Barbecue Earth: “How to Launder a Cow”
Most people are familiar with money laundering, but fewer have heard of cattle laundering. This practice involves the raising, smuggling, and selling of illegal cattle, and it's a massive driver of deforestation in the Amazon. Brazilian laws ban cattle farming in protected areas, but the meat industry—a powerful economic and political force—has found ways around these regulations. This episode tells the story of one Brazilian meat company and its role in shaping public discourse, climate policy, and even geopolitics.
—Heewon Park, Barbecue Earth co-host and producer
Carnegie Connects: “Covering Conflict: A Conversation With Clarissa Ward of CNN”
Of the many wonderful Carnegie Connects episodes this year, one that stood out for me personally was my interview with Clarissa Ward, senior international correspondent for CNN. In the perilous world of war and conflict journalism, Ward’s insights into the craft of covering conflict zones—in her case, Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine—were compelling on both the professional and personal levels. What made the interview, though, were Ward’s observations on how she manages risk, tries to maintain her objectivity in the most emotionally painful and wrenching of circumstances, and keeps her fierce commitment to telling the stories of humans caught up in conflict.CNN senior international correspondent In the perilous world of war and conflict journalism, Ward’s insights into the craft of covering conflict zones—in her case, Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine—were compelling on both the professional and personal levels. What made the interview, though, were Ward’s observations on how she manages risk, tries to maintain her objectivity in the most emotionally painful and wrenching of circumstances, and keeps her fierce commitment to telling the stories of humans caught up in conflict.
—Aaron David Miller, Carnegie Connects host and American Statecraft Program senior fellow
Carnegie Politika Podcast: “Chaos Is a Ladder”
Among all the episodes of Politika we’ve recorded in 2024, it’s hard to pick a favorite. In the show we talk mostly about quite grim things like President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine or Russia’s own journey into the darkness, so Politika deserves its reputation for, as one of the regular listeners who happens to be a very senior Western official has once put it to me, “clear-eyed gloominess.”
This is why our November episode called “Chaos Is a Ladder,” featuring Carnegie’s very own arms control wizard James Acton, stands out for me: We talk chances of nuclear war, and at the end I find myself in a much more peaceful state of mind than before the recording.
—Alexander Gabuev, Carnegie Politika Podcast host and director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
China in the World: “Southeast Asia and the South China Sea”
I am glad to have the opportunity to do a special five-episode run to reboot the China in the World podcast, focusing on Southeast Asian perspectives on China. Choosing among the episodes is difficult. However, I wish to highlight the conversation with Chanintira na Thalang and my fellow Carnegie China nonresident scholar Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby on the South China Sea. The conversation underscores the real differences in positions over the South China Sea in Southeast Asia, as well as the frustrations ASEAN members have with one another over the issue. This is a situation that some outside the region do not sufficiently appreciate.
—Chong Ja Ian, China in the World host and Carnegie China nonresident scholar
Disgraceland: “Martin Scorsese, The Band, and The Last Waltz: A Thanksgiving Story”
I’m a music lover and musician who’s married to a true-crime superfan. So on a boring car trip a few years ago, my wife introduced me to Disgraceland—essentially a true-crime(ish) podcast focused on the darker, weirder, and usually criminal side of the music entertainment industry. Everything about the film The Last Waltz is special for me: the music and members of The Band, the great guest musician appearances, Martin Scorsese’s production, and the spectacle of one of the best concert movies of all time. I thought I knew a lot about the movie until I listened to this episode! From Levon Helm’s pessimism, to record-label interference, to Scorsese’s insanity, to the Thanksgiving Day catering, to Bob Dylan’s theft, this episode is full of amazing details told in a “let’s get coffee” conversational quality that keeps you listening.
—Tim Martin, Carnegie Connects producer
Drum Tower: “Lessons From China’s Crackdown on Hong Kong”
My favorite non-Carnegie podcast episode from 2024 is the December 10 installment of Drum Tower from The Economist. It takes a deep dive into the crackdown on protesters, pro-democracy activists, academics, and pan-democrat politicians in Hong Kong. The specific experiences of individuals are compelling, yet the crackdowns have implications beyond the territory. For people in Taiwan, Beijing’s actions demonstrate its intolerance for democracy and a willingness to walk back on promises. As China gains control over Hong Kong, it loses trust in Taiwan. Other actors may similarly question the credibility of Beijing’s commitments given developments in Hong Kong.
—Chong Ja Ian, China in the World host and Carnegie China nonresident scholar
Europe Inside Out: “What’s Next for Russia’s Neighbors?”
At Carnegie Europe, we spend a lot of time investigating whether the policies designed in Brussels are making the EU a more effective and attractive international player. But sometimes it is useful to take a step back and look at the larger trends. That is what Thomas de Waal and Fiona Hill do in this episode of Europe Inside Out from April.
