Foreign policy is how a democracy expresses its values on the world stage. It defines how a nation builds alliances, prevents conflict, promotes trade, and responds to global challenges — from climate change to authoritarian threats. For the United States, foreign policy has always reflected a delicate balance between national interest and moral responsibility. When guided by democratic ideals, it strengthens peace and cooperation. When driven by fear, profit, or partisanship, it can undermine freedom both abroad and at home.
In this collection of podcasts, diplomats, journalists, and scholars examine what it means to pursue democracy in a world increasingly defined by power struggles. You’ll hear conversations about rebuilding trust in U.S. leadership after years of instability, the lessons from Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty, and how militarization has too often replaced diplomacy. Experts debate the future of “responsible statecraft,” the politics of immigration and globalization, and the need for foreign policy that reflects the values of the people — not just the ambitions of the powerful.
Together, these episodes reveal that America’s credibility abroad depends on the strength of its democracy at home. A free and stable world begins not only with military might, but with integrity, diplomacy, and the courage to live our values beyond our borders.
Mike talks with Alexander Ward, a national security reporter at Politico and anchor of National Security Daily. He’s the author of the recently released book, The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump, which they discuss on this episode.
Topics Mike and Alexander Cover Include:
– why post-Trump foreign policy needed restoration
– comparing Biden and Trump’s Secretaries of State
– Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
– meeting the rising threat from China
– Russia and the war in Ukraine
– Middle East policy
– North Korea
– climate change
Listen to the full episode on The Politics Guys: Alexander Ward on Restoring American Foreign Policy
American democracy relies on nonpartisan civil servants to detect and combat corruption. Alexander Vindman was one such civil servant when he reported abuses of power by former President Trump, resulting in Vindman being fired from the federal government and retiring from the armed forces. Vindman discusses what a second Trump administration and Project 2025 would mean not only for democracy in the US, but also in Ukraine. Vindman explains the history of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and its implications for global democracy.
Alexander Vindman is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and an expert in national security. He has previously served as the director for European affairs on the United States National Security Council, the political-military affairs officer for Russia at the Pentagon, and as an attaché at the American embassies in Moscow and Kyiv. In addition to being a Hauser Leader at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s Foreign Policy Institute, he is a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow.
Listen to the full episode on The Context: Alexander Vindman: Stop Giving Demagogues Permission Slips
In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Alexander Vindman—retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former Director for European Affairs on the White House National Security Council. Known for his key role in the first Trump impeachment and his deep expertise in Eastern European affairs, Vindman returns to discuss his latest book, The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine. The conversation dives into the geopolitical stakes of the ongoing war in Ukraine, U.S. foreign policy across administrations, and the importance of civic responsibility in the face of authoritarianism.
What We Discuss:
Episode Highlights:
Featured Quotes:
“Russia, absent Ukraine, ceases to be an empire. With Ukraine, it becomes one.” – Alexander Vindman
“Neo-Idealism is about tethering our interests to our values and committing to them over the long term.” – Alexander Vindman
“We succumbed to misplaced hopes and fears. We thought if we treated Russia as a partner, it would behave like one.” – Alexander Vindman
“You can find common ground by talking about family. That’s where our shared concerns lie.” – Alexander Vindman
Resources Mentioned:
Listen to the full episode on Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other: Standing with Ukraine: Alexander Vindman on U.S. Foreign Policy, Putin’s Threat, and the Folly of Trumpism
Robert Kagan is a foreign policy expert who turned his focus to the United States last fall in a Washington Post column titled "Our Constitutional Crisis Is Already Here" that became one of the Post's most-read pieces of 2021. We're lucky to have Kagan with us this week to discuss the ongoing crises of democracy at home and abroad as Russia's war on Ukraine continues to unfold.
Kagan has argued that there was nothing inevitable about the relatively peaceful liberal democratic order that followed World War II, and that there is nothing inevitable about the perseverance of American democracy. In fact, he says that because so many reject the 2020 presidential election, we are already in a constitutional crisis, and it will take deliberate actions by the public and members of both political parties to get us out. For too many politicians, a recognition of our condition, let alone a commitment to those actions, appears to be a long way off.
Kagan is the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute and a member of the Foreign Affairs Policy Board in the U.S. State Department. He is the author of The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World and The New York Times bestseller, The World America Made.
Listen to the full episode on Democracy Works: Defending democracy at home and abroad
Stephen Wertheim is the Deputy Director of Research and Policy at the Quincy Institute, an organization that promotes responsible statecraft. We discuss the history of our foreign policy, and why it is in the public interest of all Americans to move away from endless war and reinvigorate diplomacy for a peaceful world.
Responsible Statecraft
Responsible statecraft should derive from serious consideration of the public interest, with robust public debate and a strong role for Congress. The Quincy Institute believes that democratizing US foreign policy to include diverse points of view from minority, immigrant, and outsider communities — in addition to foreign policy experts — will lead to more vigorous diplomacy and less military intervention. Responsible statecraft would also require Congress to take its war-making responsibility back from the Executive Branch. US foreign policy should engage the world with peaceful discourse.
Military Hegemony
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the US and the Soviet Union embarked on a decades-long arms race. During this time, the American military-industrial complex grew to become a vital tool of national security. When the USSR collapsed, the US became the world’s only superpower. In order to secure unipolar primacy, America pursued greater military hegemony and dominance over potential rivals. Regional conflicts were viewed as existential threats to American democracy, embroiling us in needless conflict around the world. America’s imperial overstretch is a result of its militarized foreign policy that believes dominating a region by force, such as in the Middle East, can lead to stability. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred. Instability in the Middle East has led to a vicious cycle of violence and built permanent enmities worldwide.
Vigorous Diplomacy
The American diplomatic corps has been devastated under the current administration, coming at the heels of years-long decline. US foreign policy has repeatedly prioritized military force over diplomacy, espousing the idea of “peace through strength.” This rigid and devastating doctrine has resulted in near-endless war. Instead of being neutral, the US is often on one side of a conflict and hence cannot be a mediator. As we face the climate emergency and other transnational problems, the US must prioritize rebuilding the State Department and investing in more vigorous diplomacy. American power and influence should be wielded to resolve conflicts, end wars, and enhance peace.
Listen to the full episode on Future Hindsight: Responsible Statecraft: Stephen Wertheim
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins immigration experts, Andrew Arthur, Steven Davis, Deisy del Real, Ed Goeas, and Ehsan Zaffar, for a discussion on the future of immigration policy. They discuss the current immigration system and policies, amnesty, immigrant's contribution to the U.S. economy, and immigration reforms possible in today’s political climate. We are immensely grateful to Sue and Jeff White for launching this nonpartisan dialogue series at USC.
Featuring:
Listen to the full episode on Let's Find Common Ground: Immigration: Is There a Way Forward? - Sue and Jeff White Dialogues
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Sophia Jordán Wallace joins Lee and James to discuss public opinion on immigration policy. Wallace is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington. She specializes in Latino Politics, representation, and immigration politics and policy. Wallace is co-author of Walls, Cages, and Family Separation: Race and Immigration Policy in the Trump Era (Cambridge University Press 2020). And she has published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, International Migration Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, & Identities, American Politics Research, Social Science Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, and Urban Affairs Review.
What do Americans think about immigration policy? How does the rhetoric on immigration policy impact American elections? And why can’t Congress pass legislation reforming immigration policy and securing the border? These are some of the questions Sophia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode.
Listen to the full episode on Politics in Question: What do Americans think about immigration policy?
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