Why It Matters

The United States national debt is rising to levels not seen since World War II. Many economists say Washington is on an unsustainable track, but no one knows when it will pass the point of crisis. What is at risk if U.S. debt continues to grow?

Featured Guests:

Maya MacGuineas (President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)

Roger W. Ferguson Jr. (Steven A. Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/whos-afraid-national-debt 

The world is watching the U.S. presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris with intense interest. Few countries are tracking the race more closely than Germany, Europe's biggest economy and a founding member of the NATO alliance. Its experiences provide insights into how this election is reverberating globally.

Featured Guests:

Liana Fix (Fellow for Europe, CFR) 

Stefan Kornelius (Foreign Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/why-world-obsessed-us-election-ask-germany 

West Africa is losing many of its best and brightest. Across the region, doctors, lawyers, and engineers are leaving, depriving some of the world’s youngest countries of the minds they need to develop sustainably. At the same time, coups have rocked the nearby Sahel, threatening to create a corrosive cycle of instability. Can West Africa quell the tide of emigration?

Featured Guests:

Aanu Adeoye (West Africa correspondent, Financial Times)

Ebenezer Obadare (Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/can-west-africa-curb-its-brain-drain 

In the past thirty years, sixty countries have expanded access to abortion care as an underpinning of maternal health. The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade made the United States the fourth country ever to decrease access to abortion—and the world took notice. Some countries have since reinforced protections for abortion care, while others have moved to further restrict it.

Featured Guests:

Onikepe Owolabi (Director of International Research, Guttmacher Institute)

Patty Skuster (Reproductive Health Law Policy Researcher and Consultant, University of Pennsylvania)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/global-abortion-access-after-roe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular man in India. On track to be elected for a third term, he has boosted the country’s global standing and propelled strong economic growth while consolidating power and galvanizing majoritarian support for his Hindu nationalist agenda—all while growing closer to the United States. How could Hindu nationalism reshape India?

Ashok Swain (Head of Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University)

Hartosh Singh Bal (Executive Editor, The Caravan)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/india-modi-and-hindu-nationalism 

A free and independent press is at the core of many democracies. But threats to the safety of journalists abound worldwide, and the rise of generative artificial intelligence has raised concerns about the future of media. At the same time, more people have access to high quality news now than perhaps ever before. Where does all this leave the state of the current media climate?

In this episode, Host Gabrielle Sierra and Foreign Affairs Editor Daniel Kurtz-Phelan talk about the future of journalism, and whether political polarization presents a challenge to nonpartisan publishing.

Dan Kurtz-Phelan (Executive Editor, Foreign Affairs)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/publishing-polarized-world 

A little over a week ago, Iran directly attacked Israel from its own territory for the first time in history. And while the United States and Israel shot down almost all of the missiles and drones, the attack remains unprecedented. Since the release of this episode, Israel has launched a relatively moderate counter strike, and tensions appear to be cooling. But the Middle East might still be on the brink of a wider war. Host Dan Kurtz-Phelan and guests Suzanne Maloney and Ali Vaez discuss the consequences of deteriorating Iran-Israel dynamics and more in this Foreign Affairs Interview episode.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit Foreign Affairs at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/can-israel-and-iran-step-back-brink 

Thirty years ago, Rwanda’s government began a campaign to eradicate the country’s largest minority group. In just one hundred days in 1994, roving militias killed around eight hundred thousand people. Would-be killers were incited to violence by the radio, which encouraged extremists to take to the streets with machetes. The United Nations stood by amid the bloodshed, and many foreign governments, including the United States, declined to intervene before it was too late. What got in the way of humanitarian intervention? And as violent conflict now rages at a clip unseen since then, can the international community learn from the mistakes of its past?

Featured Guests:

Claude Gatebuke (Executive Director, African Great Lakes Action Network)

David Scheffer (Senior Fellow for International Law and Criminal Justice, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/remembering-rwandan-genocide 

Many Americans are losing faith in the benefits of internationalism. But whether it’s wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, worsening extreme weather as a result of climate change, or the trade-offs of globalization, events abroad are increasingly having a local impact. At the same time,  more state and local officials in the United States are becoming involved in global affairs, conducting their own form of diplomacy on international issues and driving investment home. What role should the United States play in the world economy? And how do states and cities fit in?

Read about the RealEcon Initiative.

Featured Guests:

Matthew P. Goodman, Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Nina Hachigian, U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/local-leaders-global-economy 

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real. And the truth about them is often hidden from the public, for reasons related to national security. That secrecy has fed conspiracy theories about the possibility of alien life on Earth, creating a stigma around the legitimate scientific search for life on other planets. Why are UFOs considered a defense concern? And does a defense framing of UFOs inhibit scientific research?

