The President’s Inbox

Latest Episodes:

Modi Meets Trump, With Tanvi Madan Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

Tanvi Madan, senior fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the White House meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump and what it says about current and future state of U.S.-India relations.

Mentioned on the Episode:

Tanvi Madan, Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War

Tanvi Madan, “India Is Hoping for a Trump Bump,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/modi-meets-trump-tanvi-madan

New Podcast Spotlight: The Interconnect Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Emerging technologies are transforming international relations and our country’s economy. So how do we connect science and engineering labs with Washington and the world of business?

The Interconnect, a new podcast series from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Stanford Emerging Technology Review, brings together leading minds in cutting-edge technology and foreign policy to explore recent ground-breaking developments, what's coming over the horizon, and the implications for U.S. innovation leadership.

In this featured episode, Stanford Emerging Technology Review Faculty Council Member Mark Horowitz and CFR’s technologist-in-residence Sebastian Elbaum discuss where chip manufacturing is heading, how hardware advances are powering the new artificial intelligence (AI) era, and what the United States should prioritize in order to sustain its leadership in this crucial domain.

Host

Martin Giles, Managing Editor of the Stanford Emerging Technology Review

Guests

Mark Horowitz, chair of the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University

Sebastian Elbaum, the Technologist in Residence at the Council on Foreign Relations

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: A World in Permanent Crisis, With Robert Kaplan Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Robert Kaplan, acclaimed journalist and author of Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the world’s growing interconnectedness is likely to produce greater conflict and chaos. This episode is the sixth in a continuing TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Mentioned on the Episode:

Robert Kaplan, Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis

Robert F. Worth, “Narendra Modi’s Populist Facade Is Cracking,” The Atlantic

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at:

https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/world-permanent-crisis-robert-kaplan

DeepSeek Upends AI Competition, With Adam Segal Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

Adam Segal, the Ira A. Lipman chair in emerging technologies and national security at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the Chinese company DeepSeek's new artificial intelligence (AI) program has challenged the conventional wisdom that the United States leads the AI race and raised critical questions about U.S. policy on AI.

Mentioned on the Episode:

Adam Segal, The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age

Adam Segal and Sebastian Elbaum, "Artificial Intelligence Priorities for the Next Administration," CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/deepseek-upends-ai-competition-adam-segal

The Gaza Cease-Fire, With Steven Cook Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the Israel-Hamas cease-fire over Gaza came together, what the agreement requires each side to do, and what will come next.

Mentioned on the Episode

Steven Cook, “Israel and Hamas Reach Cease-Fire, but Will the War End?” CFR.org

Steven Cook, “Israelis and Palestinians Both Lost Their Futures,” Foreign Policy

Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/gaza-ceasefire-steven-cook

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Eurasia Challenge, With Hal Brands Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger distinguished professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how and why control of Eurasia affects U.S. national security. This episode is the fifth in a continuing TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Mentioned on the Episode

Hal Brands, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World

H. J. Mackinder, “The Geographical Pivot of History,” The Geographical Journal

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/eurasia-challenge-hal-brands

Trump's Immigration Policy, with Edward Alden (Transition 2025, Episode 9) Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

Edward Alden, senior fellow at CFR and co-author of When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Trump's proposed immigration policies and their likely effects on the economy. This episode is the ninth and final episode in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Enter the CFR book giveaway by January 28, 2025, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of When the World Closed Its Doorsby Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.

Mentioned on the Episode

Edward Alden, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11

Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman, When the World Closed Its Doors: The COVID-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders

Alessandro Caiumi and Giovanni Peri, "Immigration's Effect on US Wages and Employment Redux," National Bureau of Economic Research

Council on Foreign Relations, The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century

Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition

Anna Maria Mayda, Francesc Ortega, Giovanni Peri, Kevin Shih and Chad Sparber, "The Effect of the H-1B Quota on Employment and Selection of Foreign-Born Labor," National Bureau of Economic Research

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trumps-immigration-policy-edward-alden-transition-2025-episode-9

Iran Reacts to Trump’s Victory, With Ray Takeyh (Transition 2025, Episode 8) Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Ray Takeyh, the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Iran and whether a return to “maximum pressure” will force Tehran to agree to limit its nuclear program. This episode is the eighth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mentioned on the Episode

Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, “Tehran May Tempt Trump With Talks,” Wall Street Journal

Mike Pompeo, “After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy,” Speech at the Heritage Foundation

Ray Takeyh, The Last Shah: America, Iran and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty

Ray Takeyh, “The Untold Story of Jimmy Carter’s Hawkish Stand on Iran,” Wall Street Journal

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/iran-reacts-trumps-victory-ray-takeyh-transition-2025-episode-8

TPI Replay: The Case for Multipolar Pluralism, With Stephen Heintz Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

This episode first aired: August 20, 2024

Mentioned on the Episode

Stephen Heintz, “A Logic for the Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence,” Rockefeller Brothers Fund

John F. Kennedy, “Commencement Address at American University,” June 10, 1963

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/case-multipolar-pluralism-stephen-heintz

TPI Replay: The Case for Liberal Realism, With Charles A. Kupchan Dec 24, 2024

Show notes

Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

This episode first aired: July 30, 2024

Mentioned on the Episode

“A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox

Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order

Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World

Jake Sullivan, “Renewing American Economic Leadership”

Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan