CSIS

•

Channel • 43 Shows

Government

Government

Every two weeks
Politics

Politics

Twice monthly
Government

Government

Twice monthly
Government

Government

Every two weeks
News

News

Updated weekly
Government

Government

Updated weekly
News

News

Every two weeks

2 OCT

The Energy Cost of AI with Joseph Majkut

In this episode, we're joined by Joseph Majkut, Director of CSIS' Energy Security and Climate Change Program, to take an in-depth look at energy's role in AI. We explore the current state of the U.S. electrical grid (11:34), bottlenecks in the AI data center buildout (43:45), how U.S. energy efforts compare internationally (1:16:06), and more. Joseph has co-authored three reports on AI and energy: AI for the Grid: Opportunities, Risks, and Safeguards (September 2025), The Electricity Supply Bottleneck on U.S. AI Dominance (March 2025), and The AI Power Surge: Growth Scenarios for GenAI Datacenters Through 2030 (March 2025).

2 Oct

•

1h 26m
13 OCT

The Future of Globalization and Other Big Questions

This week, the Trade Guys discuss the future of globalization, the rules-based order, and what may come next in front of a live audience.

13 Oct

•

25 min
9 OCT

The Future of Sino-Middle Eastern Relations: A Conversation with Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli join us to discuss their newly released book Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. They challenge prevailing narratives that frame China’s engagement in the Middle East primarily through the lens of U.S.–China rivalry and offer alternative perspectives by drawing on extensive Arabic and Chinese-language sources to highlight how regional actors themselves interpret and shape their relationships with Beijing. Drawing on Saudi Arabia and Syria as the two core case studies in their book, they show how regional perceptions of China diverge sharply depending on various factors such as national capabilities and alignment with the United States. The conversation also examines China’s diplomacy toward Iran, its muted response to the Israel–Iran conflict, and why both Chinese and regional leaders prefer to limit Beijing’s security role. Dr. Alsudairi and Dr. Ghiselli conclude that the future of Sino–Middle Eastern relations will likely reflect cautious continuity—marked by pragmatic engagement and mutual restraint. Dr. Alsudairi is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking World, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, at the Australian National University. Prior to his appointment, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, working on a project examining the intersections between religion and infrastructure in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2015, he oversaw the development of the Asian Studies Program at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. More recently in 2022, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to work on his upcoming book manuscript. Dr. Ghiselli is a Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology of the University of Exeter. He is also non-resident research fellow with the TOChina Hub and the Head of Research for its ChinaMed Project. He has previously worked in China at Fudan University for nine years. You can find an open access version of their book here.

9 Oct

•

54 min
2 OCT

China's Economic Transition

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Dinny McMahon, Head of China Markets Research at Trivium China, and Andrew Polk, Co-Founder and Head of Economic Research at Trivium China. Dinny and Andrew discuss their new Freeman Chair report, China’s Economic Transition: Debt, Demography, Deglobalization, and Scenarios for 2035. The conversation unpacks the structural challenges facing China’s economy, why the next decade will be decisive in whether China can escape the middle-income trap, and who really matters when it comes to economic policy-making in Beijing.

2 Oct

•

49 min
6 OCT

Tariffs on Furniture, Pharma, and Films, China at the WTO, and AGOA Expiration

On this episode of the Trade Guys, we look at a slew of recent tariff announcements, including on furniture, pharmaceuticals, and foreign movies. We also cover China's relinquishing of “special and differential” WTO treatment and the expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

6 Oct

•

31 min
2 JAN

The Defense Department’s 2024 China Military Power Report: A Conversation with Dr. Ely Ratner and Dr. Michael Chase

This ChinaPower Podcast is a recording of an event we held on December 18th, 2024 on the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) 2024 report on the Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—commonly known as the China Military Power Report (CMPR). Required every year by Congress for over 20 years, the CMPR offers an authoritative assessment of the PRC's national strategies and its regional and global ambitions. It also outlines key developments pertaining to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization and the expansion of its nuclear, cyberspace, and space capabilities. What are the major takeaways from the 2024 report and what is the current assessment of China’s military power? How are China’s defense and security strategies evolving, and what does it mean for the United States? Joining us to highlight the report’s findings are Dr. Ely S. Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs and Dr. Michael S. Chase, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

2 Jan

•

1h 1m
18 SEPT

Who does Xi Jinping trust?

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Jon Czin, the Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies and a fellow with the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. Jon is a former member of the Senior Analytic Service at CIA, where he was one of the intelligence community’s top China experts, and he also served as Director for China at the White House National Security Council. Jon and Henrietta discuss his recent China Leadership Monitor article “Plotting the Course to Xi’s Fourth Term: Preparations, Predictions, and Possibilities.” The conversation dives into who President Xi actually trusts, what to expect from Xi's fourth term, his succession dilemma, and what it all means for the U.S.-China relationship.

18 Sept

•

42 min
29 SEPT

Explaining Muted Tariff Impacts, Farmers in Trouble, and US-UK Trade Talks

On this episode of the Trade Guys, we dig into why tariffs haven't had as significant impact on the economy as expected. We also look at the impacts of trade retaliation on farmers and recent progress in trade talks between the United States and United Kingdom. Trade continues to be the hottest policy topic in Washington, which is why we’re bringing back our ⁠Crash Course: Trade Policy with the Trade Guys⁠ this fall. If you missed our spring course, now is the perfect time to register. The course runs from October 8-9 at CSIS Headquarters or via Zoom. Registration is open until October 3.

29 Sept

•

37 min
4 FEB

How Long Will Deterrene Hold?

Mike hosts Michèle Flournoy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors. She is also former Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where she currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors. Prior to that she served as the as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during former President Obama’s first term in office from 2009-2012. They discuss deterrence and developments in the Indo-Pacific.

4 Feb

•

37 min
7 JAN

Beyond Competing: The Security Treadmill

Mike hosts Nadia Schadlow, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy in the Trump administration and current Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and Co-Chair of the Hamilton Commission on Securing America’s National Security Innovation Base, to discuss balance of power, national security strategy, overmatching, and risk

7 Jan

•

41 min

CSIS podcasts feature experts & scholars on a range of critical issues surrounding geopolitics, national security, defense, & international affairs topics.