Podcasts

The following are selected podcasts. 

February 28, 2023

Addressing Policy Challenges: The 2022 Report Card

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of World Class, we're bringing you a conversation from the 2022 Stanford Reunion. In this recording, you'll hear Michael McFaul and a panel of experts from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies discuss some of the biggest policy challenges of the moment — climate change, Russia and the war in Ukraine, China and Taiwan, and maintaining democracy at home and abroad. Each panelist will give their assessment of a challenge, then provide feedback on how policymakers are addressing it and what more can be done.

Michael McFaul is the director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia.

Marshall Burke is the deputy director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

Didi Kuo is a senior research scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule Law.

Oriana Skylar Mastro is a center fellow at FSI, working primarily with the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Steven Pifer is a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and an affiliate at the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

December 16, 2022

The War in Ukraine: What's Next?

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

As winter in Eastern Europe settles in, the Russian military continues to cede ground to advancing Ukrainian forces. The question many people are asking now is: “What happens next?” Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and political scientist Francis Fukuyama join Michael McFaul on World Class podcast to discuss Ukraine’s progress in the war so far and offer possible prognoses for the future.

December 16, 2022

What We Need Talk About When We Talk About Taiwan

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

While the world still watches the conflict in Ukraine, on the opposite side of the globe, the potential for conflict between Taiwan, China, and the United States is increasing. Will China forcibly try to reunify Taiwan with the mainland? And if they do, how will the United States respond?

Larry Diamond, an scholar of Taiwan and Chinese sharp power, and Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on the Chinese military and security, join Michael McFaul on the World Class to discuss possible timelines for China’s ambitions against Taiwan, and how the U.S. and its allies can deter Beijing.

December 16, 2022

Putin's Failed War

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

To launch our new season of World Class, we're bringing you a special extended interview with Michael McFaul and Ray Suarez of the World Affairs podcast about the changing conditions on the Ukrainian battlefield and the political situation inside Russia. Their conversation originally aired on World Affairs on September 23, 2022.

Just before Putin's military order on September 21, 2022 mobilizing up to 300,000 additional troops from Russia to fight in Ukraine, former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, spoke with Ray Suarez to give a sense of what we can expect from the war in Ukraine in the coming weeks and – perhaps – months, and how it's impacting Russia's international standing.

December 16, 2022

Putin's Fear of a Democratic Ukraine

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

This is a special crossover episode of World Class and the World Affairs podcast, hosted by Ray Suarez. Michael McFaul, the director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, joins Ray as a guest to discuss what motivated Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine and how is his war changing the balance of power between Russia, the US, Europe and China

December 16, 2022

Taking the Temperature on the Climate Crisis with Marshall Burke

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

Data clearly shows that extreme weather patterns like those seen across the globe in 2021 are driven by climate change. But is that fact driving policymakers to make meaningful inroads to address the climate crisis? Marshall Burke, the deputy director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment, joins Michael McFaul on World Class podcast to review the latest data on what’s happening with climate change in the field and in Congress.

December 16, 2022

Spies, Lies and Algorithms with Amy Zegart

Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies: World Class Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY

There are plenty of glamorous Hollywood spies, but how does the world of real espionage and intelligence work?

In her book Spies, Lies and Algorithms, national security and intelligence expert Amy Zegart separates facts from fictions about the U.S. intelligence community. She joins FSI Director Michael McFaul on World Class to trace the history of intelligence in America and unpacks the challenges intelligence organizations need to address in an increasingly digital world.

December 16, 2022

What the Brittney Griner prisoner swap says about Russia-U.S. relations

NPR All Things Considered
November 1, 2022

What happens if Putin decides to cut his losses in Ukraine?

NPR
October 3, 2022

Russia is losing the edge in Ukraine, but Putin still seems ready to double down

NPR All Things Considered