Deep Dish On Global Affairs

  Last weekend, more than 40,000 Russians in 100 cities marched to protest opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s arrest and signal a new era in Russian politics. The New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa joins Deep Dish to explain why Russians both resent and rely on the state, and what that means for Russia – and President Putin’s – future.

Russia’s massive cyber attack on SolarWinds put some 250 US government agencies, security firms, and companies in jeopardy and exposed the sophisticated nature of today’s targeted hacks. Cyber risk expert Jody Westby joins Deep Dish to examine how the United States—and the world—can deter future attacks and prevent cyber escalation.

You may have missed it, but at the end of 2020, the European Union and China solidified an investment deal that will open EU access to China’s markets while raising China’s global profile. Former US trade negotiator Wendy Cutler and the Rhodium Group’s Noah Barkin join Deep Dish to look at the geopolitical consequences of the deal and how President-elect Biden can work toward better relationships with both sides.

Last week’s attack at the US Capitol could have long-term effects for the stability of the United States and the state of democracy around the world. In this bonus episode of Deep Dish, journalists Susan Glasser, James Harding, and Stefan Kornelius join Council President Ivo Daalder to discuss what happened on the Council’s weekly news rundown World Review. Watch the full episode here or check out new episodes of World Review at 10:00 am CST each Friday at thechicagocouncil.org/worldreview. 

Even as more people globally are vaccinated for COVID-19, a record-breaking number died from the pandemic this week in the United States. Physician and Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer joins Deep Dish to explain the lessons the 2014 Ebola outbreak taught him and what the world can learn from past infectious disease outbreaks to combat the current crisis.  

Iran’s president signaled he would rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if President-Elect Biden signs on after taking office. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft’s Trita Parsi and the Atlantic Council’s Barbara Slavin join Deep Dish to explain why Biden must focus on improving relations between the two countries, not just renewing the agreement. Check out new Deep Dish episodes when we return on January 7, 2021. 

The United States broke records for the number of COVID-19 deaths this week – more than Pearl Harbor – and the total number of cases now hovers around 1.4 million. As vaccine rollout starts around the world, the Financial Times’ Hannah Kuchler and Johns Hopkins’ Crystal Watson join Deep Dish to explain the science and politics behind the next phase of the pandemic.

Ethiopia rests on brink of a civil war after long-term tensions between the government and former power brokers, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), exploded in November. Michelle Gavin joins Deep Dish to explain why Ethiopia’s fate will affect the stability of the region and African influence on global affairs.

As COVID-19 continues to surge around the world, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria joins Deep Dish to explain why today’s crises are the product of the international system and how the quality, not quantity, of government is part of the solution. Tune in for the next episode of Deep Dish on December 3, 2020.

President-Elect Biden faces a divided country and a deadlocked Congress when he takes office on January 20, 2021. Author Rebecca Lissner joins Deep Dish to argue that while there are domestic challenges, Biden also has a unique opportunity to reimagine the US approach to foreign policy and focus on openness, rather than dominance.

Two days after Americans voted, it’s still too close to call the 2020 election. As the world waits, American Enterprise Institute’s Kori Schake joins Council President Ivo Daalder and Deep Dish host Brian Hanson to examine how the results – whenever they arrive – will affect US foreign policy, global relationships, and national security. 

Last Sunday, an overwhelming 78 percent of Chileans voted to replace the country’s existing constitution after a year of large-scale protests driven by social movements and economic inequality. Political scientist Claudia Heiss joins Deep Dish to explain what to watch for during the two-year drafting process and examine whether wide-spread change is possible for Chile.

Democrats and Republicans are in different worlds when it comes to evaluating critical threats facing the United States and preferred foreign policy approaches, according to findings of the 2020 Chicago Council Survey. Council polling experts Dina Smeltz and Craig Kafura join Deep Dish to examine how public opinion matches up with the candidates’ perspectives and whether issues like China’s rise, global cooperation, climate change, and trade are driving voter decision making.

From Iran in 1953 to Syria in 2011, the United States has relied on regime change as a core facet of Middle East policy -- with mixed results. Author and former White House Middle East advisor and expert Philip Gordon joins Deep Dish to explain that while regime change is a tempting policy option, in the long-term it leads to high costs, unintended consequences, and the spread of instability.

This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with new Japanese Premier Yoshihide Suga, signaling both Japan’s importance to the United States and both sides’ fear of a rising China, analysts argue. Stanford University’s Michael Auslin and Teneo Intelligence’s Tobias Harris join Deep Dish to explain how the 2020 election could influence US foreign policy towards Japan and whether Suga has the power to successfully continue former Prime Minister Abe’s legacy.

Last weekend, fighting broke out in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, reigniting a frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The New York Times’ Andrew Kramer and Chatham House’s Laurence Broers Join Deep Dish to examine what the conflict could mean for the region and Russia’s broader competition with Turkey for power.

With just 10 years remaining to reach the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, COVID-19 has undermined much of the existing progress toward the ambitious targets. As the UN General Assembly takes place this week, BP’s Trine Mong and McDonald’s Francesca DeBiase join Deep Dish to explain how their companies are making strides towards sustainability to support the SDGs and revolutionize their industries.

An unprecedented hunger crisis is looming as the world grapples with COVID-19, the global economic downturn, stark inequality, and fractured political relationships. But 10 years after the launch of the US government’s Feed the Future program, USAID’s Jim Barnhart joins Deep Dish to explain why there’s still hope for eradicating hunger within this generation.

This year, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and other Black people drove mass Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice demanding communities defund the police. Princeton University’s Laurence Ralph and the Council on Criminal Justice’s Thomas Abt join Deep Dish to explain why police brutality is not a uniquely American phenomenon and argue the strongest examples of successful police reform come from outside the United States.

COVID-19 has exacerbated our society’s extreme inequality in access to healthcare, economic opportunity, education, and the rights that protect some but not others based on race. Economist Thomas Piketty joins Deep Dish to examine the ideas that drive persistent global inequality and the solutions he believes will produce a more equitable future.