Foreign Policy Live
Foreign Policy
Each week, Foreign Policy Live will feature a substantive conversation on world affairs. Host and FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal will be joined by leading foreign-policy thinkers and practitioners to analyze a key issue in global politics, from the U.S.-China relationship to conflict and diplomacy. FP Live is your weekly fix for smart thinking about the world.Foreign Policy magazine subscribers can watch these interviews live and submit questions and suggestions by going to https://foreignpolicy.com/live/.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 26, 2026 • 42min
How High Could Oil Prices Go?
Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy and former Obama energy official. He maps how Strait of Hormuz disruptions and facility attacks could push oil far higher. He weighs short versus prolonged conflict, repair timelines, who gains from price spikes, China’s defenses, and broader supply-chain and policy tradeoffs.
Mar 24, 2026 • 41min
The World After Trump
Hal Brands, a Johns Hopkins global affairs professor and author, offers three stark scenarios for the world after Trump. He discusses a U.S.-China bipolar rivalry, the return of regional empires, and a chaotic self-help world. Short, vivid sketches map how states might align, how middle powers fit, and what policy moves could avert the worst outcomes.
Mar 18, 2026 • 46min
How to Have Politics Without Politicians
Hélène Landemore, political theorist at Yale who champions deliberative democracy and citizens' assemblies. She argues electoral politics skew toward elites. She explains how randomly selected, diverse assemblies learn from experts and deliberate. She contrasts this collective sortition model with populist leadership and explores real-world experiments like France’s climate convention.
19 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 41min
A Debate Over the War in Iran
Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute executive vice president and Iran policy critic, and Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council director and former Defense official, debate the recent war in Iran. They clash over whether military strikes were justified. They discuss legitimacy under international law, the role of diplomacy, regional stability, and consequences for Iranian politics and U.S. credibility.
9 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 43min
Will the Gulf States Join the War?
Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National with deep on-the-ground Gulf reporting. She describes public resilience, surprise strikes on Gulf states, and rapid defensive adaptations. She discusses diplomatic pushback, shifting alliances, and whether Gulf capitals will prioritize protection over ideology as regional tensions and economic risks rise.
55 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 39min
War in the Middle East
Vali Nasr, Johns Hopkins professor and Iran scholar, explains why Khamenei’s death matters and how Iran’s institutions may outlast a leader. He discusses succession timing, Iran’s escalation strategy, proxies’ roles across fronts, and competing victory definitions that shape how the war could unfold.
39 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 46min
What a U.S. Attack on Iran Will Look Like
David Petraeus, retired four-star general and former CIA director, brings decades of military and intelligence experience. He walks through possible military options, intelligence limits, and regional retaliation risks. Short, direct takes on force posture, maritime threats, and how other powers might respond.
Feb 20, 2026 • 48min
Kurt Campbell on Trump’s China Ambiguity
Kurt Campbell, former White House Asia policy lead and architect of the Obama-era pivot to Asia. He breaks down Trump’s ambiguous China stance and contrasts it with prior terms. Conversations cover Taiwan risks, tech export controls, damage to alliances, and how Asian countries are hedging amid U.S. policy shifts.
Feb 18, 2026 • 35min
Is the Nuclear Club Expanding?
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the IAEA and seasoned nonproliferation diplomat, discusses the fracturing nuclear order. He outlines fallout from New START's expiry. He flags modern delivery systems complicating arms control. He warns that more nuclear-armed states would spur regional races and instability.
10 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 50min
The “America First” Defense Strategy
Elbridge Colby, U.S. undersecretary of war for policy and architect of recent defense strategies, outlines NATO 3.0 and urges Europe to shoulder conventional defense while the U.S. sustains nuclear deterrence. He explains shifting U.S. focus to the Indo-Pacific, deterrence in the first island chain, and the need for allied burden-sharing and planning for concurrent crises.