Featured Guests

Philippe Ailleris (Copernicus Programme Project Controller, European Space Agency)

Shane Harris (Intelligence Correspondent, Washington Post)

Kai-Uwe Schrogl (President, International Institute of Space Law)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ufos-close-encounters-national-security-kind

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey predicts that this year/in 2024 the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?

Featured Guest: 

Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/2024-whats-worst-could-happen

Billions of people will take to the polls next year, marking the world’s largest-ever electoral field. But this historic scale is not the only thing that will make 2024 unique. As new threats like deep fakes become cheaper and more widespread, these upcoming elections could serve as a test run for democracy in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. What risks does AI pose to elections next year? And will a surge in AI-powered disinformation change the nature of democratic elections?

Featured Guests:

Kat Duffy (Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy)

Yoel Roth (Technology Policy Fellow, University of California, Berkeley)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/year-ai-and-elections

The United States and India have a long and complex history. In recent years, the two democracies have grown closer, linked by their shared concern about the rise of China. But the relationship has also been marked by a number of challenges. Just last week, U.S. authorities foiled a plot by an Indian national to assassinate a Sikh separatist on U.S. soil. Is the United States thinking about India the right way? And do the two countries share the same goals with regard to China? In this week's podcast takeover, host Dan Kurtz-Phelan and guest Ashley J. Tellis discuss all this and more in this Foreign Affairs Interview episode.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit Foreign Affairs at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/will-india-take-americas-side-against-china 

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are again at war. The most recent iteration of the conflict, which erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, has stoked public debate throughout the world. In the United States, heated debates about the issue have played out at universities, in boardrooms, and on social media. Thus far, the U.S. government has strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself, sending warships and high-ranking officials to the region, but concerns are mounting about the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. U.S. support for Israel is not new, but it has grown increasingly controversial, particularly among young people. Still, experts are skeptical that shifting U.S. public opinion of Israel and the Palestinian territories will influence the war’s trajectory.

Featured Guest:

Steven A. Cook (Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/understanding-us-role-israel-hamas-war

International trade has shaped the world for much of the past century. Countries benefited from the global flow of goods, and the world became richer and safer. At the same time, many Americans lost their jobs to cheaper overseas competitors. Now, a series of compounding challenges, including great power competition and climate change, have led U.S. officials to rethink trade policy. What's next for international trade? And can the United States retain the benefits of trade while protecting critical supply chains and fighting climate change?

Featured Guests:

Jennifer Hillman (Senior Fellow for Trade and International Political Economy)

Inu Manak (Fellow for Trade Policy)

Edward Alden (Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/turning-point-global-trade

Over the past few years, a new threat has emerged as a leading cause of death in the United States: fentanyl. Yet even as the drug wreaks havoc on Americans lives, preventing its flow into the United States is complicated, partially because of the supply’s overseas origins, which is often China. What is China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis?

Featured Guests:

Tom Bollyky (​​Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development, and Director of the Global Health Program)

Zongyuan Zoe Liu (Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/americas-fentanyl-epidemic-china-connection

Russia has caused unprecedented damage in Ukraine. And with no diplomatic end in sight to the conflict, many Ukrainians are wondering when, if ever, they will be able to go back to their homes. According to many experts, the answer is actually sooner rather than later. Can reconstruction begin before a war ends? Who pays, and where should world leaders begin?

Featured Guests: 

Sam Greene (Director of the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, Professor of Russian Politics, King's College London)

Phillip Zelikow (White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us as https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/case-rebuilding-ukraine 

For decades, U.S. homeowners have counted on property insurance to protect them from catastrophic loss if their homes are destroyed—and the U.S. economy has rested on the functionality of that model. But as this summer’s extreme weather broke records, private companies reduced their coverage. As climate disasters become more frequent, can home insurance hold up?

Featured Guests:

David Marlett (Managing Director of the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center, Appalachian State University)

Nancy Watkins (Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/could-climate-change-break-home-insurance 

Female representation in politics leads to numerous benefits, but the vast majority of the world’s most powerful politicians are men. Using the Council on Foreign Relations’ Women’s Power Index tool to track women’s leadership across the globe, this episode examines the problems that arise from a shortage of female leaders.

Featured Guests: 

Sandra Pepera (Senior Associate and Director for Gender, Women and Democracy, National Democratic Institute)

Linda Robinson (Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/who-runs-world-not-women 

A small island one hundred miles off the coast of China could be the flashpoint that determines the future of great-power competition. Experts increasingly warn that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be globally catastrophic, regardless of its success or if the United States intervenes. How concerned should Americans be?

James Lin (Assistant Professor at the University of Washington )

David Sacks (Fellow for Asia Studies, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/taiwan-china-and-threat-war 

The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought lawmakers and industry leaders to the same conclusion: regulation is necessary to ensure the technology changes the world for the better. The similarities could end there, as governments and industry clash on what those laws should do, and different governments take increasingly divergent approaches. What are the stakes of the debate over AI regulation?

Featured Guests:

Janet Haven (Executive Director, Data & Society)

Sebastian Mallaby (Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ai-meets-world-part-two

After decades of seeming like another sci-fi catchphrase, artificial intelligence (AI) is having its moment. Some experts predict that AI will usher in an era of boundless productivity and techno-utopia; others see a new realm of great-power competition and the end of humanity. Nearly all agree that AI will change the world. But will it be for the better?

Featured Guests:

Janet Haven (Executive Director, Data & Society)

Sebastian Mallaby (Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ai-meets-world-part-one 

Feeding the world's eight billion people has never been easy. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the market for fertilizer, that task has gotten even harder. The fertilizer crisis threatens to exacerbate food insecurity worldwide, especially in low-income countries already reeling from record-high inflation and rapidly depreciating currencies. What is fertilizer’s role in the food supply chain?

Featured Guests: 

Laura Cross (Director, Market Intelligence, International Fertilizer Association)

Michelle Gavin (Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/down-and-dirty-global-fertilizer-dilemma 

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of nuclear war felt like a problem of days past. Now, as great-power competition heats up, the potential for nuclear conflict seems higher than at any point in decades. How did the nuclear taboo fade, and what does nuclear proliferation mean for the United States?

Featured Guests:

J. Andrés Gannon (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, CFR)

Rupal N. Mehta (Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-nuclear-age 

All current U.S. military personnel have one thing in common: they volunteered. But falling recruitment has raised questions of national security, military readiness, and the health of U.S. society. Can the all-volunteer force handle a changing international security landscape?

Featured Guests:

Max Boot (Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, CFR)

Amy Bushatz (Director and Executive Editor, Military.com)

Colonel Timothy J. MacDonald (U.S. Army Fellow, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/army-some-recruiting-trouble-all-volunteer-force

Freedom of the press is under attack around the globe, but for journalists in Latin America in particular, reporting has become a matter of life and death. Populist leaders in the region have consolidated power and clamped down on press freedom, making the area the deadliest in the world for reporters. With anti-journalist sentiment on the rise, can a free and fair press prevail in an increasingly polarized world?

Featured Guests:

Neil Brandvold (Documentary Filmmaker and Photojournalist)

Jan-Albert Hootsen (Mexico Representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists)

Carin Zissis (Editor-in-Chief, AS/COA Online)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/silencing-messenger-global-threats-press-freedom 

As rising global temperatures thaw the ice at the North Pole of the planet, competition between nuclear-powered states threatens to heat up the Arctic Circle even further. An increasingly minable Arctic, which contains vast natural resources, has piqued the economic interests of oil-hungry great powers, even as the warmer climate jeopardizes Indigenous tribes. Here’s how the Arctic could become the next frontier of great-power competition.

Featured Guests:

Esther Brimmer (James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance, Council on Foreign Relations)

Captain Jeff Randall (U.S. Coast Guard Military Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/whats-cracking-arctic

*Editor's Note: In a narration for this episode, the Why It Matters team mistakenly stated that Russia will chair the Arctic Council for the next two years. In fact, Russia’s tenure ends in May, 2023. As of this writing, the next chair, Norway, has not committed to restarting stalled cooperation.

The world is entering a new era of great-power competition. As U.S. policymakers look ahead, it pays to know what global threats to anticipate. Every January, the Council on Foreign Relations publishes a survey that analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the twelve months ahead and rates their potential impact on the United States. But can the country prepare itself for mass immigration, cyberwarfare, and nuclear tensions while still cooperating with adversaries on global issues such as climate change?

Read the full 2023 Preventive Priorities Survey. 

Check out the Center for Preventive Action’s Global Conflict Tracker.

Featured Guest:

Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/2023-whats-worst-could-happen

In 2022, several major events reverberated around the world: a war in Europe, a global economic downturn, historic protests in Iran, the death of a queen. But these stories couldn’t cover everything that happened in our interconnected world. 

