CFR.org Podcasts

Momentous Day Twenty Years Ago in Berlin

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:48 -0500

CFR's Bernard Gwertzman and Serge Schmemann of the International Herald Tribune discuss their role in reporting the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago and the enduring significance of that day.

The Significance of President Obama's Nobel

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:17:08 -0400

CFR's Walter Russell Mead says the Nobel Peace Prize is a welcome sign of international recognition for U.S. President Barack Obama, but he says the president faces great global challenges ahead.

Reporting From Pakistan and Afghanistan

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:28:05 -0400

CFR's Kim Barker and Kathy Gannon of the Associated Press, longtime reporters in South Asia, discuss changing security developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the need for revamped U.S. policies in the region.

Regional Diplomacy on the Honduras Crisis

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:08:54 -0400

CFR Fellow Shannon K. O'Neil says Brazil is "taking ownership" of diplomacy surrounding the Honduras political stalemate in part because the Organization of American States has been unable to effectively manage the crisis.

Japan's New Government

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:21:48 -0400

CFR's Japan expert Sheila Smith says U.S.-Japan relations remain important for both governments, but the issue of realigning U.S. military forces in Japan will continue to be a difficult challenge.

U.S.-Libya Relations

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:01:57 -0400

Dana Moss of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says that Libya will continue to seek a good relationship with the United States in its effort to raise its international profile, but she cautions against seeing the U.S.-Libya rapprochement as a model for other rogue states.

Balancing India and China

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:07:57 -0400

Amid a new round of India-China border talks, regional specialists Sumit Ganguly and Minxin Pei discuss relations between these rising powers and how they affect U.S. interests in Asia.

Intelligence Policy Likely Destined for Revisions, Not Rollback

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:35:40 -0400

Legal expert Sanford V. Levinson says rising debate in Congress over past intelligence practices aimed at combating terrorism will likely lead to modifications in policy though not a major overhaul.

Uighurs and China's Social Justice Problem

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:19:20 -0400

Uighur expert Dru Gladney says the protests in China's Xinjiang Province are about social justice for the country's minorities and expresses concern they will spark greater Chinese nationalism.

Providing HIV Treatment in an Uncertain Financial Climate

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:52:02 -0400

CFR Fellow Peter Navario discusses the leveling off of South Africa's AIDS epidemic and its ability to step up HIV/AIDS treatments in light of "flatlined" global health funding.

Sanctioning North Korea

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:46:46 -0400

CFR Fellow Kara C. McDonald says the new UN Security Council Resolution against North Korea is one of the strongest set of sanctions adopted thus far by the body, though success in bringing North Korea back to the negotiation table is dependent on enforcement.

China's Difficult Choices

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:41:16 -0400

CFR's Brad Setser examines U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's statements about the need to rebalance China economic relations with the United States and says China shouldn't be overly concerned about the risks of U.S. inflation.

The Devil in the Details on Closing Guantanamo

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:59:09 -0400

CFR's Marisa L. Porges says the mounting political debate over the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees underscores the steep challenges President Barack Obama faces in closing the camp within a one-year timeline.

New Hopes for Stability in South Asia

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:00:50 -0400

South Asia expert Teresita Schaffer says a decisive victory for Congress Party in Indian elections and a possible end to the civil war in Sri Lanka could bolster a region buffeted by conflict.

Can the Internet Bring Democracy to China?

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:09:23 -0400

Xiao Qiang, an expert on China, says a digital revolution alone will not bring leadership change in Beijing but it could, in the long run, lead to a less repressive government in the country.

Assessing the New Command in Afghanistan

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:32:07 -0400

The replacement of the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan with a counterinsurgency expert could shift momentum, but CFR's Stephen Biddle says it might also anger Afghans who oppose U.S. special operations tactics.

India's Role in Democracy Promotion

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:05:17 -0400

As the world's largest democracy holds its parliamentary elections, the head of the UN Democracy Fund and an Indian foreign policy expert discuss the frictions between India's national interests and democratic values.

Understanding Change at the Fed

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:49:57 -0400

Greg Ip, U.S. economics editor at the Economist, examines what he calls the "more creative and more aggressive" policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve and says policymakers may seek oversight of how the Fed provides loans.

Flynn: U.S. Remains Unprepared for Major Epidemic

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:33:51 -0400

Stephen Flynn, a leading homeland security expert, says while the initial U.S. response to the swine flu outbreak has gone reasonably well, the country remains ill prepared for a severe epidemic.

Drugs Displace Immigration as Top U.S. Concern in U.S.-Mexico Relations

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:43:41 -0400

Joe Contreras, former Latin America bureau chief for Newsweek, says while Mexico and the United States step up engagement on battling drug traffickers, another priority--immigration reform--is unlikely to get top U.S. attention.

The United States Should Avoid "Grand Schemes" in Somalia

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:34:28 -0400

CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the United States should avoid grand schemes in its attempts to fight piracy in Somalia.

Making Aid Work

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:16:47 -0400

A senior USAID official and CFR's Isobel Coleman discuss aid priorities in Pakistan and how development programs can be made more effective.

The SCO Role in Afghanistan

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:24:29 -0400

CFR Central Asia expert Evan Feigenbaum says the United States has a rare opportunity to explore whether the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can become a serious partner in stabilizing Afghanistan.

Politics in Nigeria Have 'Ground to a Halt'

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:16:30 -0400

Nigeria expert Jean Hershkovits says that Nigeria's political processes "have more or less ground to a halt," leading to desperation and disillusionment.

Misreading Iraq

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:52:40 -0400

Charles Duelfer, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, says the biggest failure in the run-up to the war was misreading Iraqis' intentions, a lesson to consider when dealing with other hard-to-gauge countries, like Iran.

How to Leverage U.S. Global Health Dollars More Effectively

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:18:35 -0400

Lee Wells of the Touch Foundation discusses his work on training health workers in Tanzania and how the United States can most efficiently use its global-health aid dollars.

The Problem with the UN Resolution on Defamation of Religions

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:20:16 -0400

L. Bennett Graham of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty expresses concern about a recent UN resolution on defamation of religions, saying it may provide cover to states that attempt to censor peaceful religious speech.

Foreign Affairs Preview: March/April 2009

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:23:35 -0500

An inside look at the March/April 2009 of Foreign Affairs.

Smart Power in Pakistan

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:13:44 -0500

Suzanne Nossel, a human rights advocate, and Jonah Blank, chief South Asia adviser on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, discuss how Pakistan may be a crucial test for the Obama administration as it pursues a "smart power" approach to foreign policy.

A Commander's View of Stability in Afghanistan

newsteam@cfr.org (Council on Foreign Relations) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:17:54 -0500

Pessimism runs deep as the U.S.-led war effort in Afghanistan presses on, but one U.S. Army colonel sees reason for optimism in the local leaders he helped train.