Tumultuous events have rocked the last four years: the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe’s largest land war in eighty years, and an escalating Middle Eastern conflict between Israel and Iran-backed forces. On top of that, the United States faces an intensifying geopolitical struggle with China and Russia. Now, U.S. President Joe Biden is running out of time to secure his legacy while the transition to a second Donald Trump administration comes sharply into focus. The U.S. president-elect has been quickly nominating leaders to his cabinet and receiving calls from foreign leaders. Why It Matters sits down with the hosts of The World Next Week to talk about what the United States–and a closely watching world–should expect in the weeks and months to come as incoming President Trump takes office.

Mentioned on this Episode

Peter Baker, “A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election,” New York Times 

Helene Cooper and Maggie Haberman, “Trump Picks Pete Hegseth, a Veteran and Fox News Host, for Defense Secretary,” New York Times

Abigail Hauslohner and Dan Lamothe, “Fear, Celebration As Washington Scrutinizes Trump Pick to Run Pentagon,” Washington Post

“Trumpworld 2.0: Who Is Joining the Trump Administration?” NBC News

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw-special-why-world-next-week-matters

World leaders express hopes for cooperation with the United States after former President Donald Trump’s comeback election win; Israel faces a deadline to increase humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip or risk restrictions on U.S. military funding; Azerbaijan prepares to host the twenty-ninth UN climate conference (COP29) as concerns grow that climate targets could fall short; and Moldova’s election spurs hopes of European Union ties.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Clea Caulcutt, Barbara Moens, Nicholas Vinocur, “Macron to Europe: We Need to Become ‘Omnivores’ After Trump’s Victory,” Politico

Alice Hill, “COP29 Summit in Baku: What to Expect,” CFR.org

“Trump and the Future of American Power: A Conversation With Stephen Kotkin,” Foreign Affairs

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/world-reacts-trump-win-israels-gaza-aid-deadline-nears-azerbaijans-climate-summit-and-more 

In this special episode of The World Next Week, hosts Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss how news outlets around the world are reporting on the November 5 U.S. elections and how it reflects on public and government interests. 

Mentioned on the Podcast

American Evolution 2024, The Straits Times

Pierre Breteau, “2024 U.S. Presidential Election: Try Our Swing State Results Simulator,” Le Monde

Campaign Notebook, International Edition, Columbia Journalism Review

Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, The Rest is Politics, Goalhanger

Emilio Casalicchio, “Meet the Gun-Toting Brits Who Will Vote for Donald Trump,” Politico Europe

Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci, The Rest Is Politics: US

James M. Lindsay, “Election 2024: How to Respond to the Axis of Autocracies,” CFR.org

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

“Why Is the World Obsessed with the U.S. Election? Ask Germany,” Why It Matters

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/twnw-special-surveying-foreign-media-coverage-us-election-2024 

France seeks to spur international support for humanitarian aid for Lebanon as fighting grinds on between Israel and Hezbollah; Japan holds a snap general election as Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru hopes to rally the embattled and longtime ruling Liberal Democratic Party; Georgia heads to the polls in an election that could shift the country away from the European Union and firmly into Russia’s orbit; and China and India reach a border deal.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Mariel Ferragamo, “What Is the BRICS Group and Why Is It Expanding?,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/france-presses-lebanon-aid-japan-holds-snap-election-georgias-divided-vote-and-more

The summit of the BRICS group begins in Russia, the first meeting since formally welcoming Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates into the bloc; European leaders discuss migration after a series of calls for speedier deportations and revised asylum processes; Colombia hosts the UN Biodiversity Summit; and Canada expels six Indian diplomats tied to the murder of a Sikh separatist.

