Counterpoint

Foreign Policy
  • 4.4 (35)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Counterpoint

Every day, experts from around the globe present their arguments for solving the world’s biggest problems. And every day, these experts disagree in small and large ways. At Foreign Policy, our approach is to share a wide range of opinions, side by side, day by day. But what if people could hear those arguments tested, in real time, under pressure from an opposing view–by an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics and activists? That’s the idea behind Counterpoint, a new debate show from Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. Join FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky and his guests, including anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, Britain’s former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, South African author Sisonke Msimang, veteran Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross—and many more.

  1. How Should Trump Tackle the U.S. Immigration Crisis?

    2 DAYS AGO

    How Should Trump Tackle the U.S. Immigration Crisis?

    U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made immigration a cornerstone of his campaign. The question now is what will he actually do? Will he seek to round up and kick 10 million people out of the country on Jan. 21? Will he reconfigure U.S. policy to focus on admitting skilled workers and reducing the number of unskilled migrants? Foreign Policy deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Leah Boustan, a professor of economics at Princeton University and co-author of Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success, and Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Institute and author of Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min
  2. Should the Global South Denounce Russia’s War in Ukraine as an Act of Imperialism?

    NOV 12

    Should the Global South Denounce Russia’s War in Ukraine as an Act of Imperialism?

    When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America didn’t join the United States and Europe in jumping to Kyiv’s defense. Their leaders wondered why they should oppose Russia’s aggression after watching Washington get away with decades of military interventions from Iraq to Libya, raising the question of whether opposing the use of force somewhere necessitates opposing it everywhere. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Vijay Prashad, the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, and Martin Kimani, a former Kenyan ambassador to the United Nations and now executive director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  3. Should the U.K. Rejoin the EU?

    NOV 5

    Should the U.K. Rejoin the EU?

    Back in 2016, under a Conservative-led government, Britain shocked the world by voting narrowly to leave the European Union. Fast-forward to today, and the political sands have shifted dramatically. In July, for the first time in 14 years, British voters elected a Labour government. Two weeks later, the new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, signaled his desire for the country to once again grow closer to Europe. And polls now show that if given the choice again, more people would vote to rejoin the EU than stay out. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by businesswoman, activist, and campaigner Gina Miller and former British Chancellor and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
  4. Can South Africa Be a Moral Example to the World?

    OCT 29

    Can South Africa Be a Moral Example to the World?

    For many years, South Africa was seen as a poster child for peaceful reconciliation and the triumph of good over evil. The “Rainbow Nation” image brought tourism, international investment, and major global events such as the 2010 World Cup. But beneath the glitz, there was a darker side: grinding poverty, widespread corruption, violent xenophobia, and close ties with authoritarian regimes. These days, South Africa seems intent on restoring its international image as a moral superpower. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Sisonke Msimang, the author of Always Another Country and The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, and Tony Leon, the former head of the Democratic Alliance and leader of South Africa’s official opposition in Parliament from 1999 to 2007. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  5. Should the West Pressure Ukraine to Negotiate an End to the War?

    OCT 22

    Should the West Pressure Ukraine to Negotiate an End to the War?

    In the past few months, the war in Ukraine has taken some dramatic turns. Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russian territory, seizing chunks of Kursk province and embarrassing President Vladimir Putin. Russia retaliated with a number of devastating attacks on Ukrainian cities and military facilities and continued to seize more territory in Donetsk. Rather than moving toward a negotiated settlement, the war seems to be escalating. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and an assistant professor at Georgetown University, and Rajan Menon, the director of the grand strategy program at Defense Priorities and a senior research scholar at Columbia University. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
  6. Should Israel and the United States Attack Iran’s Nuclear Program Now?

    OCT 15

    Should Israel and the United States Attack Iran’s Nuclear Program Now?

    On the night of Oct. 1, Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel. It was the latest in a deadly tit for tat between the two countries. The regionwide war that the Biden administration doesn’t want now seems to be happening. And for that reason, the idea of taking out Iran’s nuclear program with military strikes seems less theoretical and more like a real possibility. Foreign Policy deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Matt Kroenig, the vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a professor of government at Georgetown University, and Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center and a lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min
  7. Should the U.S. Withhold Military Aid From Israel?

    OCT 8

    Should the U.S. Withhold Military Aid From Israel?

    This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the start of a war in Gaza that has killed upwards of 40,000 people, many of them civilians. Throughout this conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pursued his own political and military agenda at odds with Washington’s calls for negotiations and de-escalation. Yet the flow of U.S. arms has continued. FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is joined by Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of DAWN, an organization working to reform U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and Dennis Ross, who was Washington’s point person in Middle East peace negotiations under two U.S. presidents. For more listening, check out After America: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983649/episodes/15330743 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min
  8. Introducing Counterpoint

    SEASON 4 TRAILER

    Introducing Counterpoint

    Each week, FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky and his guests will tackle one pressing question from two opposing points of view.  Listen in as an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics and activists from around the globe debate controversial issues that get to the heart of the world’s biggest dilemmas.  This season’s debates include, “Should the United States withhold military aid from Israel?”; “Should the Global South Denounce Russia’s war in Ukraine?”; "Does Maximum Pressure on Iran Work?” and “Should the UK rejoin the EU?” Counterpoint is a Foreign Policy Podcast, in partnership with the Doha Forum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    2 min
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Trailers

4.4
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

Every day, experts from around the globe present their arguments for solving the world’s biggest problems. And every day, these experts disagree in small and large ways. At Foreign Policy, our approach is to share a wide range of opinions, side by side, day by day. But what if people could hear those arguments tested, in real time, under pressure from an opposing view–by an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics and activists? That’s the idea behind Counterpoint, a new debate show from Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. Join FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky and his guests, including anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, Britain’s former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, South African author Sisonke Msimang, veteran Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross—and many more.

Information

  • Channel
    Foreign Policy
  • Creator
    Foreign Policy
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 062646. Copyright 2021, FP Studios, a division of Foreign Policy/The Slate Group LLC, a Graham Holdings company. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Counterpoint

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