On June 30th, Providence and Tikvah partnered to convene a panel titled "What We Mean by 'Judeo-Christian'" to discuss the role of the Hebrew Bible as a shared point of reference in the American traditions of liberal democracy and constitutional republicanism. This panel was inspired by the Providence article "The Judeo-Christian Nation" by Pete Peterson and Jack Miller, published in Providence on March 26, 2025. In the face of heightened political and social divisions, the Hebrew Bible holds th...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 22 min
In July 2023, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser saw something catastrophic on the horizon: a Hamas invasion of Israel. A year later, in a conversation with Providence, he predicted an aggressive IDF military campaign to proactively degrade Hezbollah, the Assad regime, and Iran itself -- another bold prediction which also came true. One year later, Kuperwasser's reputation as a prophet has been firmly established. Now the president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Kuperwass...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Responding to two recent essays, the Provcast team interview Rich Ghazal, Executive Director of In Defense of Christians, to discuss the question of Christian persecution as it relates to US foreign policy past and present—and particularly to the well being of Christians now under threat in Syria. What is America’s obligation to these Christians and where does it come from? Should helping them be a priority of American power, and if so, how? What about other persecuted non-Christian communities?...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Talking with Iranian scholar and policy expert Dr. Farhad Rezaei, the Provcast crew get caught up on the latest developments related to the Iran-Israel war before talking through a number of hard questions: the nature of America's involvement, the potential for escalation and unexpected outcomes, and the controversial question of regime change. How should a Christian realist think about this war? What's at stake? And how should President Trump be assessing what to do next? Articles referenced: "...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 13 min
In this two-part conversation, the Provcast crew unpacks Ukraine’s surprise drone attack on Russia and what it means for the war (and the future of war in general), America’s involvement, and whether the attack risks escalation with Russia. The crew then shifts to President Trump’s recent speech in Riyadh, which lays out the preliminary principles of a “Trump doctrine”—but are they really principles? Is there any method to Trump’s approach? Is he an isolationist, a realist, a mercantilist, or so...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 36 min
Providence Managing Editor James Diddams is joined by Jozef Kosc, Hamilton Center Fellow at the University of Florida, to discuss the varied ideological parentage of Iran's official state ideology, which includes not only Islamic sources but also European philosophers such as Martin Heidegger, Georges Sorel, Vladimir Lenin, Ernst Cassirer, and GWF Hegel. Jozef's two articles on this subject, "Iran’s Enduring Apocalyptic Political Mythology" and "Thousands of Paper Cuts, Then a Nuclear Bomb: Geor...
Jun 10, 2025•43 min
Providence Editor James Diddams is joined by Bill Drexel, Fellow at Hudson Institute in US-India relations and geopolitical competition with China, to discuss his April 4th article "How Competing Hindu Theologies Drove India’s Nuclear Decision Making—In Opposite Directions." The story of India's acquisition of nuclear weapons is a compelling counterexample to the idea that foreign policy/national security decisions, and nuclear proliferation in particular, are only driven by the narrowly defined...
May 22, 2025•27 min
Pondering recent events in the Vatican, the Provcast crew talks through the legacy of Pope Francis and the rise of "Pope Bob from Chicago" (the first Bishop of Rome to laugh at the Blues Brothers?) against the backdrop of a more important question: What role should the Roman Pontiff play in global affairs, if any? They then pick up questions surrounding the emerging, and likely unsatisfying, peace deal in Ukraine, Trump's visit to the Middle East, and the role of allies and "spheres of influence...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 34 min
As Providence Magazine approaches 10 years since its launch, editors Mark Tooley, Marc LiVecche, Robert Nicholson, and James Diddams discuss the founding vision of Providence and how the magazine has functioned as a forum for Christian realism since its inception.
May 07, 2025•1 hr 38 min
In his recent book "Religion and Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War" (Davenant, 2024), Miles Smith IV, Assistant Professor of History at Hillsdale College, explores the interplay between faith and politics in early America, revealing a more complex picture than current polemics might have us believe. Breaking down his thesis with Providence editor-at-large Robert Nicholson, Dr. Smith talks liberalism and conservatism in US history, nations vs. empires, the Protestant/...