To find out what else happened this year, Gabrielle Sierra sat down with CFR President Richard Haass and three of CFR’s regional specialists to break down stories from Latin America, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Featured Guests

Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars 

Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations

Ebenezer Obadare, Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies

Shannon K. O’'Neil, Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/another-year-living-dangerously 

For years, the world thought of the internet as a borderless zone that brought people from around the world together. But as governments pursue very different regulatory paths, the monolithic internet is breaking apart. Now, where there had been one, there are at least three internets: one led by the United States, one by China, and one by the European Union.

Featured Guests:

Anu Bradford (Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization, Columbia Law School)

Adam Segal (Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security & Director of Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations)

Tarah Wheeler (Senior Fellow for Global Cyber Policy, Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/three-internets

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has kicked off in Qatar, and billions of fans worldwide are tuning in to the world’s most popular live event. And yet as in years past, the Qatar Cup is transpiring under the shadow of controversy.

Featured Guests

Laurent Dubois (Academic Director, Karsh Institute of Democracy and John L. Nau III Bicentennial Professor of the History & Principles of Democracy, University of Virginia)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/troubled-cup-beautiful-game 

The world is already witnessing the effects of climate change. One inescapable and irreversible consequence is sea-level rise, which could destroy coastal cities. How will the world adapt to rising tides?

Featured Guests:  

Alice C. Hill (David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Klaus Jacob (Geophysicist and Emeritus Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University) 

Henk Ovink  (Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Netherlands) 

Gernot Wagner (Climate Economist and Visiting Associate Professor, Columbia University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/climate-adaptation-rising-tides-in-coastal-cities

The global arms trade is big business and the United States accounts for more than 40 percent of the world’s weapons exports. Aside from the profit motivation, selling arms abroad can be an effective foreign policy tool, allowing the United States to exert influence over conflict and security worldwide without having to put boots on the ground. But are the risks worth the reward?

Featured Guests:

Christa N. Almonte (U.S. Navy Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations)

William D. Hartung (Director, Arms and Security Program, Center for International Policy)

Rachel Stohl (Vice President of Research Programs, Stimson Center)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/cost-us-arms-trade

How does a war end? In this special episode, Why It Matters speaks with CFR President Richard Haass on the conflict in Ukraine. We ask if and how this war can come to a close and discuss what compromises might have to be made. 

This conversation took place on Monday, October 10 and was only lightly edited.

Featured Guest:

Richard Haass (President, Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/update-ukraine-richard-haass-how-will-it-end

The U.S.-Saudi relationship is fraught with complications. Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world, giving it influence over what Americans pay at the gas pump. At the same time, the kingdom’s human rights abuses are at odds with the United States’ stated democratic values. Who holds the power in this partnership? And what compromises are being made so the countries can work together?

Featured Guests:

Lina Alhathloul (Head of Monitoring and Communications, ALQST for Human Rights)

Madawi Al-Rasheed (Visiting Professor, Middle East Center, London School of Economics)

Steven A. Cook (Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/saudi-exception 

Beware, coffee lovers: climate change could disrupt your precious morning cup of joe. Coffee beans could lose half of their farmable land by 2050 as temperatures and weather patterns become more extreme and less predictable. This could lead to scarcer yields and pricier brews. But there is hope that unique varieties and novel farming techniques could change coffee’s destiny. The transition will require massive investments and many observers question whether the industry can meet the challenge.

Featured Guests:

Aaron P. Davis (Senior Research Leader of Crops and Global Change, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

Amanda Grossi (Senior Africa Regional Manager, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Earth Institute, Columbia University)

Jonathan Morris (Research Professor in History, University of Hertfordshire)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/trouble-brewing-coffee

Hip-hop is a phenomenon that has captured hearts around the world. Its musical form ranges from party anthems to critical social commentary. But the genre plays another role: it is an influential soft-power tool for the United States. Like its predecessors jazz and rock, hip-hop is utilized by the U.S. State Department to connect with young minds, and its unique ability to inspire goodwill toward the United States offers a significant advantage over adversaries such as China and Russia. How did hip-hop become a go-to diplomatic instrument?

Toni Blackman (Alumni Outreach Director, Next Level) 

Mark Katz (John P. Barker Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: 

https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/hip-hop-diplomacy

For the past two thousand years, the pope has been a major player in global affairs. He is frequently called upon to act as a peace broker, a mediator, an advocate, and an influencer; and with over 1.3 billion followers around the world, the pope and his governmental arm, the Holy See, have the power to shape the future. How has the pope's power changed over time, and what is his role today?

