PODCAST | ep9 | with Melani Cammett, Carmen Geha, Nate George, and Lana Salman
 

Lebanon has been called many different things: a gem of the Middle East, a failed state, a geopolitical Gordian knot (or nightmare). Its financial system has recently collapsed, people cannot find basic services, and residents are still recovering from the massive Beirut explosion of 2020. It may be a complex country to wrap your mind around, but our four scholars tell you everything you need to know about daily life in Lebanon: how are people getting by, who is in control, the geopolitics of the region, and the history behind it.

Listen to episode #9 (34:35) by clicking the play button below:

... Read more about Lebanon in Free Fall

US Air Force Colonel and Weatherhead Center Fellow Jacob Thornburg describes the many ways in which China and the US are interconnected and offers measures to shore up the relationship.

By Jacob Thornburg... Read more about To Avoid a Sino-American War, Strengthen Military and Diplomatic Ties

PODCAST | ep7 | with Annette Idler, Jytte Klausen, and Fredrik Logevall
 

Pulling out of Afghanistan was the top foreign policy event of 2021. Perhaps overlooked in the collective relief to be done with this twenty-year war is the fact that the US had to negotiate with terrorists to get there. In fact, it ceded an entire country to a violent, extremist group. Throughout history, leaders—including those from the US—have vowed never to negotiate with terrorists, but then reverse course. In this two-part episode, three scholars of history, international relations, and foreign policy discuss historic examples and the complexities of negotiating with violent—even murderous—groups.

Listen to episode #7 (24:56) by clicking the play button below:

Tracing the pathway of artifacts stolen from the Benin Kingdom in 1897 reveals a deeper understanding of first-world entitlement and dominance that still prevails today. 

... Read more about The Pillaged Treasures of Benin