With so much of the focus in recent weeks on the Trump administration’s policies toward Europe, where does that leave the broader trajectory of the U.S.-China relationship? Expert and former Biden administration official Rush Doshi sits down with Ravi Agrawal to discuss. Doshi is currently the C.V. Starr senior fellow for Asia studies and director of the China Strategy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Rush Doshi: Long Game: China’s Gr...
Mar 07, 2025•51 min
“I don’t give up on Trump. I do think that, for the wrong reasons, we can get him to do the right things” says former Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth. Roth sits down with Ravi Agrawal to share his take on human rights today amid democratic backsliding, ongoing conflict, and a new U.S. administration on the world stage. Roth led Human Rights Watch for nearly 30 years and is the author of Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. Suggested reading (FP li...
Feb 28, 2025•43 min
Finnish President Alexander Stubb sits down with Ravi Agrawal on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference to discuss European security in Trump 2.0. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Transcript: Finland’s President: Trump’s Strategy ‘Is a Bit of a Seesaw’ Transcript: The Speech That Stunned Europe C. Raja Mohan: India Sees Opportunities as Trump Jettisons the Western Order James Crabtree: Trump Could Make China Great Again Kishore Mahbubani: It’s Time for Europe to Do ...
Feb 19, 2025•33 min
How history will weigh the war in Gaza, with author Pankaj Mishra. Mishra recently previewed his new book on the subject with Foreign Policy, in a piece titled “How Gaza Shattered the West’s Mythology.” He shares more now with Ravi Agrawal. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Pankaj Mishra: The World After Gaza: A History Pankaj Mishra: How Gaza Shattered the West’s Mythology David E. Rosenberg: Why Gaza Is Israel’s Forever War Ran Greenstein: Settler Colonialism Isn’t What You Think ...
Feb 14, 2025•49 min
U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term with rapid-fire proposals ranging from invading Greenland to imposing tariffs on top trading partners. How are these moves being viewed globally? FP Live host Ravi Agrawal is joined by three experts, spanning three continents, to learn more. Nathalie Tocci serves as the director of the Italian think tank Istituto Affari Internazionali. Former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani is an author and geopolitical analyst. And Ed Luce is a columnist ...
Feb 05, 2025•50 min
At a White House press briefing on Tuesday, the Trump administration maintained that it would impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada on Feb. 1. This comes after announcing a 10 percent duty on China earlier in the week. Trade and capital expert Brad Setser is skeptical that it will follow through, though, saying that the economic ramifications of tariffs at that scale would be a “ pretty bloody big shock.” Setser sits down with host Ravi Agrawal to share more. Suggested rea...
Jan 31, 2025•49 min
FP Live host Ravi Agrawal kicked off a lively discussion on the new frontiers of cybersecurity at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He was joined by panelists Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation; Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare; Andrius Kubilius, European commissioner for defense and space; Joe Kaeser, chairman of Siemens Energy’s supervisory board; and Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Sugges...
Jan 25, 2025•47 min
Immigration was a top issue among voters in the 2024 U.S. election, with President-elect Donald Trump calling for the “largest deportation operation in American history.” And with the incoming administration expected to take action as soon as Trump returns to office, what are the possible ramifications of this policy? Edward Alden, author of the recent book When the World Closed its Doors: The COVID-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, joins host Ravi Agrawal to share his insights. Suggested re...
Jan 17, 2025•49 min
FP Live is joined by Comfort Ero, the president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, as she details the 2025 edition of “10 Conflicts to Watch.” From Sudan to Myanmar, Haiti, Ukraine, Iran, and beyond, why is the world facing so many crises at once, and how can it solve them? Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Comfort Ero and Richard Atwood: 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2025 Aaron David Miller and Lauren Morganbesser: Why the Gulf States Might Feature Prominently in Trump’s Foreign...
Jan 10, 2025•49 min
Pundits love calling President-elect Trump’s leadership “transactional.” But is that true? FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal shares his take in this audio essay from the upcoming print issue of Foreign Policy’s magazine. Take a listen. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Kori Schake: Why Biden’s Foreign Policy Fell Short Raghuram Rajan: Isolationism Won’t Make Anyone Great Again Adam Tooze: America Is Locked in a New Class War Daniel W. Drezner: Does the Madman Theory Actually Work? Rav...