May 01, 2025•45 min
Marc LiVecche joins Providence contributor Keith Pavlischek and the Hoover Institution's Peter Berkowitz on a wide-ranging exploration of Israel's war against Hamas and adjacent themes. Taking place on the leeward side of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, they discuss ongoing antisemitism as it exploded on American college campuses in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks, the decimating effect of progressive ideology on liberal arts educa...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 1 min
The world looks very different a year after the Iran-orchestrated Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023. With Israeli counterstrikes in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran itself—and with hatred for Israel reaching an all-time high around the world—it’s worth asking what it all means. In this episode, Marc LiVecche talks with Providence’s co-founder and Editor-at-Large Robert Nicholson about the various dynamics shaping the conflict and how people of conscience can reckon with the paradoxes of war. What's t...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 14 min
In the midst of ongoing debate regarding the military service record of Democratic party vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Providence's Marc LiVecche spoke with Marine Corps veterans Mac Owens and Keith Pavlischek to clarify the real issues. Focusing on the charge that Walz placed his own interests over his duty to his men by retiring rather than deploying to Iraq, this conversation attempts to avoid partisan bickering in order to discuss the effect of Walz's decision on unit morale, cohesio...
Aug 29, 2024•54 min
Marc LiVecche hosts COL Keith Pavlischek, USMC (RET), long-time Providence contributor for a long-form discussion about the Israel-Hamas War. Points of focus include getting the meaning of proportionality right, the criticality of making basic distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong, causal and moral responsibility, and much else. Among the highlights is their imagined scenario in which they are talking with an honest college student who wants to know how the goal of eliminating Hama...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Rebecca Munson—department chair for government and public policy at Liberty University’s Helms School of Government—talks with Mark Melton about how the United States has combatted human trafficking globally. She explains how big of a problem human trafficking is and assesses America’s role in combatting this crime while comparing it to the European approach. Munson then compares and contrasts the crisis in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Mexico and discusses how foreign governments often...
Jun 09, 2022•32 min
Olivia Enos of the Heritage Foundation speaks with Mark Melton about how the Chinese government has been snuffing out liberty in Hong Kong. She discusses the recent arrests of Cardinal Zen and pro-democracy advocates and explains what they mean for religious liberty in the city-state. She also analyzes the Vatican’s deal with the Chinese Communist Party and warns the Catholic Church against improving relations with the Beijing regime. Enos wrote an article for Providence making the case that the...
May 25, 2022•27 min
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Paul Miller about what may happen in Ukraine now that the Battle of Kyiv appears to be over and the war is moving into a new, probably longer phase. In addition to discussing the current situation in the country, Miller covers what Russia’s relations with the United States may look like in the medium to long term, what the war should teach us about US-China relations, the possibility that Russia may recover and rearm from this war, how a new cold war is f...
Apr 05, 2022•24 min
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Tyson K. Wetzel (US Air Force) about how the United States can help Ukraine fight Russia effectively without NATO and Russia getting into a war. Wetzel helped conduct a survey and write a report for the Atlantic Council that created a “strategic risk calculator.” The survey asked foreign policy experts to consider various ways NATO allies could help Ukraine and ranked both how effective that assistance would be and how much it risked es...
Mar 23, 2022•20 min
In this wide-ranging and impassioned conversation about the war in Ukraine, Providence editors Marc LiVecche and Rebeccah Heinrichs, also of the Hudson Institute, discuss the latest developments, the intersection of just war reasoning and the facts on the ground, future options against Putin, how best to assist President Zelensky and his brave compatriots, and the delicate but critical question of regaining escalatory dominance against the Russian regime.
Mar 16, 2022•44 min
In this episode, Mariam Wahba and Adela Cojab talk about their new show "American-ish: Daughters of Diaspora", which covers the topics of faith, culture, religion, and more. Wahba is a Coptic Christian who was born in Menya, Egypt, and Cojab is a Syrian-Lebanese Jew born in Mexico City. They both now live in New York City. While talking with Mark Melton, Cojab and Wahba explain how the show started, how their families came to America, and how they adjusted to living here. They also address the m...
