AEI Podcasts

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Channel • 10 Shows

Politics

Politics

Every two weeks
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Education for Kids

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Politics

Politics

Updated 21/06/2024
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Politics

Politics

Updated 11/11/2025
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Politics

Politics

Updated weekly

23 APR

WTH Is Going On In Lebanon? Ambassador David Hale Explains.

On the eve of talks in Washington between leaders in Lebanon and Israel, Beirut has signaled a push to extend the 10-day, U.S.-mediated ceasefire set to expire this Sunday. The ongoing conflict with Iran has put its proxies’ regional struggles into the limelight, as flashpoints continue to emerge, Lebanon chief among them. As a platform for Hezbollah, Lebanon is in a unique political position, balancing an adversary at home while aligning itself more closely with the West amid regional confrontation. Donald Trump has a historic opportunity to rid the Middle East of the Iranian regime if he is willing to commit to the persistence and patience needed to see this operation through. For Israel and Lebanon, is now the time? Ambassador David Hale is a Career Ambassador and Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He also currently serves as a Distinguished Fellow with the Wilson Center. Ambassador Hale previously served as US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; US Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon, and Jordan; and Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. He is the author of American Diplomacy Toward Lebanon: Lessons in Foreign Policy and the Middle East, published by Bloomsbury/I.B. Tauris in February 2024. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

23 Apr

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1hr 1min
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.

30/12/2020

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32 min
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

01/04/2022

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38 min
26/06/2023

The 36 Hour Rebellion: What the Hell Just Happened in Russia?

On Friday morning, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, released a 30-minute video challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin's motives for invading Ukraine and accusing the Russian Ministry of Defense of ordering airstrikes on Wagner fighters. Less than 24 hours later, Wagner forces had taken Rostov-on-Don and were pushing north toward Moscow in an armed rebellion. What seemed like the beginning of the end for the Kremlin was short-lived; by Saturday evening, Prigozhin announced that his forces were turning around. Early Sunday morning, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia gathered to discuss the 36-hour mutiny, including its impact on the balance of power in Russia and the opportunities it may provide for Ukraine's counteroffensive. Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front's biweekly newsletter here. Follow us on Twitter here.

26/06/2023

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43 min
02/02/2024

Let's Not Forget About Black Sea Security (with Stephen Flanagan)

Despite reaching somewhat of a standstill in the war, Ukraine has made considerable advances in the Black Sea. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with Stephen Flanagan, adjunct senior fellow at RAND Corporation, to discuss the future of Black Sea strategy and its implications for Ukraine, the EU, and the US. What further military advances can we expect? What role does Turkey play in the region's security? To what extent might the US' Black Sea strategy be affected by the upcoming presidential election? Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on X here.

02/02/2024

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29 min
22/01/2024

New Hampshire Primary: The Beginning of Trump 2.0? (with David Frum)

With Ron DeSantis suspending his presidential campaign just ahead of the New Hampshire primary, the Republican field is setting out to be a one-man show: Donald Trump. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic, to discuss the evolution of the Republican party since Trump's first term and what we can expect from a potential second Trump administration. Might Europe have to begin providing for its own defense with American security no longer a guarantee? What about aid to Ukraine? In what ways—if at all—might a second Biden administration be different in the event of a re-election? And is there any possibility that neither Trump nor Biden will be an option? Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on X here.

22/01/2024

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36 min
25/06/2024

A New Security Framework for the Eastern Front

Ahead of the NATO summit, Ukraine's potential future membership in NATO and its implications for regional security is being hotly debated. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia report their insights from Dalibor's recent travels to Chisinau, Moldova and Odessa, Ukraine. How are demographic declines impacting these cities? What are the roadblocks to NATO and EU membership in countries like Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine? What alternatives exist for security guarantees to defend against Russian aggression in the region? Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on X here. Read more about the wine-making cultures of Georgia and Moldova as discussed in the episode here and here.

25/06/2024

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32 min
23/03/2022

Freedom and rock 'n' roll on the eastern front (with Andras Simonyi)

Former Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, Andras Simonyi, joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to talk about the paradox that is Viktor Orban. He discusses the Hungarian and Russian relationship weeks away from the Hungarian presidential election. Ambassador Simonyi explains how Russian propaganda has infiltrated Eastern European media and why it isn't too early to start thinking about how to help Ukraine rebuild. Finally, he tells our hosts how rock 'n' roll represented freedom in Hungary during the Cold War. References: Rocking Toward a Free World by Andras Simonyi

23/03/2022

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33 min
21/11/2022

What happened in Kherson? (with Fred Kagan)

Giselle, Iulia, and Dalibor are joined again by Frederick W. Kagan, Senior Fellow and Director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, to discuss implications of Ukraine's successful reclamation of Kherson from Russian occupation. Fred outlines how victory was achieved and that the Ukrainian military's objective was to retake Kherson without destroying it. Fred also theorizes about what politics within elite Russian military circles might have compelled Russia to withdraw from Kherson. He notes tension between the dire state of Russian military forces and the ongoing pressure from Russia's extreme pro-war factions. Lastly, all discuss Russia's counteroffensive in the Donetsk region, Russia's current holdings in Ukraine and the likelihood of the Russian military's collapse in the near-future. Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front's newsletter here and connect with us on Twitter here.

21/11/2022

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32 min
19/08/2022

The Samizdat Mechanism vs. Russian Propaganda (with Yevgeny Simkin)

Giselle and Iulia are joined by Yevgeny Simkin, co-founder of "Samizdat Online", an organization which aims to gather all voices of the world that suffer under autocratic repression and reunite those voices with their audiences. Yevgeny explains how his organization reaches Russians, inundated with propaganda from the Kremlin, by collecting stories and news articles - which otherwise would be blocked in Russia for political reasons, like the website Meduza - translating them in to Russian where applicable, and by using unique technological tricks to share this banned content through easy-to-share SOS-Link™ links. Yevgeny explains how his team sidesteps Russia's draconian content censorship to share the hidden truth with Russians blinded by years of government propaganda. Show notes: Samizdat Online; "Why Ukraine Is Dangerous to Putin" by Yevgeny Simkin; "A new media project is working to sneak blocked media into Russia and wants to become a hub for press freedom in totalitarian regimes" in Business Insider

19/08/2022

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36 min

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