Timothy Byrnes (Third Century Chair in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and Professor of Political Science, Colgate University)  

Francis Campbell (Vice Chancellor, University of Notre Dame Australia)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/power-of-the-pope

In this special episode, Why It Matters follows up with CFR President Richard Haass to hear his insights on the war in Ukraine.

Featured Guests: 

Richard Haass (President, Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at:

https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/update-on-ukraine-with-richard-haass

For years, large corporations have exploited international tax laws to pay less taxes. But last year, 137 countries backed a potential solution: a 15 percent corporate tax applied regardless of a company’s location. The reform could raise global tax revenues by $150 billion a year, but as advocates garner political support, there are significant roadblocks. 

Featured Guests: 

Shu-Yi Oei (Professor, Boston College Law School)

Richard Rubin (U.S. Tax Policy Reporter, Wall Street Journal)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/what-in-the-world-is-a-global-minimum-tax

How can the world create better medicines? More powerful solar cells? New batteries? The answers could come from a revolutionary research tool known as the quantum computer. It can seem like magic—harnessing the power of quantum physics to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. But there are unmitigated risks too, as the technology continues to develop. What would a quantum-led future hold?

Featured Guests: 

Shohini Ghose (Quantum Physicist and Professor, Physics and Computer Science, Wilfrid Laurier University) 

Marissa Guistina (Quantum Electronics Engineer and Research Scientist, Google) 

Kate Weber (Public Policy Lead, Quantum Computing, Google)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/quantum-leap

The world is already witnessing the effects of climate change. One inescapable and irreversible consequence is sea-level rise, which could destroy coastal cities. How will the world adapt to rising tides?

Featured Guests:  

Alice C. Hill (David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Klaus Jacob (Geophysicist and Emeritus Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University) 

Henk Ovink  (Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Netherlands) 

Gernot Wagner (Climate Economist and Visiting Associate Professor, Columbia University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/climate-adaptation-rising-tides-in-coastal-cities

In this special episode, Why It Matters sits down with CFR President Richard Haass to ask the basic questions about the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s frame of mind, and his threat to world order.

Featured Guest:

Richard Haass (President, Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: 

https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/perspective-ukraine-richard-haass

As the conflict in Ukraine escalates, here are some resources from the Council on Foreign Relations to stay informed: 

Charles A. Kupchan, “Why Putin’s War With Ukraine Is a Miscalculation,” CFR.org, February 24, 2022

“TWNW Special: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine,” The World Next Week, February 24, 2022

“Ukraine’s Struggle for Independence in Russia’s Shadow,” CFR.org, February 24, 2022

“Crisis in Ukraine,” CFR.org, February 23, 2022

Alina Polyakova and Daniel Fried, “Putin’s Long Game in Ukraine,” Foreign Affairs,  February 23, 2022

Thomas Graham, “Has Russia Just Started a Wider War With Ukraine?,” CFR.org, February 22, 2022

Max Boot, “Why the U.S. Ramped Up Its Information War With Russia,” CFR.org, February 10, 2022

Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow, “How Do the Militaries of Russia and Ukraine Stack Up?,” CFR.org, February 4, 2022

Jonathan Masters, “Why NATO Has Become a Flash Point With Russia in Ukraine,” CFR.org, January 20, 2022

Jonathan Masters, “Ukraine: Conflict at the Crossroads of Europe and Russia,” CFR.org, December 2, 2021

The world is moving toward electric vehicles and clean energy, but a green future doesn’t depend on wind turbines, solar panels, and Teslas alone. It will also require a vast supply of advanced batteries. As a result, global demand for lithium—an essential battery ingredient—is outpacing supply, with the gap expected to grow in the years to come.

Featured Guests: 

Frank Fannon (Managing Director, Fannon Global Advisors)

Vijay Vaitheeswaran (Global Energy & Climate Innovation Editor, The Economist)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/batteries-not-included

Why It Matters is back for a fifth season, asking the important questions about the global issues, problems, and trends that will affect the future. What role does American music play in international relations? Will the global supply chain put the path to clean energy at risk? What the heck is quantum computing?

For more information on our first four seasons, be sure to visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/why-it-matters

The Why It Matters team is pleased to introduce a new CFR series, Nine Questions for the World. 

The world is changing, and its future is forming around high-stakes challenges such as climate change and shifting geopolitical power. In this limited series, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass sits down with nine extraordinary thinkers to explore fundamental questions about the century to come.

To hear more, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or where ever you get your audio.

For episodes and more information, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcast-series/nine-questions-world.

