so abruptly and what it means for Iran and ISIS....
Jan 09, 2020•30 min
As we've seen in places like Syria and Iraq, today's armed conflict is civilian-focused, driven by non-state actors, and increasingly urban. Do traditional international norms like the Geneva Conventions still matter? Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, joins Deep Dish to examine why changes in the nature of war have complicated the way international law governs humanitarian crises and urban conflict.
Dec 19, 2019•30 min
Ever since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and its meddling in US elections in 2016, relations between Moscow and Washington have gone from bad to worse. But should the United States actively work to improve relations? Or is dealing with Putin a lost cause? Molly Montgomery, a former US foreign service officer and special advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, and William Ruger, vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, join Deep Dish to discuss....
Dec 12, 2019•36 min
There's no sign of a big deal soon in the US-China trade war, the US Congress has not yet passed the USMCA, and the World Trade Organization's appeals panel is in peril. But the US jobs market is booming, with 266,000 jobs added in November. The University of Chicago's Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama, and The Economist 's Soumaya Keynes join Deep Dish to discuss whether it's a moment for optimism or concern about the US economy....
Dec 06, 2019•32 min
A centerpiece of US strategy during the Trump administration has been the idea of the "Indo-Pacific," a massive single region stretching across both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. One of the goals in this strategy is to link up India with US allies in East Asia as a counterbalance to a rising China. But how does New Delhi see the situation? Sushant Singh, deputy editor of the Indian Express newspaper, joins the University of Chicago's Paul Staniland and the Council's Brian Hanson to discuss....
Nov 27, 2019•36 min
While Ukraine dominates US news this week due to the impeachment proceedings, Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Putin are preparing for an upcoming meeting to find a peaceful resolution to the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine. Melinda Haring of the Atlantic Council and Joanna Rohozinska of the National Endowment for Democracy join Deep Dish to discuss the latest in Europe.
Nov 21, 2019•30 min
This week, a case was filed in the International Court of Justice accusing Myanmar of having committed genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority. It is a far cry from where the country also known as Burma seemed to be a few years ago, when the long-ruling military junta opened the door for democratic elections. Historian Thant Myint-U, author of the new book The Hidden History of Burma , joins Deep Dish to discuss Burma's recent struggles with race, capitalism, and democracy, as well as the ...
Nov 14, 2019•25 min
Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple are massive companies, commanding so much of the market that they are now being called monopolies. Rana Foroohar, global business columnist for the Financial Times and author of the new book Don't Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles—and All of Us , joins Deep Dish to discuss how these data-fueled tech behemoths are disrupting the US economy and American politics.
Nov 07, 2019•25 min
The breakdown of fledgling democracies in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, the return of authoritarian leaders, and the resurgence of protesters in the streets all suggest that democracy promotion is a failed project. But the United States still has an essential role to play in promoting democratic institutions abroad, argue Ambassador Derek Mitchell and Daniel Twining. The presidents of the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute join Deep Dish to explain why....
Oct 31, 2019•30 min
The US Congress has not approved a use of force since 2002, when it voted to invade Iraq. "Too many members of Congress are all too happy to abdicate their constitutional responsibility and allow the president to go it alone," explains Oona Hathaway, professor of International Law at Yale Law School. Hathaway joins Deep Dish to lay out a step-by-step plan for Congress to revive its war powers.
Oct 24, 2019•29 min
The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his role in ending a 20-year military stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In fact, the historic rapprochement is just one element of the young leader's ambitious, fast-moving reforms. Boston University's Michael Woldemariam and the Council's Ertharin Cousin join Deep Dish to discuss the strides so far and the steps ahead.
Oct 17, 2019•29 min
More than 1,200 days have passed since Britain's referendum to leave the European Union, but little has been decided in that time about how Brexit will actually take place. As the Oct. 31 deadline nears and Boris Johnson's government tries to negotiate a deal at the wire, the editor-in-chief of The Economist joins Deep Dish to explain how the United Kingdom fell into this predicament and what to expect next.
Oct 09, 2019•28 min
Monday, October 7, marks 18 years since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom. Since 2001, more than 2,400 US military personnel have died in Afghanistan, yet the Taliban and other insurgents continue to launch attacks, hold terrain, and decimate the US-backed Afghan security forces. Robert A. Pape, professor of political science and the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, joins Deep Dish to discuss another way forward for America's longest wa...
Oct 03, 2019•27 min
On October 1, the Chinese Communist Party marks 70 years in power. Much has changed since the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the legacy of its founder, the revolutionary Mao Zedong, still looms large today over Xi Jinping's leadership and Beijing's foreign policy. Julia Lovell, author of Maoism: A Global History, joins Deep Dish to discuss.
Sep 26, 2019•26 min
National security, alliances, immigration, and trade wars have already surfaced in debates and speeches by 2020 US presidential candidates. But how do the candidates' ideas match those of Americans overall? James M. Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations joins the Council's Dina Smeltz to discuss the findings of the newly released 2019 Chicago Council Survey on how Americans view US foreign policy.
