Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last weekend accelerated concerns of a widening Middle East crisis. Israel’s response on Friday was limited and appeared to heed calls for caution by Western allies. What does this mean for the conflict in Gaza as well as the region? Ravi Agrawal is joined by Iran expert Suzanne Maloney and Israeli journalist Ronan Bergman for this discussion. Suggested reading: Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig: Have Israel and the United States Done Enough to Deter Iran? Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: Israel’s Military Risks Being Overstretched Sina Toossi: Iran Has Defin ..read more

Why is Narendra Modi so popular? As India begins voting this week, FP Live host Ravi Agrawal discusses his essay “The New Idea of India” with executive editor Amelia Lester. The two take subscriber questions on how India is changing under Modi and what New Delhi’s foreign policy will look like in the future.  Suggested reading: Ravi Agrawal: The New Idea of India Rishi Iyengar: Modi’s Messenger to the World Snigdha Poonam: Meet India’s Generation Z Josh Felman, Arvind Subramanian: Is India Really the Next China? Anusha Rathi: 5 Charts That Explain India Amitava Kumar: Becoming Indian Muku ..read more

Why is Narendra Modi so popular? As India begins voting this week, FP Live host Ravi Agrawal discusses his essay “The New Idea of India” with executive editor Amelia Lester. The two take subscriber questions on how India is changing under Modi and what New Delhi’s foreign policy will look like in the future.  Suggested reading: Ravi Agrawal: The New Idea of India Rishi Iyengar: Modi’s Messenger to the World Snigdha Poonam: Meet India’s Generation Z Josh Felman, Arvind Subramanian: Is India Really the Next China? Anusha Rathi: 5 Charts That Explain India Amitava Kumar: Becoming Indian Muku ..read more

The largest security crisis in the Western Hemisphere—the ongoing violence in Haiti—is severely underreported. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the capital. Aid organizations are warning of an impending famine. What should be done? FP Live host Ravi Agrawal is joined by Miami-based journalist Jacqueline Charles and Jake Johnson, the author of Aid State, to discuss the crisis and possible responses by the international community. Suggested reading: Jake Johnson: Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti Howard W. French: Haiti Must Liberate Itself, Agai ..read more

Foreign policy is not typically a priority for the American voter. And yet, the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election will have an outsized impact on world affairs. How are allies and adversaries alike weighing the 2024 election? Former diplomat Richard Haass joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss. Richard Haass is president emeritus at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the popular substack at Home and Away. Suggested reading: Richard Haass: The War That Israel Could Have Fought Richard Haass: At Home and Away Fareed Zakaria: The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroa ..read more

Negotiators failed to reach a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that would have paused hostilities before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. How does the rest of the Middle East view this breakdown in negotiations? For the United States in particular, how will this shape its standing in the region, and what does it mean for the conflict moving forward? Mina Al-Oraibi, the editor in chief of the National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, shares her insights with Ravi Agrawal. Suggested reading: Aaron David Miller: Why an End to the War in Gaza Is Still Far Off Daniel Byman: Will Gaza Ever ..read more

President Biden’s tenure has been marked by numerous foreign-policy flash points: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. Public perception of how he has handled these challenges could have a direct effect on his chances for reelection—a factor he tried to influence in his annual State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7. Journalist Susan Glasser joins Ravi Agrawal to share her reactions to Biden’s speech. Glasser is a staff writer at the New Yorker and a former editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Suggested reading: Michael Hirsh: Bid ..read more

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ annual survey of American voters shows that for the first time in nearly 50 years, a majority of Republicans prefer an isolationist approach to foreign policy. Before the Trump presidency, the Republican Party was more likely to support an active U.S. presence in the world. Former U.S. ambassador to NATO and the CEO of the Chicago Council Ivo Daalder joins Ravi Agrawal to discuss the survey and what it could mean for the 2024 election. You can listen to Daalder’s podcast, “World Review,” here. Suggested reading: Survey: Majority of Trump Republicans Prefe ..read more

Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. The conflict has changed the face of Europe and set off a protracted war that has had ramifications reaching far beyond its borders.  Could Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy of waiting out the West prove successful, or can Western leaders rally to continue supporting a drawn-out war? What would a future peace deal look like?  NATO’s former secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, argues that Western leaders need to continue to supply Ukraine with weapons—and quickly, before the war results in further instabi ..read more

Economics is sometimes called the “dismal science.” But the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a surprisingly positive outlook for the U.S. economy—even if public sentiment hasn’t yet caught up. Host Ravi Agrawal discusses the state of the global economy with Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s first deputy managing director. The two begin with Gopinath’s latest essay in Foreign Policy about trade fragmentation and fears of a new Cold War.  Suggested reading: Gita Gopinath: How Policymakers Should Handle a Fragmenting World Adam Posen: America’s Zero-Sum Economics Doesn’t Add Up Adam Tooze: The I ..read more