Podcasts by The Truth of the Matter
A weekly analysis of the complex policy issues driving the news.
Further podcasts by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Podcast on the topic Regierung
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John Barry: “The Guy Who Focuses at the End Will Win” from 2022-02-16T21:19
In this crossover episode with the Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast, Andrew and Steve are joined by John Barry, historian and author of the award-winning The Great Influenza; the Story of the Dead...
ListenDr. Michael Osterholm: “Don’t Be Surprised When You Are Surprised.” from 2022-01-28T20:47
In this crossover episode with Coronavirus Crisis Update, we are joined by Dr. Michael Osterholm, head of CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, one of the most popular, respected, and trusted comm...
ListenAI Revolution in the Intelligence Community from 2022-01-24T17:36
CSIS’ Emily Harding discusses her new report Move Over JARVIS, Meet OSCAR, which calls for the Intelligence Community to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) capabi...
ListenAmy McGrath on Democracy from 2022-01-20T14:09:07
Former U.S. Senate candidate and retired Marine Lt. Colonel Amy McGrath joins the podcast to discuss the state of democracy in America.
ListenViolent Extremism Needs a Public Health Approach from 2022-01-13T18:06
The American University’s Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss joins the podcast to discuss the terrorist threat from within the United States, the January 6 attack on the Capitol and why she believes that pr...
ListenRussia’s Next Move on Ukraine from 2022-01-12T21:55
CSIS’ Dr. Seth Jones joins the podcast to discuss Russia’s potential pathways to invading Ukraine and what the U.S. and NATO can do to discourage it.
ListenIRC CEO David Miliband “Global System Failure” from 2022-01-04T17:08
International Rescue Committee (IRC) president and CEO David Miliband joins the podcast to discuss the IRC’s Annual Emergency Watchlist report. According to the new report, the IRC finds global “sy...
ListenDr. Ashish Jha on Omicron, Communication & What’s Next from 2021-12-13T21:04
In this crossover episode with the CSIS Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast, Brown University’s Dr. Ashish Jha provides his keen insights into the latest on Omicron as well as a reflection on 2021.
ListenCNN’s Chris Cilizza on Politics as Performance from 2021-12-02T15:24
CNN politics reporter and editor-at-large Chris Cillizza joins the podcast to talk about Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) exchange with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and how the politics of today have drifted...
ListenOmicron Up Close in South Africa from 2021-12-01T16:48
Dr. Richard Lessells is among the exceptional South African experts on the front lines of discovering and investigating Omicron in South Africa. Alarm bells went off within the scientific community...
ListenCary Funk, Pew Research Center: “It Can Be Confusing” from 2021-11-16T15:21
In this crossover episode with the CSIS Coronavirus Crisis Update Podcast, we asked Cary Funk, Pew Research Center, to make sense of how the pandemic has impacted our society and American opinion a...
ListenWhy We’re So Polarized from 2021-10-25T16:55
Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. Lillianna Mason joins the podcast for a discussion of political polarization in the U.S. and how politics have become central to the identities of many Americ...
ListenThe Haitian Migrant Crisis and the Bigger Picture from 2021-10-18T13:51
CSIS’s Project on Fragility and Mobility Director Erol Yayboke and Human Rights Initiative Director Marti Flacks join the podcast to discuss the Haitian migrant crisis as a microcosm of how climate...
ListenDr. Leana Wen on Covid and Her New Book “Lifelines” from 2021-10-14T13:14
In this crossover episode with the CSIS Coronavirus Crisis Update Podcast, Dr. Leana Wen, Washington Post columnist and CNN analyst joined CSIS’s J. Stephen Morrison and Andrew Schwartz to discuss ...
ListenGerman Elections and Future of Euro Leadership from 2021-09-30T18:45
CSIS’s Europe and Eurasia Program director Heather Conley joins the podcast to discuss the German elections and what they mean for Germany and greater Europe’s future as well as its relationship wi...
ListenSocial Media and Political Polarization from 2021-09-24T13:40
Professor Paul Barrett, deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights joins the podcast to discuss his new report, “Fueling the Fire: How Social Media Intens...
ListenSub Deal with Aus-UK from 2021-09-23T13:16
CSIS’s Dr. Mike Green joins the podcast to discuss the geopolitical implications of the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and the fallout with France.
ListenEra of Strategic Competition: Measuring Chinese and U.S. Engagement with African Security Chiefs from 2021-09-15T19:23
CSIS Africa Program director Judd Devermont joins the podcast to discuss his latest research findings that Beijing’s observable interactions with current and former African security chiefs pale in ...
