About this podcast
Each week, Foreign Policy Live will feature a substantive conversation on world affairs. Host and FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal will be joined by leading foreign-policy thinkers and practitioners to analyze a key issue in global politics, from the U.S.-China relationship to conflict and diplomacy. FP Live is your weekly fix for smart thinking about the world.
Foreign Policy magazine subscribers can watch these interviews live and submit questions and suggestions by going to https://foreignpolicy.com/live/.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 244 episodes
- The Beginning of the End of Trumpism · 40 minThe election results are in. Democrats have taken back both houses of Congress, and U.S. President Donald Trump is now a lame duck. Having asked the electorate to pretend he was…
- Decoding Israel’s Election Results · 33 minIsrael’s first elections since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas have failed to deliver a clear winner. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue to run the country until…
- Deciphering Trump’s Strange Ukraine Moves · 40 minRelations between Kyiv and Washington have become particularly rocky this month. U.S. President Donald Trump is making political and diplomatic moves that seem to benefit Moscow…
- Why Spain Stands Up to Trump · 35 minWhat’s the best way to navigate the Trump White House? Some countries employ flattery; others look to keep a low profile. Spain is a rare country that openly disagrees with…
- Can America Stay Ahead of China on AI? · 45 minIt is well known that at least part of Washington’s reluctance to regulate artificial intelligence comes from wanting to make sure the United States stays ahead of China. But…
- Can Development Work in Wartime? · 30 minHow can you tackle poverty and create infrastructure amid an active conflict? Alexander De Croo is the head of the U.N. Development Program, and he joins FP’s Ravi Agrawal to…
- The Case for Trump’s Global Strategy · 41 minU.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has become one of the Trump administration’s most visible spokespeople, publicly explaining and defending its policies on…
- Maria Ressa on Fighting Back Against Big Tech · 33 minMaria Ressa is one of the most inspiring journalists of our age, a media leader whose bravery against authoritarianism earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. Now, she’s…
- How to Create a Billion Jobs · 27 minAjay Banga has a simple north star as he runs the World Bank: jobs, jobs, jobs. And for good reason. The World Bank estimates that developing countries are on track to create…
- ‘Ask Me Anything,’ and Why Ravi’s Kyiv Visit Left Him So Worried · 36 minIt’s time for another ask-me-anything edition of FP Live. After a trip to Kyiv, FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal explained why new developments in drone technology have him…
- Has Trump Peaked? · 13 minIn this bonus episode, host Ravi Agrawal presents his recent essay arguing that U.S. President Donald Trump has peaked. While Trump still has two years left in office and immense…
- The Industry That Explains the World · 33 minBehind every major decision, whether by a family buying a home or a shipping company deciding to transit the Strait of Hormuz, lies the judgment of the insurance markets. How do…
- The Only Way to Save Global Order? · 44 minThe global order may be broken, but international relations scholar Charles A. Kupchan has a plan to remake it. In a forthcoming Foreign Policy essay, he argues that because…
- Why America Is Running Out of Munitions · 42 minThe United States is burning through some of its most advanced munitions in its war with Iran this year. By some accounts, inventories of high-end Patriot and THAAD interceptors…
- Why Your Political Anger Feels Futile · 43 minPolitical outrage is a constant part of modern life, from social media to surges of global protests. But what actually changes? Why do so many structural issues seem deeply…
- The Gulf’s Postwar Playbook · 40 minGulf countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have created entire cities and world-class airlines off the back of energy riches and U.S. security. The…
- Why Everyone Is Talking About Chokepoints · 45 minThe Strait of Hormuz may be the chokepoint of the moment, but it’s actually not even the one that’s most concerning to Eddie Fishman, the author of Chokepoints: American Power in…
- Why the Energy Crisis Isn’t Worse—Yet · 44 minThe ongoing war in Iran has been called the biggest energy crisis in history. How is it changing the plans of countries and companies? Which changes will be permanent? Ravi turns…
- The Iran Expert Trump Fired · 45 minIran and the United States are locked in a familiar pattern. Conflict has resumed, both sides seem caught in an escalation trap, and oil prices are rising. What would it take for…
- Is the Trans-Atlantic Relationship Over? A Debate. · 47 minIs the trans-Atlantic relationship over? Nathalie Tocci argues that it cannot be rebuilt as it was: The liberal order that birthed trans-Atlanticism is gone, and a fundamental…
- Can Ukraine Win in Russia? · 40 minUkraine has a new strategy in its full-scale war with Russia: using drones to attack deep into Russian territory and bring the war home to the Russian people for the first time…
- Is Trump Really Planning to Invade Cuba? · 40 minAfter the United States ousted Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in January and then took out Iran’s senior leadership in the following months, U.S. President Donald Trump set his…
- The Geopolitics of SpaceX and Elon Musk · 44 minSpaceX’s initial public offering broke records as the largest ever and one that (briefly) made Elon Musk the first trillionaire. But just how much power should one person or one…