Putin’s war against Ukraine has prompted states in Russia’s neighborhood to reconsider their affinities to Moscow. But does that mean that countries in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe are bound to turn to the West? De Waal and Hill take a hard look at the factors that determine these states’ political trajectories—and ultimately, their relationship with their European neighbors.
—Francesco Siccardi, Europe Inside Out producer
The Ezra Klein Show: “Are We on the Cusp of a New Political Order?”
The Ezra Klein Show and its host really had a moment this year. As a longtime listener, I refuse to be accused of hype—Klein’s interview skills are excellent. One episode stood out for me: the conversation with historian Gary Gerstle, author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, discussing changing political orders (or eras) in America. It was published before the election, but it has really informed the way I think about its outcome and the future of U.S. politics.
—Sophia Besch, The World Unpacked host and Europe Program senior fellow
The Foreign Affairs Interview: “Russia’s Murky Future”
The conversation between historian Stephen Kotkin and Foreign Affairs editor-in-chief Dan Kurtz-Phelan on “Russia’s Murky Future” is a remarkable testament to Kotkin’s unique ability to frame very complex thoughts on complicated subjects in the most eloquent and beautiful English language form possible. This conversation is truly remarkable, even by the very high standards of Kotkin’s oral narration—I just can’t recommend it enough.
—Alexander Gabuev, Carnegie Politika Podcast host and director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Grand Tamasha: “The Truth About the ‘Foreign Hand’ in India”
The “foreign hand” has long been a favored bogeyman across South Asia, allegedly responsible for indiscretions both large and small. Our Grand Tamasha conversation with Paul McGarr, a historian of intelligence and intelligence operations, demystifies what intrigue foreign intelligence agencies have (and have not been) engaged in since 1947. McGarr, a lecturer in intelligence studies at King’s College London, drew from his latest book, Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India’s Secret Cold War, which offers the first comprehensive history of U.S. and UK intelligence operations in the Indian subcontinent. McGarr’s book uncovers reams of interesting stories from the last seven decades but ends with the striking conclusion that the best-laid plans of Western intelligence agencies in twentieth-century South Asia largely proved to be misguided and self-defeating.
—Milan Vaishnav, Grand Tamasha host and South Asia Program director
Heroes and Humans of Football: “Egyptian King”
For an avid consumer of biographies and memoirs and, well, basically anything related to football (the European one), Heroes and Humans of Football is a gift from god. In every episode, hosts Mehreen Khan and Simon Kuper tell the story of a memorable football personality by delving into his or her background and upbringing. It quickly gets political: From Türkiye’s attempt to cancel dissident football hero Hakan Şükür to the row between Donald Trump and U.S. Women’s National Team captain Megan Rapinoe.
My favorite episode is the one of Liverpool FC’s superstar Mohamed Salah: It tells the story of how the Arab Spring propelled him to become the most celebrated Muslim player in the world and the good that he is doing with Muslim communities in the UK and beyond. It’s a reminder that it’s good people—not just good policies—that make the world a better place. Sometimes, sports have a lot to offer in this respect.
—Francesco Siccardi, Europe Inside Out producer
Interpreting India: “Bridging East and West: India’s Pursuit of Stability Amid China, Russia, and U.S. Dynamics”
This year has been a whirlwind on the geopolitical front, including the meeting between the Chinese and Indian leaders after a four-year hiatus. This episode of Interpreting India aimed to address that moment. Featuring seasoned diplomats Vijay Gokhale and D. B. Venkatesh Varma, it delves into the key questions shaping India’s foreign policy today, including India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its latest moves with China and the United States. A notable highlight is Varma’s breakdown of the three essential strategies India needs to strengthen ties with the United States. If you’re looking for clarity on where India’s diplomacy is headed, this episode is essential listening.
—Ayush Thaosen, Kanika Monga, and Sumbul Jahangeer, Interpreting India producers
Modern Love: “Andrew Garfield Wants to Crack Open Your Heart”
Hollywood film star Andrew Garfield comes on a New York Times podcast on love and is asked to read a moving, biographical essay on love published in the New York Times more than a decade prior. The setup sounds straightforward, but what happened next was anything but. While reciting the essay, “Learning to Measure Time in Love and Loss,” Garfield grows noticeably emotional and reveals his own vulnerability to host Anna Martin, who deftly and gently manages to draw Garfield out on the subject of life, longing, and love. Only the hardest of hearts will manage to avoid tearing up.
—Milan Vaishnav, Grand Tamasha host and South Asia Program director
The World Unpacked: “The Geopolitics of Climate Engineering”
I’ve loved hosting The World Unpacked this year, and we’ve had so many incredible guests. If I must pick one, it’ll probably be the conversation with Cynthia Scharf about solar geoengineering, an emerging technology that aims to reflect sunlight back into space to cool the planet. I thought it was fascinating to engage Scharf on the promise of an innovative tech approach to get around making behavioral and political changes to reduce climate change—and on the perils of treating it like a silver bullet.
—Sophia Besch, The World Unpacked host and Europe Program senior fellow
.jpg)
