Is China Winning? w/ Kaiser Kuo
None Of The Above
In Trump 2.0, China has surprisingly taken a backseat to a renewed focus on the Middle East. And as the United States becomes less predictable and reliable, China has positioned itself as a stable partner on the international stage. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the China current affairs podcast Sinica. They discuss how China is thinking about the United States in this moment, the country’s approach to technology and innovation, and why China won’t replace the United...
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The Limits of Monitoring the Situation w/ Tyler McBrien
None Of The Above
War in the Middle East keeps expanding, oil prices are rising, and an unpredictable American president has everyone trying to guess his next move. As trust in media institutions hits an all-time low and disinformation spreads online, how can we begin to make sense of things? The proliferation of open-source intelligence, or OSINT, offers one answer. While it’s possible to glean certain insights from these sources, they can also mislead people to wrong conclusions or game booming prediction markets. In this...
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The Economic War on Cuba w/ Ed Augustin
None Of The Above
After Venezuela and Iran, many are asking if Cuba is next. The island is enduring energy blackouts, food and medicine shortages, and halting public services. But while the most vulnerable Cubans are hit hardest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s apparent dream of toppling the regime does not appear close to fruition. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Ed Augustin, an independent journalist based in Havana, to discuss the situation on the ground. Ed updates us on the unfolding...
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How Democrats Can Reimagine Foreign Policy w/ Matt Duss
None Of The Above
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave her first major foreign policy remarks at this year’s Munich Security Conference to lay out her vision of progressive foreign policy. Many are speculating that she is preparing for a presidential run in 2028. She has called for a reckoning with the United States’ history of intervention and repression abroad and attempted to offer an alternative to Trump’s “might makes right” approach. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Matt...
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Food for Geopolitical Thought w/ Anny Gaul
None Of The Above
Food doesn’t often enter conversations about foreign policy, but it is integral to it. Our relationship to food shapes ideas of identity and nationalism and is continuously impacted by the forces of history. Technological, social, and political changes inform and alter global foodways over time. And in today’s interconnected world, food supply chains are inextricable from geopolitics. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Anny Gaul, a cultural historian and professor of...
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What Washington Gets Wrong About Iran w/ Narges Bajoghli
None Of The Above
The United States largely misunderstands Iran. Historic anti-government protests rattled Iran this winter—and were met with lethal state repression and intensifying calls for regime change in Washington. Now, President Trump is again considering military strikes on the country, even as his envoys have sought to negotiate with Iranian leaders. Throughout, Iran has long been one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, causing immense hardship for its...
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Making Sense of MAGA Foreign Policy w/ Curt Mills
None Of The Above
President Trump campaigned on promises of peace and putting America first, and heavily criticized past involvement in foreign wars. But one year into his second term, the United States has bombed Iran, kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and threatened NATO allies. So, what exactly are his foreign policy goals? And who is shaping those decisions? In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, to break down the state of...
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Trump's Brazen Power Politics in Venezuela w/ Alejandro Velasco
None Of The Above
On January 3rd, 2026, the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and shocked the world. The Trump administration has made no bones about its intent to dominate the Western Hemisphere, and the raid was a brazen show of force. But with the same regime still in place, it is unclear what exactly will change in Venezuela. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Alejandro Velasco, a historian and professor at New York University, to...
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What the Future Holds for Gaza w/ Mohammed Mhawish
None Of The Above
Mohammed Mhawish did not set out to be a journalist. But studying Shakespeare while enduring Gaza’s wars, he was moved to convey the stories all around him. Mohammed fled the strip with his family in 2024, after receiving death threats and surviving Israel’s bombing of their apartment building. Now based in the United States, he continues to report on Palestine. In this episode, Mohammed joins the ’ Jonathan Guyer to discuss life under Israeli surveillance, the...
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American Power in a Multipolar World w/ Emma Ashford
None Of The Above
American foreign policy is in crisis. The bipartisan consensus that emerged after the Cold War has collapsed after a string of American failures, like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, with the rise of China and the new ascendance of middle powers, the United States must rethink its engagement with the world. But where to start? In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, to discuss her new book First...
info_outlineThe Houthis continue to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea amid Israel’s assault in Gaza. This Yemen-based political and military organization says its disruption of international shipping is a response to Western support for Israel. It likely also hopes its attacks will revitalize flailing domestic support within war-torn Yemen.
The United States is no stranger to the Houthis. Since the start of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, Washington has backed a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed organization. More recently, the United States has launched airstrikes against the Houthis to try to deter future Red Sea attacks — though President Biden acknowledges the bombing to be ineffective. In this episode of None of the Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with Alexandra Stark to help us better understand the Houthis, the illogic of America’s approach to Yemen, and the lessons for dealing with the Houthis in the future.
Alexandra Stark is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on Middle East security and cooperation. Prior to that she was a senior researcher at New America. Her book, The Yemen Model: Why US Policy Has Failed in the Middle East is set for release in April by Yale University Press.
Show Notes
- Alexandra Stark, “Don’t Bomb the Houthis: Careful Stop the Attacks in the Red Sea,” (Foreign Affairs, January 11, 2024)
- Alexandra Stark, The Yemen Model: Why US Policy Has Failed in the Middle East (Yale University Press, 2024)