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President Trump campaigned on promises of peace and putting America first, and heavily criticized past involvement in foreign wars. But one year into his second term, the United States has bombed Iran, kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and threatened NATO allies. So, what exactly are his foreign policy goals? And who is shaping those decisions?  In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, to break down the state of foreign policy on the right. They discuss the major players, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Vice President JD Vance, emerging rifts in the coalition, and whether Trump is fulfilling his America First promise. Find Curt on X: https://x.com/CurtMills  Check out Curt's work at The American Conservative: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/curt-mills/  

On January 3rd, 2026, the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and shocked the world. The Trump administration has made no bones about its intent to dominate the Western Hemisphere, and the raid was a brazen show of force. But with the same regime still in place, it is unclear what exactly will change in Venezuela.  In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Alejandro Velasco, a historian and professor at New York University, to discuss the recent invention. Amid claims about drug trafficking and oil, they analyze what might really be behind Trump's actions. They also touch on the legacy of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's economic crisis, and what the broader implications of Trump's aggressive posturing might be for the region and the world. 

Mohammed Mhawish did not set out to be a journalist. But studying Shakespeare while enduring Gaza's wars, he was moved to convey the stories all around him. Mohammed fled the strip with his family in 2024, after receiving death threats and surviving Israel's bombing of their apartment building. Now based in the United States, he continues to report on Palestine. In this episode, Mohammed joins the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer to discuss life under Israeli surveillance, the threats faced by journalists, President Trump's Gaza plan, and the future of Palestinian governance. They touch on many of the topics Mohammed has covered in recent articles for New York Magazine and The New Yorker. Find Mohammed on X: https://x.com/mrmhawish  Find Mohammed on Substack: https://www.mohammedmhawish.com/

American foreign policy is in crisis. The bipartisan consensus that emerged after the Cold War has collapsed after a string of American failures, like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, with the rise of China and the new ascendance of middle powers, the United States must rethink its engagement with the world. But where to start?  In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, to discuss her new book First Among Equals. In the book, Emma offers a realist vision for how the United States can adapt its foreign policy to a multipolar world. Together they explore the necessity of restraining American power, how the Trump administration has upended the status quo, and more.  Find Emma on X: https://x.com/EmmaMAshford  Check out Emma's writing at Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/author/emma-ashford/   Check out First Among Equals: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300279542/first-among-equals/

The United States is wealthy, powerful, and a democracy.  That means there are many avenues for foreign countries vying to influence its politics and policy. Though many forms of foreign lobbying are legal and totally above-board, those efforts are largely misunderstood and all too understudied. But understanding the geopolitics of influence can help us understand how Washington really works.  In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Nick Cleveland-Stout, a research associate at the Quincy Institute, to discuss all things transparency. Nick explains how he digs through documents to discover the foreign influence campaigns of countries like Israel and Qatar — and why Americans should care.  Check out Nick's reporting: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/author/ncstout/   Find Nick on X: https://x.com/nick_clevelands   Check out Kenneth P. Vogel's book, Devils' Advocates: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/devils-advocates-kenneth-p-vogel

Trump embodies many contradictions when it comes to foreign policy. IGA's newly released study, "Reckless Peacemaker? How Americans See Trump's Foreign Policy," tries to make sense of these contradictions by polling Americans on the biggest geopolitical challenges of today. We found that Americans think Trump is performing poorly overall, but there are wide partisan splits on almost every issue.  In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer, new host of None Of The Above, is joined by Andrew Payne, a research director at Chatham House, to break down some key findings. They also discuss how foreign policy plays into presidential elections, the geopolitical meaning of Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, and more.  Check out IGA's report "Reckless Peacemaker? How Americans See Trump's Foreign Policy": https://instituteforglobalaffairs.org/2025/11/reckless-peacemaker-american-views-trump-foreign-policy/   Read Andrew's Foreign Affairs article: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/americans-love-tough-guy 

The 1990s were a pivotal decade for the United States and the world. This season on None Of The Above, we rewinded to the '90s to cover the breakup of the Soviet Union, America's unipolar moment, and the rise of China. We explored civil war in Afghanistan, the spread of nuclear weapons, South Africa's transition to democracy, and much more. The '90s also gave rise to free trade, globalization, and the growth of the internet – all of which profoundly shaped the world we live in today. In the final episode of our '90s Rewind miniseries, we asked Ian Bremmer to wrap it all up. He joins the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah to revisit some of these key moments and walk us through how he was thinking about them at the time, and how he looks back on them now with the benefit of hindsight. Ian also happens to be our board president here at IGA.

