New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy | Podcasts

Milos Maggiore, Andrew Loftesnes, and Jared Jeter look at some of the key developments from the week, including President Trump's threats against anyone trading with Iran, and the news that U.S./South Korean military drills were substantially reduced following directives from Trump.

Elsewhere, in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia threatened to retaliate against the United Kingdom after Ukrainian forces used British-supplied drone...

In our first episode of Why the Balkans?, Tanya Domi is joined by Ramadan Ilazi, Head of Research at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), to unpack Kosovo’s ongoing political deadlock. They examine why Kosovo continues to struggle to form a government after elections, what the impasse reveals about its political system, and what it means for the country’s relationship with the EU and the wider Western Balkans...

In this week's episode, Shahad Turkistani, Analyst at New Lines Institute, returns to break down the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the trilateral pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan on 7 August, which commits all three to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all.

Additionally this week, Milos Maggiore and Andrew Loftesnes discuss developments in the Middle East, where Houthi attacks in the Bab el...

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump called off a planned strike against Iran and hailed progress in negotiations between Israel and Hamas while Israeli forces clashed with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In the Indo-Pacific, China and the U.S. imposed reciprocal targeted tariffs and sanctions, while Chinese traders resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least 17 people after U...

This week, we are joined by our colleague Shahad Turkistani to examine in more detail the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal. In other developments, Saudi Arabia joined the U.S. in conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, drawing retaliatory strikes against Saudi energy infrastructure as regional hostilities expanded, while a Hezbollah drone strike threatened the Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire. In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. sha...

This week, a new front opened in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran as the Yemeni al-Houthi rebel group fired on Saudi oil tankers attempting to cross the Bab al-Mandeb. Meanwhile, Israel began returning control of occupied Lebanese territory to the Lebanese army.

In the Indo-Pacific, China conducted two days of live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait and clashed with Philippine vessels in the South China Sea during the ASEAN sum...

This week, the U.S. renewed strikes against Iran and a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Israel and Lebanon held negotiations in Rome.

In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. confirmed it had started to sell minimal amounts of Nvidia H200 microchips to China, and Taiwan announced an additional $100 billion investment in the United States’ advanced chip industry. In the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the U.S. unveiled legislation that wo...

In this episode, our team highlights our recently published 2026 Q3 Forecast report on geopolitical hotspots around the world and their implications on global connectivity themes like trade, technology, energy, and climate. In part 1 of this podcast, we focus on the US/Americas, the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific, and the Russia/Ukraine war, discussing the most important events from the past three months, and looking ahead at what t...

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded Belarus remove military equipment from their shared border, while Ukrainian forces continued attacking energy and transport infrastructure near Moscow and in Crimea. In the Indo-Pacific, China sanctioned two critical minerals companies in the U.S., while U.S. AI company Anthropic accused Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba of copying its software. In the Middle East, Israel c...

This week, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for a ceasefire and two months of negotiations aimed at settling their conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel stated it would continue to occupy territory in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. In the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan’s opposition leader met with members of the U.S. Congress in Washington, while the U.K. and Japan agreed to boost defense and economic coo...

This week, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz after it and the U.S. traded strikes. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel continued its bombing campaign against Lebanon.

In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. sanctioned Chinese entities for their role in supporting Iran, while Chinese President Xi Jinping met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang for the first time in seven years. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine continued i...

This week, the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes amid continued diplomacy, while Israel continued its ground operations in Lebanon despite a conditional ceasefire agreement between them. In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. set out new guidance designed to close loopholes that allowed China to receive advanced AI chips, while U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pushed for increased allied defense spending at the annual Shangri-La Dialogu...

This week, the United States and Iran traded airstrikes as peace negotiations continued, while Israel intensified strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon despite the recent ceasefire extension.

In the Indo-Pacific, Nvidia pledged an annual $150 billion investment in Taiwan while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India in an attempt to shore up ties within the Quad framework.

In transatlantic relations, Russian Foreig...

How do we measure the size of illicit economies, and what can seizure data actually tell us about the effectiveness of enforcement policies?

In this episode of Crime Beat Conversations, Rafaella Lispschitz speaks with Henry Ziemer, Fellow with the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), about the challenges of measuring illicit markets and evaluating interdiction efforts.

The conversation exam...

This week, Iran stated it was reviewing the latest peace proposal from the United States after the U.S. delayed planned strikes, while Pakistan deployed 8,000 troops to Saudi Arabia in the event of renewed hostilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, while U.S. President Donald Trump stated willingness to discuss renewed arms sales to Taiwan, prompting China to delay a meeting with...

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a long-anticipated summit in which the leaders discussed trade relations, the Iran war, and Taiwan.

In the Middle East, Trump rejected a peace proposal by Iran, while representatives from Lebanon and Israel met in Washington, D.C., for a new round of discussions on Hezbollah’s disarmament.

In the Russia/Ukraine war, both Tr...

This week, Iran considered a one-page peace proposal sent by the United States that would end hostilities, while Israel issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon and bombed Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire.

In the Indo-Pacific, China gave conflicting advice to its banks on how to respond to U.S. sanctions, citing a violation of international law, while the EU took steps to reduce its technological dependency on Chinese h...