Nearly a week after the tense Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky, and just days after the Trump administration’s abrupt decision to pause military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, serious questions loom over America’s commitment to Kyiv’s security. At the same time, the White House appears to be exploring a thaw with Moscow—including potential sanctions relief with little in return.
In this episode, Sophia Besch and Dara Massicot unpack the implications of these moves: What message does this send to Ukraine and its European allies? How are European leaders responding? And what does this shift mean for U.S. foreign policy and great power competition?
Notes:
Isaac Kardon sits down with Dr. Meg Rithmire to explore the Chinese Communist Party’s complex relationship with capitalism. Rithmire explains how markets have become useful tools of governance, and meanwhile have generated instability that party-state leadership abhors, seeking political control over private entrepreneurs.
Isaac Kardon sits down with Ankit Panda to explore today’s new nuclear age—and what it will take to manage the growing risks of confrontation and escalation.
Isaac Kardon sits down with Sheena Chestnut Greitens to explore how China is reshaping the landscape of international security cooperation.
Isaac B. Kardon sits down with Ashley J. Tellis and Andrew Yeo to explore how the political role of overseas bases has changed over time and how the U.S., China, and Russia—among other countries—use them to project military power today.
Guest host Isaac Kardon sits down with Darcie Draudt-Véjares to discuss how the U.S. might rebuild its maritime power through shipbuilding.