The Issue - Voice of America

Voice of America (VOA)
  • 0.0 (0)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

VOA’s The Issue takes you beyond the headlines, diving into the stories shaping our world. Each episode focuses on a single topic, offering in-depth analysis and essential context. We break down complex issues, explaining why they matter and how they fit into the broader global landscape. If you’re

  1. 03/14/2025

    Historic peace treaty for Armenia and Azerbaijan - March 14, 2025

    Armenia and Azerbaijan finalized the text of a peace agreement Friday aimed at establishing formal relations that would end decades of conflict. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "The United States commends Armenia and Azerbaijan for concluding negotiations on a historic peace treaty. This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page and move in line with President [Donald] Trump's vision for a more peaceful world. We speak with Ben Dubow, Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

    12 min

  2. 03/13/2025

    Putin wants to talk to Trump about ceasefire - March 13, 2025

    President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia agreed in principle with U.S. proposals for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but crucial details need to be sorted out and any truce would have to deal with the root causes of the conflict. Putin said he may call President Donald Trump to discuss the issue, which the U.S. president said he’d be open to. Trump said he sees “good signals” coming out of Russia and offered guarded optimism about Putin’s statement. We spoke with Jennifer Kavanagh is a senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities.

    11 min

  3. 03/12/2025

    Global tariff war! - March 12, 2025

    U.S. President Donald Trump's increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports took effect on Wednesday "with no exceptions or exemptions," escalating the global trade war. Trump's increased tariffs campaign to reorder global trade norms in favor of the U.S. drew swift retaliation. China, the EU, Canada and others have reacted to the with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on 21 billion U.S. goods. We speak with John W. Diamond, Senior Fellow in Public Finance and the senior director of the Center for Public Finance at the Rice University’s Baker Institute.

    16 min

  4. 03/11/2025

    Ukraine agrees to ceasefire proposal in talks with U.S. - March 11, 2025

    U.S. and Ukrainian officials met Saudi Arabia, for talks on efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine, with both sides saying Kyiv supports a U.S. proposed 30-day ceasefire. Ukrainian and U.S. officials held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to find a path towards ending the war with Russia. Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel later this week to Moscow. We speak with Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

    12 min

  5. 03/10/2025

    Canada’s new prime minister - March 10, 2025

    Canada’s next prime minister has helped run two Group of Seven economies in crisis and will now try to steer Canada through a looming trade war brought by U.S. President Donald Trump, a threat of annexation and an expected federal election. Former central banker Mark Carney will become prime minister after the governing Liberal Party elected him its leader Sunday in a landslide vote with 85.9% support. Carney replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remains prime minister until his successor is sworn in in the coming days. We talk to Tom Urbaniak, a professor in the political science department at Cape Breton University.

    15 min

  6. 03/07/2025

    President Trump sends Ayatollah Ali Khamenei letter - March 07, 2025

    U.S. President Donald Trump says he sent a letter to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, something not immediately confirmed by the supreme leader. Trump made the comments in an interview aired on Friday by Fox Business News. The White House confirmed Trump’s comments, saying that he sent a letter to Iran’s leaders seeking to negotiate a nuclear deal. We talk to Alex Vatanka, a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He specializes in Middle Eastern regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran.

    13 min

  7. 03/06/2025

    France proposes using its nuclear deterrent to protect Europe from Russia - March 06, 2025

    Facing the prospect that the United States might cut them adrift under President Donald Trump, European Union leaders launched a day of emergency talks Thursday in a bid to beef up their own security and ensure that Ukraine will still be properly protected. The 27-nation bloc woke up to news that French President Emmanuel Macron would confer with EU leaders about the possibility of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats. We talk with Nicolas Tenzer is a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

    17 min

  8. 03/05/2025

    NATO armed forces are not ready for a modern drone war - March 05, 2025

    Ukraine's armed forces have spent three years learning how to wage a modern drone war. And the country's top drone commander says it's a kind of combat the armies of NATO are not yet prepared to fight and need to be. We talk to Stephen Biddle Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy, Council on Foreign Relations.

    21 min
See All (15)

About

VOA’s The Issue takes you beyond the headlines, diving into the stories shaping our world. Each episode focuses on a single topic, offering in-depth analysis and essential context. We break down complex issues, explaining why they matter and how they fit into the broader global landscape. If you’re

Information

More From Voice of America (VOA)