Each episode of The President’s Inbox explores a foreign policy challenge facing the United States.
Edward Alden, senior fellow at CFR and co-author of When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Trump's proposed immigration policies and their likely effects on the economy. This episode is the ninth and final episode in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Enter the CFR book giveaway by January 28, 2025, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of When the World Closed Its Doors by Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.
Mentioned on the Episode
Edward Alden, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11
Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman, When the World Closed Its Doors: The COVID-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders
Alessandro Caiumi and Giovanni Peri, "Immigration's Effect on US Wages and Employment Redux," National Bureau of Economic Research
Council on Foreign Relations, The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century
Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition
Anna Maria Mayda, Francesc Ortega, Giovanni Peri, Kevin Shih and Chad Sparber, "The Effect of the H-1B Quota on Employment and Selection of Foreign-Born Labor," National Bureau of Economic Research
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trumps-immigration-policy-edward-alden-transition-2025-episode-9
Ray Takeyh, the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Iran and whether a return to “maximum pressure” will force Tehran to agree to limit its nuclear program. This episode is the eighth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, “Tehran May Tempt Trump With Talks,” Wall Street Journal
Mike Pompeo, “After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy,” Speech at the Heritage Foundation
Ray Takeyh, The Last Shah: America, Iran and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty
Ray Takeyh, “The Untold Story of Jimmy Carter’s Hawkish Stand on Iran,” Wall Street Journal
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/iran-reacts-trumps-victory-ray-takeyh-transition-2025-episode-8
Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.
This episode first aired: August 20, 2024
Mentioned on the Episode
Stephen Heintz, “A Logic for the Future: International Relations in the Age of Turbulence,” Rockefeller Brothers Fund
John F. Kennedy, “Commencement Address at American University,” June 10, 1963
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/case-multipolar-pluralism-stephen-heintz
Charles A. Kupchan, a senior fellow at CFR and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.
This episode first aired: July 30, 2024
Mentioned on the Episode
“A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Liberal Internationalism, With John Ikenberry,” The President’s Inbox
Richard Haass, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America’s House in Order
Charles A. Kupchan, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World
Jake Sullivan, “Renewing American Economic Leadership”
Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power: A Foreign Policy for a Changed World,” Foreign Affairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/new-us-grand-strategy-case-liberal-realism-charles-kupchan
Zoe Liu, the Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in China and what his presidency will mean for the future of U.S.-China economic relations. This episode is the seventh in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions
Zongyuan Zoe Liu, “Why China Won't Give Up on a Failing Economic Model,” Foreign Affairs
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/china-reacts-trumps-election-zoe-liu-transition-2025-episode-7
Sheila Smith, the John E. Merow senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Japan and what his presidency will mean for U.S.-Japanese relations and the security situation in northeast Asia. This episode is the sixth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Sheila Smith, Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power
Sheila Smith, "Governing from Weakness: The LDP Under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru," The Diplomat
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/japan-reacts-trumps-victory-sheila-smith-transition-2025-episode-6
Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Latin America and what his policies toward the region might be. This episode is the fifth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Will Freeman and Javier Corrales, “How Organized Crime Threatens Latin America,” Journal of Democracy
Claudia Sheinbaum, “Claudia Sheinbaum’s Defiant Letter to Donald Trump: A Blueprint for a New Era in US-Mexico Relations,” Pressenza International Press Agency
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/latin-america-reacts-trumps-election-will-freeman-transition-2025-episode-5
Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and Matthias Matthijs, a senior fellow for Europe at CFR and associate professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how governments across Europe are preparing for a second Trump administration. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
“A Second China Shock, With Brad Setser,” The President’s Inbox
Liana Fix, “NATO and Ukraine: The Peril of Indecision,” Survival
Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage, “The Ukraine Scenarios,” Foreign Affairs
Matthias Matthijs, “Europe’s Leadership Void,” Survival
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/europe-reacts-trumps-victory-liana-fix-and-matthias-matthijs-transition-2025-episode-4
Christopher M. Tuttle, a senior fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the people that President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated for foreign policy and national security positions. This episode is the third in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
“Trump and the Middle East, With Steven A. Cook (Transition 2025, Episode 2),” The President’s Inbox
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/trumps-national-security-appointees-christopher-m-tuttle-transition-2025-episode-3
Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Middle Eastern countries are reacting to former President Donald Trump’s election victory and his potential policy for the region. This episode is the second in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East
Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay, The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership
Jared Kushner, Breaking History: A White House Memoir
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/trump-and-middle-east-steven-cook-transition-2025-episode-2
Stephen Hadley, a principal of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC and former national security advisor to President George W. Bush, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the presidential transition process and the challenges that all incoming presidents face in staffing up their administration. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Mentioned on the Episode
Stephen Hadley, Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/tpi/staffing-new-administration-stephen-hadley-transition-2025-episode-1
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