Podcast · 66 episodes
The Foreign Affairs Interview
by Foreign Affairs Magazine · English
Foreign Affairs invites you to join its editor, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, as he talks to influential thinkers and policymakers about the forces shaping the world. Whether the topic is the war in Ukraine, the United States’ competition with China, or the future of globalization, Foreign Affairs’ weekly podcast offers the kind of authoritative commentary and analysis that you can find in the magazine and on the website.
Latest episodes
Caught in the Middle of the Iran War: A Conversation With Anwar GargashUAE diplomat Anwar Gargash discusses the “no war, no peace” Iran conflict after February 28, why it may become protracted, what a durable settlement would require, and how Gulf states should manage…24 Sep 2026 · 1 h 1 min
How to Understand the New Age of War: A Conversation With Lawrence D. FreedmanHow to understand the “new age of war” by rejecting the short-war fallacy—overconfidence that overwhelming force will quickly achieve political goals—amid wars in Iran, Ukraine, and broader…17 Sep 2026 · 1 h 1 min
The Iran Shock Is Not Over: A Conversation With Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’SullivanThe “Iran shock” from Iran’s partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz did not trigger the worst-case global energy crisis analysts expected, but the episode argues the disruption is not over and…10 Sep 2026 · 54 min
All episodes
Caught in the Middle of the Iran War: A Conversation With Anwar GargashUAE diplomat Anwar Gargash discusses the “no war, no peace” Iran conflict after February 28, why it may become protracted, what a durable settlement would require, and how Gulf states should manage…24 Sep 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 18 chapters
How to Understand the New Age of War: A Conversation With Lawrence D. FreedmanHow to understand the “new age of war” by rejecting the short-war fallacy—overconfidence that overwhelming force will quickly achieve political goals—amid wars in Iran, Ukraine, and broader…17 Sep 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 16 chapters
The Iran Shock Is Not Over: A Conversation With Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’SullivanThe “Iran shock” from Iran’s partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz did not trigger the worst-case global energy crisis analysts expected, but the episode argues the disruption is not over and…10 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 22 chapters
What Does China Want? A Conversation With Jessica Chen WeissU.S.-China relations under shifting Trump policy, and what China wants—framed as “sovereignty, security, and development”—plus how China’s critical-minerals leverage (rare earths, permanent magnets)…3 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 16 chapters
Afghanistan After America: A Conversation With Laurel Miller and Graeme SmithLessons from the 2001–2021 U.S. war in Afghanistan and what Taliban rule has meant since the chaotic August 2021 withdrawal; why Afghanistan has been relatively stable regionally, what that implies…27 Aug 2026 · 1 h 14 min · 23 chapters
Is a Post-American World Inevitable? A Conversation With Kurt Campbell, Rush Doshi, and Mark LeonardWhether a “post-American world” is inevitable, and what happens to U.S. alliances and global order if Trump returns for a second term.20 Aug 2026 · 1 h 17 min · 21 chapters
From the Archive: How the Past Shadows China's Future: A Conversation With Odd Arne WestadHow China’s historical experience shapes current foreign-policy thinking, and what history suggests about risks of major-power conflict—especially a Taiwan crisis—between China and the United States.13 Aug 2026 · 1 h · 19 chapters
Cyberwarfare in the AI Age: A Conversation With Jen EasterlyCyberwarfare risk in the AI age—how AI-linked cyber capabilities compress the time from vulnerability discovery to weaponization, threaten critical infrastructure, and reshape election security…6 Aug 2026 · 57 min · 21 chapters
The End of Free Trade: A Conversation With Robert E. LighthizerRobert E. Lighthizer argues the post–Cold War “free trade” system is broken because it ignores industrial policy and incentivizes trade surpluses; he advocates replacing it with “balanced trade”…30 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 15 chapters
