Even when the world isn’t gripped by a pandemic, staging the Olympic Games can create serious problems for local populations. So, why do cities and countries keep seeking to host them? Here to help us answer this question is Jules Boykoff. Jules is an associate professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon, and a former member of the US Olympic Soccer team. He’s the author of NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Beyond.

Opinion Has It

Is It Time to Cancel the Olympics? | Jules Boykoff

The Communist Party of China, founded a century ago, has been in power for more than seven decades – and it has big plans for the future. What do those plans entail, and is the Party still strong enough to implement them? Here to help us answer these questions is Rana Mitter. Mitter is the director of the China Centre at the University of Oxford, and a professor of the history and politics of modern China.

The Communist Party of China at 100 | Rana Mitter

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to step aside after 16 years in office, Germany, Europe, and the world are entering a new, more uncertain phase – one that will be significantly shaped by her legacy. But which one? Here to help us answer these questions is Constanze Stelzenmüller. She holds the Fritz Stern chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution.

Merkel’s Complicated Legacy | Constanze Stelzenmüller

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world’s only superpower – a status ensured by the country’s powerful military. But great-power competition is making a comeback, raising questions about US preparedness. Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, a co-founder and former CEO of the Center for a New American Security, and a former US under secretary of defense for policy.

Is the US Ready for War? | Michèle Flournoy

Despite major challenges, India’s multicultural democracy has thrived for more than 70 years. But can it survive Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist agenda? Here to help us answer this question is Milan Vaishnav. Vaishnav is the director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is the author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics.

Is India’s Democracy Dying? | Milan Vaishnav

While critics say that the European Union has stumbled from crisis to crisis for most of its existence, its defenders counter that crises have made it both stronger and more necessary over time. As the bloc’s complex history and current challenges show, both claims are true. Niels Thygesen is an economist and an emeritus professor at the University of Copenhagen. He has spent more than a half-century observing and participating in the European integration process. As a member of the Delors Committee, he helped established the roadmap to Economic and Monetary Union, or EMU. This culminated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Special Edition: Will COVID-19 Bring Europe “Ever Closer”? | Niels Thygesen

Popular protests and a tanking economy seem to be weakening President Vladimir Putin’s position, if not threatening his grip on power. Yet Russia’s strongman leader will not go down without a fight. Joining us today to help demystify one of the world’s most prominent dictators is Timothy Frye, the Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University, and the author of the new book, Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin’s Russia.

Russia’s Not So Strongman | Timothy M. Frye

US President Joe Biden’s public-investment proposal is undoubtedly ambitious – and highly controversial. But it may also be the key to putting the US economy on the path toward a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Here to help us understand the American Jobs Plan – and the debate surrounding it – is James Galbraith. Galbraith is an economist and professor of government at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Will the American Jobs Plan Remake the US Economy? | James K. Galbraith

After 20 years and more than $2 trillion, the US is under growing pressure finally to withdraw from Afghanistan, leaving the country where it started: in the hands of the Taliban. What will this mean for Afghanistan’s people, their neighbors, and the world? Ashley Jackson is the co-director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at the Overseas Development Institute. She is the author of the forthcoming book Negotiating Survival: Civilian-Insurgent Relations in Afghanistan.

The Return of the Taliban | Ashley Jackson

This week in Outtakes, recent guest Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health and Security, explains why border closures aren’t an effective virus-containment strategy – and says what is.

Outtakes: Do Travel Bans Work? | Jennifer Nuzzo

Even if the world does manage to end the COVID-19 pandemic, we can’t simply breathe a sigh of relief and return to business as usual. With the number of new infectious diseases rising fast, the next pandemic could be just around the corner. Jennifer Nuzzo is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Stopping the Next Pandemic | Jennifer Nuzzo

With the encouragement of leaders like Donald Trump, far-right extremism has gone mainstream in recent years. To mitigate the growing danger far-right groups pose, policymakers need to deepen their understanding of how these groups recruit members and mobilize supporters. Joining this episode is Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a professor at American University. Cynthia is the director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, and author of the new book, Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right.

The Growing Threat of Far-Right Extremism | Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Ten years after a popular uprising overthrew a dictator, Egypt largely appears to be back where it started. Why were Egyptians’ democratic hopes dashed, and can they still be realized? Here to discuss Egypt’s situation and prospects is Michael Hanna. Michael is a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a non-resident fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security.

The Legacy of Egypt’s Arab Spring | Michael Wahid Hanna

Just as Brexit marked the end of an era, it marks the beginning of a new one. And there is plenty of reason for both the United Kingdom and the European Union to doubt that the new era will be better. Here to discuss is Timothy Garton Ash, a Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is the author of ten books, including, most recently, a new edition of The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, & Prague.

The Post-Brexit World Order | Timothy Garton Ash

After four years of an “America first” foreign policy, President-elect Joe Biden wants the world to know that America is back. But will Biden and his foreign-policy team be able to restore America’s global standing – and the relative stability it once provided? Kori Schake is the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute. She previously served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, and in senior posts at the Pentagon and the State Department.

US Foreign Policy after “America First” | Kori Schake

Opinion Has It by Project Syndicate features conversations with leading economists, policymakers, authors, and researchers on the world’s most pressing issues. Tune in for biweekly analyses and insights with our host Elmira Bayrasli, Foreign Policy Interrupted co-founder and Project Syndicate contributor.

hubhopper

Opinion Has It

hubhopper