Last summer, China tested a hypersonic missile that traveled through orbit. The test shocked many observers and led to widespread concern about the potential for nuclear-armed missiles that can evade detection and defense systems. The technology is not as new as it might seem, but this latest test highlights an underlying threat that the world has been living with for decades.

Featured Guests: 

Laura Grego (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 

Adam Mount (Senior Fellow and Director, Federation of American Scientists)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/hyperventilating-over-hypersonics

Nuclear energy is critical for decarbonization in the fight against climate change. But high-profile accidents, substantial costs, and concerns about waste management have kneecapped its expansion. As the climate crisis intensifies, the world is rethinking how to use nuclear energy to tackle ambitious climate targets.

Featured Guests: 

Leslie Dewan  (CEO, RadiantNano) 

Shirley Ann Jackson (President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/the-climate-for-nuclear-energy

Experts argue that Mexico affects daily life in the United States more than any other country. For years, U.S. and Mexican officials have attempted to tackle immigration, trade, and security challenges, and their success has depended on cooperation. With so much at stake, Why It Matters investigates the complex relationship and the factors that threaten it.

Featured Guests: 

Shannon K. O’Neil (Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Mariana Campero (Senior Associate, Non-resident, Americas Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/mexico

Female service members are more likely to be sexually assaulted by a fellow service member than shot by an enemy combatant at war. As the reports increase, the controversial military justice system remains intact. The current policy gives commanders authority over the prosecution, often allowing perpetrators to evade accountability. The consequences are dire for survivors and the armed services at large, as the status quo undermines military readiness. 

Featured Guests: 

Don Christenson (Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Ret., President, Protect Our Defenders) 

Meghann Myers (Pentagon Bureau Chief, Military Times) 

Heather Sexton (Captain, Missouri Army National Guard, Ret.)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/sexual-assault-in-the-us-military

Why It Matters is pleased to present an episode from its sister podcast, The President’s Inbox. Today, U.S. national security is dependent on international nuclear agreements. How does the world regulate nuclear weapons as countries continue to advance their arsenals?

Featured Guests: 

James M. Lindsey (Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, Council on Foreign Relations)  

Rose Gottemoeller (Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer, Stanford University Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Center for International Security and Cooperation)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/podcast-takeover-nuclear-security-presidents-inbox

The glamour and thrill of espionage, brought to life on screen by characters such as James Bond, have long captivated imaginations. But this profession is deeply misunderstood, and it is always changing. Today, spycraft hangs in the balance as new technologies emerge and societies change. 

Featured Guests: 

Edward Lucas (Senior Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis) 

Emily Harding (Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/spying-101

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country, has prompted a moment of national debate about the war’s cost and legacy. Many are asking what went wrong and what the conflict accomplished. 

For insight, Why It Matters turned to CFR President Richard N. Haass, who has spent four decades studying and advising on Afghanistan. As head of policy planning for the State Department under U.S. President George W. Bush, and later as U.S. coordinator for the future of Afghanistan, Haass was in the room when many of the earliest and most important decisions about the war were shaped. In this episode, he offers his critique of how the war unfolded and raises potential lessons the United States should consider as it turns its eyes to future challenges.

Featured Guest: 

Richard N. Haass (CFR President)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/perspective-afghanistan-richard-n-haass

Hosting the Olympics is a monumental undertaking that often leaves behind rusted stadiums and financial losses. So why do nations compete to do it? This episode examines the political history of the games, and the soft power that countries hope to gain by hosting them.

Featured Guests: 

Jules Boykoff (Professor of Political Science, Pacific University) 

Katharine Moon (Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/hey-remember-olympics

The United States’ alliance with Japan is the centerpiece of U.S. security in Asia, but new demographic challenges from within Japan raise concerns about the future of the region.

Featured Guests: 

Zach Cooper, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) 

Motoko Rich, Tokyo Bureau Chief, New York Times 

Sheila A. Smith, John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia Pacific Studies

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/japans-population-problem

Fresh water is more than just a resource, it is the source of all life. But in many arid regions of the world, water supplies are under pressure from climate change, and outdated rules and infrastructure are making the problem worse. What does the world need to know about water consumption, and how can societies build better systems for a dryer future?

Featured Guests: 

Mark Giordano (Professor of Geography and Cinco Hermanos Chair in Environment and International Affairs, Georgetown University) 

Sandra Postel (Founder and Director, Global Water Policy Project)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/water-scarcity

Silicon chips are in almost all electronics, and access to them can make or break a country’s economic future. Their production relies on complex supply chains, and during the pandemic, the world learned just how fragile these supply chains are. Many countries, including the United States and China, are investing billions of dollars to develop the capacity to produce chips domestically, and some analysts see chip-related conflict on the horizon.

