Episodes
Since Friday, violence has erupted throughout Israel and the Gaza Strip between Israelis and Palestinians, sparked by attempted evictions by Jewish settlers in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem and a skirmish between Israeli police and Palestinian mosque-goers at al Aqsa Mosque. Andrew is joined by CSIS senior vice president Jon Alterman, Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, to discuss the causes of the recent conflict, from...
Published 05/13/21
Shuttered live music venues across the United States are facing an unprecedented threat to their existence. Recognizing the crucial space live music occupies in American life, industry veterans Amber Mundinger and Tamara Deike spent the last year documenting America’s empty iconic venues, coast to coast via their organization “Bring Music Home.” Mundinger and Deike join the podcast to talk about their newly published unique and truly incredible coffee table book (it weighs 9 pounds!) with...
Published 05/12/21
Stephen Morrison, Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, rejoined the podcast to discuss the state of the pandemic, vaccine distribution and hesitancy, and achieving herd immunity in the U.S. 
Published 04/14/21
U.S. active-duty military personnel and reservists have participated in a growing number of domestic terrorist plots and attacks, according to new data from CSIS. The percentage of all domestic terrorist incidents linked to active-duty and reserve personnel rose in 2020 to 6.4 percent, up from 1.5 percent in 2019 and none in 2018. Similarly, a growing number of current and former law enforcement officers have been involved in domestic terrorism in recent years. But domestic terrorism is a...
Published 04/13/21
Caitlin Welsh, Director of the CSIS Global Food Security Program, rejoined the podcast to discuss how Covid-19 has increased food insecurity in the U.S. and abroad. She also shared her insights into how the Biden administration can take action to strengthen food security, emphasizing that in the U.S., it’s not an issue of food supply, but of economics. To learn more, check out Caitlin’s episode of CSIS’s newest video series Data Unpacked.
Published 04/01/21
Democratic data scientist David Shor joins the podcast to talk about what’s working and what isn’t with the Democratic Party’s approach to voters in gearing up for the 2022 midterm elections. 
Published 03/26/21
Journalist and best-selling author Alec MacGillis joins the podcast to talk about his fascinating new book, “Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America,” a story of regional inequality and economic concentration in America told through the lens of Amazon. MacGillis offers keen insight into what the growing imbalance of wealth in the United States has done to our people and to our politics, about dystopian cities, and about the winners in the one-click economy.
Published 03/18/21
In this crossover episode with the CSIS podcast Coronavirus Crisis Update, Dr. Peter Hotez joined Steve Morrison and Andrew to discuss the anti-vaccine movement, the vaccine-resistant, the turmoil in Texas over lifting the mask mandate in wake of severe weather emergency, and much more. 
Published 03/11/21
CSIS' Director of the Aerospace Security Project, Todd Harrison, joins the podcast to discuss his new study “Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space: Protecting Space Systems from Counterspace Weapons.” The proliferation of missiles, lasers, jammers, and other anti-satellite weapons has been widely documented, but little has been said about ways to defend against these threats—Harrison says what his team wanted to do with this report is look at the other side of the equation. “Yes, we see all...
Published 03/09/21
Charlie Sykes, Founder and Editor-at-large of The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark podcast joins the show to discuss the campaign to minimalize the events of January 6, tribalism in the Republican Party, and the prospects for bipartisanship in our fractured politics.
Published 03/04/21
Star Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey joins the podcast to discuss former President Trump’s upcoming speech at CPAC, his efforts to remain the leader of the GOP, the 2022 midterm elections, and the Biden administration’s early days.
Published 02/24/21
Writer and policy researcher James Piltch joins the podcast to talk about his new piece for Politico Magazine “Democrats Have a Values Problem. But Here’s How They Can Fix It." In his research, Piltch has found that Americans say they prize freedom over equity—but what does that really mean and how does it manifest itself? And how do Republicans and Democrats speak to the American people effectively when it comes to issues surrounding freedom and equity?
Published 02/01/21
Jonathan Karl, ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent and author of NYT Bestseller “Front Row at the Trump Shop,” reflects on the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump’s isolation in his last days as president, and on the incoming Biden administration and the challenges it faces on day one.  