Jan 08, 2025•13 min
Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and the author of Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, sits down with host Ravi Agrawal to look ahead to 2025. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Fareed Zakaria Looks Back at 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 03, 2025•43 min
National security analyst and former Trump administration official Elbridge Colby joined FP Live earlier this year to share his take on what a second Trump term could mean for foreign policy. He was recently tapped to be the under secretary of defense for policy in the incoming administration. As such, he will be an integral part of Trump’s decision-making—making this episode newly relevant. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Transcript: Decoding Trump’s Foreign Policy Elbridge Colby...
Dec 30, 2024•52 min
This year closed out with ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, and numerous incumbents forced out after a record year of elections around the world. Fareed Zakaria, author of Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, joins FP Live to reflect on the year and share his insights on what these trends could mean for our liberal global world order. Zakaria is also the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Transcript: The En...
Dec 27, 2024•38 min
Top humanitarian aid official and longtime diplomat Samantha Power discusses lessons learned from her post at USAID and what she’d like to share with the next administration in this bonus episode. This conversation was taped before the passage of last week's Continuing Resolution. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Walter Kerr and Amanda Arch: U.S. Foreign Aid Is Broken but Fixable Agathe Demarais: Aid Is the Next Battleground Between China and the West Laura Thornton: How a Second T...
Dec 23, 2024•39 min
The incoming Trump administration is expected to gut a key piece of President Biden’s climate legacy: the Inflation Reduction Act. How will rolling this law back shape energy policy in the future? And what does this mean for the Paris Climate Accords? The Biden administration’s top climate diplomat, John Podesta, joins FP Live to discuss. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Transcript: Will Trump Dismantle Biden’s Clean Energy Initiative Cameron Abadi and Adam Tooze: The Complicated L...
Dec 20, 2024•33 min
Inside a nontraditional war: the chip wars. Can Trump’s tariffs stop China’s efforts to catch up on semiconductor production? How will the AI boom change the game? The leading expert on semiconductor competition, Chris Miller, joins FP Live to discuss the state of the tech race and the impact of a second Trump administration. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Rishi Iyengar: Everyone Wants a Chip Factory Chris Miller: Biden Opens Sneaky New Front in Trade War Against China Vivek Chil...
Dec 13, 2024•48 min
For most Middle East watchers, the big news last week was that after nearly 14 months of war, Israel and Hezbollah signed a cease-fire agreement. But before the ink on that agreement was dry, another big shift was afoot: Rebel groups in Syria took control of the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo, in less than four days of battle. Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges joins FP Live to discuss the regional and global implications. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Jeremy Hodge and Husse...
Dec 06, 2024•47 min
The global target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius looks increasingly unlikely. What approaches to solving the climate crisis can best provide solutions? FP deputy editor Cameron Abadi joins FP Live to debut his new book: Climate Radicals: Why Our Environmental Politics Isn’t Working, which compares the policies of Germany and the United States. He shares what he has learned with Ravi Agrawal. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Cameron Abadi and Adam Tooze: Is Climate Activ...
Nov 26, 2024•33 min
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is the self-proclaimed “tariff man.” On the campaign trail, he talked about tariffs of 20 percent on goods from most countries and 60 percent on those from China. Now, tariffs have trade-offs, especially domestically. To break it down, Ravi Agrawal is joined by a conservative economist who has long made the case for tariffs: Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Matthew Kroenig: Why the World S...
Nov 22, 2024•53 min
Trump’s election can be interpreted as a change election, signaling the rejection of things as they were. But what does all this change mean for the world? How are countries and companies navigating new geopolitical risks with Trump’s win? In a bonus episode, FP’s Ravi Agrawal puts these questions to the world’s foremost geopolitical risk expert, Ian Bremmer. He’s also the president and founder of Eurasia Group, as well as GZERO Media. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Ian Bremmer: ...
