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- The Doorstep: America in the Middle East & the "Caliphate" Controversy, with NYU's Mohamad Bazzi
10/23/2020
On this week's "Doorstep," hosts Tatiana Serafin and Nikolas Gvosdev are joined by NYU's Professor Mohamad Bazzi, an expert on the Middle East. The discussion focuses on America's role in the Middle East, including a look at the recently released Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on how the Trump doctrine has affected national security, and "The New York Times"' "Caliphate" controversy.
10/23/20 - The Future of Artificial Intelligence, with Stuart J. Russell
02/24/2020
UC Berkley's Professor Stuart J. Russell discusses the near- and far-future of artificial intelligence, including self-driving cars, killer robots, governance, and why he's worried that AI might destroy the world. How can scientists reconfigure AI systems so that humans will always be in control? How can we govern this emerging technology across borders? What can be done if autonomous weapons are deployed in 2020?
02/24/20 - The Crack-Up: The Birth of the Modern Middle East, with Ted Widmer
01/31/2020
At the end of World War I, colonial powers carved up the Ottoman Empire and the reverberations are still being felt today. Historian Ted Widmer discusses the circumstances that led to this fateful episode and why Woodrow Wilson wasn't able to extend his principle of "self-determination" to the Middle East. How should we think about the Trump-Netanyahu peace plan in the context of what happened in Palestine in 1919?
01/31/20 - Just War, Unjust Soldiers, & American Public Opinion, with Scott D. Sagan
01/27/2020
Do soldiers fighting for a "just cause" have more rights than soldiers fighting on the other side? In this interview following up on an "Ethics & International Affairs" article, Stanford's Professor Scott D. Sagan discusses the results of a study he conducted with Dartmouth's Professor Benjamin A. Valentino on how Americans think about this profound question.
01/27/20 - Foreign Policy Narratives in Palm Beach
01/23/2020
After an invitation to speak at a gathering of the Palm Beach chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States, U.S. Global Engagement Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev reflects on the current scope and direction of U.S. foreign policy. How will new uncertainties in the international system influence the relationships among the democratic community of nations?
01/23/20 - Privacy, Surveillance, & the Terrorist Trap, with Tom Parker
01/14/2020
How can investigators utilize new technology like facial recognition software while respecting the rights of suspects and the general public? What are the consequences of government overreaction to terrorist threats? Tom Parker, author of "Avoiding the Terrorist Trap," discusses privacy, surveillance, and more in the context of counterterrorism.
01/14/20 - Suleimani Is Dead, but Diplomacy Shouldn't Be
01/08/2020
Carnegie Council fellow and Pacific Delegate Philip Caruso advocates for the value of diplomacy in the aftermath of the U.S. killing Iran's general Qassem Suleimani. "Iran cannot win a war against the United States, nor can the United States afford to fight one," he argues. This article was originally published in "Foreign Policy" and is posted here with kind permission.
01/08/20 - Soleimani and the Democratic Primary Electorate
01/06/2020
In the aftermath of the U.S. drone strike on the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, General Qassem Soleimani, senior fellow Nikolas Gvosdev studies the responses of the Democratic primary candidates. To what degree and scope do they see America's involvement and engagement in the world?
01/06/20 - Fighting ISIS Online, with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez
11/08/2019
National security expert Asha Castleberry-Hernandez discusses what "ISIS 2.0" means and how the terrorist group has used social media to recruit and spread its message. How has its strategy changed since the death of its leader Abur Bakr al-Baghdadi? What can the U.S. military, Congress, and executive branch do better to fight the group online?
11/08/19 - A Russian Take on the Kurds and U.S. Foreign Policy
10/18/2019
A Russian defense news site declared the United States an "unreliable ally" after the withdrawal of American troops from Northern Syria. Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev connects this characterization to the need for leaders to connect a specific policy action to a larger, understandable narrative for the American public.