Featured Guests: 

Don Clark (Freelance Contributor, New York Times)

Rebecca Heilweil (Reporter, Vox)

Ajit Manocha (President and CEO, SEMI)

David Sacks (Research Fellow)

For a transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/when-microchips-are-down

Will the world have enough water to survive in the era of climate change? Could a shortage of silicon chips eventually lead to war? Do human spies matter in the era of cyber espionage? Why It Matters is back for its fourth season, unpacking new problems and speaking with a host of new guests.

For more about Why It Matters, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/why-it-matters

Industrial overfishing and other man-made factors have pushed one-third of the world’s fish stocks to be threatened with extinction, and many other species are not far behind. The problem represents a serious risk to ocean biodiversity, and to large human populations that rely on fish for day-to-day survival. What can be done?

Featured Guests: 

Manuel Barange (Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, Food and Agriculture Organization) 

Michele Kuruc (Vice President, Ocean Policy, World Wildlife Fund) 

Stewart M. Patrick (James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/gone-fishing

Successful vaccine rollouts in the United States and other wealthy nations have made many people hopeful that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight. But the majority of the world’s population does not yet have access to these vaccines. Without a strong global effort to immunize everyone, new variants could tighten the pandemic’s grip on rich and poor countries alike.

Featured Guests: 

Anthony S. Fauci (Director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) 

Richard N. Haass (President, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Tidjane Thiam (Special Envoy for COVID-19 Response, African Union)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/global-shot-arm-dr-fauci

The dollar is the world’s primary reserve currency, accounting for $6.7 trillion in foreign reserves. This has given the United States what some have called “an exorbitant privilege,” allowing it to borrow easily and to levy painful sanctions. But could it lose this status?

Featured Guests: 

Roger Ferguson (President and Chief Executive Officer, TIAA) 

Sebastian Mallaby (Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/dollar-privilege

For years, security experts have warned that white nationalist and white supremacist extremism represent the most significant domestic terrorism threat to the United States. Now, in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the country seems to be gaining clarity about the seriousness of the situation for the first time. How did we get here, and what can be done?

Featured Guests: 

Bruce Hoffman (Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security) 

Cynthia Miller-Idriss (Professor, School of Public Affairs and School of Education, American University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/most-persistent-and-lethal-threat

There is no country quite like Russia. Despite having a relatively small economy, it has been able to maintain global influence through a range of unconventional tactics. How has Vladimir Putin played his country’s weak hand so effectively? And what is his goal?

Featured Guests: 

Jill Dougherty (Global Fellow, Kennan Institute, Wilson Center) 

Stephen Sestanovich (George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Angela Stent (Director, Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, Georgetown University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/russia

What does it take to make a Hollywood blockbuster? Movie stars? A great script? How about approval from the Chinese government? In this episode, two guests explore the surprising role of Chinese censorship and oversight in the production of U.S. films and ask what’s at stake as their presence increases.

Featured Guests: 

Aynne Kokas (Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia) 

James Tager (Deputy Director, Free Expression Research and Policy, PEN America)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-starring-role-hollywood

The U.S. president can launch a first-strike nuclear attack at any time, and there’s no law mandating they seek advice first. Some experts think that’s too much power to put in one person’s hands.

Episode Page and Show Notes

Featured Guests: 

Richard K. Betts (Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies)

Alexandra Bell (Senior Policy Director, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation)

Abigail Stowe-Thurston (Program Coordinator, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation)

Projections show that by 2050, Africa’s population will double. By 2100, one in three people on Earth will be African. This means that, by the end of the century, sub-Saharan Africa—which already has an extraordinarily young population—will be home to almost half of the young people in the world. In this episode, two experts examine whether Africa’s youth boom will be a blessing or a curse.

Featured Guests: 

Michelle Gavin (Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations) 

John Githongo (Inuka Kenya Trust, CEO and publisher of The Elephant)

The Brazilian Amazon is burning, threatening the world’s largest repository of biodiversity. If the fires are not controlled soon, they could release a “climate bomb” of stored carbon that would accelerate climate change.

Featured Guests: 

Monica de Bolle (Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics) 

Stewart M. Patrick (James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Thomas Lovejoy (President, Amazon Biodiversity Center)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/climate-bomb-amazon

Fifty-five percent of the global population lacks access to safe sanitation, a deadly global health disparity that rarely finds its way into the spotlight. In this episode, we examine the scope of the problem, and the cultural challenges that have made it surprisingly difficult to fix.

