This week, Kelly talks with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about the history of Presidential transitions, and how the Biden-Trump transition is shaping up. Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky is a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library. Her research focuses on the development of political institutions and political culture in the Early Republic. Her first book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, was published in April...

This week, Kelly talks with Dr. Tristen Naylor, Founder and Managing Director of the geopolitical risk consultancy Diplomatic Solutions, about the outlooks for relationships with leaders in Europe, China, Iran, and other nations, as well as how America’s relationship with multilateral institutions like the United Nations might be impacted by either candidate’s victory.  Tristen Naylor is the Founder and Managing Director of Diplomatic Solutions, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in...

Interview with Sara Moller - 13:00 This week, Kelly and Freddie talk through the UK's deal with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands, the Tunisian presidential election, and Kenya's police mission in Haiti. Kelly then talks with Professor Sara Moller about NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte.  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Jarrett Dang and...

For our seventh season of Diplomatic Immunity, we’ll be taking a look at the role of foreign policy in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. We’ll be taking you through the key things to know about where the candidates stand on international issues, how a win for either will affect US foreign policy, and how the rest of the world is watching with bated breath. Today, Kelly talks with Emma Ashford about the relative foreign policy platforms of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.  Emma Ashford...

11:40 - Interview with Stéphanie Fillion This week, Kelly and Freddie discuss recent updates in Israel and the South China Sea. Kelly then talks with Stephanie Fillion, a UN correspondent, about high-level week at the UN General Assembly. Stephanie Fillion is an international reporter who covers the UN from its headquarters in New York City. Her work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Foreign Policy Magazine, and CNN among others. Her coverage received two UN Correspondent Association...

For our seventh season of Diplomatic Immunity, we’ll be taking a look at the role of foreign policy in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. We’ll be taking you through the key things to know about where the candidates stand on international issues, how a win for either will affect U.S. foreign policy, and how the rest of the world is watching with bated breath. Today, Kelly talks with Elizabeth Saunders about how Americans do and don’t consider foreign policy in their election...

Kelly speaks with Richard Horsey, Myanmar expert and advisor to the International Crisis Group, for a deep dive into the history of Myanmar's ongoing civil war.  Richard is a political analyst and has been a close observer of Myanmar for over 25 years. He specializes in the politics and political economy of the country, as well as armed conflict and the illicit economy. Since 2009, he has been Myanmar adviser to the International Crisis Group, and also advises a number of other organizations...

13:10 - Interview with Chris Tuttle This week, Kelly and Freddie talk through Secretary of State Blinken's recent visit to China, U.S. troops leaving Niger, and an election in Maldives that saw the country move closer to China. Kelly then talks with Chris Tuttle, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, about recent Congressional action on Ukraine and TikTok. Chris Tuttle is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on the politics and process behind U.S....

10:40 - Interview with Yuki Tatsumi. This week, Kelly and Freddie talk through Iran's Strike on Israel, Ecudaro's raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito, and the losses for President Erdogan's party in recent Turkish municipal elections. Kelly then talks with the Stimson Center's Yuki Tatsumi about the recent summit between the US, Japan, and the Philippines held in Washington last week.  Yuki Tatsumi is a senior fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center and the...

Kelly speaks with Lt. Gen (ret.) Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, about the effect of the Ukraine War on military tactics and strategy.  Prior to retiring from the armed forces in 2018, Lieutenant General (ret.) Ben Hodges served as Commanding General of the U.S. Army in Europe. He consults for several companies on Europe, NATO, and the European Union, and he is co-author of the book Future War and the Defence of Europe, published by Oxford University Press. General...

10:25 - Interview with Dr. Ken Opalo This week, Kelly and Freddie provide updates on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the evolving crisis in Haiti, and Kelly talks with Georgetown Professor Ken Opalo for a deep dive into Sudan's civil war.  Dr. Opalo is an associate professor at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he focuses his research and teaching on political economy in Africa. He is also the author of the blog An Africanist Perspective, where he...

Season 6 Episode 6. This week, Kelly talks with retired army officer and National Defense University research fellow Dr. Tom Lynch about the impact of Ukraine's war on great power conflict and US-China competition. Dr. Thomas Lynch is an adjunct professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University and distinguished research fellow for South Asia and the Near East at National Defense University. Dr. Lynch is also a retired U.S. Army officer who served for 28 years in a variety of command...

10:40 - Interview with Jacqueline Charles In our seventh episode of Headlines and History, we discuss the recent political crisis in Haiti with Miami Herald report Jacqueline Charles, and Kelly covers the EU's Net-Zero Industry Act and reports of Russia's new space-based nuclear capabilities. Jacqueline Charles is the Haiti and Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald, where she has been covering the region for over a decade. She has won numerous awards for her reporting and was a...

11:50 - Interview with Beverly Ocheing on Senegal In our sixth episode of Headlines and History, we discuss the recent crisis in Senegal and its implications for West Africa with Beverly Ochieng, and Kelly covers recent news out of El Salvador, Sweden & NATO, and the 2026 Soccer World Cup. Beverly Ochieng is a senior digital journalist and Africa specialist at BBC Monitoring and an expert on African power politics, security, and governance. She’s also a non-resident senior associate at...

Season 6, Episode 5. Today, we’ll be covering the effects of the War in Ukraine on supply chains, the defense-industrial base, and the private sector. Kelly McFarland talks to Christine Micheinzi, a former senior executive at the U.S. Department of Defense, about how the global economy and defense industry are trying to deal with the knock-on effects of Putin’s War.  Dr. Christine Micheinzi is the Founder and CEO of the consultancy group MMR Defense Solutions. She is also a non-resident...

In our fifth episode of Headlines and History, we discuss the outcome of the COP28 conference in Dubai with Joanna Lewis, the fallout from Taiwan's Presidential election, the new deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland, and give an update on the status of military aid to Ukraine currently stalled in Congress. Joanna Lewis is a distinguished associate professor at Georgetown University and director of the Science, Technology and International Affairs Program at the School of Foreign Service. At...

Season 6 Bonus Episode. Today, we’ll be talking about basketball and the power of sports diplomacy as we celebrate World Basketball Day – the first sport ever to receive the honor from the United Nations – which now takes place every year on December 21st.   Today, Kelly talks with Lindsay Krasnoff about basketball and the history of sports diplomacy. Just in time for World Basketball Day, Lindsay has published a case study with ISD on the fascinating history of basketball diplomacy between...

Season 6, Episode 4. For this season’s theme, we’ll be covering the litany of unintended consequences and strategic surprises emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From energy to technology to intelligence to geopolitical alignment, Russia’s invasion marks a sea change in numerous areas of diplomacy and foreign policy. We’ll be getting together with the best professionals in these fields to take stock and analyze where these trends may be headed. For our fourth episode, Kelly talks...

In Diplomatic Immunity's new format, Headlines and History, we take listeners through a roundup of the most important headlines you may have missed in foreign policy and diplomacy, and take a deep dive into our most pressing topic with an expert conversation. Each week, we will alternate between Headlines and History and our regular Diplomatic Immunity format. In our third episode, we discuss the COP28 conference in Dubai, alleged assassinations by the Indian government on US soil, and we...

Season 6, Episode 3. For this season’s theme, we’ll be covering the litany of unintended consequences and strategic surprises emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From energy to technology to intelligence to geopolitical alignment, Russia’s invasion marks a sea change in numerous areas of diplomacy and foreign policy. We’ll be getting together with the best professionals in these fields to take stock and analyze where these trends may be headed. For our third episode, Kelly talks...

In Diplomatic Immunity's new format, Headlines and History, we take listeners through a roundup of the most important headlines you may have missed in foreign policy and diplomacy, and take a deep dive into our most pressing topic with an expert conversation. Each week, we will alternate between Headlines and History and our regular Diplomatic Immunity format. In our third episode, we discuss the recent Biden-Xi meeting in San Francisco, elections in Liberia and Argentina, increasing...

Season 6, Episode 2. For this season’s theme, we’ll be covering the litany of unintended consequences and strategic surprises emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From energy to technology to intelligence to geopolitical alignment, Russia’s invasion marks a sea change in numerous areas of diplomacy and foreign policy. We’ll be getting together with the best professionals in these fields to take stock and analyze where these trends may be headed. For our second episode, Kelly talks...

In Diplomatic Immunity's new format, Headlines and History, we take listeners through a roundup of the most important headlines you may have missed in foreign policy and diplomacy, and take a deep dive into our most pressing topic with an expert conversation. Each week, we will alternate between Headlines and History and our regular Diplomatic Immunity format. In our second episode, we discuss Gavin Newson's subnational diplomacy in China, the US-China nuclear talks, the Biden...

Season 6, Episode 1. For this season’s theme, we’ll be covering the litany of unintended consequences and strategic surprises emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From energy to technology to intelligence to geopolitical alignment, Russia’s invasion marks a sea change in numerous areas of diplomacy and foreign policy. We’ll be getting together with the best professionals in these fields to take stock and analyze where these trends may be headed.  In our first episode, we speak to...