Nov 15, 2024•37 min
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is moving rapidly to nominate loyalists to key administration positions. How much do these choices matter? And what do his personnel choices mean for our assessments of his foreign policy? Conservative scholar Kori Schake sits down with Ravi Agrawal to share what we might expect from a second Trump term. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Transcript: How Much Do Trump’s Personnel Choices Matter? FP Staff: Trump’s Foreign-Policy Influencers Stephen M....
Nov 12, 2024•45 min
What was supposed to be one of the closest elections in history ended early Wednesday morning with a decisive victory for former U.S. President Donald Trump. The election took place against a backdrop of a particularly divided and polarized electorate. Does history have any precedents or lessons for the current moment? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with historians Julian E. Zelizer and Joanne Freeman. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): FP Staff: What Trump’s Win Means for U....
Nov 08, 2024•47 min
As China’s influence grows in Asia and around the world, how will the next U.S. president manage Washington’s most important relationship? And beyond China, how do Donald Trump and Kamala Harris compare in their approach toward other Asian countries? In the fifth and final episode of a special election series, FP’s Ravi Agrawal speaks with Ryan Hass and Lynn Kuok. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Lili Pike: How Does the U.S.-China ‘Cold War’ End? Agathe Demarais: Why China Is Rooti...
Nov 01, 2024•35 min
Judging by the way Latin America is discussed in the U.S. presidential elections, Americans view the continent mostly in negative terms: as the source of unwanted immigration and drug cartels. But the reality is obviously more complex. The region includes America’s largest trading partner—Mexico—and it is an arena for intense geopolitical competition. In the fourth episode of FP Live’s special election series, host Ravi Agrawal asks Moisés Naím, a former Venezuelan minister of trade and industry...
Oct 31, 2024•40 min
Africa has been neglected by recent administrations; the last presidential visit was in 2015, though President Joe Biden will be making a trip to Angola in December. How will the next president handle this large and diverse continent? FP’s Ravi Agrawal is joined by two Africa experts—Martin Kimani and Zainab Usman—on the third installment of FP Live’s special election series. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Martin Kimani: How to Restore the American Center Henry Tugendhat: The U.S...
Oct 30, 2024•42 min
Among foreign policy issues, how the United States should approach its relationship with Europe might be the one on which presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris disagree most. To find out why, hear Nathalie Tocci, the director of Rome’s Istituto Affari Internazionali, and Mark Leonard, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, on the second episode of FP Live’s special election series. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): A. Wess Mitchell and Jakub Gryg...
Oct 29, 2024•41 min
Every day this week, FP Live will have a new episode focused on a different part of the world and how presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would tailor their foreign policies for those regions. In this episode, host Ravi Agrawal looks at the Middle East and speaks with experts Steven A. Cook and Sanam Vakil. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Steven A. Cook: Why Americans and Israelis Don’t See Eye to Eye on Iran Talal Mohammad: Why the Gulf States Are Likely Backin...
Oct 28, 2024•36 min
Last week, a regular Israeli patrol in southern Gaza chanced upon the person they had been hunting for more than a year: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. His death raised some big questions: How much of a blow would this be for Hamas? What would it mean for Israel’s strategy? This week’s guest has thought a lot about all of these questions. Gen. David Petraeus led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of counterterrorism efforts there. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): FP Live...
Oct 23, 2024•47 min
North Korea and Iran are fascinating countries for many reasons, but also because they're part of an emerging alliance of autocracies. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly helping each other out in a range of global hotspots, often stymieing U.S. interests. But what is their end goal? FP Live asks Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Stimson Center, and Chung Min Lee, a Korea expert at the Carnegie Endowment. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free):Daniel R. DePetris and ...
Oct 18, 2024•49 min
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel and set in motion a new cycle of violence that has rocked the Middle East. Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East advisor to both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state, joins FP Live to look back—and ahead. Suggested reading (FP links are paywall-free): Aaron David Miller and Steven Simon: Oct. 7 Changed Everything–but What if It Didn’t? Aaron David Miller and Lauren Morgenbesser: Don’t Blame Biden for the Yearlong War in Gaza ...
Oct 07, 2024•42 min
