Shows
The TrialogueDa Wei: Will the US and China Decouple or Rebalance?Da Wei, Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, joins us to discuss tariffs, the prospects of a trade deal, Russia’s global role, and the coming multipolar order. Time Stamps:00:53 Was China prepared for Trump’s tariffs?02:55 Does Washington want to decouple from China or rebalance trade?08:49 Is the US improvising or following a plan?11:57 What can China do to influence US policy?15:49 Can China invest in the US? 20:46 Increasing domestic consumption in China30:25 Can trade and Taiwan be linked?35:20 Russia’s position in the world43:26 What will multipol...2025-05-0956 min
American PrestigeBonus - Dispatch from Russia w/ Peter Slezkine (Preview)Subscribe now for the full episode and much more content!
Peter Slezkine, Senior Fellow and Director of the Russia Program at the Stimson Center and host of The Trialogue Podcast, joins the program for a conversation about his recent visit to Russia and his impressions of the political discourse there. They talk about the atmosphere in light of the Ukraine war, the major political factions in the government, people’s sense of the Western reaction to the invasion, their impression of Trump, how the war has emboldened NATO, why a ceasefire might not be in Russia’s inte...2025-05-0408 minThe TrialogueRobert Agee: An American Businessman in MoscowRobert Agee, President of AmCham Russia, joins us to discuss American business in Russia since the 90s, who left and how after the start of the war in Ukraine, who suffered and benefited from Western sanctions, and the outlook for American (and Chinese) business in Russia going forward.Time Stamps:00:45 What is AmCham?02:29 How did you end up at Xerox in Russia in the 90s?04:58 American business in Russia until 202211:09 What businesses left after the start of the war and how?21:12 Who benefited from the departure of Western companies?25:11 The Chinese takeover of the Russian automotive...2025-04-2545 minThe TrialogueDynkin and Voitolovsky: Welcome to WashingtonAlexander Dynkin and Feodor Voitolovsky, President and Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences, join us to discuss their return to Washington, the war in Ukraine, and Sino-Russian relations, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:59 Returning to Washington for the first time since 201903:28 Will US-Russia relations improve under Trump?09:39 The possibility of three-way strategic arms control among the US, Russia, and China11:45 The future of bilateral US-Russia strategic arms control15:00 The war in Ukraine19:43 “Denazification” and Russian historical memory23:18 Russia’s biggest mistake in Ukraine25:46 Likelihood of future Russia...2025-04-1847 minThe TrialogueThe Trialogue Live: April 8, 2025This episode is a recording of a live event held online on April 8. Lanxin Xiang, Andrey Kortunov, and Emma Ashford joined me to discuss the state of theUS-Russia-China trilateral relationship.*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
2025-04-171h 19The TrialogueReinhard Krumm: How Boxed In is Berlin?Reinhard Krumm of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung joins us to discuss Germany’s reversal on Russia and a new American Ostpolitik.Time Stamps:00:54 What is the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung?02:00 How was Vance’s Munich speech received in Germany?06:49 What is the future of the trans-Atlantic relationship?16:45 Is Germany sovereign?21:40 Nord Stream26:17 German Ostpolitik since the 60s31:23 Maidan and the Minsk agreements39:22 Can Germany negotiate with Russia?48:39 How real is the Russian threat to Europe?*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
2025-04-1158 minThe TrialogueChristopher Caldwell: The Right since ReaganWriter Christopher Caldwell joins us to discuss the legacy of Ronald Reagan, the rise of a “New Right,” and the fate of the West.Time Stamps:00:56 What is the New Right?12:53 Revisiting Reagan’s legacy17:24 Trump’s revolution20:43 US foreign policy since Reagan25:55 Whither the West33:43 Immigration in Europe and the US38:10 Russia and China42:16 The limits of American autarchy?*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
