Counterpoint

Latest Episodes:

Are Tariffs the Right Approach? Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have roiled markets around the world and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Even after he suspended his so-called reciprocal tariffs, the measures he kept in place are still more dramatic than anything the world has seen in decades. Most economists believe free trade—not tariffs—is the best way to increase global prosperity. But Trump says other countries are taking advantage of the United States.

On this episode of Counterpoint, we’ll hear from two leading economists who feel very differently about tariffs. Oren Cass, the founder of American Compass, generally supports them, while Kimberly Clausing, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes the Trump tariff policy is a disaster for the United States. Their debate was moderated by Foreign Policy’s editor-in-chief, Ravi Agrawal, and originally aired on FP Live.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can the Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process Succeed? Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a cease-fire last month in its war with Turkey, opening the door to a possible peace agreement between the two sides. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has gone on for decades.

A deal would be a major win for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—but it’s not at all clear he can pull it off. In fact, he seems to have undermined his own chances by imprisoning the leader of Turkey’s political opposition, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, triggering widespread protests.

On this episode of Counterpoint, we’re posing the question: Can the Turkish-Kurdish peace process succeed?

Making the case that it can succeed is Galip Dalay, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House and researcher at the University of Oxford’s St. Antony’s College.

Taking a more pessimistic view is Arzu Yilmaz, an associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Kurdistan Hewler in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Europe Fully Replace the U.S. as Ukraine’s Chief Protector? Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

The Trump administration has upended the U.S. approach to the war in Ukraine, largely siding with Russia as it tries to broker an end to the fighting. With Washington no longer interested in acting as Ukraine’s chief protector, the burden is shifting to Europe. But can it bear the load?

To launch Season 2 of Counterpoint, we put that question to Nathalie Tocci and Stephen M. Walt.

Tocci is the director of Italy’s Istituto Affari Internazionali and has worked as an advisor to the government of Italy and to EU officials. She argues that Europe can fully replace the United States in supporting Ukraine.

Walt, a professor of international affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and longtime columnist at Foreign Policy, argues the other side of the case.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Counterpoint, Season 2: Trailer Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

The world has changed dramatically since we released the first season of Counterpoint just a few months ago. Old alliances are collapsing and core assumptions are being questioned. On this second season of the show, FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is back with eight new debates that help capture the complexities of the moment. Listen in as an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics, and activists from around the globe argue over the world's most contentious issues. Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the U.S. Confront China More Forcefully Over Taiwan? Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Over the past few weeks, Taiwan’s military has been on high alert after China deployed warships and fighter jets around the island to conduct unannounced maritime drills. And some are now questioning whether China could be gearing up for a military attack. Foreign Policy Deputy Editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Jessica Chen Weiss, a professor of China studies at Johns Hopkins University and a former senior advisor at the U.S. State Department, and Markus Garlauskas, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council and the former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Should Trump Tackle the U.S. Immigration Crisis? Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a cornerstone of his campaign. The question now is what will he actually do? Will he seek to round up and kick 10 million people out of the country on Jan. 21? Will he reconfigure U.S. policy to focus on admitting skilled workers and reducing the number of unskilled migrants?

Foreign Policy deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Leah Boustan, a professor of economics at Princeton University and co-author of Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success, and Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Institute and author of Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the Global South Denounce Russia’s War in Ukraine as an Act of Imperialism? Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America didn’t join the United States and Europe in jumping to Kyiv’s defense. Their leaders wondered why they should oppose Russia’s aggression after watching Washington get away with decades of military interventions from Iraq to Libya, raising the question of whether opposing the use of force somewhere necessitates opposing it everywhere.

FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Vijay Prashad, the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, and Martin Kimani, a former Kenyan ambassador to the United Nations and now executive director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the U.K. Rejoin the EU? Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

Back in 2016, under a Conservative-led government, Britain shocked the world by voting narrowly to leave the European Union. Fast-forward to today, and the political sands have shifted dramatically. In July, for the first time in 14 years, British voters elected a Labour government. Two weeks later, the new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, signaled his desire for the country to once again grow closer to Europe. And polls now show that if given the choice again, more people would vote to rejoin the EU than stay out. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by businesswoman, activist, and campaigner Gina Miller and former British Chancellor and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can South Africa Be a Moral Example to the World? Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

For many years, South Africa was seen as a poster child for peaceful reconciliation and the triumph of good over evil. The “Rainbow Nation” image brought tourism, international investment, and major global events such as the 2010 World Cup. But beneath the glitz, there was a darker side: grinding poverty, widespread corruption, violent xenophobia, and close ties with authoritarian regimes. These days, South Africa seems intent on restoring its international image as a moral superpower. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Sisonke Msimang, the author of Always Another Country and The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, and Tony Leon, the former head of the Democratic Alliance and leader of South Africa’s official opposition in Parliament from 1999 to 2007.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the West Pressure Ukraine to Negotiate an End to the War? Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

In the past few months, the war in Ukraine has taken some dramatic turns. Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russian territory, seizing chunks of Kursk province and embarrassing President Vladimir Putin. Russia retaliated with a number of devastating attacks on Ukrainian cities and military facilities and continued to seize more territory in Donetsk. Rather than moving toward a negotiated settlement, the war seems to be escalating. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and an assistant professor at Georgetown University, and Rajan Menon, the director of the grand strategy program at Defense Priorities and a senior research scholar at Columbia University.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices