Why It Matters

Latest Episodes:

A Turning Point for Global Trade Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

International trade has shaped the world for much of the past century. Countries benefited from the global flow of goods, and the world became richer and safer. At the same time, many Americans lost their jobs to cheaper overseas competitors. Now, a series of compounding challenges, including great power competition and climate change, have led U.S. officials to rethink trade policy. What's next for international trade? And can the United States retain the benefits of trade while protecting critical supply chains and fighting climate change?

Featured Guests:

Jennifer Hillman (Senior Fellow for Trade and International Political Economy)

Inu Manak (Fellow for Trade Policy)

Edward Alden (Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/turning-point-global-trade

America’s Fentanyl Epidemic: The China Connection Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Over the past few years, a new threat has emerged as a leading cause of death in the United States: fentanyl. Yet even as the drug wreaks havoc on Americans lives, preventing its flow into the United States is complicated, partially because of the supply’s overseas origins, which is often China. What is China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis?

Featured Guests:

Tom Bollyky (Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development, and Director of the Global Health Program)

Zongyuan Zoe Liu (Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/americas-fentanyl-epidemic-china-connection

The Case for Rebuilding Ukraine Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

Russia has caused unprecedented damage in Ukraine. And with no diplomatic end in sight to the conflict, many Ukrainians are wondering when, if ever, they will be able to go back to their homes. According to many experts, the answer is actually sooner rather than later. Can reconstruction begin before a war ends? Who pays, and where should world leaders begin?

Featured Guests:

Sam Greene (Director of the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, Professor of Russian Politics, King's College London)

Phillip Zelikow (White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us as https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/case-rebuilding-ukraine

Could Climate Change Break Home Insurance? Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

For decades, U.S. homeowners have counted on property insurance to protect them from catastrophic loss if their homes are destroyed—and the U.S. economy has rested on the functionality of that model. But as this summer’s extreme weather broke records, private companies reduced their coverage. As climate disasters become more frequent, can home insurance hold up?

Featured Guests:

David Marlett (Managing Director of the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center, Appalachian State University)

Nancy Watkins (Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/could-climate-change-break-home-insurance

Who Runs the World?... Not Women Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Female representation in politics leads to numerous benefits, but the vast majority of the world’s most powerful politicians are men. Using the Council on Foreign Relations’ Women’s Power Index tool to track women’s leadership across the globe, this episode examines the problems that arise from a shortage of female leaders.

Featured Guests:

Sandra Pepera (Senior Associate and Director for Gender, Women and Democracy, National Democratic Institute)

Linda Robinson (Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/who-runs-world-not-women

Taiwan, China, and the Threat of War Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

A small island one hundred miles off the coast of China could be the flashpoint that determines the future of great-power competition. Experts increasingly warn that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be globally catastrophic, regardless of its success or if the United States intervenes. How concerned should Americans be?

James Lin (Assistant Professor at the University of Washington )

David Sacks (Fellow for Asia Studies, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/taiwan-china-and-threat-war

AI Meets World, Part Two Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought lawmakers and industry leaders to the same conclusion: regulation is necessary to ensure the technology changes the world for the better. The similarities could end there, as governments and industry clash on what those laws should do, and different governments take increasingly divergent approaches. What are the stakes of the debate over AI regulation?

Featured Guests:

Janet Haven (Executive Director, Data & Society)

Sebastian Mallaby (Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ai-meets-world-part-two

AI Meets World, Part One Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

After decades of seeming like another sci-fi catchphrase, artificial intelligence (AI) is having its moment. Some experts predict that AI will usher in an era of boundless productivity and techno-utopia; others see a new realm of great-power competition and the end of humanity. Nearly all agree that AI will change the world. But will it be for the better?

Featured Guests:

Janet Haven (Executive Director, Data & Society)

Sebastian Mallaby (Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ai-meets-world-part-one

Down and Dirty: The Global Fertilizer Dilemma May 25, 2023

Show notes

Feeding the world's eight billion people has never been easy. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the market for fertilizer, that task has gotten even harder. The fertilizer crisis threatens to exacerbate food insecurity worldwide, especially in low-income countries already reeling from record-high inflation and rapidly depreciating currencies. What is fertilizer’s role in the food supply chain?

Featured Guests:

Laura Cross (Director, Market Intelligence, International Fertilizer Association)

Michelle Gavin (Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/down-and-dirty-global-fertilizer-dilemma

A New Nuclear Age May 11, 2023

Show notes

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of nuclear war felt like a problem of days past. Now, as great-power competition heats up, the potential for nuclear conflict seems higher than at any point in decades. How did the nuclear taboo fade, and what does nuclear proliferation mean for the United States?

Featured Guests:

J. Andrés Gannon (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, CFR)

Rupal N. Mehta (Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/new-nuclear-age