2025-04-0445 minThe TrialogueZhao Long: Is Beijing Worried about US-Russia Rapprochement?This week, our guest is Zhao Long, Deputy Director of the Institute for Global Strategic and Security Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies. We discuss the prospects of the US splitting Russia from China and China peeling Europe away from the US, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:55 Is Beijing worried about a US-Russia rapprochement?24:36 Can China profit from a transatlantic rift?34:24 What part will China play in a Ukraine settlement?40:22 What lessons did Beijing draw from the Trump-Zelensky spat in the Oval Office?*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and...2025-03-2144 minThe TrialogueAnastasia Likhacheva: Surviving “sanctions from hell”This week, our guest is Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Time Stamps:01:48 Studying sanctions since 201603:27 Nord Stream and the abrupt change in European attitudes after February 20226:22 Western companies leaving (and returning) to Russia after February 20228:52 Inability of both Western and Russian experts to correctly predict the trajectory of the Russian economy after the application of sanctions13:40 “We started to pivot to the East before it was fashionable”16:57 Sanctions don’t work if third countries don’t cooperate21:23 The future of sanctions24:04 Prospects...2025-03-1445 minThe TrialogueFyodor Lukyanov: What in the world is the “world majority”?This week, our guest is Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs, Professor at the Higher School of Economics, and Research Director of the Valdai Discussion Club. What is it like to sit on stage with Putin? When did relations with the West go wrong? And what in the world is the “world majority”?Time Stamps:00:53 Moderating Putin’s Q&A sessions06:24 Perestroika and the unresolved debate about Russia’s role14:18 When did relations with the West go wrong?20:58 How has your professional life changed since February 2022?23:32 “World majority,” “multipolar world,” and “civilization state”32:31 Islam, immigration, and dow...2025-03-0736 minThe TrialogueAndrew Roth: A decade of reporting from RussiaThis week, our guest is Andrew Roth, Global Affairs Correspondent at The Guardian. We discuss the twists and turns of Andrew’s ten-year career as a reporter in Moscow. Time Stamps:03:12 Arrival in Russia in 201108:04 The 2012 protests12:39 Foreign journalists in Moscow23:02 Reporting in East Ukraine in 2014-1635:25 Covering Zelensky45:30 Edward Snowden49:19 Evan Gershkovich57:27 Washington’s China obsession*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
2025-02-281h 05The TrialogueZHOU Bo: How many military bases does Beijing need?This week, our guest is Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the PLA and a senior fellow in the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. We discuss China’s military presence in Africa, the Houthis, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.Time Stamps:00:44 Zhou Bo’s studies in England and Australia03:23 Chinese military relations with Africa07:04 The Houthis and the Red Sea09:44 How many military bases does Beijing need?21:19 Ukraine26:31 Trump’s approach to China in his second term30:03 Taiwan39:20 The South China Sea*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the St...2025-02-2146 minThe TrialoguePhilani Mthembu: South Africa’s attitudes toward Russia, China, and BRICSThis week, our guest is Philani Mthembu, Executive Director at the Institute for Global Dialogue in Pretoria. We discuss the South African perspective on the war in Ukraine, China, and BRICS.Time Stamps: 01:19 How many languages do you speak?01:58 What is the purpose of the Institute for Global Dialogue?03:29 What has changed since the ANC lost its majority?05:12 To what extent are relations with the US and Russia shaped by the legacies of the liberation movement?14:09 South African reaction to Ukraine’s rejection of its Soviet past15:36 What is the South African attitude toward the war...2025-02-1455 minThe TrialogueDmitry Stefanovich: Nuclear deterrence during the war in UkraineThis week, our guest is Dmitry Stefanovich, a research fellow at the Center for International Security at the Russian Academy of Sciences. We discuss recent revisions to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, deterrence during the war in Ukraine, Russian red lines, and the evolution of Chinese nuclear policy.Time Stamps:00:01:39 Dmitry’s Odesa origins and involvement in the Sochi Olympics00:04:08 Deterrence during the Ukraine war00:08:39 When were we closest to nuclear use?00:11:30 Russia’s revised nuclear doctrine00:20:05 US nuclear doctrine in the first Trump administration00:26:05 What is the point of nuclear doctrines?00:29:27 Karaganov and the Russian domestic debate...2025-01-3149 minThe TrialogueDaniel Bessner: The last days of liberal empire?This week, our guest is Daniel Bessner, Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. We discuss Trump, American empire, Washington’s Asian fixation, and the possibility of “mutual ruin of the contending classes” among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:01:12 Childhood interest in history00:03:45 The US foreign policy ecosystem and the effectiveness of the Quincy intervention00:06:48 Progressive foreign policy during Trump part two00:09:30 Marxism and other influences00:10:58 Origins of the American empire00:11:56 The US was never...2025-01-0333 minThe TrialogueZHANG Xin: How real is Russia’s pivot to China?This week, our guest is Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University. We discuss the history of Russia studies in the PRC, the Sino-Russian border area, and the logic of the US-China-Russia triangular relationship, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:00:51 Grad school at UCLA and interest in Russia00:02:45 First visit to Moscow in 200500:05:04 History of Soviet/Russia studies in PRC00:12:24 Impressions from most recent trip to Russia00:14:35 Russian interest in creating new partnerships in China00:17:47 Sino-Russian border area00:24:10 Harbin00:27:24 Resolution of Sino-Russian border disputes00:31:33 The US-China-Russia Triangle00:37:21 Difference in...2024-12-1341 minThe TrialogueAkram Umarov: Central Asia between Russia and ChinaThis week, our guest is Akram Umarov, First Vice Rector at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy and Deputy Director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We discuss Central Asian politics, Uzbekistan’s attitude toward the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the country’s relations with Russia, China, and the USA, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:01:00 Fluency in four languages as a child in Samarkand00:02:54 Graduate studies in the West00:06:43 Institute for Advanced International Studies00:09:47 Japan’s interest in Central Asia00:11:30 Relations among Central Asian countries00:18:54 Shanghai Cooperation Organization00:24:09 Uzbekistan’s relations with Rus...2024-11-2952 minThe TrialogueVladimir Pozner, Russian-American JournalistThis week, our guest is Vladimir Pozner, a renowned Russian-American journalist. We discuss Pozner’s childhood in Paris, New York, and Berlin in the 1930s and 40s; his career as Soviet propagandist from in the 1960s-80s; US-Russia relations in the 90s; censorship in the US and Russia today; and what Americans should understand about Russians in general and Putin in particular, among other subjects.Show Links:Pozner and Donahue, September 24, 1991“Spacebridge” (Leningrad-Seattle), 1985Time Stamps:00:00:00 Brief bio of Vladimir Pozner00:02:11 Childhood in Paris, New York, and Berlin in the 30s and 40s00:08:11 Move to Moscow...2024-11-151h 07The TrialogueStephen Wertheim: Realism and restraint in US foreign policyThis week, our guest is Stephen Wertheim, Senior Fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We discuss the origins of “isolationism,” historical hypotheticals, the United States’ relative interests in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, Ukraine and Taiwan, and an “America first” policy for the Democratic party, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:00:45 PhD in history and pivot to policy00:07:38 Charges of “isolationism” from the 1930s through Trump00:15:54 Should the US have done anything differently during WWII or the Cold War?00:19:43 The collapse of the Communist bloc and American primacy unbound00:25:00 Need to draw d...2024-11-011h 02The TrialogueDmitry Novikov: Russia’s Eurasian reorientationThis week, our guest is Dmitry Novikov, Deputy Head of the School of International Relations at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. We discuss the difficulties of being an Americanist in Moscow, the sources of US-Russian conflict, and Russia’s future as a “Eurasian” power, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:00:38 What is like being an Americanist in Moscow right now?00:04:22 Russian perceptions of US domestic politics00:08:44 Russia’s “realist” understanding of international relations00:10:51 Russia’s efforts to join the West00:20:05 Russia as a Eurasian state00:23:20 When did Russia begin to pivot East?00:28:08 Russia as logistics corr...2024-10-231h 02The TrialogueDA Wei: The advantages of limited decouplingMy guest today is DA Wei, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. We discuss Wei’s time at CICIR and Tsinghua, his recent visits to the US and Russia, Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the potential positives of partial decoupling, among other subjects.Time Stamps:00:00:49 What is CICIR00:04:13 Tsinghua’s Center for International Security and Strategy00:09:03 Impressions from recent trip to US00:11:16 Potential consequences of Harris or Trump presidencies for China00:14:26 Is chaos in the US good for China?00:15:49 Sources of US-China competition00:21:29 Impr...2024-10-1642 minThe TrialogueCharles Kupchan: Beyond isolationism and internationalism?This week, our guest is Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. We discuss Charlie’s first visits to China and the Soviet Union, naiveté and NATO expansion in the 1990s, the dangers of the current conflict with Russia and China, the possibility of a new American