This episode traces one young woman's journey home to a new kind of war—and Ukraine’s fight for survival.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guest:

Catarina Buchatskiy, Co-Founder & Director of Analytics, Snake Island Institute

We discuss:

• The story of a young Ukrainian woman who left college in the U.S. to join the fight at home within days of the invasion.
• How Ukraine transformed its drone manufacturing from garage shops to a sophisticated, rapidly scaling defense industry.
• Ukraine’s surprising dependence on China in its drone supply chain, and its push to make ‘China-free’ drones by 2026.
• Stories of Ukrainian resilience and resolve.
• How the Snake Island Institute bridges the gap between the battlefield and Western policymaking by connecting Ukrainian military insights to the allies who are shaping defense strategy.
• As Buchatskiy puts it: “The overarching definition of victory is that the Ukrainian nation is whole, that the state is legitimate, that we have control over the state, that we have our democracy, and that we’re at peace and can live freely.”

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode outlines the global network sustaining both sides of the war in Ukraine, with NATO allies on one side and Russia with backing from China, Iran, and North Korea on the other, and how the limits and tensions within these alliances are shaping the war’s next phase and raising broader global security risks.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guests:

Liana Fix, Senior Fellow for Europe, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) 

Joseph Torigian, Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:

• How the war in Ukraine has become a global conflict fueled by competing networks of allies and partners on both sides.
• Why Ukraine’s survival depends on sustained military, financial, and intelligence support from the United States and NATO.
• How Russia has built its own wartime coalition, relying on Iran for drones, North Korea for munitions, and China for economic backing.
• Why the Russian alliance with China is driven more by shared opposition to Western power than true strategic alignment.
• How cracks are emerging within both coalitions, from political fatigue in the West to quiet limits in China’s support for Russia.
• As Liana Fix puts it: “A more transactional idea of alliances is exactly where we are headed.”
• How sanctions, supply chains, and defense production have turned global economics into a second front in the war.
• How shifting alliances could expand the conflict’s risks beyond Ukraine and reshape global security dynamics.
• What this war reveals about the return of bloc politics in a new era of great power competition.

Read More: 

Liana Fix, “Defending Europe if Russia Steps Out of the Gray Zone,” CFR.org 

Liana Fix, Heidi E. Crebo-Rediker, Thomas Graham, Paul B. Stares, and Sam Vigersky, “Securing Ukraine’s Future: Adapting to New Realities After Four Years of War,” CFR.org 

Joseph Torigian, “Xi Jinping’s Russian Lessons,” Foreign Affairs

Clara Fong and Lindsay Maizland, “China and Russia: Exploring Ties Between Two Authoritarian Powers”

Anya Konstantinovsky, “China, Russia, and Ukraine: December 2024” 

Molly Carlough and James Kennedy, “How North Korea Has Bolstered Russia’s War in Ukraine”

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode explores how the emergence of drone warfare and innovation under fire is transforming power and forcing nations to rethink strategy and military capacity.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guests:

Michael C. Horowitz, Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Erin D. Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:

• How Ukraine is redefining modern warfare with cheap, scalable drone technology that can take down multimillion-dollar weapons.
• As Michael Horowitz puts it: “We’ve entered the era of precise mass in war.”
• How Ukraine became a real-world testing ground for autonomous weapons and AI-driven combat systems.
• Why small countries can now challenge military superpowers using precision strike at scale.
• How 70% of battlefield casualties in Ukraine are now linked to drone warfare, not traditional weapons.
• How Silicon Valley quietly became a key player in the war, from Starlink to AI intelligence and communication tools.
• How Russia is adapting just as quickly, scaling drone production and learning in real time.
• What the U.S. risks if it fails to keep up with rapid battlefield innovation and production speed.

Read More:

Securing Ukraine’s Future, CFR

Michael C. Horowitz and Lauren Kahn, “Military AI Adoption Is Outpacing Global Cooperation,” CFR.org 

Michael Horowitz, “What Drones Can—and Cannot—Do on the Battlefield,” Foreign Affairs

Erin D. Dumbacher, “Nukes Without Limits? A New Era After the End of New START,” CFR.org

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Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host and guests, not of the Council, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

As 2025 draws to a close, U.S. foreign policy stands at an inflection point. Under the second Trump administration, traditional alliances have been tested, a hard-edged national security strategy has been rolled out, and for the first time, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey has ranked a military conflict with Venezuela as a top threat facing the U.S. in 2026. 