The military and the very idea of national security changed a lot in the 1990s. Politicians promised a new period of peace and prosperity after the Cold War, but the military would not draw down from the international arena. On the contrary, the United States turned to policing the world, and the military carried out new types of missions meant to advance new ideals, ambitions, and interests. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah explores strategic, structural, technological, and social change in the US military. He is joined by military historian Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and columnist for The Washington Post. NPR's Deborah Amos returns to provide insights and commentary.

When the Cold War ended, many imagined a more peaceful world. Yet the 1990s were marked by humanitarian crises in Somalia, Rwanda, and former Yugoslavia. Images of mass atrocities and genocide reached wide audiences on newly available 24/7 TV news channels, as humanitarians increasingly advocated for military intervention. The United States under Bill Clinton took up the mantle of protecting human rights – and quickly discovered the perils of intervention. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah delves into the rise of humanitarian intervention in the 1990s. He is joined by international relations scholar Rajan Menon, professor emeritus at the City College of New York and senior research scholar at Columbia University. Ambassador Thomas Pickering returns to provide insights and commentary.

China's violent Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 marked a turning point in US-China relations. After two decades of slowly but steadily nurturing friendly relations, the United States would choose to develop economic ties without insisting on democratic reforms. The prevailing hope was that China's economic growth would inevitably lead to political change. That hope, however, was never fully realized. Today, China is America's largest trading partner and yet its biggest geopolitical rival.   In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah explores the origins of 21st century US-China rivalry. He is joined by modern China historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom of the University of California, Irvine. NPR's Deborah Amos and Ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

Sudan's civil war recently entered its third year. It has claimed the lives of around 150,000 people and displaced around 13 million. In this archival episode, we revisit the outbreak of violence that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan–known also as Hemedti.  As the warring factions competed for control of resource-rich Sudan, regional leaders like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, as well as the United States and the United Nations grappled with how to respond the catastrophic violence and humanitarian crisis still unfolding. But, as our guest reminds us, peacebuilding efforts from external actors like the US and the UN, however well-intentioned, have unintended consequences. Guest host and former IGA research fellow Zuri Linetsky spoke with Sudan expert Justin Lynch to help us make sense of the conflict and how external actors helped embolden the military leaders, who have brought the country to the brink of collapse.   

In the 1990s, South Africa ended apartheid, a brutal system of racial segregation, and became a democracy. During the Cold War, the United States supported South Africa's apartheid government because it was anti-communist. But American civil rights activists pushed Washington to reassess its support – which it did as the Cold War wound down. Nelson Mandela won the first democratic election in 1994 and set out to establish South Africa as a champion of peace and human rights internationally. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah explores the role the United States played in ending apartheid and how South Africa emerged as a strong voice in the Global South. He is joined by Chris Alden of the London School of Economics and Sean Jacobs of The New School.

The 1990s witnessed a turning point in one of the world's most intractable disputes. After four decades of conflict, the 1991 Madrid Conference opened the door for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. A flurry of negotiations and agreements followed. The Camp David Summit in 2000 was the Clinton administration's last-ditch attempt to produce a final deal but it failed to deliver on that goal. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah remembers how America launched a peace process, and explores why its objectives ultimately failed. He is joined by former diplomat Aaron David Miller. NPR's Deborah Amos and retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

Nightmares of mushroom clouds and fears of mutually assured destruction plagued many during the Cold War. But by the early 1990s, both the United States and Russia promised a world with fewer nuclear weapons. Together, they agreed to dismantle 80% of their strategic nuclear warheads. Meanwhile, other countries such as North Korea and Pakistan saw value in nukes amid a less balanced world, and raced to acquire them. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah explores the decade's mixed track record on nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He is joined by Emma Belcher, president of Ploughshares Fund. Historian Susan Colbourn and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.

This is the story of how a CIA covert action program inadvertently created the conditions for the Taliban to seize control and provide safe haven for Osama bin Laden. Following a Cold War proxy battle between the Soviet Union and the United States, al Qaeda gained strength throughout the 1990s, leading to the deadliest attack on American soil on September 11, 2001. In this episode of None Of The Above's '90s Rewind miniseries, the Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah explores America's misplaced trust in partnerships with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and the lack of coherent US policy toward the Taliban and al Qaeda during the 1990s. He is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll. NPR's Deborah Amos and retired ambassador Thomas Pickering return to provide insights and commentary.