ListenCovid Reset from 2021-09-13T14:33
CSIS’s Dr. J. Stephen Morrison joins the podcast to discuss President Biden’s vaccine mandates, plans for a “Covid-19 reset” and the situation in Afghanistan with respect to Covid.
ListenMeet the New Taliban, Same as the Old Taliban from 2021-09-08T18:30
CSIS’s Dr. Seth Jones joins the podcast to discuss the Taliban announcement that this week they named Sirajuddin Haqqani —the Taliban’s deputy leader and close ally of al Qaeda—to be its first mini...
ListenDigital Taliban from 2021-09-02T16:47
CSIS Human Rights Initiative Director Marti Flacks joins the podcast to discuss the new “digital Taliban,” and how it is poised to utilize biometric technology and electronic surveillance in order ...
ListenGlobal Jihadist Shot in the Arm from 2021-08-26T13:28
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Mike Vickers joins the podcast along with CSIS’ Dr. Seth Jones to discuss the terrorist threat following the U.S. withdrawal of Afghanistan and wha...
ListenAfghan Addiction from 2021-08-24T20:37
CSIS SVP, Brzezinski Chair and Middle East Program Director Jon Alterman joins the podcast to talk about the new geopolitics surrounding Afghanistan in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal and what...
ListenJihadist Burning Man from 2021-08-19T12:44
The Wall Street Journal’s Alan Cullison left Kabul on Saturday, August 14 as the Taliban were poised to take control of the Afghan capital. He joins the podcast along with CSIS’s Dr. Seth Jones to ...
ListenAmy McGrath on Afghanistan and Her New Book “Honor Bound” from 2021-08-17T20:38
Former U.S. Senate candidate, U.S. Marine Lt. Col (Ret) fighter pilot Amy McGrath joins the podcast to talk about her time in Afghanistan, what she sees as the U.S. strategic interests in that regi...
ListenAfghanistan Now from 2021-08-16T20:10
CSIS’s Dr. Seth Jones joins the podcast to talk about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and what the U.S. should be prepared to do next.
ListenViolence and Coexistence in Israel with CSIS's Jon Alterman from 2021-05-13T19:51:06
Since Friday, violence has erupted throughout Israel and the Gaza Strip between Israelis and Palestinians, sparked by attempted evictions by Jewish settlers in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem and...
ListenBring Music Home with Amber Mundinger and Tamara Deike from 2021-05-12T13:04
Shuttered live music venues across the United States are facing an unprecedented threat to their existence. Recognizing the crucial space live music occupies in American life, industry veterans Amb...
ListenVaccine Hesitancy, Distribution and the Next Phase with CSIS’s Steve Morrison from 2021-04-14T19:59
Stephen Morrison, Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, rejoined the podcast to discuss the state of the pandemic, vaccine distribution and hesitancy, and achieving herd immunity in the...
ListenRise of Domestic Terror with CSIS’s Seth Jones from 2021-04-13T13:33
U.S. active-duty military personnel and reservists have participated in a growing number of domestic terrorist plots and attacks, according to new data from CSIS. The percentage of all domestic ter...
ListenFood Insecurity in America with CSIS’s Caitlin Welsh from 2021-04-01T19:58
Caitlin Welsh, Director of the CSIS Global Food Security Program, rejoined the podcast to discuss how Covid-19 has increased food insecurity in the U.S. and abroad. She also shared her insights int...
ListenPolitical Data Science with David Shor from 2021-03-26T15:39
Democratic data scientist David Shor joins the podcast to talk about what’s working and what isn’t with the Democratic Party’s approach to voters in gearing up for the 2022 midterm elections.
ListenAlec MacGillis on “Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America” from 2021-03-18T18:33
Journalist and best-selling author Alec MacGillis joins the podcast to talk about his fascinating new book, “Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America,” a story of regional inequality an...
ListenDr. Peter Hotez: Anti-Vaccine Movement, Resistance and the Texas Turmoil from 2021-03-11T16:44
In this crossover episode with the CSIS podcast Coronavirus Crisis Update, Dr. Peter Hotez joined Steve Morrison and Andrew to discuss the anti-vaccine movement, the vaccine-resistant, the turmoil ...
