Artificial intelligence, social media, biotechnology, energy systems, propaganda, and geopolitics — each is transformative on its own, but together they're converging in unprecedented ways that are rapidly reshaping our world. On this episode of World Class, Colin Kahl shares expertise and insights from a panel of scholars on how emerging technologies are impacting society, politics, and global security.

Even though China is the main global competitor to the United States, has there been sufficient planning in Washington on how the U.S. might respond to aggression against the island of Taiwan by Beijing? Eyck Freymann wants to make sure there is. He joins Colin Kahl on World Class to discuss his new book, "Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China," which outlines how the U.S. can integrate its military strength, economic leverage, technological leadership, and diplomatic influence into a single, coherent plan to prevent war.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched wide-spread, coordinated attacks against Iran which struck military, naval, and nuclear infrastructure and killed many of the country’s senior leaders. On a special episode of World Class, Colin Kahl discusses the war, its immediate impacts, and its possible trajectory with Israeli security expert Ori Rabinowitz and Iranian studies professor Dr. Abbas Milani. The audio of this episode was originally recorded during a panel discussion held at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University on March 4, 2026.

H.R. McMaster and Jake Sullivan, the respective national security advisors of the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, join Colin Kahl to sort through everything that has happened in U.S foreign policy since the start of the year, from Venezuela and Iran to Greenland and strain on U.S.-European alliances, and the ever-present competition with China and Russia, and how all of these issues may affect the rest of 2026.

There are a lot of changes happening in the world, from the "rupture" in the global order to a new host of World Class! Colin Kahl, the new director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, joins Michael McFaul to take on the role of podcast host and discuss how institutions like FSI can better study and contribute understanding about the rapidly changing world.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, former minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, and host Michael McFaul discuss the roller coaster of emotion that has surrounded developments in the war of Ukraine, how to understand the real picture of what's happening, and what actions must be taken to ensure there are concrete strategies in place to support Ukraine for the long-term.

Scholars from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies share insights into climate change, the AI race between the U.S. and China, security in the Middle East, global tensions between autocracies and democracies, and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Michael McFaul moves out of the host seat to let Professor Jim Goldgeier interview him about his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats, which traces the evolution of great power competition between China, Russia, and the United States, and offers strategies for how America can remain competitive in a new era of geopolitics.

Larry Diamond joins host Michael McFaul to discuss how civic discourse and political institutions are holding up in the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, and other democracies after the "Year of Elections."

Sanctions are the go-to tool for imposing costs on bad actors on the global stage. But what happens when the sanctions cause humanitarian crises? Ruth Gibson joins World Class to discuss the latest research into how sanctions impact child and maternal mortality, and the stability of the global order as a whole.