Wilson Center Now's Podcast

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Michael Kimmage, Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute.  He discusses the latest in US-Russia relations and the Trump administration’s attempt to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.  Kimmage discusses where to war stands after more than three years of fighting, the effects of the war on Russian and Ukrainian society, and the renewed European focus on defense spending and capacity.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Robert Daly, Director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and The United States. He discusses the latest developments in the China-US trade dispute, highlights key sectors where both countries are most vulnerable in an extended economic conflict, and explains how the Trump administration will face a more prepared Beijing than during the first Trump term.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Benjamin Gedan, Director of the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program.  He discusses Secretary of State Rubio’s first international trip to Central America and the Caribbean, including visits to El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. Gedan highlights how inter-American relations are set to become more transactional under the new Trump administration with migration, tariffs, and regional security becoming focal points.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Lucas Myers, Senior Associate for Southeast Asia at the Wilson Center's Indo-Pacific Program.  He discusses the latest from Myanmar and how the country has changed since the 2021 coup.  He highlights historic rebel gains in the west and northeast, China's deep interests in the country and efforts to keep the junta in power, and why the US should be paying closer attention.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we highlight the latest edition of the Wilson Quarterly, “In Search of Our Narratives.”  Joining us are editor Stephanie Bowen and contributor Robert Daly, Director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. The issue, “turns to some of the world’s most respected global leaders and foreign policy thinkers to share the narratives that have helped guide them and the world through past times of challenge, and which can inspire us as we seek a brighter, more peaceful and prosperous future.” https://www.wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/in-search-of-our-narratives

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Lila Abed, Director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.  She highlights a new publication, “The Next President of the United States: Challenges and Recommendations for the US-Mexico Relationship.” The comprehensive booklet is, “a practical roadmap for the incoming administration and offers actionable recommendations across six priority areas: migration, security, USMCA, energy, water, and democracy.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Wilson Center Middle East Fellows Marina and David Ottaway.  They discuss their new book they co-authored with their sons, “Living Interesting Lives: A Memoir.”  The book, “covers over 20 years of the life of a Washington Post foreign correspondent and his family, working and trying to make a home and bring up small children in various hot news spots in Africa and the Middle East while also reflecting on the strange normalcy of daily life in the midst of coups d’etat and revolutions.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Wilson Center Global Fellow Jason Steinhauer. Jason is a bestselling author, public historian, podcast host, and founder of the History Communication Institute. He discusses his recent article, The End of the 20th Century, in which he argues the ideologies and linear organizing structures of the 20th century have finally given way to a new societal and political order.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Michael Kugelman, Director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute.  He discusses the continued unrest in Pakistan and the deadly clashes in the capital Islamabad between security forces and supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. Kugelman also highlights recent sectarian violence and increased terrorism from militant groups, the nation’s economic outlook, and what the return of President Trump will mean for US-Pakistan relations.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Robert Daly, Director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. He highlights his recent trip to China and discusses how Beijing is preparing for the second Trump administration by deepening ties with allies and Global South nations, boosting its internal tech sector, and bracing the economy for increased tariffs.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we discuss the state of democratic governance on the African continent and what US and African leaders can learn from recent trends.  Joining us are Charles Ukeje, Professor of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and Rawia Tawfik, Visiting Associate Professor with the Council on African Studies at Yale University’s MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.  We also highlight the first event in a series on Trendlines and Transformations in African Democratic Governance, which examines how citizen participation and civic engagement demands are shaping governance in different ways across the continent.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Michael Kugelman, Director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, and Xavier Delgado, Senior Program Associate with the Canada Institute.  They discuss the latest developments in the growing diplomatic standoff between Canada and India, which began after the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.  Kugelman and Delgado examine how, “the relationship that had been on a downward trajectory for several years has now hit rock bottom.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Merissa Khurma, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center.  We discuss the latest developments with widening conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, possible implications from Israel’s retaliation for the October 1st missile attack by Iran, and where US diplomatic efforts stand in the region. Note: This interview was recorded prior to the killing of Yahya Sinwar.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, and current Wilson Center Fellow Molly O’Toole. She discusses her upcoming book, “The Route: How American Policy, a Billion-Dollar Black Market, and Indomitable Resilience are Bringing the World’s Refugees to the US Border.”  The book examines “one of the most consequential issues of our time — the mass movement of people around the globe in the face of climate change, civil unrest, and more, with tens of thousands of migrants from Africa and Asia attempting the same treacherous route through South America and Central America each year to reach the US-Mexico border in hopes of gaining entry to America.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we highlight the latest from Venezuela in the aftermath of the disputed July 28th presidential election with Benjamin Gedan, Director of the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program.  Gedan discusses the Maduro regime’s claims of victory, the government’s brutal crackdown on protesters, and the state of the opposition movement after presidential candidate Edmundo González fled into exile and with María Corina Machado in hiding within the country.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, Sherri Goodman, a Senior Fellow with the Wilson Center's Polar Institute and Environmental Change and Security Program, discusses her new book, “Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security.” The book “takes us onto the battlefield and inside the Pentagon to show how the US military is confronting the biggest security risk in global history: climate change.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we focus on the latest edition of the Wilson Quarterly, The Great Population Shakeup.  We are joined by editor Stephanie Bowen and contributor Lauren Herzer Risi.  The issue “assesses how the immediate and growing effects of changing global demographics may drastically shift longstanding economic and political patterns and perhaps, help to shift long-held assumptions.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we highlight the Wilson Center’s Sudans Working Group with Oge Onubogu, Director of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program and co-chairs Ambassador Nureldin Satti and Ambassador Donald E. Booth. Established in 2009, the Sudans Working Group (SWG) “engages US, African, and international policymakers and stakeholders in inclusive and forward-leaning policy dialogue aimed at advancing the prospects for peace, security, and development between and within Sudan and South Sudan. The SWG serves as a space for key stakeholders to share analyses and perspectives and provide policy options for addressing critical issues related to the two countries.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by Rebecca Pincus, Director of the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute. She highlights the recently announced Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE-PACT) by the US, Canada, and Finland. The collaboration is intended to “strengthen shipbuilding and maritime industrial capacity through closer cooperation on polar icebreakers and counter Russia and China in the Arctic and Antarctic.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by William Drozdiak, Global Fellow with the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program and author of “The Last President of Europe: Emmanuel Macron's Race to Revive France and Save the World.” He discusses the recent legislative election in France in which, contrary to pre-election projections, left wing alliance New Popular Front candidates won a plurality of seats after the second round. Drozdiak discusses what’s next in President Macron’s efforts to form a coalition government and what the fractured election results could mean for the second largest economy in Europe going forward.