ListenSpace is Defendable with CSIS’ Todd Harrison from 2021-03-09T20:49
CSIS' Director of the Aerospace Security Project, Todd Harrison, joins the podcast to discuss his new study “Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space: Protecting Space Systems from Counterspace Weapo...
ListenThe Bulwark’s Charlie Sykes: Tribalization and the Coalition of the Decent from 2021-03-04T20:26
Charlie Sykes, Founder and Editor-at-large of The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark podcast joins the show to discuss the campaign to minimalize the events of January 6, tribalism in the Republican P...
ListenWhat Does Freedom and Equity Mean to Americans? from 2021-02-01T20:44
Writer and policy researcher James Piltch joins the podcast to talk about his new piece for Politico Magazine “Democrats Have a Values Problem. But Here’s How They Can Fix It." In his research, Pil...
ListenVoter Registration HeadCount’s Andy Bernstein from 2020-12-22T20:20:07
HeadCount is a nonpartisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. Executive Director Andy Bernstein joins the podcast to discuss HeadCo...
ListenConflict, Climate, and Covid-19 from 2020-12-18T14:04
In this episode, Andrew is joined by David Miliband, the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. They discuss the IRC’s newly released 2021 Emergency Watchlist, and how nearly ever...
ListenPolitico’s Tim Alberta Understanding Election 2020 from 2020-12-02T13:40
Politico’s chief political correspondent Tim Alberta joins the podcast to help answer why it is so hard to make sense of the 2020 election, what is at the root of America’s polarization and what ha...
ListenPappyland with Wright Thompson from 2020-11-23T17:52:19
Legendary ESPN reporter Wright Thompson joins Andrew to discuss his new book, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things That Last. In listening to this episode, you’ll learn that “P...
ListenSustainable Infrastructure in the Amazon from 2020-11-16T14:03:07
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Romina Bandura to discuss the challenges and factors that lead to the deforestation of the Amazon. Romina draws on her latest CSIS report, "Sustainable Infras...
ListenAmerican Feelings on Safety and Wellbeing from 2020-10-20T19:39:12
In this episode, Andrew speaks with John Zogby and Jean-Paul (JP) Guilbault about a new poll that asked American adults and 16- to 17-year-olds how the national health and economic crises has impac...
ListenMapping the Future of U.S. China Policy from 2020-10-15T18:44:25
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Dr. Michael J. Green to analyze global perspectives on U.S. China policy. Dr. Green draws on statistics found in a recent CSIS survey of the American public a...
ListenMaking Sense of 2020 Election Polling Trends from 2020-10-07T17:55
In this episode, Andrew is joined by Bruce Mehlman to discuss all things on the 2020 presidential election. They reflect on the news of President Trump and other senior White House officials testin...
ListenDaniel Yergin on "The New Map" from 2020-09-17T12:40
This is a crossover episode with the CSIS podcast The Reopening. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert Daniel Yergin talks with Andrew and Scott about his latest book, The New Map,...
ListenAn Open World from 2020-09-15T12:40
In this episode, Andrew invites Rebecca Lissner, co-author of An Open World: How America Can Win the Contest for Twenty-First-Century Order. Rebecca draws on this new book to discuss why she believ...
ListenViolence in the Streets of America from 2020-09-03T19:33:10
In this episode, Seth Jones is back to further analyze the increase of violence that has occurred across America in the last couple of weeks. He draws on more data from his CSIS brief, "The Escalat...
ListenTerrorism in the U.S. from 2020-08-25T12:40
In this episode, Andrew invites Seth Jones to discuss what CSIS data reveals on the increasing terrorism problem in the U.S. Seth draws on his CSIS brief, "The Escalating Terrorism Problem in the U...
ListenNYT’s Bret Stephens on Israel and “One” or “Two” State Solutions from 2020-08-13T19:00:29
In this episode, Andrew invites New York Times columnist Bret Stephens to discuss the concepts of one-state and two-state solutions for Israel, and what steps could be taken to have a peaceful reso...
ListenDavid Sanger and the Roots of the Nation’s Struggle to Control the Pandemic from 2020-07-22T16:58:29
In this crossover episode with CSIS's Take As Directed/Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast, New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger discusses the NYT's recent investigative team’s...
ListenClimate, Energy, and U.S. Foreign Policy from 2020-07-08T13:25:50
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Sarah Ladislaw and Nikos Tsafos to explain how a new U.S. international energy policy should look, and climate change’s role within it. They also discuss the ...
