World Class

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Understanding Ukrainian Politics, with Sasha Ustinova Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

Ukraine has been in the news a lot lately in the context of U.S. politics, but we haven’t heard many Ukrainian perspectives in the U.S. media following the controversy surrounding the recent interactions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In this episode, Sasha Ustinova shares a Ukrainian perspective on the Trump-Zelensky phone call, provides context and background of Ukrainian politics, and discusses the fight against corruption inside Ukraine. A member of the Ukrainian parliament, Ustinova is also an alumna of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates.

The Controversial Phone Call Between the U.S. and Ukrainian Presidents, with Steven Pifer Oct 02, 2019

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Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer breaks down the controversial July 25 phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. He talks about the context of what was going on between the U.S. and Ukraine when the call took place, what was discussed during the call, and why the situation is damaging U.S. diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

The Fight Against Disinformation, with Alex Stamos Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

Following the Russian disinformation campaign surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election, election security and disinformation are now global issues. What should be done in order to protect the integrity of the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election, and who should be responsible for creating these protections?

Alex Stamos — the former chief security officer at Facebook, who is now a research scholar at the Cyber Policy Center — picks up where he left off when he was on World Class in May, discussing the growth of — and battle against — online propaganda.

Retreating From Democracy, with Larry Diamond Aug 26, 2019

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Between 1991 and 2006 the world was dominated by liberal values and institutions, and we saw a major increase in the number of democracies around the globe. But for the past 13 years, global freedom has been on the decline. Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, discusses why the world may be on the cusp of a “democratic depression.”

Human Rights and Free Speech in the Digital Age, with Eileen Donahoe Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

What is the evolution of thinking about digital technology, the companies that dominate it, and their responsibility to users of their platforms and the tenets of free speech? Eileen Donahoe, the executive director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPI) at FSI’s Cyber Policy Center, discusses the need for global internet guidelines, and GDPI’s mission to improve democratic values and human rights in the digital realm.

The 2020 Election is a Big Test for Democracies Worldwide, with Nathaniel Persily Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

More needs to be done to protect against foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. election, and not just by the American government. Nathaniel Persily, co-director of the Cyber Policy Center and a senior Fellow at FSI updates us on how technology companies have changed the way they display political advertising, why other countries need to be on the lookout for disinformation campaigns, and how Americans’ attitudes toward the media could impact who becomes the next U.S. president.

The Presidential Standoff in Venezuela, with Harold Trinkunas Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

The standoff over the presidency in Venezuela continues, with two men, Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, still claiming the office. Dr. Harold Trinkunas, deputy director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at FSI, updates us on how the situation has evolved since the beginning of the political conflict, the interests of the U.S. and Russia in the country, and explains the three most likely scenarios of what might happen next.

Facebook’s Former Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos Weighs in On the Mueller Report May 09, 2019

Show notes

Three weeks after the release of the Mueller Report, much of its content is still off-limits to the public. In this episode, former Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos shares his thoughts on what was and was not included in the public report, and what surprised him the most.

A cybersecurity expert, business leader and entrepreneur, Alex Stamos is an adjunct professor at the Freeman Spogli Institute and a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution.

A Journalist’s Perspective on the Russia Investigation, with Greg Miller Apr 05, 2019

Show notes

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report to the Attorney General, but additional investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election are now expected. Greg Miller and Mike McFaul discuss the challenges that policymakers and journalists face in investigating Russia, and how democracy in the U.S. has fared since 2016.

Greg Miller is a national security correspondent for the Washington Post, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and a Stanford alumnus (MA ’93). He is the author of "The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy," a book exploring Russia’s effort to undermine the 2016 election.

This podcast was recorded on March 20, 2019, two days before Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Demystifying the U.S.-North Korea Relationship, with Scott Sagan Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

The United States-North Korea summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, was cut short and did not produce any agreement between the two countries on denuclearization. What does this outcome mean for the prospect of future diplomacy and the potential for armed conflict?

Scott Sagan is a professor of political science at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He has written and edited several books and articles on nuclear strategy and security, and the risks and proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide. In this episode, Sagan analyzes President Trump’s uneven relationship with Kim Jong-un, assesses potential outcomes of an armed conflict with North Korea, and presents recent polling data on the American public’s support of nuclear weapon use.

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