American Power in a Multipolar World
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...
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How Foreign Influence Works in Washington
None Of The Above
The United States is wealthy, powerful, and a democracy. That means there are many avenues for foreign countries vying to influence its politics and policy. Though many forms of foreign lobbying are legal and totally above-board, those efforts are largely misunderstood and all too understudied. But understanding the geopolitics of influence can help us understand how Washington really works. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Nick...
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What Americans Really Think of Trump’s Foreign Policy
None Of The Above
Trump embodies many contradictions when it comes to foreign policy. IGA’s newly released study, "Reckless Peacemaker? How Americans See Trump’s Foreign Policy,” tries to make sense of these contradictions by polling Americans on the biggest geopolitical challenges of today. We found that Americans think Trump is performing poorly overall, but there are wide partisan splits on almost every issue. In this episode, the ’ Jonathan Guyer, new host of None Of The Above, is joined by Andrew Payne, a research director at Chatham House, to break down some key findings. They also...
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Episode 10: Why The '90s Matter
None Of The Above
The 1990s were a pivotal decade for the United States and the world. This season on None Of The Above, we rewinded to the ‘90s to cover the breakup of the Soviet Union, America’s unipolar moment, and the rise of China. We explored civil war in Afghanistan, the spread of nuclear weapons, South Africa’s transition to democracy, and much more. The ‘90s also gave rise to free trade, globalization, and the growth of the internet – all of which profoundly shaped the world we live in today. In the final episode of our ‘90s Rewind miniseries, we asked Ian Bremmer to wrap it all up. He...
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Episode 9: A Military Without Rival
None Of The Above
The military and the very idea of national security changed a lot in the 1990s. Politicians promised a new period of peace and prosperity after the Cold War, but the military would not draw down from the international arena. On the contrary, the United States turned to policing the world, and the military carried out new types of missions meant to advance new ideals, ambitions, and interests. In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the ’ Mark Hannah explores strategic, structural, technological, and social change in the US military. He is joined by military...
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Episode 8: The Cost of Humanitarian Intervention
None Of The Above
When the Cold War ended, many imagined a more peaceful world. Yet the 1990s were marked by humanitarian crises in Somalia, Rwanda, and former Yugoslavia. Images of mass atrocities and genocide reached wide audiences on newly available 24/7 TV news channels, as humanitarians increasingly advocated for military intervention. The United States under Bill Clinton took up the mantle of protecting human rights – and quickly discovered the perils of intervention. In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the ’ Mark Hannah delves into the rise of humanitarian intervention...
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Episode 7: America's China Gamble
None Of The Above
China’s violent Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 marked a turning point in US-China relations. After two decades of slowly but steadily nurturing friendly relations, the United States would choose to develop economic ties without insisting on democratic reforms. The prevailing hope was that China’s economic growth would inevitably lead to political change. That hope, however, was never fully realized. Today, China is America’s largest trading partner and yet its biggest geopolitical rival. In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the ’ Mark...
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Sudan and the Limits of Western Peacebuilding (from the archive)
None Of The Above
Sudan’s civil war recently entered its third year. It has claimed the lives of around 150,000 people and displaced around 13 million. In this archival episode, we revisit the outbreak of violence that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan–known also as Hemedti. As the warring factions competed for control of resource-rich Sudan, regional leaders like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, as well as the United States and the United Nations grappled...
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Episode 6: How Apartheid Ended in South Africa
None Of The Above
In the 1990s, South Africa ended apartheid, a brutal system of racial segregation, and became a democracy. During the Cold War, the United States supported South Africa’s apartheid government because it was anti-communist. But American civil rights activists pushed Washington to reassess its support – which it did as the Cold War wound down. Nelson Mandela won the first democratic election in 1994 and set out to establish South Africa as a champion of peace and human rights internationally. In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the ’ Mark Hannah...
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Episode 5: Why the Israel-Palestine Peace Process Failed
None Of The Above
The 1990s witnessed a turning point in one of the world’s most intractable disputes. After four decades of conflict, the 1991 Madrid Conference opened the door for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. A flurry of negotiations and agreements followed. The Camp David Summit in 2000 was the Clinton administration’s last-ditch attempt to produce a final deal but it failed to deliver on that goal. In this episode of None Of The Above’s ‘90s Rewind miniseries, the ’ Mark Hannah remembers how America launched a peace process, and explores why its objectives ultimately failed....
info_outlineAmerican 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 Institute for Global Affairs’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, to discuss her new book First Among Equals. In the book, Emma offers a realist vision for how the United States can adapt its foreign policy to a multipolar world. Together they explore the necessity of restraining American power, how the Trump administration has upended the status quo, and more.
Find Emma on X: https://x.com/EmmaMAshford
Check out Emma’s writing at Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/author/emma-ashford/
Check out First Among Equals: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300279542/first-among-equals/