10/18/19 - Candidates, Calculus, and the Iran Crisis
09/18/2019
In choosing whether and how to respond to the attack on Saudi Arabian oil refineries, what is the calculus for determining action? Should the United States maintain its status as the guarantor of the Persian Gulf, protecting the security and integrity of the international energy system? What do the 2020 candidates think?
09/18/19 - A New Era of Cyberwarfare, with Arun Vishwanath
07/23/2019
When the United States launched a massive cyberattack against Iran last month, it heralded "a new age of Internet warfare," says cybersecurity expert Arun Vishwanath. How could cyber-based conflicts change the nature of the Internet? Why is the U.S. especially vulnerable to these threats? And what would a "digital Geneva Convention" look like?
07/23/19 - The Failure of the Two-State Solution: Hope for Palestinian Youth
07/22/2019
With the two-state solution facing obstacles from all sides, Palestinian youth need to "answer the urgent question of how to reframe the conflict discourse and avoid succumbing to a future of perennial suffering in silence under the status quo," writes security analyst Tariq Kenney-Shawa. What are effective methods of nonviolent resistance? How can the 1987 First Intifada serve as an inspiration for the next generation of Palestinians?
07/22/19 - The Crack-Up: 1919 & the Birth of Fundamentalism, with Matthew Avery Sutton
06/28/2019
Washington State's Matthew Avery Sutton tells the story of a Minneapolis pastor named William Belly Riley and the rise of Christian fundamentalism in the post-World War I years. From concerns about FDR and the New Deal to the Trump administration's anti-Obamacare rhetoric--and a consistently "apocalyptic worldview"--Sutton and historian Ted Widmer trace the influence of this movement over the past century.
06/28/19 - Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency, with Larry Diamond
06/20/2019
Larry Diamond's core argument is stark: the defense and advancement of democratic ideals relies on U.S. global leadership. If the U.S. does not reclaim its traditional place as the keystone of democracy, today's authoritarian trend could become a tsunami that could provide an opening for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and their admirers to turn the 21st century into a dark time of surging authoritarianism.
06/20/19 - Global Ethics Weekly: Iran Tensions & Secretary Shanahan, with Asha Castleberry
05/30/2019
National security expert and U.S. Army veteran Asha Castleberry breaks down the rising tensions with Iran and John Bolton's influence at the White House. She and host Alex Woodson also discuss the pluses and minuses of having former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan in charge at the Department of Defense and she gives advice on how to figure out who or what to believe in this chaotic political environment.
05/30/19 - Global Ethics Weekly: The Mueller Report & U.S. Foreign Policy, with Jonathan Cristol
05/21/2019
A lot of the talk about the Mueller Report has focused on its political and legal implications, but how will it affect U.S. foreign policy? Adelphi College's Jonathan Cristol discusses the reactions of allies and adversaries to Trump's passivity in the face of massive Russian interference in the U.S. election and congressional inaction and public apathy concerning presidential corruption. Plus, he details recent U.S. policy moves on Iran and the significance of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's speech to U.S. Congress.
05/21/19 - 100 Years After Versailles
05/14/2019
Just weeks after an armistice halted the most devastating conflict in generations, the victors of the Great War set out to negotiate the terms of the peace--and to rewrite the rules of international relations. A century later, we live in a world shaped by the Treaty of Versailles. In this fascinating discussion, a panel of distinguished historians delve into the complex situation on the ground at the time and the Treaty's legacy today, from Europe and the U.S. to Asia and the Middle East.
05/14/19 - How Change Happens, with Cass Sunstein
04/23/2019
From the French Revolution to the Arab Spring to #MeToo, how does social change happen? In a book that was 25 years in the making, Cass Sunstein unpacks this puzzle by exploring the interplay of three decisive factors. Don't miss this insightful talk. It may change how you view the world.
04/23/19 - Ethical Implications of Climate Change for Education
04/09/2019
"Education is often tied with privilege and who has access," writes Brian Mateo, assistant dean of civic engagement at Bard College. "Let us not continue to widen the gap because of physical barriers that are affecting children and underrepresented populations in our fast-changing climate."
04/09/19