The American Interest

Relevant Reading: The Kremlin Intrigue Behind the Anti-Corruption Protests Damir Marusic & Karina Orlova How Not to Defend Free Speech Martha Bayles Good evening, listeners! We have an excellent show for you today.First, TAI Executive Editor (and TAI Podcast producer) Damir Marusic makes his debut appearance on the show to discuss Russia’s recent anti-corruption protests, and why this story is more about Kremlin intrigue than a populist uprising.Then, Martha Bayles, who teaches at Boston College and is a visiting scholar at the Hudson Institute, takes a look at the thorny issue of free speech on campuses today, making the case for a need to rely more on civility than legal action.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Damir Marusic @dmarusic, Martha Bayles @BaylesMartha, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Putin and Erdogan Show Dimitar Bechev Mind the Professors Samuel J. Abrams Good evening, listeners! We have another excellent episode for you this week as host Richard Aldous speaks with Dimitar Bechev about the relationship between Putin and Erdogan before inviting Samuel J. Abrams to discuss intellectual diversity (or lack of it) in modern higher education.First, Dimitar Bechev, a Visiting Scholar at the Center for European Studies, Harvard, and the Director of the European Policy Institute, Sofia, returns to the program to discuss the “bromance” between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arguing that the relationship between the two Presidents is much shallower and more brittle than it may appear.Then, Samuel J. Abrams, professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, and research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, makes his podcast debut to discuss the recent incident on Middlebury College’s campus in which sociologist Charles Murray and Professor Allison Stanger were attacked by student protestors. He examines the homogeneity of thought on college campuses today, and the critical role professors play in this phenomenon.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Dimitar Bechev @DimitarBechev and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Hit Is In Against Dmitry Medvedev Karina Orlova The Therapeutic University Frank Furedi What’s Happened To The University?: A sociological exploration of its infantilisation Frank Furedi Good evening, listeners! Apologies for our one-day delay in publishing this week—we were worried about the snowstorm that hit the East Coast (with somewhat less force than expected). In any case, we have another great episode for you this week.First, Karina Orlova, Echo of Moscow’s U.S. correspondent and TAI contributor, takes a look at an explosive exposé alleging vast corruption against the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, and points out that the content of this new report might not be as important as the details surrounding its release.Then, Frank Furedi, emeritus of sociology at the University of Kent in Canterbury England, returns to the show to discuss what he sees as an infantilization of higher education, making the argument that colleges and universities seem to be more concerned with the mental health of students than their eduction.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Europe Faces the Demolition Man Josef Joffe Macedonia’s Crisis Isn’t Going Away Chris Deliso Good evening, listeners! We have another great episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Josef Joffe about the Trump administration’s relationship with Europe before discussing Macedonia’s ongoing political crisis with Chris Deliso.First up, Josef Joffe, founding member of The American Interest, editor of Die Zeit in Hamburg, and fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford, talks with Richard about the feeling in Europe towards President Trump, and describes the state of the Transatlantic alliance in 2017.Then, Chris Deliso, director of the independent Balkanalysis.com website, returns to the program to describe the current political deadlock in Macedonia, and sets out some ways in which the Trump administration might change its tack towards the Balkan nation.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Germany’s Dilemma Andrew A. Michta Understanding Putin’s Men Anton Barbashin & Vladislav Inozemtsev Good evening, listeners! We have another great episode for you this week. Our host, Richard Aldous, speaks with Andrew A. Michta about Europe and NATO in the age of Trump before hearing from Anton Barbashin about how better to understand the Kremlin.First, Andrew A. Michta, the dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, takes a look at how U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis’ recent discussions with NATO defense ministers in Brussels went earlier this month, before discussing the health of the treaty and the likelihood that we might soon see an end to the European Union.Then, Anton Barbashin, a political analyst and the managing editor of Intersection, makes his debut on the podcast to lay out why dividing Vladimir Putin’s inner circle into liberals and statists is a poor way to try and understand why the Kremlin does what it does. He instead describes four general groups that surround Putin: progressives, neutrals, conservatives, and bigots.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Andrew A. Michta @andrewmichta, Anton Barbashin @ABarbashin, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Bolten, Fleischer, Card: Three veteran swamp creatures who could rescue Trump’s White House Gabby Morrongiello More Able Than Kane Colin Fleming Good evening, listeners! We have another great episode for you this week as our host, Richard Aldous, speaks with Gabby Morrongiello about what it’s like to cover the Trump Administration before discussing Orson Welles with Colin Fleming.First, Gabby Morrongiello, a White House reporter for the Washington Examiner, takes a look at President Trump’s fraught relationship with the press, and describes what it’s like to witness one of his famous (or perhaps infamous) pressers from a journalist’s perspective.Then, Colin Fleming, a contributor to Commentary, Rolling Stone, and NPR’s Weekend Edition, speaks with Richard about some of Orson Welles’s lesser known films. He makes the argument that Welles was a great filmmaker even when you consider his works not named Citizen Kane.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Gabby Morrongiello @gabriellahope_ and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Victory in Mosul Won’t Save Iraq Jonathan Spyer Ukraine Reckons With Trump Sean Keeley Good evening, listeners! We have another great episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Jonathan Spyer about his visit to Mosul before discussing how the Donald Trump presidency will affect Ukraine.First, Jonathan Spyer, director of the Rubin Center for Research in International Affairs, IDC, Herzliya and a fellow at the Middle East Forum, speaks with Richard about a recent trip he took to Mosul. He summarizes the current state of play in the battle for the key Iraqi city, and describes the feeling of daily life there.Then, Sean Keeley, a staff writer here at The American Interest, makes his podcast debut to discuss how the election of Donald Trump is affecting Ukraine. He makes the case that Kiev is in a worse bind than it was before January 20th, and assesses Ukraine’s chances of ever winning back the annexed territory of Crimea from Russia. He also looks at how Ukraine might figure in to any potential bilateral agreement between the new Trump administration and Vladimir Putin.