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Channel • 50 Shows

News

News

Monthly
Politics

Politics

Monthly
Government

Government

Twice monthly
Government

Government

Monthly
Government

Government

Updated weekly
Government

Government

Updated weekly
Government

Government

Updated weekly

20 JAN

Washington’s New China Tech Strategy

Mike joins Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, to unpack how U.S. national security strategy is shaping technology competition with China. They explore why Washington has rolled back certain tariffs and technology export restrictions, how allies and partners are responding to shifting U.S. trade policies, and whether the United States is still on track to win the U.S.-China tech race.

20 Jan

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37 min
03/10/2024

The Sentinel State

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker '72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. He is also editor of the China Leadership Monitor. They discuss his recent book The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China. (Harvard University Press, 2024)

03/10/2024

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36 min
6 JAN

Ely Ratner - Does Asia Need a Collective Defense Pact?

Mike joins Ely Ratner, Principal at The Marathon Initiative and Senior Adviser at Clarion Strategies. Previously he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs during the Biden administration, and before that he was Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). They discuss the strategic competition with China, the difficulties and opportunities around the China challenge, what the most significant things the U.S. did relating to allies and partners during the Biden Administration, and the case for a Pacific defense pact.

6 Jan

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43 min
22/09/2025

Michael McFaul on Trump, Putin, and Autocrats vs. Democrats

Max and Maria spoke with Stanford professor and former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul to talk about his latest book, and where things stand today in U.S.-Russia relations. Pre-order Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder by Michael McFaul (HarperCollins, October 2025) "The Real Meaning of Putin's Middle East Failure: Russia's Allies in the Region Couldn't Count on Moscow — and Neither Should China," by Michael McFaul and Abbas Milani (Foreign Affairs, July 2025) "Putin, Putinism, and the Domestic Determinants of Russian Foreign Policy" by Michael McFaul (International Security, Fall 2020)

22/09/2025

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1 hr
07/08/2025

Has Putinism Failed? A Conversation with Harley Balzer and Sergei Guriev

Max and Maria spoke with Harley Balzer and Sergei Guriev about the recently released volume, Failure. Russia Under Putin. This conversation was recorded on July 17, 2025. Failure. Russia Under Putin is available now from Bloomsbury Publishing.

07/08/2025

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46 min
20/11/2025

The Increased Level of Repressions Within the Russian Elite

Max and Maria spoke with Nikolay Petrov and Mikhail Troitskiy, two leading experts on the contemporary Russian elite, to discuss the current status of this ruling group inside Russia today, and why it finds itself increasingly under pressure from state security organs. This conversation was recorded on November 13, 2025. "Отцы и дѣти: Генеалогическое исследование российской власти" (Proekt.media, November 2025) "Transition without a successor: The transformation of Putin’s regime," by Vladimir Pastukhov and Nikolay Petrov (NEST, September 2025) "Managing multiple audiences: dual-track signals and the silencing of Russia’s globalized elites before the invasion of Ukraine," by Mikhail Troitskiy (Post-Soviet Affairs, June 2025)

20/11/2025

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46 min
25/10/2025

The Impact of New Sanctions and Ukrainian Deep Strikes on the Russian Energy Industry with Clayton Seigle

Max and Maria spoke with Clayton Seigle about how new sanctions from the Trump administration could potentially impact Russian energy revenues. Additionally, they discussed the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. This conversation was recorded on October 23, 2025.

25/10/2025

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43 min
17/12/2024

Special: Syria's Post-Assad Scramble

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Will Todman and Natasha Hall, senior fellows at the CSIS Middle East Program, for a special episode on the sudden collapse of the Assad regime and what will replace it. Together, they discuss the promise and peril of this historic moment, and the domestic and regional forces moving aggressively to shape Syria’s new direction.

17/12/2024

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28 min
21/10/2025

The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections

Max and Maria spoke with Leah Kieff and Vlad Lupan about the outcomes of the recent Moldovan parliamentary elections at the end of September, and why they're significant for both Moldova, and the broader region. This conversation was recorded on October 14, 2025.

21/10/2025

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51 min
16/12/2024

The Fate of the WTO, Useful Data on China Sanctions, and Space Export Controls

On this week's episode of the Trade Guys, we discuss what the incoming U.S. administration will mean for the future of the World Trade Organization. We also dive into a new study on “The Rise of US Economic Sanctions on China” from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, as well as the relaxation of export controls on space-related technologies by BIS.

16/12/2024

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32 min

CSIS podcasts feature experts & scholars on a range of critical issues surrounding geopolitics, national security, defense, & international affairs topics.