ListenWes Moore, Robin Hood Foundation CEO on Ending Poverty and Systemic Racism in America from 2020-07-02T19:25:03
In this crossover episode with CSIS's The Reopening, Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore, author of the new book “Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of An American City” discusses how changes in public...
ListenDr. Michael Fauntroy on Systemic Racism from 2020-06-25T17:34:31
Eminent political scientist Dr. Michael Fauntroy of Howard University discusses systemic racism and inequality. He discusses whether we are witnessing a movement, an awakening or a fad; and what ac...
ListenLaw Professor Joshua Geltzer on Election Security from 2020-05-21T21:39:13
In this episode, Georgetown Law professor and National Task Force on Election Crises member Joshua Geltzer discusses the challenges that Covid-19, disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks and partis...
ListenJohn Barry, Eminent Pandemic Historian - "Tell the Truth" from 2020-05-15T20:07:27
In this crossover episode with CSIS's Coronavirus Crisis Update podcast, Tulane University professor and historian John Barry, author of the New York Times bestseller The Great Influenza, joins the...
ListenSold Out of Meat from 2020-05-06T16:41:55
In this episode, CSIS Food Security Program director Caitlin Welsh discusses the state of meat production, supply chains and food security in the United States during the pandemic.
ListenLong Term Impacts of Covid-19 on Global Migration from 2020-04-28T18:41:09
In this episode, CSIS’s Erol Yayboke joins Andrew to provide a window into the challenges that an almost complete halt to human mobility, due to Covid-19, will have on the United States and the res...
ListenU.S. Views of China During Covid-19 Pandemic from 2020-04-23T18:39:34
In this episode, Andrew invites Laura Silver of the Pew Research Center to discuss a new study she co-authored, "U.S. Views of China Increasingly Negative Amid Coronavirus Outbreak." She expands on...
ListenBig Brother, Solutions & Widespread Distrust from 2020-04-15T12:45
In this hybrid episode of Truth of the Matter and the Impossible State, CSIS’ Victor Cha and Steve Morrison join Andrew Schwartz to discuss South Korea’s innovative systems for tracking Covid-19 an...
ListenMaggie Haberman WH Coverage of Covid-19 from 2020-04-07T19:55:32
In this episode, Andrew invites New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman. Maggie draws from one of her latest reports, "Trade Adviser Warned White House in January of Risks of a Pan...
ListenCOVID-19 in North and South Korea from 2020-03-31T20:38:06
In this episode, Andrew is joined by CSIS's Victor Cha to discuss how South Korea is battling COVID-19 and the innovative strategies they took to prevent a wider spread of the virus. Victor also gi...
ListenHealth V. Economy from 2020-03-25T12:55:06
In this episode, CSIS’s Steve Morrison and Stephanie Segal join Andrew Schwartz to get to the Truth of the Matter about the conflicting approaches to saving lives and saving the U.S. economy.
ListenOil Markets Under Pressure from 2020-03-20T19:09:55
In this episode, Andrew invites Sarah Ladislaw and Kevin Book to give an update on oil markets as they face downward economic pressure.
Sarah Ladislaw is senior vice president, director and Sen...
COVID-19: Testing the U.S. from 2020-03-19T14:45:34
In this episode, Andrew invites Heather Conley, Stephanie Segal, and Steve Morrison to give an update on the global COVID-19 crisis.
Heather Conley is senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia,...
Italy Total Lockdown? from 2020-03-11T17:20:02
In this episode, Andrew invites Heather Conley and Steve Morrison to give an update on the unfolding COVID-19 crisis in Italy and Europe.
Heather Conley is senior vice president for Europe, Eu...
Age of Mass Protests from 2020-03-04T13:30
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Samuel Brannen to discuss decade-long trends of mass political protests around the world. Sam draws on the new CSIS report The Age of Mass Protests: Understan...
ListenCOVID-19: New Reality from 2020-02-27T14:00
In this episode, Andrew invites CSIS's Steve Morrison, Jude Blanchette, and Stephanie Segal to discuss how the coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, is directly affecting the global economy...
ListenLibya Conflict from 2020-02-11T14:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite Bulent Aliriza, director of the CSIS Turkey Project, to unpack the worsening conflict in Libya. Bulent explains who the U.S. is supporting, the impact of othe...
ListenBrexit: What Happens Next? from 2020-02-04T14:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew welcome back CSIS's Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic. Now that Brexit has happened, everyone is wondering: what comes next f...