Featured Guests: 

Tom Slaymaker (Senior Statistics and Monitoring Specialist, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)) 

Sangita Vyas (Associate Director, Research Institute for Compassionate Economics) 

Brooke Yamakoshi (WASH Specialist, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF))

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/lets-talk-about-toilets

The United States trails far behind most advanced democracies when it comes to voter turnout, with just 55 percent of eligible voters participating in the 2016 election. What are other countries doing right, and what is the United States doing wrong?

Featured Guests: 

David Becker (Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation & Research) 

Kristen Clarke (President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) 

Rosalind Dixon (Professor of Law, University of New South Wales)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/make-america-vote-again

What happens when the world runs out of fish? Does TikTok actually present a national security risk? Will Africa's population boom change the world as we know it? In season three, Why It Matters explores a new series of challenges that are gathering on the horizon.

For more information on our first two seasons, be sure to visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/why-it-matters

As climate change accelerates, some scientists are researching ways to alter our climate to slow down warming. But the method, called solar geoengineering, comes with some serious risks.

Featured Guests: 

David Keith (Harvard University) 

Shuchi Talati (Union of Concerned Scientists) 

Gernot Wagner (New York University)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/dimming-sky

Works of art and cultural heritage sites are common casualties in war. In many cases, the sale of plundered treasures has helped finance ongoing conflict. In this episode, two experts examine the history of conflict-driven looting. Along the way, they trace the opaque, unregulated international art market that allows irreplaceable treasures to travel from strife-torn regions to the catalogues of prestigious auction houses.

Featured Guests: 

Amr Al Azm (Professor of History and Anthropology, Shawnee State University) 

Tess Davis (Executive Director, Antiquities Coalition)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/treasures-looted-war

For decades international students enjoyed bipartisan support in the U.S., with strong consensus that they fueled American innovation, job creation and competitiveness. But in recent years the pipeline of international students has come under threat, and other nations are seizing the opportunity to take in the world’s brightest students.

Featured Guests: 

Esther D. Brimmer (Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA) 

Edward Alden (Senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; the Ross distinguished visiting professor at Western Washington University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/why-we-need-international-students

As the effects of climate change move from scientific predictions to daily headlines, some investors have begun sounding the alarm about impending dangers to financial markets. In this episode, experts break down the intersection of climate change and the economy, and examine whether the persuasive power of the dollar can be leveraged in the fight for climate action.

Featured Guests: 

Kate Mackenzie (Green Columnist, Bloomberg) 

Michael Greenstone (Professor of Economics, University of Chicago)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/pricing-our-climate

Hosting the Olympics is a monumental undertaking that often leaves behind rusted stadiums and financial losses. So why do nations compete to do it? This episode examines the political history of the games, and the soft power that countries hope to gain by hosting them.

Featured Guests: 

Jules Boykoff (Professor of Political Science, Pacific University) 

Katharine Moon (Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/hey-remember-olympics

Whether you think we are making history or repeating it, it’s safe to say we are living in a historic time. In this episode, Why It Matters asks three historians to weigh in on how to use the past to examine the present and make better choices for the future.

Featured Guests: 

Richard N. Haass (President, Council on Foreign Relations) 

Margaret MacMillan (Professor of History, University of Toronto) 

Annette Gordon-Reed (Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History, Harvard Law School)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/living-history

The killing of George Floyd, the anti-racist protest movement that followed, and the administration’s response have shaken America, and reverberations can be felt across the globe. It is unclear what type of reform will follow the U.S. protests, but it is undeniable that the world is watching what happens closely.

Featured Guests: 

Chika Oduah (Independent Multimedia Journalist) 

Keith Richburg (Director, Journalism and Media Studies Center at the University of Hong Kong)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/world-watching-us

It is estimated that twenty to forty million people around the world are victims of human trafficking. Of these, the majority are trafficked for labor, and many of them are exploited in the United States.

Featured Guests: 

Susy Andole (Voices of Hope, Anti-Trafficking Program, Safe Horizon) 

Mark P. Lagon (Chief Policy Officer, Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria) 

Anita Teekah (Senior Director, Anti-Trafficking Program, Safe Horizon)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/human-cost-labor-trafficking

China is undertaking massive infrastructure projects across the world and loaning billions of dollars to developing nations. On paper, the objective is to build a vast trade network, but is China also exporting authoritarianism?

Featured Guests: 

Jessica Chen Weiss (Associate Professor of Government, Cornell University) 

Elizabeth C. Economy (C. V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/exporting-authoritarianism