The Future of Palestine: A Conversation With Salam FayyadSalam Fayyad discusses the “future of Palestine” amid the post-ceasefire Gaza crisis and escalating West Bank settlement violence, arguing that humanitarian delivery and Palestinian political unity…23 Jul 2026 · 47 min · 18 chapters
The End of American Military Dominance? A Conversation With Paul ScharrePaul Scharre argues U.S. military dominance is ending because drones, AI, and other technologies are rapidly proliferating from commercial sources, leveling the battlefield.16 Jul 2026 · 54 min · 15 chapters
What China Thinks It Can Gain From a Disordered World: A Conversation With Oriana Skylar MastroHow China interprets a “disordered world” (uncertain U.S. commitments, Middle East/Western Hemisphere conflicts, Russia-North Korea ties, new middle-power alignments) as confirmation of Xi Jinping’s…9 Jul 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 19 chapters
The AI Race Nobody Can Win: A Conversation With Sebastian MallabyAI competition as a “trilemma” for policymakers: balance national security, societal disruption, and economic growth while managing geopolitical leverage and regulation failures.2 Jul 2026 · 54 min · 20 chapters
America, Iran, and a World in Turmoil: A Conversation With Ian BremmerIan Bremmer, president/founder of Eurasia Group, argues the Iran war’s outcome was Donald Trump’s biggest foreign-policy failure because Trump miscalculated Iranian retaliation and the costs to…25 Jun 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 20 chapters
Is the Iran War Coming to an End? A Conversation With Narges Bajoghli and Vali NasrWhether the Iran war is ending and what a ceasefire framework could mean for Iran’s new “grand strategy” and a possible shift in the Middle East order.16 Jun 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 23 chapters
Is Cuba Next? A Conversation With Michael J. Bustamante and Ricardo ZunigaU.S. policy toward Cuba amid fears of “regime change” and possible military action, and whether the “Venezuela model” applies. Guests argue the U.S.11 Jun 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 22 chapters
Are America’s Allies Finally Learning to Deal With Trump? A Conversation With Philip H. Gordon and Mara KarlinHow America’s allies are responding to Trump-era uncertainty about U.S. commitments, and what that means for deterrence, NATO, Indo-Pacific security, and wars in Ukraine and Iran.4 Jun 2026 · 1 h 9 min · 19 chapters
How to Prevent the Next World War: A Conversation With Thant Myint-UThe episode argues that the UN’s ability to prevent major war has declined not because the post-1940 “deeper architecture” is gone, but because the UN shifted away from interstate peacemaking and…28 May 2026 · 54 min · 16 chapters
Does Trump Have a Strategy? A Conversation With A. Wess MitchellWes Mitchell argues that Trump’s second-term foreign policy is driven by “great power competition” (especially with China) but aims at “consolidation”: using time to rebuild U.S.21 May 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 19 chapters
The View From the Front Row of the Trump-Xi Summit: A Conversation With Orville SchellOrville Schell analyzes the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, arguing the leaders used “mutual respect” and dealmaking optics to smooth relations, but avoided core disputes (Taiwan, trade/industrial…16 May 2026 · 41 min · 15 chapters
When Two Superpowers Meet: A Conversation With Nicholas BurnsNicholas Burns discusses the upcoming Trump-Xi summit in Beijing and argues U.S.-China competition is structural and will persist for more than a decade.11 May 2026 · 57 min · 21 chapters
Trump, Putin, and Genghis Khan: A Conversation With Fiona HillFiona Hill analyzes how Donald Trump’s and Vladimir Putin’s “world-historic” self-mythologizing and lack of constraints are reshaping the Ukraine war, the U.S.-Iran standoff, and broader global…7 May 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 27 chapters
Learning to Live With a Nuclear North KoreaVictor Cha argues the U.S. should stop treating denuclearization as the prerequisite for all talks and instead pursue a “cold peace” strategy to manage North Korea as an established nuclear power.30 Apr 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 28 chapters
Is America Losing the High Ground?Jake Sullivan argues the U.S. is losing “high ground” in the tech-driven U.S.-China power race, and that America must reembrace industrial strategy, export AI/compute, and set clearer military/AI…23 Apr 2026 · 59 min · 19 chapters