Podcast

Biden, Trump, and a Foreign Policy That’s Gone Off Course

by Christopher S. Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim
Published on January 17, 2025

The Biden administration contends it has left the United States in a better geopolitical position than when it entered office four years ago. In a year-end foreign policy review from Carnegie’s American Statecraft Program, Director Chris Chivvis and Senior Fellow Stephen Wertheim critique Biden's foreign policy legacy and discuss what Trump might do next.

Why has it been so difficult for Biden to restrain Israel and succeed in Ukraine? What might a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal look like? How can the U.S. navigate toward a more stable U.S.-China relationship, despite entrenched beliefs that we are living through a second Cold War?

Join them for a wide-ranging conversation on the most pressing issues facing the United States and the world. 

Shownotes:

  1. The Economist, Chris Chivvis: Talks Between Russia and Ukraine would Save Lives
  2. Financial Times, Stephen Wertheim: It's Time for Europe's Magical Thinking on Defence to End 
  3. The Guardian, Chris Chivvis: Admitting Ukraine to NATO Would be a mistake for both Ukraine and NATO  
  4. Global Asia, Stephen Wertheim: Asia Should Encourage 'Trump the Peacemaker'
  5. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, U.S. China Relations for the 2030s: Toward a Realistic Scenario for Coexistence
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More work from The World Unpacked

  • podcast
    Testing the Case for Regime Change in Venezuela

    Ambassador James B. Story most recently served as U.S. Ambassador for the Venezuela Affairs Unit, located at the United States Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Previously, Ambassador Story served as Chargé d’Affaires at the Venezuela Affairs Unit and, prior to mid-2019, the United States Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.

    • Jon Bateman
  • podcast
    Decoding Trump’s Foreign Policy Blueprint

    Stephen Wertheim is a historian, strategist, and author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy. He joins Jon Bateman, host of The World Unpacked, to assess what this historic document can tell us. Will Trump follow it? Which GOP factions were behind it? And how will it shape the battle of ideas in 2028 and beyond?


    • Jon Bateman
  • podcast
    AI’s Biggest Skeptic Sees a Bubble 

    Author, podcaster, publicist, and one of AI's biggest critics joins The World Unpacked to discuss the AI bubble and his own research into AI finances with Jon Bateman.

    • Jon Bateman
  • podcast
    Why Information Refuses to Be Controlled

    In a lively new episode of The World Unpacked, Alicia Wanless and host Jon Bateman discuss what 2025 has in common with 1625, how novels spark civil wars, and why our frantic efforts to tame information often do more harm than good. 

    • Jon Bateman
  • podcast
    Trump’s $200 Billion Tariff Showdown at the Supreme Court

    Peter Harrell is a top trade expert and lawyer fighting the tariffs on behalf of 207 members of Congress. He joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to take stock of the ever-changing tariffs, peer into the Justices’ decision-making process, and predict the fallout for America and the world.

    • Jon Bateman