- Deciphering the U.S.-Iran Deal · 40 minThe United States and Iran have struck a memorandum of understanding to end the war that began in February. Will the deal last? And what does it mean for the United States, the…
- Is the U.S.-Israel Special Relationship Over? · 40 minU.S. public opinion is undergoing a dramatic shift, with more and more Americans calling for less military support to Israel. So, is the “special relationship” between the two…
- The Geopolitics of the World Cup · 39 minThis week, the largest-ever World Cup will commence. Across the three host countries—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—48 teams will play 104 matches in 16 cities. But it…
- How to End the Iran War · 42 minWhat would it take to end the Iran war? What exit strategies are still available to the United States? Robert Malley, a former lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and…
- How to Survive a Chaotic World · 41 minIf the rules-based order is broken, what comes next? And who will lead it? Mark Leonard argues in his new book, Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail, that the coming…
- Trump, Xi, and a New Balance of Power · 48 minU.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to great fanfare but left with little to show for it. What does the Trump-Xi…
- Is Russia the Unintended Winner of Trump’s Iran War? · 38 minThere’s little doubt that the conflict in Iran has hurt much of the world economy. But not Russia. Data suggests that the Kremlin has already made billions of dollars in…
- The surprisingly normal streets of Tehran · 32 minWhile the conflict in Iran has dominated headlines in the last two months, accounts of ordinary life in the Islamic Republic are scarce. According to journalist Ali Hashem, who…
- ‘Ask Me Anything’—the Iran War Edition · 41 minIt’s time for another ask-me-anything edition of FP Live. This one takes on the war in Iran from many angles: the economic impact, regional balance of power, the longer-term…
- Where the Iran War Goes From Here · 51 minThe extension of a fragile cease-fire in the Middle East has left the region with no clear path forward. The Strait of Hormuz is still blocked, which means the global energy…
- How Much Will the Iran Conflict Hurt the Global Economy? · 32 minThe closure of the Strait of Hormuz is like a ticking time bomb for the global economy, disrupting the flow of energy and rippling through industries from agriculture to…
- Is America Becoming a Rogue State? · 44 minThe Iran war has become the most serious foreign-policy challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump in his second term. But does it reveal a larger point about U.S. power? Stephen…
- An Iran Hawk’s Take on the Cease-Fire · 34 minThe Trump administration’s plans in the Middle East are often criticized by those who say he shouldn’t have attacked Iran. But the White House is also facing flak from those who…
- The Iran War Cease-Fire and the Return of the Energy Weapon · 41 minAfter news of a 14-day cease-fire in the middle east conflict, Ravi shares his initial thoughts and analysis. Plus, the rationale for attacking Iran revolved around security…
- What Is Iran’s Endgame? · 43 minAs the U.S.-Israel war against Iran enters a second month of conflict, how is Tehran’s surviving leadership thinking about an endgame? And how will the conflict reshape…
- How High Could Oil Prices Go? · 42 minCrude and gas prices are soaring after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional energy infrastructure amid war in the Middle East. How bad could the energy…
- The World After Trump · 41 minIt’s widely accepted that the post-WWII order has changed, but the question remains—what comes next? Political scientist Hal Brands maps out three possible scenarios in a cover…
- How to Have Politics Without Politicians · 46 minIt’s no secret that democracy is in trouble. Studies show that a growing number of countries are less free, and polls suggest ordinary citizens are losing faith in their…
- A Debate Over the War in Iran · 41 minAs the war in Iran soon enters its third week, two experts join FP Live for a debate. Were the United States and Israel justified in attacking Iran? And will the war advance U.S…
- Will the Gulf States Join the War? · 43 minAs the United States and Israel attack military facilities across Iran, Tehran has been retaliating. But it has attacked Gulf countries more than it has targeted Israel. Why? And…
- War in the Middle East · 39 minOn Saturday, Israel and the United States struck Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has been responding with volleys of missiles aimed at Israel—and also…
- What a U.S. Attack on Iran Will Look Like · 46 minAs U.S. President Donald Trump considers a military strike on Iran, what are the options on his table? What will his military advisors recommend he should and shouldn’t do? David…
- Kurt Campbell on Trump’s China Ambiguity · 48 minU.S. President Donald Trump’s China policy often seems deliberately ambiguous. Is that a virtue or a flaw? Kurt Campbell is a longtime China watcher who rose up to run Asia…
- Is the Nuclear Club Expanding? · 35 minIs the age of nuclear nonproliferation over? There are certainly worrying signs. New START, the main nuclear treaty between the United States and Russia, recently expired. China…
- The “America First” Defense Strategy · 50 minThe Pentagon’s policy chief Elbridge Colby recently called for a “NATO 3.0”, stating that the United States would “continue to provide the U.S. extended nuclear deterrent” to…
- FP at MSC: How to Navigate a Trade War · 34 minU.S. tariffs have upended decades of trade policy, but new U.N. data shows that the economies suffering most are those that can least afford a setback. At the Munich Security…
- Will the United States Attack Iran? · 41 minWith the White House continuing to threaten military action against Tehran even as diplomatic talks continue, Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour joins FP Live host Ravi Agrawal to…
