The Truth of the Matter

Philip Luck, director of the CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business, joins the podcast to discuss the new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, their potential impact on industry and consumers, and other ways to address China's impact on the global economy.

Noam Unger, director of the CSIS Sustainable Development and Resilience Initiative, joins the podcast to discuss the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and potential geopolitical or national security impacts that could follow.

CSIS’s economics program director Philip Luck joins the podcast to talk about the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, and how those nations may respond.

Michaela Simoneau, associate fellow for global health security at CSIS, joins the podcast to discuss the recent outbreak of bird flu in the United States, the red flags that researchers watch for to determine whether a disease could become a pandemic, and the tools available to stop the spread of the virus.

In this crossover episode with AI Policy Podcast, Andrew and Greg discuss the origins of Chinese AI Company DeepSeek (0:55), the release of its DeepSeek R1 model and what it means for the future of U.S.- China AI competition (3:05), why it prompted such a massive reaction by U.S. policymakers and the U.S. stock market (14:04), and the Trump administration's response (24:03).

Catherine Nzuki, associate fellow in the CSIS Africa Program, joins the podcast to discuss the impact of new policies—like U.S. withdrawals from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement—on Africa, how African nations can use great power competition between the United States and China to their advantage, and her new CSIS podcast, The Afropolitan. Please listen to the African tunes Catherine shared with the Truth of the Matter Afropunk Playlist Afropop Playlist

Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins the podcast to discuss the results of CFR’s 2025 Preventive Priorities Survey, which predicts more serious and more likely conflict contingencies than any other survey in its 17-year history.

In this special crossover episode with the AI Policy Podcast, Andrew, Greg, and CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program Director Joseph Majkut discuss the Biden administration's Executive Order on Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure. They consider the motivation for this measure and its primary goals (1:07), its reception among AI and hyperscaler companies (12:18), and how the Trump administration might approach AI and energy (17:50).

In this crossover episode with the AI Policy Podcast, we break down the release of the Biden administration's Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion. We discuss the rationale for this latest control (0:52), and its reception among major AI and semiconductor firms (8:14), U.S. allies (17:15), and the incoming administration (19:48).

Vincent Rigby, former national security and intelligence adviser to Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and non-resident senior adviser in the CSIS Americas Program, joins the podcast to discuss Trudeau’s announcement of his resignation, why it happened, and what comes next for Canada.

This podcast episode of The Truth of the Matter features Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, ranking member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The discussion covers bipartisan efforts to address U.S.-China competition in technology, economics, and national security, including TikTok's legal challenges, the risks of Chinese-made technology, and strategies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

Eva Dou, technology policy reporter at The Washington Post, joins the podcast to discuss her new book, House of Huawei: The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company, as well as U.S. suspicion of the company and why it worries policymakers.

CSIS’s Norman Roule, who served for thirty-four years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing significant programs relating to the Middle East, joins the podcast to discuss the actors that enabled the Assad regime to survive for so long, how bureaucratic rot in Russia and Iran enabled Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to move south so quickly, and actions the U.S. can take to support peace in the region.

CSIS’s Natasha Hall joins the podcast to discuss the rot inside the Assad regime, the country’s new power center and the internal tensions that remain.

CSIS’s Jon Alterman joins the podcast to discuss the dramatic developments in Syria, the external actors involved, and potential U.S. approaches.

CSIS’s director of the Missile Defense Project Tom Karako joins the podcast to talk about missile escalations in the Ukraine Russia war, plus how missiles are critical to the conflicts in the Middle East.

Joseph Majkut, director of the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of AI and energy policy, AI’s huge energy requirements, and how to finance infrastructure development to meet these energy needs. Watch CSIS’s recent event on the intersection of AI and energy policy here.

In this episode, we discuss what AI policy might look like under the second Trump administration. We dive into the first Trump administration's achievements (0:50), how the Trump campaign handled AI policy (3:37), and where the new administration might fall on key issue areas like national security (5:59), safety (7:37), export controls (11:27), open-source (14:04), and more.

Aspen Strategy Group executive director Anja Manuel joins the podcast to discuss issues surrounding AI and national security, and a new series of original papers and op-eds called “Intelligent Defense: Navigating National Security in the Age of AI.” The papers are authored by Aspen Strategy Group members including: Manuel, Mark Esper, General David Petraeus, David Ignatius, Nick Kristof, Steve Bowsher, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Yoshua Bengio, Senator Chris Coons, Kent Walker, Jennifer Ewbank, Daniel Poneman, Eileen O’Connor, and Graham Allison.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz, Victor Cha, and distinguished guests discuss the Kremlin's motivations, the potential impacts on the battlefield in Ukraine, what North Korea is likely to receive in return, how Beijing may perceive this development, and more.

Aram Nerguizian, CSIS senior associate and an expert on the Levant, joins the podcast to discuss the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s current political and military capabilities, and the impact of the conflict on the Lebanese people.

In this special episode, Andrew and Gregory C. Allen discuss the National Security Memorandum on AI the Biden administration released on October 24th, its primary audience and main objectives, and what the upcoming U.S. election could mean for its implementation.

Suzanne Spaulding, director of the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project, joins a special crossover episode with CSIS’s Smart Women, Smart Power podcast to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Charles Edel, CSIS Senior Adviser and Australia Chair, and Kathryn Paik, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Australia Chair, join the podcast to discuss their new Foreign Affairs article on how China is dominating foreign policy in the Pacific. Read the article - The Peril of American Neglect in the Pacific

Seth Jones, President of the CSIS Defense and Security Department and Harold Brown Chair in Strategy, joins the podcast to discuss the data on increasing violence between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran presented in a new CSIS publication. Latest CSIS analysis on escalating war between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran

CSIS's Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, joins the podcast to discuss Iran's missile strikes in Israel, Israel's entry into Lebanon, attacks on Hezbollah, and more as the conflict in the Middle East continues to expand.

