AEI Podcasts

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Channel • 10 Shows

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Politics

Every two weeks
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Updated 09/01/2025
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Monthly
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Society & Culture

Updated 2 Jul
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Technology

Twice monthly
Government

Government

Twice monthly
Politics

Politics

Updated weekly

16 Apr

WTH: The Iran Blockade? Miad Maleki Explains.

One week after claims of an "Iranian victory", with Tehran supposedly leveraging the Strait of Hormuz and outmaneuvering Donald Trump, the narrative has shifted. U.S. and allied naval forces have applied sustained pressure, effectively constraining Iranian shipping and energy exports, all without deploying ground troops. With these constraints in mind and the cards in Washington’s hands, the real deal making begins. But, apart from the challenge of the nuclear “dust,” the missile program, and terrorism, the regime will continue to pose a threat to its own people. With time on America’s side, should a grand strategy consider how to best empower the Iranian people? Miad Maleki is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a U.S. Air Force veteran. He previously worked as Associate Director for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Global Targeting at the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), where he played a central role in architecting the Treasury Department’s sanctions campaigns against the Iranian regime and its extensive network of proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Houthis. Mr. Maleki also served as the assistant director for counterterrorism, nonproliferation, and Middle East sanctions and as OFAC’s chief and senior sanctions coordinator for Iran and the Middle East. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.
2 Apr

WTH: The Mythical MAGA Split on Iran. Kristen Soltis Anderson Explains.

The story from mainstream media is that the core of MAGA is "split" on the war with Iran, strikes in Venezuela, the Houthis, and other Trump 2.0 international policies. This supposed "MAGA schism" over foreign policy challenges Trump's coalition of America First isolationists and hawkish establishment Republicans. But the data tells a different story. Drawing on our coverage of the Reagan National Defense Survey and the work of our guest Kristen Soltis Anderson, we find no evidence of such a divide. In fact, MAGA voters appear overwhelmingly hawkish and strongly supportive of President Trump’s military operations, particularly in Iran. If a divide does exist within the Republican Party, it is more likely generational than ideological. What might that mean for the future of conservative foreign policy leadership? And as we look to 2028, what does a successful Republican candidate project on foreign policy according to the polls? Kristen Soltis Anderson is a pollster, speaker, TV personality, New York Times opinion writer, commentator, and author. Kristen is Founding Partner of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm that serves brands, trade associations, nonprofits, and political clients. She is an on-air political contributor at CNN and previously has been a contributor to Fox News Channel and ABC News. She currently writes the newsletter “Codebook” on Substack and is the author of, “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up).” Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.
30/12/2020

Jeff Kosseff: Setting the record straight on Section 230

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has come under a lot of fire recently. But what does the law actually say, and how would changing it affect the internet as we know it? I discuss these questions and more in today's interview with Jeff Kosseff. Jeff is an assistant professor of cybersecurity law in the US Naval Academy’s cyber science department. He is also the author of the 2019 book, The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.
01/04/2022

The Ukrainian identity (with Lydia Tomkiw)

Journalist Lydia Tomkiw joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia in this episode to discuss Ukrainian history, identity, and culture. Raised in a Sacremento community formed by the Ukrainian American diaspora, Lydia grew up speaking Ukrainian and attending Ukrainian Saturday school. She explains the many facets of Ukrainian identity and how history and modern events have and do shape it. References: "Letter from the diaspora: Why Ukraine will endure" by Lydia Tomkiw; Gates of Europe: on Ukraine's Modern History by Serhii Plokhy; Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum How to help Ukraine: Razom for UkraineUnited Ukrainian American Relief CommitteeThe Kyiv IndependentThe Ukrainian Museum in New York CityThe Ukrainian InstituteUkrainian Research Institute at Harvard University
18/02/2021

Remote Work: What We've Learned, Part I

Remote work exploded in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A practice previously used by a fraction of the workforce suddenly became the new normal for many white-collar workers. Many businesses have already suggested they may never return to the "old normal." In this episode of "Hardly Working," we look at the pluses and minuses of life in the home office and how working from home is affecting employers and employees. It is a two-part conversation so stay tuned for the next episode to hear it all.
28/03/2022

Biden's speech in Poland

Two days after President Biden's speech in Poland, during which he said that Putin "cannot remain in power," Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia analyze the consequences of his gaffe. Our hosts talk about who will bear the burden of Biden's apparent mistake and how it is disconnected from Ukraine's future. They also discuss this weekend's NATO and European Council summits showed lack of a united strategy by the West. Finally, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia look ahead to what might come next this week.
18/03/2020

The Centuries Long Pursuit of “The Good Life”

Can the writings of an 18th century philosopher help the modern person find meaning and purpose? Before he wrote the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith wrote another book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which helps us understand how a good life, one marked by both prosperity and personal happiness, is achieved. Join Brent Orrell and Ryan Hanley, a professor of political science at Boston College, for a discussion of his latest book “Our Great Purpose: Adam Smith on Living a Better Life (Princeton University Press, 2019)”.
18/06/2020

What’s the next move on COVID?

The past few months have brought an onslaught of new policies attempting to curb the spread of COVID-19, but were they the right decisions based upon the data we have about the virus? And what comes next? Brent talks to Lyman Stone, an adjunct fellow at AEI and a research fellow at the Institute for […] The post What’s the next move on COVID? appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.
04/06/2020

Building workforce and prosperity from the ground up

Brent talks with a panel of workforce experts about how Austin, TX has found success in getting people back to work where so many cities have struggled. The post Building workforce and prosperity from the ground up appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.
30/07/2020

How computers and the algorithms that drive them influence our life, work, and future

Technology has been rapidly advancing, and along with it has come an increased reliance on artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other forms of computer programming. Can we trust these programs to uphold our values of inclusion, diversity, and fairness? Brent talks to Robert Elliot Smith, an artificial intelligence expert and author of “Rage Inside the Machine: […] The post How computers and the algorithms that drive them influence our life, work, and future appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

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