ListenImpeachment and the Media from 2020-01-28T17:29
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite former executive editor and vice president of The Washington Post Leonard Downie Jr. Leonard describes his time supervising the Post's Watergate coverage, as ...
ListenGlobal Economic Outlook from 2020-01-23T14:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite Stephanie Segal, senior fellow of the CSIS Simon Chair in Political Economy, to give a forecast of the global economy in 2020. They unpack President Trump's r...
ListenU.S.-China Trade Deal: Phase One from 2020-01-16T16:15
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite CSIS's "Trade Guys," Bill Reinsch and Scott Miller to discuss the "Phase One" trade agreement between the U.S. and China that was signed on Wednesday. They gi...
ListenThe Killing of Soleimani and U.S. Response from 2020-01-10T15:17
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite CSIS’s Seth G. Jones, Harold Brown Chair, director of the Transnational Threats Project, and senior adviser to the International Security Program. They discus...
ListenBad Ideas in National Security from 2019-12-18T14:25
In this episode, Andrew invites a team from the CSIS International Security Program (ISP): Kathleen Hicks, Andrew Hunter, and Todd Harrison. They discuss Defense 360's "Bad Ideas in National Securi...
ListenBritish Elections from 2019-12-11T14:55:07
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite two special guests: CSIS's Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and BBC anchor and correspondent Laura Trevelyan. They d...
ListenClimate Change and Food Security from 2019-12-04T16:43
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite Kimberly Flowers, director of the Humanitarian Agenda and Global Food Security Project at CSIS. They analyze the political and humanitarian impact of climate ...
ListenThe Islamic State's Next Wave from 2019-11-05T06:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite back Seth Jones, CSIS's Harold Brown Chair and Director of the Transnational Threats Project. Seth discusses the U.S. raid on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al...
ListenThe Islamic State's Next Wave from 2019-11-05T06:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite back Seth Jones, CSIS's Harold Brown Chair and Director of the Transnational Threats Project. Seth discusses the U.S. raid on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al...
ListenThe Islamic State's Next Wave from 2019-11-05T06:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite back Seth Jones, CSIS's Harold Brown Chair and Director of the Transnational Threats Project. Seth discusses the U.S. raid on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al...
ListenRussia Into Africa from 2019-10-30T01:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew talk with Judd Devermont, director of the Africa program at CSIS. Judd breaks down the Russia-Africa Summit and steps the U.S. could take to reduce the Russia footpr...
ListenA Reckoning in Syria and What it Means for the Middle East from 2019-10-22T20:00
In this episode, Bob and Andrew talk to Brian Katz, a fellow of CSIS's International Security Program and the Transnational Threats Project. Brian breaks down the situation on the ground following ...
ListenAn Ongoing Discussion on Syria from 2019-10-16T19:15
In this episode, Bob and Andrew sit down with Melissa Dalton, deputy director of the CSIS International Security Program and director of the Cooperative Defense Project. Melissa discusses the curre...
ListenU.S. Troop Pullout of Syria from 2019-10-08T20:15
Bob and Andrew talk with Bulent Aliriza, director of the CSIS Turkey Project, about the escalating situation along the Syrian border with Turkey after President Trump ordered U.S. troops out of the...
ListenU.S. and China: A New Paradigm from 2019-10-04T17:45
In this episode, Bob and Andrew speak with Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. Jude brings us up to date on the demonstrations in Hong Kong that escalated on October 1st, t...
ListenBonus: Schieffer's Green Room on Iran from 2019-10-01T18:15
In this bonus episode of The Truth of the Matter, listen in on Bob Schieffer’s green room conversation with CSIS’ Jon Alterman, Seth Jones and the New York Times’ David Sanger, prior to the CSIS Sc...
ListenExplaining the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act from 2019-09-24T20:15
Bob and Andrew bring in nonpartisan legal expert Bradley P. Moss, Esq., to explain the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. Mr. Moss tells us how it works, the unique situat...
ListenThe Attack on Saudi Arabia from 2019-09-17T20:15
In this episode, hosts Bob Schieffer and Andrew Schwartz interview CSIS Harold Brown Chair and Director of the Transnational Threats Project Seth Jones about the recent attack on Saudi Arabia's oil...
ListenEdge of a New Epoch from 2019-09-12T13:30
In this inaugural episode, hosts Bob Schieffer and Andrew Schwartz interview former deputy secretary of defense and now CSIS’s CEO, Dr. John Hamre. Download the full transcript here.
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