Tim Shriver, head of Special Olympics and host of the new podcast “Need a Lift?,” joins the show to discuss the importance of lifting each other up even as the world becomes more and more polarized.

CSIS’s Norman Roule, who served for 34 years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing significant programs relating to the Middle East, joins the podcast to discuss the war between Israel and Hezbollah and its wider implications for the region.

CSIS’s Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss the latest in Ukraine’s war with Russia and Israel’s war with Hamas.

Navin Girishankar, president of CSIS’s new Economic Security and Technology Department, joins the podcast to discuss his experience working at the Department of Commerce, Bridgewater Associates, and the World Bank, as well as CSIS’s renewed focus on economic statecraft and technology to address 21st-century security threats.

Peter Bergen, Vice President at the New America Foundation, CNN national security analyst, and host of In the Room with Peter Bergen, joins the podcast to discuss the foreign policy of each presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.

CSIS Senior Vice President and director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center J. Stephen Morrison joins the podcast to discuss the current surge of Covid-19, the newest variants of the virus, and the politicization of vaccines before the 2024 election.

CSIS’s Ryan Berg joins the podcast to discuss Nicolas Maduro’s claim that he won another term as Venezuela’s president, when the facts prove otherwise and the fallout is severe.

J. Stephen Morrison, CSIS Senior Vice President and director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, joins the podcast to discuss the recent outbreak of a new, deadlier variant of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CSIS’s Seth Jones and Ambassador Eric Edelman, vice chair of the Commission on National Defense Strategy and former U.S. Ambassador to both Finland and Türkiye, join the podcast to discuss the Commission’s newest report to Congress and the President and how to bolster U.S. defense in the modern era.

CSIS’ Norm Rule, who served for 34 years in the Central Intelligence Agency, managing significant programs relating to the Middle East, joins the podcast to discuss Iran and what it may do in retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Frank McCourt, chairman of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty, joins the podcast to discuss his new book, Our Biggest Fight: Reclaiming Liberty, Humanity, and Dignity in the Digital Age, as well as Project Liberty’s mission and the evolution of the internet.

Livia Shmavonian, the Director of OMB’s Made in America Office, and Heather Boushey, Member of the Council of Economic Advisers and Chief Economist of the Investing in America Cabinet, join the podcast to discuss the Made in America Initiative. Also joining the conversation is Navin Girishankar, the president of CSIS’s new Economic Security and Technology Department.

CSIS’s Norman Roule, who served in the Central Intelligence Agency for over three decades, joins the podcast to discuss the recent election in Iran and what it means for the United States. In addition, Roule discusses Iran’s role in attempting to influence the Middle East and Africa, plus a conversation about the Houthi activities in the Red Sea.

CSIS's Max Bergmann joins the podcast to discuss the main goals of the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, NATO's role in Ukraine, and more.

Stuart E. Eizenstat, who served as former White House adviser, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, and more, joins the podcast to discuss his new book, "The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World."

In a crossover episode with It's More Than Grit, a new podcast from CSIS, Linda Rottenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, joins Mariana Campero and Andrew for a discussion on Linda’s journey to Endeavor. She highlights the qualities of a good entrepreneur and the regions she is most optimistic about. As a leader of the global entrepreneurship movement, Linda also shares advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Linda Rottenberg is one of the world’s premier voices on global entrepreneurship, technology, and business transformation. As Co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, Linda helms the leading global community of, by, and for entrepreneurs. Endeavor selects, supports, and invests in founders across 40 countries. Linda also serves as President of Endeavor Catalyst, the rules-based investment arm of Endeavor, with $500M in AUM.

CSIS’s Victor Cha joins the podcast to discuss Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang and why he believes the “Mutual Defense Treaty” agreed to by Russia and North Korea is the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Korean War. Also discussed—what this means for the U.S. and its allies and how it impacts China.

New York Times global economic correspondent Peter S. Goodman joins the podcast to discuss his new book, “How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain,” and how economics are a matter of national security.

On the eve of the 50th G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy, CSIS’ Victor Cha joins the podcast to discuss a new CSIS report “Bending the Architecture: Reimagining the G7.”

U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-Il), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee traveled to Israel and subsequently to Saudi Arabia to speak at the World Economic Forum. In Israel he joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress. He joins the podcast to discuss what he saw and his impressions of the war in Gaza and potential cease-fire deal.

CSIS’s Mariana Campero, host of Mexico Matters and co-host of It’s More than Grit with Andrew Schwartz, joins the podcast to discuss Mexico’s historic election of Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first woman and first Jewish president, and how Mexicans are reacting to the election results.

CSIS’s Heather Williams joins the podcast to discuss Russia’s nuclear provocations and to answer the question: Is arms control as we know it dead?

On the eve of Mexico’s historic presidential election, CSIS’s Ryan Berg joins the podcast to discuss the front-runner, Claudia Sheinbaum and her opponent Xóchitl Gálvez, a tech entrepreneur who is representing several opposition parties, and what it means for the U.S. relationship with Mexico and China.

Former New York Times Beijing bureau chief Jane Perlez joins the show to discuss her new Harvard podcast and the latest tensions in the U.S.-China relationship.