foreign policy paradigm, global interdependence, and an endgame in Ukraine.Time Stamps:00:01:06 First trip to China in 198000:06:45 Trip to the Soviet Union and Poland in the early 80s00:10:13 Naiveté in the 1990s00:15:23 The dangers of current conflict with Russ...2024-10-0954 minThe TrialogueAlexander Pilyasov: The Russian ArcticThis week, our guest is Alexander Pilyasov, a professor of geography at Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. We discuss the Russian Arctic, cooperation in the region with China, and growing competition with the United States. We recorded the conversation in Belgrade, following a “Trialogue” on American, Russian, and Chinese interests in the Arctic.Time Stamps:00:01:13 The Arctic in the Russian economy00:17:38 Life in the Russian Arctic00:23:56 Energy export from the Russia Arctic00:26:52 Sanctions00:32:41 China in the Arctic00:40:29 Growing competition with the US in the Arctic*The Trialogue Podcast is h...2024-10-0244 minThe TrialogueZHAO Hai: Trump’s trade war and the war in UkraineThis week, our guest is ZHAO Hai, Director of the International Politics Program in the National Institute for Global Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). We discuss US policy toward China, Sino-Russian relations, the war in Ukraine, and China’s vision of global order.Time Stamps:00:01:00 Zhao’s family connections to the PRC Navy00:06:37 Zhao’s graduate study in Chicago00:09:26 Chinese think tanks and the function of CASS00:13:11 China’s reaction to Trump00:22:57 China’s reaction to Biden00:30:22 Sino-Russian relations before the Ukraine war00:34:18 The war in Ukraine00:47:52 China’s vision of global order*The...2024-09-2553 minThe TrialogueKarl Eikenberry: Recollections of a retired generalThis week, our guest is Karl Eikenberry, a retired lieutenant general in the U.S. Army, whose many titles include the defense attaché at the U.S. Embassy in China, Commander of the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. Because General Eikenberry has had such a long and fascinating career and often occupied key roles at important pivot points in U.S. policy, we decided to devote the whole interview to an examination of his biography.Time Stamps:00:01:04 Childhood experience of the Cold War00:06:42 West Point00:10:21 Korea in the 70s00:14:10 China in t...2024-09-181h 12The TrialogueAndrey Kortunov: Four decades of Russian foreign policyThis week, our guest is Andrey Kortunov, the founding director of the Russian International Affairs Council. Time Stamps:00:01:00 Kortunov’s career before RIAC00:09:22 RIAC’s origins and evolution00:18:36 RIAC’s work on sanctions00:25:40 BRICS and other international institutions00:33:29 China-India relations00:36:06 Russia-China relations00:47:00 Russia-Western relations*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.**The first twelve episodes of this podcast were published by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
2024-09-1152 minThe TrialogueXIANG Lanxin: China’s “rise” should not come as a surpriseThis week, we discuss China-US-Russia relations with Xiang Lanxin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center and Professor Emeritus of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva.Time Stamps:00:01:17 The Xiang family’s four centuries in the Chinese military00:07:38 Lanxin’s experience during the Cultural Revolution00:18:00 Graduate school in the United States and the start of an academic career00:23:01 A history of Western misperceptions of China00:34:05 The recent decline in US-China relations00:39:39 Russia’s relations with the West00:47:55 Russia-China relations00:51:56 Taiwan*The Trialogue Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and...2024-09-041h 16The TrialogueSeason 1 TrailerThe Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey presents the Monterey Trialogue podcast, a series that investigates the relationship among the United States, Russia, and China by engaging with experts from all three countries. At a time when even bilateral channels of communication have begun to break down, the Monterey Trialogue offers a new and necessary perspective on the defining geopolitical relationship of our time.
2024-08-2801 min
Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory PodcastNoah FeldmanOn today’s podcast, we’re excited to welcome back former Digging a Hole guest Noah Feldman, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. We take a break from legal theory and indulge Feldman in a discussion about his new book, To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People. In this episode, which was adapted from a conversation between Feldman and Sam at Yale Law School, we dive into Feldman’s theory of Judaism as a theology of struggle, his taxonomy of Jewry, and his insistence that a relationship to Isr...2024-04-1653 min