AEI Podcasts

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Kanal • 10 Sendungen

Politik

Politik

Zweiwöchentlich
Politik

Politik

11.11.2025
Technologie

Technologie

Monatlich
Regierung

Regierung

Monatlich
Politik

Politik

Wöchentlich
Regierung

Regierung

Halbmonatlich
Gesellschaft und Kultur

Gesellschaft und Kultur

5. März

VOR 3 TAGEN

WTH Extra! Defining Victory in Iran. Dany and Marc Discuss.

On this episode of WTH Extra! Dany and Marc discuss their recent pieces on the war in Iran and the media coverage that has followed. Marc writes for the Post, What is the definition of victory in Iran? There are three. Dany writes in the WTH Substack, No we're not losing to Iran, detailing the myths and tropes about the ongoing war and its operational success. What Western media and our supposed "allies" fail to, or refuse, to consider, is that Iran is a unique enemy and the regime's words must be taken seriously. To root for failure is an affront to our ongoing mission and the Iranian people. So WTH? We share our wisdom with more to come... Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

vor 3 Tagen

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43 Min.
12. MÄRZ

WTH: Spyware on Wheels. Chris Miller Explains the Chinese Threat Inside Your Car.

Our WTH saga on Chinese espionage continues with a new installment on the technology inside your car. Chris Miller details “Huawei on wheels”: the security threat posed by Chinese EVs, whose sensors, cameras, microphones, and radars can transmit data directly from your car to servers in China. You might be thinking, “I don’t drive a Chinese car, so I’m safe.” Unfortunately, the broader trend is cause for serious alarm. Our European allies have once again failed to regulate Chinese influence and are adopting low-cost autonomous driving technology and communication components from China that report to Chinese satellites. Why doesn't this national security threat receive the congressional attention it deserves? Marc's thesis rings true: the more we comingle our economy with China, the harder it will be to remove threats and roll back poor policy decisions. As Chris Miller puts it, “These are smartphones on wheels, and we’ve got to treat them with the requisite level of security concern.” Chris Miller is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on Russian foreign policy, Ukraine, and broader Eurasia. He specializes in semiconductors and the geopolitics of technology. His latest book Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology reveals the geopolitical history of the computer chip. It is a New York Times bestseller and a winner of the 2022 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

12. März

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49 Min.
29.12.2023

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Despite battlefield gains in 2022, the last year has brought significant hurdles to Ukraine's fight against Russia. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia reflect on the past year's events and consider what might be in store for the Black Sea region—and the world more broadly—in 2024. They discuss Western will and commitment to Ukraine, the future of Zelenskyy, Russia's war plans, and Biden's re-election prospects. Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on X here. "Wake Up, West! Putin Can Gain Upper Hand in Ukraine in '24 if We Do Nothing," by Iulia Joja.

29.12.2023

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44 Min.
3. MÄRZ

WTH: War in Iran. David Albright Explains the Nuclear Threat.

Over the weekend, President Trump launched Operation Epic Fury, the most ambitious US military operation in decades. In the wake of the 2025 12-Day War, Iran again worked to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program and its missile arsenal. These threats, in combination with the massacre of tens of thousands of Iranians in January, brought the US to the brink of war. The operation has targeted IRGC command, missile defense systems, and senior regime leadership, including the Supreme Leader and his successors. Secretary Hegseth has stated that nothing is off the table, including the possible deployment of ground forces, an option potentially necessary to secure Iran’s nuclear materials. Our guest, David Albright, warns that failing to secure those materials will ultimately undermine the operation’s success. In the weeks ahead, what indicators will signal whether the regime is truly at risk of collapse? Beyond military targets, what political considerations must be addressed to ensure lasting success once combat operations cease? David Albright is the founder and President of the non-profit Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C. He has written numerous assessments on secret nuclear weapons programs throughout the world, has authored or co-authored nine books and briefed policymakers on non-proliferation policy making. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

3. März

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1 Std. 17 Min.
13. JAN.

WTH Is Going On In Iran? Michael Rubin Explains.

The world is watching as protests rage across Iran amid nationwide internet blackouts, state-sponsored propaganda, and lethal security force crackdowns. Despite reports suggesting that hundreds, possibly thousands, have been killed at the time of this writing, Iranians are taking their future in their hands with extraordinary courage. For Tehran, what makes this wave of unrest different from those before it? Should civil war breakout, will we finally see a free Iran? Will President Trump enforce the red line he has drawn for the regime, and if so, what military options exist without deploying boots on the ground? Will President Trump ignore the eleventh-hour, desperate promises of diplomacy from Islamist leaders? He’ll need to if he intends to continue his administration’s legacy of freedom. Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he specializes in Iran, Turkey, and the broader Middle East. He also currently serves as director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. A former Pentagon official, Dr. Rubin has lived in post-revolution Iran, Yemen, and both pre- and postwar Iraq. He also spent time with the Taliban before 9/11. For more than a decade, he taught classes at sea about the Horn of Africa and Middle East conflicts, culture, and terrorism, to deployed US Navy and Marine units. Dr. Rubin is the author, coauthor, and coeditor of several books exploring diplomacy, Iranian history, Arab culture, Kurdish studies, and Shi’ite politics. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

13. Jan.

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1 Std. 4 Min.
25. FEB.

WTH: Four Years of Putin's War in Ukraine. Frederick W. Kagan Illuminates.

Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Four years of war in which Russian forces have occupied roughly one and a half percent of Ukraine’s territory at the cost of approximately half a million lives. Our guest, Frederick W. Kagan, and his team at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) assess that Russia’s strategy is to win at the negotiating table what it cannot seize on the battlefield. Putin’s theory of victory rests on the assumption that Russian forces will continue grinding forward indefinitely, regardless of the cost, and that he will be able to persuade the West to abandon Ukraine, ultimately forcing Kyiv to concede more than it already has. Successful negotiation requires changing Putin’s calculus. Over the past four years, Ukrainians have made their position unmistakably clear: “We would rather die than be part of Russia.” So, what will drive this tipping point toward peace? Would a global inflection point against malign actors and axis partners change Putin's negotiating position? And what security guarantees from the West would be sufficient to sustain this hypothetical peace? Frederick W. Kagan is a senior fellow and the director of the Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He edits CTP’s and the Institute for the Study of War’s (ISW) daily updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was previously an associate professor of military history at West Point, and he earned the Distinguished Public Service Award for his volunteer service in Afghanistan. Dr. Kagan coauthored the report Defining Success in Afghanistan and is the author of the “Choosing Victory” report series, which recommended and monitored the US military surge in Iraq. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

25. Feb.

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1 Std. 12 Min.
12. FEB.

WTH Do We Need Greenland? Alexander Gray Explains.

In addition to the media blitz over Greenland triggered by President Trump, American presidents going back a century have agreed on the strategic importance of the island due to its fundamental geography, proximity, and critical sea lines. China and Russia’s Arctic ambitions require greater defensive efforts by the (now sovereign) Danes and strong resistance to coercion should Greenlanders continue on their path to independence. Our guest sheds light on the various precedents underlying these concerns and the so-called "Cyprus Model" for the US's role. What does that roadmap look like? Do we need sovereignty to achieve our goals? If and when Greenland gains independence, what economic and security agreements will need to be made? And what impact, negative or positive, does Trump's rhetoric have on the conversation? Alexander Gray is the Chief Executive Officer of American Global Strategies LLC, an international strategic advisory firm that he co-founded with former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien. Mr. Gray most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC), where he directed the daily operations of the National Security Advisor’s immediate office, as well as the budget, personnel, and security functions of the NSC, as well as positions within the State Department and the Hill. Mr. Gray concurrently serves as Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC); a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI); and a Senior Nonresident Fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative at The Atlantic Council. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

12. Feb.

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1 Std. 2 Min.
11.11.2025

Hal Brands: Allies, Autocrats, and AI

Today on Political Economy, I’m chatting with Hal Brands about America’s place in the changing global order. Under the Trump administration, the US has acted less as an “ordering power,” as Brands puts it, than it has over the past century. We talk about the evolving relationship between the US and its allies, in addition to the role of emerging technology in the competition with China. Brands is a senior fellow here at AEI, where he researches US foreign policy and defense strategy. He is also the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His newest book, The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, is available now.

11.11.2025

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28 Min.
18.12.2025

WTH Do MAGA Republicans Think on Foreign Policy? Roger Zakheim Explains.

The Reagan National Defense Survey has again illuminated the MAGA world: MAGA Republicans are not isolationists, nor are the majority of Americans. Despite what those in Washington assert Americans believe, the latest polling reveals that 64 percent of Americans support U.S. leadership on the world stage, with eight in ten self-identified MAGA Republicans driving that figure. So why do we see this dissonance on the Right? Who gets to speak for “America First,” and what does it really mean? Why are figures within Trump’s ranks convincing him that his base opposes intervention and a strong foreign policy? The latest polling reminds us that the American people know who our enemies are, and they are telling us how they want to deal with them. Who’s going to listen? Roger Zakheim serves as the Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. He previously practiced law at Covington & Burling LLP where he led the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice group. Before joining Covington, he was General Counsel and Deputy Staff Director of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. Mr. Zakheim also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense where he supported the department’s policies and programs related to Iraq and Afghanistan coalition affairs. Mr. Zakheim also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace and is a Commissioner on the Congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy of the United States. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

18.12.2025

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53 Min.
29. JAN.

WTH Can’t Putin Afford to Fail in Ukraine? Michael Tory Explains How He Will.

With regime change brewing in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran, and the Russian war of attrition still marching on, Cold War déjà vu shapes our understanding of what happens when regimes do fall and offers a hopeful conclusion. Former Soviet states that have joined the EU have experienced an average tenfold increase in GDP since 1990, while Russia and its non-EU neighbors have grown only fourfold. Like the stark contrast of the Berlin Wall, if Ukraine is free to continue to prosper economically, people in Russia’s border regions will begin to work out that the problem isn’t NATO, the problem isn’t ideology, the problem is the failure of the system in Russia to deliver. And in addition to the huge costs of the war already waged, that’s something Putin cannot afford. So, will Putin try to wait it out? What choices does he have to avoid failure? We asked an investment banker for his theory and the numbers are enlightening… Michael Tory is a co-founder and Chairman of the financial advisory firm Ondra Partners. Tory is also an outspoken advocate for and supports several NGO efforts in Ukraine. Previously, he served as head of UK investment banking for Lehman Brothers Inc. and has been a Senior UK investment banker of Lehman Brothers Holdings. Michael previously served as Morgan Stanley’s head of investment banking in the UK and worked in their New York office for over a decade. Tory is also principal of Turning the Page, which develops and publishes ideas for rebuilding the UK’s domestic capital markets and savings systems. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

29. Jan.

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50 Min.

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