Since Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated a remarkable amount of resilience, resistance, and social solidarity. Kevin D. Ryan has a unique perspective on the Ukrainian mentality, having visited Kyiv in the days just before Russia launched its assault and long after the United States had been evacuating diplomatic personnel. In this episode, Ryan discusses what Kyiv was like at that time, as well as his efforts to help extract friends from Ukraine's western border later in the aftermath of Russian action. Captain Kevin D. Ryan is currently an infantry officer in the United States Marines and has deployed across the world on a variety of missions. He holds an MA in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently completing the MA in Security Studies at Georgetown Univeristy.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has now been at the helm of Turkish politics for over twenty years, slowly reguiding Turkey's once pro-Western future in a highly authoritarian direction. A NATO ally, Erdoğan's authoritarianism and grandstanding diplomatic pursuits have damaged Turkey's relationship with the West, and in particular, the United States. Yet despite much optimism earlier this year that he might be pushed out by an opposition coalition, Erdoğan has hung on. To dicuss this topic, The World Upfront has brought on Professor Henri J. Barkey, Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Barkey is author of an illuminating piece in the most recent Foreign Affairs, entitled "Erdogan the Survivor: Washington Needs a New Approach to Turkey's Improviser and Chief."

Twenty years following the US invasion of Iraq, the sources, conduct, and consequences of the conflict are still often misunderstood — this while the security climate in the Middle East shifts to a new era. To make sense of the war and its role in US foreign policy, The World Upfront is joined by Colonel (Ret.) Frank Sobchak, PhD. Sobchak has extensive career experience in the Middle East, has written on the region for major outlets such as Time and The Wall Street Journal, and has published the US government's definitive study of the Iraq War. In this episode, Colonel Sobchak explains that while the decision to invade Iraq was a calamitous strategic blunder, the decision to withdraw was also itself shortsighted, portending a Middle East in which US influence is progressively ceded to less savory actors.

On June 21, the Bureau International des Expositions (otherwise known as BIE) will announce the winner to host EXPO 2027, a months-long event in which countries unveil and showcase their most remarkable achievements. The United States is one of five countries – alongside Argentina, Serbia, Spain, and Thailand – in the running to host the EXPO. If the US wins, EXPO 2027 will be hosted in Bloomington, Minnesota, bringing visitors from across the world to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. To discuss Minnesota's bid, I've brought on current co-chair of the USA Expo Bid Committee and former Minnesota Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie. Mr. Ritchie has been a driving force behind bringing EXPO 2027 to Minnesota. In this segment, he explains what EXPO 2027 is, how bids position themselves for success, and why Minnesota would be a great place to host those from all around the world. CORRECTION: Mark Ritchie is USA EXPO 2027 Bid Co-Founder, Board Member of Minnesota USA EXPO, Board Member of EXPO USA, and Board Chair of the World's Fair Bid Committee Educational Fund Board.

Following Russia's February 24 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced a "Zeitenwende" (or "turning point") in German foreign policy. Since, Germany has drastically reoriented its policy towards Russia, including the recent approval of a €2.7 billion military aid package that includes Leopard tanks, armored personnel carriers and vehicles, surveillance drones, and large quantities of munitions. To discuss this shift in German foreign policy, the World Upfront brings on Ambassador Klaus Scharioth, the former German Ambassador to the United States, German State Secretary, and Political Director of the German Foreign Office. Ambassador Scharioth offers his views stemming from a career observing world events at the highest levels.

De-dollarization, the idea that the dominant role the U.S. dollar plays in the global economy might be coming to an end, has recently seized the attention of businesspeople, academics, and pundits alike. But is this round of de-dollarization talk all hype or grounded in reality? To discuss this issue on our inaugural episode, The World Upfront is joined by Professor Benjamin J. Cohen, one of the world's foremost authorities on the role of the dollar in the international system.