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Jonathan Spyer @jonathan_spyer, Sean Keeley @seankeeley, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Red Style in American Politics David Blankenhorn Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain John Bew The Invisible Prime Minister Richard Aldous Good evening, listeners! We have an excellent episode for you this week as host Richard Aldous speaks with David Blankenhorn about Trump and American Communism before discussing the former British prime minister Clement Attlee with John Bew.First, David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, returns to the program to discuss what President Trump has in common with the Communist Party’s Daily Worker.Then, John Bew, professor of History and Foreign Policy at the War Studies Department at King’s College London, makes his return to the podcast to discuss his new book, Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow David Blankenhorn @blankenhorn3, John Bew @JohnBew and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama Stephen Sestanovich Weak States: When Should We Worry? Seth Kaplan Good evening, listeners! We have a great episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Stephen Sestanovich about Donald Trump’s foreign policy position relative to those of his predecessors before discussing the problem of weak states with Seth Kaplan.First, Stephen Sestanovich, professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, returns to the program to discuss how President Trump fits into the pattern of presidential foreign policy shifts described in his 2014 book Maximalist: America in the World from Truman to Obama.Then, Seth Kaplan, professorial lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and senior adviser for the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), makes his podcast debut to examine the dangers posed by weak states and their potential to set off risk cascades, before relating this problem to Donald Trump’s decision to halt immigration from six countries.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Stephen Sestanovich @SSestanovich and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Same World, Lonely World, Cold World Adam Garfinkle We have another excellent episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Adam Garfinkle about his new essay on Donald Trump’s strategic options.Adam Garfinkle, editor of The American Interest, tells Richard that Trump can take the country in one of three directions: towards the same world (a continuation), towards a lonely world (neo-isolationism), or towards a cold world (a return to realpolitik).Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Criminal Russia Party Ilya Yashin Superbug Pandemics and How to Prevent Them Kadiyali M. Srivatsa Maya: Bring Tears of Happiness Kadiyali M. Srivatsa We have an excellent episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Ilya Yashin and Kadiyali Srivatsa.First we welcome to the show Ilya Yashin, a Russian opposition activist and writer, and a leader of the liberal PARNAS party, who has recently written a report about Russia’s hybrid efforts at political control, especially with how it’s practiced on Ukraine. He discusses sanctions, Rex Tillerson, and the state of opposition politics in Russia today.Then, Kadiyali M. Srivatsa, a doctor, inventor, and publisher who has worked in acute and intensive pediatric care in British hospitals, speaks with Richard about the dangers posed by antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.” He also introduces his free Dr. MAYA (Medical Advice You Access) app, which can help prevent pandemics by monitoring clusters of infections at the local level. Plus, tune in to learn why he suggests you might actually be better off in a dirty hospital than a hyper clean one.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force Eliot A. Cohen Good evening, listeners! We have an excellent episode to start out the new year, as host Richard Aldous welcomes Eliot Cohen back to the program to discuss his new book.Eliot Cohen is the Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and he’s also a regular columnist for TAI. He returns to the show to discuss his brand new book, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force. It’s a fascinating conversation about a bracing book, and just as it’s worth your time to tune in this week to hear the discussion, it will be well worth your time picking up Cohen’s latest work.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Eliot Cohen @EliotACohen and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: Donald Trump’s New World Order Niall Ferguson Good evening, listeners! We have an excellent episode for you this week, as Niall Ferguson joins our host Richard Aldous to discuss Donald Trump’s foreign policy options.Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and biographer of Henry Kissinger returns to the show to discuss what a Kissinger-inspired foreign policy strategy might look like.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Niall Ferguson @nfergus and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Art of the Global Deal Philip Zelikow Good evening, listeners! We have another excellent episode for you this week as host Richard Aldous has a fascinating conversation with Philip Zelikow about American foreign policy under Trump.Philip Zelikow, a professor of history at the University of Virginia, a lawyer, and former career diplomat, speaks about what options the new administration has for pursuing America’s foreign policy interests. He also takes a look at Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State and the CEO of Exxon Mobil, and explains how Tillerson’s lack of foreign policy experience at the government level is both an advantage and a disadvantage.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.

Relevant Reading: The Pretty Successful Superpower Hal Brands Making the Unipolar Moment: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Rise of the Post-Cold War Order Hal Brands Good evening, listeners! We have another excellent episode for you this week as our host, Richard Aldous, welcomes Hal Brands to the show to talk about American grand strategy.Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and he joins the program to discuss American grand strategy in the post-Cold War era. He looks at the sorts of challenges Donald Trump will have to face in the foreign policy realm over the next four years, and what we might be able to expect of his administration.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review. Follow Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.