Mar 07, 2022•24 min
Weifeng Zhong and Christine McDaniel of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University talk with Mark Melton about the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. They cover how forced labor in China works and how the world knows this is happening. Zhong and McDaniel also discuss potential difficulties with how the law might be implemented and the dilemmas the US government and various businesses will face. For example, there may be potential issues with the evidentiary process and interim products. Fin...
Feb 22, 2022•27 min
Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute speaks with Mark Melton about the Russian threat to Ukraine. She gives an update of the latest situation in Ukraine at the time of recording (the morning of February 7) and explains why Americans should be concerned about a Russian invasion of the country. Heinrichs details how the United States has responded to the situation—including what the government has done right—and what America might do if Russia invades. She talks about Germany’s problematic r...
Feb 07, 2022•24 min
In this special Dark Ops episode of the podcast, Mark Melton and Marc LiVecche discuss the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life and the short story that inspired it, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film premiered in New York City 75 years ago on December 20, 1946. During the episode, Melton and LiVecche cover how the movie depicts the morality of banking and business, the importance of individuals, the value of a person’s work that may seem insignificant, Italian and Catholic immi...
Dec 19, 2021•29 min
In this episode Mark Melton speaks with Igor Sabino about the political situation in Brazil and that country’s role in global affairs. They focus on the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, and Sabino explains the reasons why Brazilian evangelicals supported him. While courting the evangelical vote, Bolsonaro promised to improve relations with Israel, so Sabino recaps what the president has been able to achieve while balancing its relations with Arab countries. Brazilian politicians have a history of c...
Nov 23, 2021•30 min
Just a few years ago, Ethiopia was a darling of foreign policy observers, with some comparing it to Taiwan and South Korea in decades past. Meanwhile, its prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. But now civil war has changed the country’s trajectory. In this episode, Joshua Meservey discusses the ongoing war between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government. He explains how and why the war started, what Tigrayan forces want, and why the war is such a tragedy. Meser...
Oct 13, 2021•35 min
Paul D. Miller speaks with Mark Melton about the current situation in Afghanistan as well as what might happen in the country next. In particular, they cover the perils that religious minorities and other vulnerable groups face, the possibility of civil war, the collapse of the Afghan economy, and the possibility of the US giving food aid to the country. They also discuss what Christians and churches can do to help the Afghan refugees who came to the United States. Miller explains why the curren...
Oct 04, 2021•25 min
In this episode, Joel Rosenberg talks about his latest book, "Enemies and Allies: An Unforgettable Journey inside the Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East." He reviews why he considers certain countries enemies and allies in the region, and points to troubling and positive trends. Rosenberg then discusses what he learned from his multiple interviews and meetings with Middle Eastern leaders, including Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), as well as with Donald T...
Sep 24, 2021•37 min
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir and Aykan Erdemir about religious freedom issues in Turkey. In particular, they cover what reports from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) say about Turkey and how the Turkish government’s restrictions on the Kurdish language affect religious minorities there. The Erdemirs also discuss the status of holy sites for religious minorities in Turkey, how they are sometimes restored, and the role they play in the...
Sep 10, 2021•32 min
In this episode, Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute talks with Mark Melton about the fall of Afghanistan. She describes what went wrong in Afghanistan, the problems of nation-building, whether the “forever war” is over, and how the United States military had been conducting counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. They also discuss why Joe Biden’s withdrawal was a debacle and problems with the “over the horizon” strategy to stop terrorism now that the US military is gone. Heinrichs a...
Aug 31, 2021•36 min
For the July 4th weekend, Eric Patterson and Mark Melton discuss what C.S. Lewis teaches Christians about patriotism and “love of home,” particularly in The Four Loves. They review how Lewis served his country in both the First World War and the Second World War, which demonstrates that he writes from experience when he writes about patriotism and sacrifice. And while Lewis argues that the “love of home” is the best type of patriotism, he warns against someone loving his or her country because o...
Jul 02, 2021•28 min