Sep 19, 2019•31 min
Australia has long been a strong ally of the United States, but new challenges and opportunities, including the rise of China, confront the alliance in the 21st century. Ahead of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's visit to the United States and state dinner with President Donald Trump, Dr. Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute in Sydney, joins Deep Dish to delve into this important but often-overlooked relationship.
Sep 17, 2019•24 min
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will annex part of the Jordan Valley if he stays in power after elections next week. The decision comes as tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon and with Iran-backed militias in Syria flare up. The Jerusalem Post 's Middle East affairs analyst Seth Frantzman and the Council's Cécile Shea join Deep Dish to discuss.
Sep 12, 2019•32 min
Flames raging across the Amazon have captured the world's attention, but Brazil faces other pressing economic, political, and conservation consequences due to deforestation as well. In all, the fires have revealed a stark division between increasingly urban populations and the rural areas that feed their modern way of life. Robert Muggah of the Igarapé Institute in Rio de Janeiro joins Deep Dish to discuss.
Sep 05, 2019•25 min
On September 1, two important state elections are being held in Germany's Brandenburg and Saxony. The far-right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) looks poised to win. On Deep Dish , Sheri Berman of Barnard College explains why the AfD has emerged as a formidable populist challenger to the two long-dominant parties in Germany, the social democrats and the Christian democrats.
Aug 29, 2019•29 min
Indonesia's massive, overcrowded capital is sinking due to climate change and depleted ground water. Now President Joko Widodo wants to move the capital and build an entirely new city. The decision comes just as Jokowi, as he is known, begins his second presidential term—and it's not the only challenge he faces. Tom Pepinsky of Cornell University and the Brookings Institution joins Deep Dish to discuss.
Aug 23, 2019•26 min
Last week, Narendra Modi's government revoked the constitutional provision that had long granted special autonomy to India-administered Kashmir. Bloomberg's Nisid Hajari, author of Midnight's Furies , and Paul Staniland of the University of Chicago join Deep Dish to discuss how the decision has once again torn open tensions between India and Pakistan—and what it means for the United States.
Aug 15, 2019•30 min
Last week, Tokyo decided to downgrade its trade relationship with Seoul following weeks of protests, boycotts, and sparing. While bad blood between the two US allies goes back decades, its reemergence today raises new questions about stability and security in the region—and all while US relations with China and North Korea worsen. Alexis Dudden of the University of Connecticut and the Council's Karl Friedhoff join Deep Dish to discuss.
Aug 08, 2019•36 min
Tunisia is the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring. Yet the death of its first democratically elected president last week has raised new questions about its future. The outcome matters not just to Tunisians, but also as a test case for democracy across North Africa and the Arab world. Sarah Yerkes of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Gordon Gray, the US ambassador to Tunisia from 2009 to 2012, join Deep Dish to discuss.
Aug 01, 2019•32 min
With the return of national populism to global politics, multilateral organizations such as the United Nations have come under renewed scrutiny. Yet the UN is much more than just colorful speeches from leaders each September in New York and vetoed resolutions in the Security Council. The Council's Catherine Bertini, a former executive director of the UN World Food Programme, and the Council's global governance fellow, Thomas Weiss, join Deep Dish to discuss the future of the UN and why the Unite...
Jul 25, 2019•30 min
US sanctions on Iran are shifting the strategic calculus for Tehran to retaliate, creating a situation reminiscent of the sequence in 1941 that led Imperial Japan to attack the US naval base in Hawaii, argues Robert Pape of the University of Chicago. Ellen Laipson of George Mason University, too, warns about the White House neglecting the risks of economic coercion when it fails. Both join this week's Deep Dish to discuss what is at stake with Iran.
Jul 18, 2019•32 min
More than a million people have demonstrated in Hong Kong over the last month, rallying against a proposed bill that would have allowed for the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China. Yet even now that the bill has been suspended, the protests show no sign of abating. Director of the Southeast Asia Project at the Lowy Institute Ben Bland joins Deep Dish to explain what is happening.
Jul 11, 2019•32 min
In a recent 90-minute interview with the Financial Times , President Vladimir Putin detailed his thoughts not only about Russia, but also about the United States, China, Europe, and the Middle East. Financial Times editor Lionel Barber, who conducted the interview, joins Council President Ivo Daalder and Deep Dish host Brian Hanson to discuss what the Russian president revealed about his worldview.
Jul 03, 2019•32 min
Sudan is careening towards a crisis. President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April after three decades in power, yet heavily armed groups are now fighting in Sudan for control. At the same time, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and the United States are each vying for influence. Andrew Natsios, director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at the Bush School at Texas A&M University and US envoy to Sudan during the George W. Bush administration, joins Deep Dish to explain what is goin...
Jun 27, 2019•35 min
For each bold move abroad, from the Belt and Road Initiative to island building, China seems confronted with new vulnerabilities at home, including the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. Jessica Chen Weiss, author of an intriguing new essay in Foreign Affairs , and Ali Wyne of the Rand Corporation join Deep Dish to discuss what is intrinsic and what is incidental to Beijing's ambitions.
Jun 20, 2019•26 min