The World Unpacked

Carnegie Endowment
  • 4.4 (76)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The World Unpacked is a weekly podcast where insiders, intellectuals, and iconoclasts dive deep into the most pressing global issues. In a time of violent convulsions and heady new possibilities, host Jon Bateman mixes it up with the thinkers making sense of what’s happening and the power brokers building what comes next. Tune in for lively, free-wheeling conversations with some of the world’s most interesting and informed people.

  1. 12/19/2025

    Testing the Case for Regime Change in Venezuela

    The Trump administration apparently seeks regime change in Venezuela and may soon attack the country. But American leaders have so far refused to openly state their intentions, stifling public debate on the momentous choice ahead. In an urgent conversation you won’t hear elsewhere, the last U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela makes a forthright case for ousting President Nicolás Maduro—with American force, if necessary. Ambassador James Story joins The World Unpacked to argue that Venezuela isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan. Host Jon Bateman asks him tough questions about post-war security, regional blowback, and whether the U.S. has a vital interest in Venezuela. Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/testing-the-case-for-regime-change-in-venezuela? Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman

    56 min

  2. 12/12/2025

    Decoding Trump’s Foreign Policy Blueprint

    The new U.S. National Security Strategy is the clearest and boldest statement of President Donald Trump’s global vision. It reveals U.S. plans to dominate Latin America, transform politics in Europe, and seize commercial opportunities in Asia. Leaders around the world are closely studying this document. Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/decoding-trumps-foreign-policy-blueprint? Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman

    57 min

  3. 11/21/2025

    AI’s Biggest Skeptic Sees a Bubble

    The AI boom is the biggest investment mania in decades, channeling trillions of dollars into data center infrastructure.  If investors bet right, they may usher in technological breakthroughs that produce vast wealth.  If they’re wrong, they could crash the U.S. stock market, trigger a recession, and spread financial contagion globally. Ed Zitron was among the first to call AI a bubble.  His unsparing deep dives into AI finances are must-reads, even for his critics.  In a spirited back-and-forth on The World Unpacked, Ed and host Jon Bateman debate Wall Street’s “unhealthy relationship” with Nvidia, if China has its own AI bubble, and whether ChatGPT should give tax advice. Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/ais-biggest-skeptic-sees-a-bubble?  Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman

    52 min

  4. 11/14/2025

    Why Information Refuses to Be Controlled

    We’re living through an era of information disruption.  Novel technologies like AI and social media are unleashing pent-up social and political energies—releasing floods of new information and triggering intense battles for narrative control. While most analysts focus on small pieces of this puzzle, Alicia Wanless is a pioneering “information ecologist” who seeks to map the entire system. Her new book is The Information Animal: Humans, Technology, and The Competition for Reality. In a lively new episode of The World Unpacked, Alicia and host Jon Bateman discuss what 2025 has in common with 1625, how novels spark civil wars, and why our frantic efforts to tame information often do more harm than good.  Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/why-information-refuses-to-be-controlled? Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman

    43 min

  5. 11/05/2025

    Trump’s $200 Billion Tariff Showdown at the Supreme Court

    On November 5, the Supreme Court heard the most globally consequential oral arguments in years as Trump’s trade war faces a final legal reckoning. The Court will either strike down most of Trump’s tariffs, undercutting him in trade talks, or else hand U.S. presidents previously unimagined new powers over the global economy. Peter Harrell is a top trade expert and lawyer fighting the tariffs on behalf of 207 members of Congress.  He joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to take stock of the ever-changing tariffs, peer into the Justices’ decision-making process, and predict the fallout for America and the world. Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/trumps-dollar200-billion-tariff-showdown-at-the-supreme-court?  Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman

    37 min

  6. 10/24/2025

    "A House of Dynamite” Writer on How Nuclear War Works

    A House of Dynamite, a new Netflix film, may be the most realistic depiction of a nuclear crisis ever made. Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim partnered with Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) to capture the intimate details of the U.S. national security state as a president (Idris Elba) and his advisors confront the riskiest 19 minutes in human history. Oppenheim, the former president of NBC News, joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked. They discuss Trump’s missile defense plans, the filmmaking process, and Hollywood’s surprising influence on nuclear policy—from Dr. Strangelove to Crimson Tide. Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here. Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.

    47 min

  7. 10/17/2025

    Inside MS-13, the Gang That Swallowed a Country

    MS-13 brought El Salvador to its knees and has spread to a dozen other nations, doing battle with presidents as much as rival gangs. Yet despite its infamy, MS-13 is poorly understood: It has little in common with the cartels, traffickers, or mafias that it’s often lumped in with. What is the violent logic behind MS-13, and why has it grown steadily more powerful during both crackdowns and truces? Has President Nayib Bukele’s unprecedented brutality finally turned the tide against MS-13 in El Salvador, and does he have a plan for what comes next? If it takes an autocrat to slay a gang, should countries trade one beast for another? Steven Dudley, author of the award-winning book MS-13: The Making of America’s Most Notorious Gang, joins Jon Bateman for a gripping new episode of The World Unpacked. Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here. Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.

    42 min

  8. 10/10/2025

    Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts Aren’t What You Think

    The end of USAID was among the biggest early controversies of President Donald Trump’s second term. The world watched in horror as Elon Musk’s DOGE took a chainsaw to U.S. foreign assistance, placing millions of lives at risk with brutal across-the-board cuts. But few people realize how much has changed since then. Behind the scenes, aid money was largely restored—for now. And instead of making grandiose fraud accusations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun embracing aid in public, laying out promising plans to address problems long recognized by technocrats. Rachel Bonnifield is a leading global health expert and proud member of the NGO ecosystem denounced by Trump officials—yet she admires much of their new strategy. She joins The World Unpacked to make a surprising case for many Trump reforms, while also warning of risks, including the potential for more disruptions in the coming months. Find the episode transcript, video episode, and get the show direct to your inbox, here. Follow Jon on X (https://x.com/JonKBateman) here.

    37 min
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4.4
out of 5
76 Ratings

About

The World Unpacked is a weekly podcast where insiders, intellectuals, and iconoclasts dive deep into the most pressing global issues. In a time of violent convulsions and heady new possibilities, host Jon Bateman mixes it up with the thinkers making sense of what’s happening and the power brokers building what comes next. Tune in for lively, free-wheeling conversations with some of the world’s most interesting and informed people.

Information

  • Channel
    Carnegie Endowment
  • Creator
    Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    259
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The World Unpacked

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