Published 01/12/21
HeadCount is a nonpartisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. Executive Director Andy Bernstein joins the podcast to discuss HeadCount’s efforts in 2020 and beyond.
Published 12/22/20
In this episode, Andrew is joined by David Miliband, the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. They discuss the IRC’s newly released 2021 Emergency Watchlist, and how nearly every watchlist country is facing the triple-threat of ongoing conflict, climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic.  David Miliband is the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and the previous UK Foreign Secretary.
Published 12/18/20
Politico’s chief political correspondent Tim Alberta joins the podcast to help answer why it is so hard to make sense of the 2020 election, what is at the root of America’s polarization and what happens now to the Republican and Democratic Parties respectively.
Published 12/02/20
Legendary ESPN reporter Wright Thompson joins Andrew to discuss his new book, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things That Last. In listening to this episode, you’ll learn that “Pappyland” is “barely a book about bourbon,” but rather, about so many other facets of American life. Among them: tradition and legacy, family and relationships, our public discourse and the power of brand. Plus, Wright Thompson’s analysis of the Whiskey Rebellion and its applications to our present...
Published 11/23/20
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Romina Bandura to discuss the challenges and factors that lead to the deforestation of the Amazon. Romina draws on her latest CSIS report, "Sustainable Infrastructure in the Amazon," to discuss the underlying causes of the deforestation and what initiatives countries need to take in order to pursue sustainable economic development and ensure that economic, environmental, and social benefits are achieved. Romina Bandura is a senior fellow with the Project...
Published 11/16/20
In this episode, Andrew speaks with John Zogby and Jean-Paul (JP) Guilbault about a new poll that asked American adults and 16- to 17-year-olds how the national health and economic crises has impacted their lives and outlook. John and JP draw from the results of the Navigate360 and John Zogby Strategies report to discuss American feelings of personal safety and wellbeing in schools and the workplace, uncertainty and distrust of leadership and institutions, and insufficient training or...
Published 10/20/20
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Dr. Michael J. Green to analyze global perspectives on U.S. China policy. Dr. Green draws on statistics found in a recent CSIS survey of the American public and thought leaders in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Listen in to hear how people view China in terms of trade, human rights, security, and more. To find the full survey and analysis, please click here. Dr. Michael J. Green is senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at CSIS; and director of...
Published 10/15/20
In this episode, Andrew is joined by Bruce Mehlman to discuss all things on the 2020 presidential election. They reflect on the news of President Trump and other senior White House officials testing positive for Covid-19, the first presidential debate, as well as what could come of President Trump's Supreme Court nomination. Bruce P. Mehlman is the founder of Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, a bipartisan government relations firm that studies the implications of the policy landscape....
Published 10/07/20
This is a crossover episode with the CSIS podcast The Reopening. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert Daniel Yergin talks with Andrew and Scott about his latest book, The New Map, and the way technology revolutions in energy are influencing geopolitics, security, climate, and health. Daniel is vice-chairman of the research firm IHS Markit and has served on the Secretary of Energy’s advisory board under the last four presidential administrations.
Published 09/17/20
In this episode, Andrew invites Rebecca Lissner, co-author of An Open World: How America Can Win the Contest for Twenty-First-Century Order. Rebecca draws on this new book to discuss why she believes the United States needs to re-imagine its grand strategy in order to face and overcome new 21st century challenges.  Rebecca Lissner is a non-resident scholar for the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University; and an assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College. She co-authored An...
Published 09/15/20
In this episode, Seth Jones is back to further analyze the increase of violence that has occurred across America in the last couple of weeks. He draws on more data from his CSIS brief, "The Escalating Terrorism Problem in the United States," to discuss extremist groups and their use of social media, what violence might occur after this November's presidential election, and the transnational spread of white supremacism. Dr. Seth Jones holds the Harold Brown Chair, is director of the...
Published 09/03/20
In this episode, Andrew invites Seth Jones to discuss what CSIS data reveals on the increasing terrorism problem in the U.S. Seth draws on his CSIS brief, "The Escalating Terrorism Problem in the United States," to unpack where the most significant threats are likely to come from and what factors will likely cause those threats to rise throughout the rest of 2020. Dr. Seth Jones holds the Harold Brown Chair, is director of the Transnational Threats Project, and is a senior adviser to the...
Published 08/25/20