Whether these and other flashpoints erupt next year will hinge on how world leaders manage mounting pressures, both at home and abroad.

Read the full 2026 Preventive Priorities Survey. 

Featured Guest:

Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)

Why It Matters is a production of the Council on Foreign Relations. The opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

The unprecedented trade policies since the beginning of this year, driven largely by the Donald Trump administration’s pro-tariff agenda, have propelled the United States into uncertain and rocky territory. When it comes to our trading partners, the potential damage to U.S. alliances has left economists and policymakers in Washington questioning what’s next. Where do experts foresee U.S. trade policy heading?

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this season finale, CFR’s Michael Froman and Shannon K. O’Neil tackle your biggest questions about what’s at stake and what’s next for U.S. trade policy. 

Featured Guests:

Michael Froman (President of the Council on Foreign Relations)

Shannon K. O’Neil (Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, CFR)

To hear more from Michael Froman, subscribe to his newsletter, The World This Week.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/where-does-trade-go-here 

Is having a trade deficit necessarily a bad thing? Many experts argue that the U.S. trade deficit is largely good for our economy. It allows Americans to enjoy a wider variety of cheap goods, attracts foreign investment, and reflects the strength of the U.S. dollar. Others believe it’s a warning sign that we’re relying too much on imports, hurting American jobs, and racking up debt owed to other countries.

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this episode, we unpack the trade deficit. What is it and why has it become a primary focus of the second Trump administration?

Featured Guests:

Brad W. Setser (The Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow specializing in global trade and capital flows, financial vulnerability analysis, and sovereign debt restructuring, CFR)

Heather Hurlburt (Associate Fellow for the U.S. and the Americas Programme, Chatham House)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/mind-trade-gap 

Host Gabrielle Sierra and podcast guests Johanna Mendelson Forman and Matthew Costello discuss food diplomacy, share stories from White House state dinners, and unpack how food has helped to create lasting international partnerships.

This taping was originally recorded on April 17, 2025.

Featured Guests

Johanna Mendelson Forman (Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, Adjunct Professor at American University’s School of International Service)

Matthew Costello (Chief Education Officer and Director of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association)

What role does the president have when it comes to making trade deals? In this episode, we dig into the expansive powers of the U.S. president when it comes to trade. From unilateral authority to congressional oversight, we unpack who truly calls the shots when the U.S. negotiates trade agreements.

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this episode, Why It Matters dissects the current state of U.S. trade agreements; what deals exist, which ones are under strain, and how President Donald Trump’s unconventional approach to trade negotiations is shifting the United States away from the norm.

Featured Guest: 

Inu Manak (Fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/trade-agreements-deal-or-no-deal 

Tariffs have sparked intense debate in Washington, but their consequences land far from Capitol Hill. Tariffs can shape paychecks, shift prices for consumers, and affect markets. At best, tariffs offer short-term protection for certain industries. At worst, they can uproot the lives of American workers. In this episode, Why It Matters looks at what tariffs mean for a U.S. steel manufacturer and small business owner trying to stay afloat.

Featured Guests

Matthew P. Goodman, Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, CFR

Jamie Sychak, President of United Auto Workers Local 3303

Debbie Hendrickx, Founder and CEO of Swell Gelato

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/tariff-turmoil-part-2-steel-and-dog-gelato 

Tariffs are often discussed in big, abstract terms—trade wars, economic strategy, global power struggles. But for ginseng farmers in Wisconsin, their effects are painfully personal. In this episode, Why It Matters dives into how tariffs work and how they’re hitting one of America's most niche yet lucrative exports: Wisconsin-grown ginseng.

Featured Guests

Matthew P. Goodman, Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, CFR

Will Hsu, President of Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises Inc.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/tariff-turmoil-part-1-how-tariffs-are-affecting-farmers 

When it comes to trade, there is no consensus in Washington. The issue has become deeply polarizing, with lawmakers split over whether free trade agreements benefit or harm the U.S. economy. While some argue that open markets are essential for global leadership and economic growth, others believe that such policies disproportionately harm American workers and industries, fueling the rise of protectionist sentiment. 

This season, Why It Matters is taking you through the ins and outs of trade. In this episode, we’re examining how trade policy is sizing up to be anything but consensus.

Featured Guests

Shannon K. O’Neil, Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, CFR

Edward Alden, Senior Fellow specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness, trade, and immigration policy

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/washington-consensus-could-not-hold