Mentioned on the Podcast

“The Drug Lords’ Side-Hustle: Smuggling Macaws, Jaguars and Frogs,” The Economist

“Living Planet Report 2024,” World Wildlife Fund

“A Warning Sign: Where Biodiversity Loss Is Happening Around the World,” World Wildlife Fund

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/russia-hosts-brics-summit-eu-leaders-talk-migration-un-biodiversity-summit-kicks-and-more 

Intelligence officials warn of foreign meddling in the U.S. presidential and congressional elections; Hurricane Milton marks second straight weather blow to the U.S. southeast; this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner is announced in Norway; and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico vows to block Ukraine’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Mentioned on the Podcast

The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org

Virtual Media Briefing: Technology and Electoral Dynamics, Council on Foreign Relations and Brookings Institution

“Malala Yousafzai: Nobel Peace Prize Lecture 2014,” Nobel Prize

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/meddling-us-elections-florida-reels-twin-storms-nobel-peace-laureate-be-named-and-more 

Hostilities between Iran and Israel reach a new level after Israel’s ground invasion in southern Lebanon and the latest Iranian missile attack on Israel; U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump hold separate town halls to reach undecided Hispanic voters; U.S. President Joe Biden heads to Germany to shore up military support for Ukraine; and Norway considers building a fence on its border with Russia.  

Mentioned on the Podcast

One Year Later: U.S. Policy Options in the Israel-Hamas War, Council on Foreign Relations

Virtual Media Briefing: Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East a Year After the Hamas Attack, Council on Foreign Relations

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/iran-israel-escalation-harris-and-trump-seek-hispanic-vote-biden-germany-and-more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intensifies efforts to galvanize greater political and financial support; Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will elect a new leader to become the next prime minister; the United States and Canada each impose a 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs); and Sri Lanka’s new president, Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake, calls for national elections.  

Mentioned on the Podcast

Kimberly Clausing and Mary E. Lovely, “Why Trump's Tariff Proposals Would Harm Working Americans,” Peterson Institute for International Economics

Joshua Yaffa, “Volodymyr Zelenskyy Has a Plan for Ukraine’s Victory,” New Yorker

Sheila A. Smith, “The LDP Leadership Race: Six More Join, a Field of Nine,” CFR.org

Sheila A. Smith, “The LDP Leadership Race: The Early Birds,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/zelenskyys-diplomatic-drive-japans-new-leader-us-and-canadian-tariffs-chinas-evs-and-more 

The UN General Assembly begins its seventy-ninth high-level debate amid questions about its limited role in resolving major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; fears of a wider regional war grow as Hezbollah vows retaliation against Israel after thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon; U.S. President Joe Biden hosts the leaders of the Quad in Wilmington, Delaware, to strengthen coordination in the Indo-Pacific region; and Russia seeks to add 180,000 troops to its army.

Mentioned on the Podcast

A Conversation With U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Council on Foreign Relations

Ronen Bergman, Sheera Frenkel, and Hwaida Saad, “How Israel Built a Modern-Day Trojan Horse: Exploding Pagers,” New York Times

Natalie Caloca and Paul B. Stares, “Security Challenges Cloud UN’s Summit of the Future”, CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/un-meets-tense-times-pager-explosions-rattle-hezbollah-bidens-last-quad-summit-and-more 

The U.S. Congress returns from its summer recess to try to pass a budget for federal discretionary programs before the fiscal year ends and avoid a government shutdown; the United States and other Western allies accuse Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia, raising concerns over intensified strikes on Ukraine; Hungary faces a second deadline to pay a $221 million fine for breaking European Union asylum law, which President Viktor Orbán remains unwilling to follow; and China gifts Cambodia two newly built Type 056 corvette warships, raising questions about Beijing’s naval ambitions.

Mentioned on the Podcast

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “Tracking China’s Control of Overseas Ports,” CFR.org

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/congresss-funding-battle-iran-sends-missiles-russia-orban-defies-eu-and-more 

The United States, Egypt, and Qatar prepare another cease-fire proposal after Hamas killed six Israeli hostages and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu demanded control of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border; Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump hold their first presidential debate; the Toronto International Film Festival showcases independent films spanning from Hungary to Georgia and more; and the United States seizes Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s plane.  

What to Watch at Toronto International Film Festival

Edward Berger, Conclave

William Bridges, All of You

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Dea Kulumbegashvili, April

Mentioned on the Podcast

Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, Shrinking

Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Ted Lasso

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The World Next Week at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/twnw/gazas-troubled-cease-fire-efforts-harris-and-trump-debate-toronto-international-film-fest