The Cable

The Institute of Current World Affairs
The Cable

The Cable with Gregory Feifer - saving democracy one podcast at a time! We address the threats to democracy in Europe and the transatlantic relationship, with a particular focus on backsliding countries in Central Europe.

  1. 02/09/2022

    Do Russians really want war?

    With reports that Ukraine is surrounded by some 140,000 Russian troops, the possibility of a major military conflict in Europe is closer than ever since the end of World War II. There’s been no lack of speculation about whether President Vladimir Putin intends to invade Ukraine again and why. But is what he wants the same as what most Russians want? The answer is complicated, with serious implications for the Western response. Denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, the country’s only independent polling agency, joins The Cable from Moscow to explain.

    32 min

  2. 01/24/2022

    Is time running out for American democracy?

    With vital voting rights legislation stalled in the Senate and Republican politicians continuing to cast doubt on President Biden’s election, the United States is heading into pivotal midterm elections later this year. Liz Hempowicz and Bruce Stokes join The Cable to discuss the danger America’s democratic institutions face and what must be done to protect them. Liz Hempowicz: Director of Public Policy, Project on Government Oversight Bruce Stokes: Visiting GMF Senior Fellow; Executive Director, Transatlantic Task Force: Together or Alone? Choices and Strategies for Transatlantic Relations for 2021 and Beyond

    31 min

  3. 12/06/2021

    There's a new democracy playbook. Will anyone use it?

    President Joe Biden is set to host the first-ever Summit for Democracy, part of his promise to reassert democratic values around the world. But with Russia and China panning the very idea of values-based diplomacy, can the event’s more than 110 participants prove them wrong? Norman Eisen and Alina Polyakova are co-authors of a new democracy playbook released December 6, together with The Cable’s co-host Jonathan Katz. They talk to Gregory Feifer about their action plan and what chances they believe the summit has to succeed.

    35 min

  4. 11/15/2021

    Lithuania is punching above its weight. Will it matter at Biden’s Summit for Democracy?

    Lithuania shares a border with two hostile autocratic neighbors, Belarus and Russia. If that weren’t enough, the small Baltic democracy is taking on China, too. It’s a role model for confident, democratic leadership in the 21st century, and wants to play an important role at the Summit for Democracy in early December. But will the United States and other powerful democracies come together with tangible support even as authoritarians and populists seem to be on the rise? Lithuanian Vice-Minister Mantas Adomėnas and US Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Kara McDonald joined The Cable to discuss the challenges and hopes for the summit. Transcript here: https://www.icwa.org/the-cable-podcast-lithuania-democracy/

    36 min

  5. 11/01/2021

    We have the Pandora Papers…Now what?

    The Pandora Papers leak exposed some of the shadowy offshore finances the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people use to hide vast fortunes. But it only scratched the surface of an entrenched global financial system rife with loopholes. So what must be done to combat the illicit practices helping drive massive inequities and shake liberal democracies around the globe? Karen Greenaway, who investigated financial crimes at the FBI, and Drew Sullivan, founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), join The Cable to explain.

    31 min

  6. 10/04/2021

    Fiona Hill: "We're dealing with our own authoritarians"

    Fiona Hill made global headlines when she testified during an impeachment inquiry against then-President Donald Trump in 2019. Now the former senior director for European and Russian affairs on Trump's National Security Council has published a new memoir tracing her journey from a hardscrabble childhood in northeastern England to the White House. She joins Greg and Jonathan to describe what her experiences, including in the Trump Administration, reflect about the most pressing questions facing liberal democracy today.

    43 min

  7. 09/14/2021

    Why Leonid Volkov is optimistic about Russia's future

    When Russians vote in parliamentary elections later this week, the results are expected to be a foregone conclusion. Still, opposition groups are campaigning across the country despite the Kremlin’s unprecedented crackdown on civil society, independent media and free speech, including the imprisonment of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. His former chief of staff Leonid Volkov—one of the architects of Navalny’s “smart voting” strategy—joins Greg and Jonathan to explain what’s at stake for the country and the future of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

    28 min

  8. 06/10/2021

    Transatlantic Trends

    Joe Biden is seeking to renew the transatlantic relationship during a number of major summit meetings in Europe on his first foreign trip as US president. But after four years of Donald Trump’s assault on Washington’s closest alliances, what does public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic think about the future of US leadership, and what does it mean for hopes of addressing some of Western countries’ biggest joint challenges? Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer and Irene Bramm join Greg and Jonathan to discuss their new Transatlantic Trends survey from the German Marshall Fund.

    46 min
See All (64)

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

The Cable with Gregory Feifer - saving democracy one podcast at a time! We address the threats to democracy in Europe and the transatlantic relationship, with a particular focus on backsliding countries in Central Europe.

Information

  • Creator
    The Institute of Current World Affairs
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2022
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Cable

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada