The President’s Inbox
The President’s Inbox
Council on Foreign Relations
Each episode of The President’s Inbox explores a foreign policy challenge facing the United States.
A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With G. John Ikenberry
John Ikenberry, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether liberal internationalism and U.S. global leadership are fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.    Mentioned on the Episode    John Ikenberry, A World Safe for Democracy: Liberal Internationalism and the Crises of Global Order   John Ikenberry, Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order   Arthur A. Stein, “The Hegemon’s Dilemma: Great Britain, the United States, and the International Economic Order,” International Organization For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-internationalism-g-john-ikenberry
May 7
31 min
A Second China Shock, With Brad Setser
Brad Setser, the Whitney Shepardson senior fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the causes and consequences of China's export surge.   Mentioned on the Episode    David H. Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson, "The China Syndrome: Local Labor Market Effects of Import Competition in the United States," American Economic Review   Volkmar Baur, Brad W. Setser, and Michael Weilandt, "China's Record Manufacturing Surplus," CFR.org    James M. Lindsay, "Election 2024: The United States Is Facing a Second China Shock," CFR.org    Zongyuan Zoe Liu, "Beijing Needs to Junk Its Economic Playbook,” Foreign Policy   Brad W. Setser, "China Needs More Progressive Taxes and More Spending on Public Health," CFR.org   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/second-china-shock-brad-setser
Apr 30
35 min
Challenges Facing the U.S. Military, With John Barrientos and Kristen Thompson
John Barrientos, a captain in the U.S. Navy and a visiting military fellow at CFR, and Kristen Thompson, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a visiting military fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to provide an inside view on how the U.S. military is adapting to the challenges it faces.   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/challenges-facing-us-military-john-barrientos-and-kristen-thompson
Apr 23
33 min
Iran’s Attack on Israel, With Steven Cook and Ray Takeyh
Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, and Ray Takeyh, the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel and the prospects for a broader Middle East war.   Mentioned on the Episode    Steven A. Cook, "Iran Attack Means an Even Tougher Balancing Act for the U.S. in the Middle East," CFR.org   Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East [forthcoming]   Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, “Keeping U.S. Power Behind Israel Will Keep Iran at Bay,” New York Times   Ray Takeyh, "Iran Attacks on Israel Spur Escalation Concerns," CFR.org   Ray Takeyh, The Last Shah: America, Iran, and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/irans-attack-israel-steven-cook-and-ray-takeyh
Apr 16
34 min
Russia, Ukraine, and Global Instability, With Michael Kimmage
Michael Kimmage, a history professor at the Catholic University of America and a senior associate with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the origins of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its repercussion for the global order.   Mentioned on the Episode    Michael Kimmage, Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/russia-ukraine-and-global-instability-michael-kimmage
Apr 9
32 min
The War in Gaza, With Steven A. Cook
Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the state of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the prospects for an end to the fighting, and the tensions in U.S.-Israeli relations.   Mentioned on the Episode    Steven Cook, “Five Months of War: Where Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. Stand,” CFR.org   Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East [forthcoming]   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/war-gaza-steven-cook
Apr 2
34 min
Confronting the Nuclear Threat, With W.J. Hennigan
W.J. Hennigan, a correspondent for the Opinion section of the New York Times, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the risk of nuclear war in an era of growing geopolitical competition.    Mentioned on the Episode    "At the Brink," New York Times   J. Hennigan, "How America Made Nuclear War the President's Decision," New York Times   J. Hennigan, "Nuclear War Is Called Unimaginable. In Fact, It's Not Imagined Enough," New York Times   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:  https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/confronting-nuclear-threat-wj-hennigan
Mar 26
29 min
A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for U.S. Retrenchment Overseas, With Stephen Wertheim
Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss whether and where the United States should be less involved in the world. This episode is the first in a special The President’s Inbox series on U.S. grand strategy.   Mentioned on the Episode    Stephen Wertheim, “Internationalism/Isolationism: Concepts of American Global Power [PDF],” in Rethinking U.S. World Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations, ed. Daniel Bessner and Michael Brenes   Stephen Wertheim, Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy    Stephen Wertheim, "Why America Can't Have It All: Washington Must Choose Between Primacy and Prioritizing," Foreign Affairs   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-us-grand-strategy-case-us-retrenchment-overseas-stephen-wertheim
Mar 19
38 min
The Crisis at the U.S. Southern Border, With Dara Lind
Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border.    Mentioned on the Episode    Dara Lind, "What We Know About the Senate Negotiations That Could Wreck Asylum in the U.S.," Immigration Impact   The Weeds, Vox   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/crisis-us-southern-border-dara-lind
Mar 12
37 min
International Women’s Day, With Ann Norris
Ann Norris, a senior fellow for women and foreign policy at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss International Women’s Day and the challenges facing adolescent girls around the world and the solutions to address them.    Mentioned on the Episode    Ann Norris, ⁠⁠Renewing the Global Architecture for Gender Equality   United Nations, "⁠SDG 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls"   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/international-womens-day-ann-norris
Mar 5
28 min
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