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World Affairs
General History December 3, 2023

Days of Opportunity

The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion

Robert B. Rakove

Hosted by Zeb Larson
Long before the 1979 Soviet invasion, the United States was closely concerned with Afghanistan. For much of the twentieth century, American diplomats, policy makers, businesspeople, and experts took part in …

World Affairs

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Interviews with scholars of World Affairs about their new books.

Nomads, Past and Present December 2, 2023

Empires of the Steppes

A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization

Kenneth W. Harl

Hosted by Maggie Freeman
The “barbarian” nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the …
World Affairs November 30, 2023

Reluctance in World Politics

Why States Fail to Act Decisively

Sandra Destradi

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
Listen:
Why do international actors, including powerful states, often fail to develop clear foreign policies and instead adopt indecisive, ‘muddling-through’ approaches? In Reluctance in World Politics: Why States Fail to Act …
America and Beyond with Paul Starobin November 30, 2023

On “Henry Kissinger and His World”

A Discussion with Barry Gewen

Barry Gewen

Hosted by Paul Starobin
Listen:
In my talk with Barry Gewen on his 2020 book, The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and His World (W. W. Norton, 2020), we explore the disparate influences that shaped Kissinger …
World Affairs November 29, 2023

The Project-State and Its Rivals

A New History of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Charles S. Maier

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
We thought we knew the story of the twentieth century. For many in the West, after the two world conflicts and the long cold war, the verdict was clear: democratic …
Diplomatic History November 26, 2023

The Burden-Sharing Dilemma

Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics

Brian D. Blankenship

Hosted by Nathan Moore
The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics (Cornell UP, 2023) examines the conditions under which the United States is willing and able to pressure its allies to assume …
International Horizons November 22, 2023

Israel, Hamas, and American Jews in a Time of War

A Discussion with Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of "Forward"

Jodi Rudoren

Hosted by International Horizons
On today’s episode of International Horizons, RBI director John Torpey speaks with Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of the Forward magazine, about the situation in Israel and Gaza. She notes that Hamas’s …
Middle Eastern Studies November 22, 2023

Sustainable Prosperity in the Arab Gulf

From Miracle to Method

Jarmo T. Kotilaine

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin
Tracing the development journey of the Arabian Gulf region with a forward-looking perspective, Sustainable Prosperity in the Arab Gulf: From Miracle to Method (Routledge, 2023) describes how a combination of good fortune, creative …
Russian and Eurasian Studies November 22, 2023

The Sea in Russian Strategy

Andrew Monaghan and Richard Connolly

Hosted by Stephen Satkiewicz
The common perception of Russia's status as a great power is often portrayed as being based largely on land power. Being the largest country in the world and fielding massively …
International Horizons November 21, 2023

The US State Department and Ever-Changing Global Politics

A Discussion with Bill Russo, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs

Bill Russo

Hosted by International Horizons
In this episode of International Horizons, RBI director John Torpey interviews Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Bill Russo. Assistant Secretary Russo commented on the role of the …
Media November 19, 2023

Propaganda in Autocracies

Institutions, Information, and the Politics of Belief

Erin Baggott Carter and Brett L. Carter

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
A dictator's power is secure, the authors begin in this muscular, impressive study, only as long as citizens believe in it. When citizens suddenly believe otherwise, a dictator's power is …
Japanese Studies November 19, 2023

Archaism and Actuality

Japan and the Global Fascist Imaginary

Harry Harootunian

Hosted by Jingyi Li
In Archaism and Actuality: Japan and the Global Fascist Imaginary (Duke UP, 2023) eminent Marxist historian Harry Harootunian explores the formation of capitalism and fascism in Japan as a prime …
CEU Press Podcast Series November 17, 2023

The Russia-Ukraine War, Volumes 1-2

Author Spotlight Series

Bálint Madlovics and Bálint Magyar

Hosted by CEU Press
In this episode of the CEU Press Podcast Series, host Bálint Madlovics sat down for a fascinating discussion on the impact of the war on Ukraine’s patronal democracy, with his …
Political Science November 16, 2023

Sex Trafficking and Human Rights

The Status of Women and State Responses

Heather Smith-Cannoy, Patricia C. Rodda, and Charles Anthony Smith

Hosted by Lamis Abdelaaty
Listen:
Human trafficking for the sex trade is a form of modern-day slavery that ensnares thousands of victims each year, disproportionately affecting women and girls. While the international community has developed …
The Future of . . . with Owen Bennett-Jones November 14, 2023

The Future of World Disorder

A Discussion with Peter R. Neumann

Peter R. Neumann

Hosted by Owen Bennett-Jones
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Do confusions in the West threaten a new world disorder? It’s a question asked by Professor Peter R. Neumann of Kings College, London. He is the author of The New World …
Eastern European Studies November 12, 2023

The Life and Death of States

Central Europe and the Transformation of Modern Sovereignty

Natasha Wheatley

Hosted by Vladislav Lilic
Natasha Wheatley is an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University. Her bold and riveting debut monograph, The Life and Death of States: Central Europe and the Transformation of Modern Sovereignty …
Diplomatic History November 11, 2023

Grand Delusion

The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East

Steven Simon

Hosted by Andrew Pace
A longtime American foreign policy insider’s penetrating and definitive reckoning with this country’s involvement in the Middle East The culmination of almost forty years at the highest levels of policymaking …
The Future of . . . with Owen Bennett-Jones November 9, 2023

The Future of Crucial Materials

A Discussion with Ed Conway

Ed Conway

Hosted by Owen Bennett-Jones
Listen:
Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world …
Human Rights November 8, 2023

Tackling Torture

Prevention in Practice

Malcolm D. Evans

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
How big a problem is torture? Are the right things being done to prevent it? Why does the UN appear at times to be so impotent in the face of …
International Horizons November 6, 2023

Hamas, Iran and Israel

The Perils of Overreaction

Colin Clarke

Hosted by International Horizons
In this episode of International Horizons, Colin Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Center, discusses the possible trajectories of the Israel-Palestine conflict with RBI director John Torpey. Clarke introduces …