Hopkins Podcast On Foreign Affairs

For over ten years, Venezuela has been engulfed in a political and economic crisis which has impoverished millions in the oil-rich country and brought authoritarianism to one of Latin America’s oldest democracies. Caught in a global geopolitical competition amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,  and with upcoming elections in December of this year, the stakes for Venezuela’s … Continue reading The Future of Venezuela with Moises Rendon

    Since the turn of the century, China’s economic, political, and military strength has risen meteorically– from international institutions and trade relationships to telecommunications networks and public perceptions, China is increasingly garnering influence and in some cases, control. This rise to dominance has prompted a dramatic rethink of US foreign policy strategy, and ignited … Continue reading Future of US-China Competition with Richard Fontaine

    In this episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs, we discuss Anne Applebaum’s new book, Twilight of Democracy. What is democracy, what is authoritarianism, why are some intellectuals drawn to authoritarianism, and how can we protect democracy? To help us answer these questions, today on the podcast we are joined by Anne … Continue reading Twilight of Democracy with Anne Applebaum

  Over the last couple of weeks thousands of people have taken to the streets in Belarus to protest the recent reelection of President Lukishenko. Lukisheko’s government stated that he won with over 80% of the vote, leading many to believe that this election was rigged and the results were fradulant. Today we explore the … Continue reading Belarus on the Brink with Dr. Dalibor Rohac

  In this episode, we discuss the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the “Quad”, an Indo-Pacific security grouping of the United States, Australia,  Japan, and India. What is the purpose of the Quad? What has the Quad already done? How has China responded to the Quad?   To help us answer these questions, today on the podcast … Continue reading The Quad with Jeff Smith

  From Africa to Asia and Latin America, the US and China are increasingly competing for global influence. With each promoting different visions for global development. In this episode, we discuss the role of US foreign aid in the context of rising Great Power Competition. What does USAID look like on the ground? How does … Continue reading USAID & Great Power Competition with Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick

This week, tragedy struck Lebanon. Over two thousands tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in Beirut’s port exploded with earth shattering force — ripping apart the center of Beirut – destroying hospitals, businesses, and the homes of an estimated 300,000 people. Hundreds lost their lives. The scale of destruction and toll on the … Continue reading Tragedy Strikes Lebanon with Dr. Steven Cook

  24 million. That is the number of men, women, and children in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen. Since the civil conflict started, Yemen has quickly become one of the most unforgiving places to be a child in the world. 10.2 million children don’t have basic healthcare. 7.8 million children don’t have access to … Continue reading Crisis in Yemen with Dr. Sherin Varkey

Antarctica, with its freezing temperatures, wind blown surfaces, and shockingly low amount of precipitation is the earth’s most inhospitable continent — surrounded on all sides by the southern ocean, it took until 1911 for explorers to reach the southern pole. Yet, the continent is not beyond the reach of politics. In this special episode of … Continue reading Geopolitics of Antarctica with Dr. Klaus Dodds

The polar regions have become a vector of geopolitical competition stemming from the effects of Climate Change. In this podcast, we discuss the geopolitical competition over the Arctic. Who are the major players, why does the region matter, and what, if anything, should the United States do in the region? To help us answer these … Continue reading Arctic Security with Luke Coffey

The ethnically diverse region of Kashmir has been hotly contested even before India and Pakistan won their independence in 1947. In August 2019, India revoked the significant autonomy of Indian-administered Kashmir and implemented a communications ban. Today, we will discuss the history of conflict in Kashmir, including  relevant state and non-state actors, previous attempts at … Continue reading Crisis in Kashmir with Farhana Qazi

In May 2020, the Chinese Communist Party announced a sweeping new National Security Law over Hong Kong. The law, enacted in late June, ambiguously outlaws separatism, subversion, and terrorism, allowing China to limit the autonomy of Hong Kong’s institutions and crackdown on freedoms enjoyed by those in Hong Kong in an unprecedented manner. Those in … Continue reading Hong Kong in Crisis with Dr. Ho-Fung Hung

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, launching the first phase of its global war on terrorism. Now, 20 years later, the US is still there. In February 2020, an agreement was concluded between the US and Taliban, paving the way for significant withdrawal of US troops, and laying the groundwork for intra-Afghan negotiations. However, … Continue reading U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal with Dr. Michael Rubin

Since the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, the United States has witnessed the awakening of a national conversation on racial justice and equity, especially within our institutions. The January 2020 Government Accountability Office report on diversity in the Department of State found troubling patterns. For example, racial or ethnic minorities in State’s … Continue reading Diversity and Diplomacy with Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

  COVID-19 has spread across the globe, but Brazil has been hit particularly hard. Brazil currently has second highest number of COVID-19 cases deaths in the world. In this episode, we investigate why, including discussing the administration of Jair Bolsonaro and the economic consequences of Brazil’s failure to address COVID-19 in the region.   Filipe Campante … Continue reading Brazil, Bolsonaro, and COVID-19 with Dr. Filipe Campante

Since the outbreak of COVD-19 from Wuhan in early 2020, Taiwan has succeeded in fighting the virus. Throughout Taiwan, there have been only 446 confirmed cases and 7 deaths to date.  Today, we will be discussing what strategies Taiwan has implemented to prevent the outbreak and reopen, and whether these strategies can be extrapolated to … Continue reading Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response with Vice President Chen Chien-jen

On June 15th, a deadly brawl between Chinese and Indian troops along the India-China border in the Himalayas resulted in casualties for the first time in four decades. In this episode we will discuss the history of this long-standing border dispute as well as other points of tensions between China and India. Joining us today … Continue reading India – China Border Dispute with Dr. Joshua White

In this episode, we discuss Kim Jong Un, the authoritarian supreme leader of North Korea — a country known for its nuclear weapons program and isolation from the world. What do we know about Kim? What is going on with the recent escalation of tensions between North Korea and South Korea? What does the future … Continue reading Becoming Kim Jong Un with Dr. Jung H. Pak

In order to address the economic perils of COVID-19 in Europe, Germany and France have introduced an economic recovery package to the European Union of over 500 billion euros. What does this plan entail? Why is it so significant? And how will this plan affect the European Union as an institution? To help us answer … Continue reading EU Economic Stimulus with Dr. Erik Jones

On today’s episode of the Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs we discuss the implications of COVID-19 on Mexico and its economy. What has the government done to address the COVID-19-related economic crisis? How might economic crisis in Mexico affect the US economy? To help us answers these questions, today on the podcast as a guest … Continue reading Mexico’s Economic Spiral with Dr. Ryan Berg