Abbas Milani is the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and a visiting professor in the department of political science. In addition, Dr. Milani is a research fellow and co-director of the Iran Democr

The War in Ukraine at Two Years

Feb 24th, 2024 1h 10m

Michael McFaul is joined by:Oleksiy Honcharuk, who served as the 17th prime minister of Ukraine from 2019-2020, during which time he introduced important policy initiatives in Ukraine including the institution of business privatization processe

Sean Penn on Ukraine's "Superpower"

Feb 1st, 2024 45m 22s

When Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn set off to make a documentary about Ukraine, he thought he would be telling the story of a comedic showman-turned president named Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the young democracy that had elected him. Inste

How Did We Get Here? A Conversation on the Crisis in the Middle East

Dec 18th, 2023 1h 20m

To understand why the conflict in Gaza is so complex, you have to understand the history of Israel's relationship with Palestine and Hamas well before October 7, 2023. In this episode of World Class, we bring you a conversation with Ambassador

Global Threats: What's at Stake and What We Can Do About It

Nov 15th, 2023 30m 11s

Conflict between Hamas and Israel; the ongoing war in Ukraine; rising tensions between China and Taiwan; climate change; dissatisfaction with national politics. These are some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. What do we n

On the Ground in Ukraine

Oct 18th, 2023 21m 47s

In September 2023, Michael McFaul and political philosopher Francis Fukuyama traveled to Kyiv to participate in the Yalta European Strategy conference. They met with policymakers from Ukraine, Europe, and beyond; military experts; Ukrainian alu

Understanding Israel's Democracy

Aug 2nd, 2023 29m 24s

Changes to the legal code. Massive protests from the public. Walk-outs by members of the legislature. What exactly is going on in Israel? Law and governance expert Amichai Magen joins World Class host Michael McFaul to discuss the growing crisi

Finland's Role in Global Security and Defense

Mar 20th, 2023 1h 1m

Featuring:Sauli Niinistö, President of FinlandMichael McFaul, Director of the Freeman Spogli InstituteAnna Grzymala-Busse, Director of The Europe CenterOriana Skylar Mastro, FSI Center Fellow and expert on the Chinese military and strategic com

What a Year of Putin's War Looks Like in Kyiv

Feb 24th, 2023 22m 12s

It's been a year since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Few people have had a closer view of the realities of that war than Sergiy Leshchenko, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief-of-staff and an alumnus of the

Women, Life, and Freedom in Iran

Jan 31st, 2023 19m 48s

"Women, Life, and Freedom:" this phrase has become the rallying cry of tens of thousands of Iranians around the world. What began as protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman detained by Iran's strict morality police, has be

Addressing Policy Challenges: The 2022 Report Card

Dec 23rd, 2022 32m 49s

In this episode of World Class, we're bringing you a conversation from the 2022 Stanford Reunion. In this recording, you'll hear Michael McFaul and a panel of experts from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies discuss some of t

The War in Ukraine: What's Next?

Nov 21st, 2022 20m 51s

As winter in Eastern Europe settles in, the Russian military continues to cede ground to advancing Ukrainian forces. The question many people are asking now is: “What happens next?”Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and politi

What We Need Talk About When We Talk About Taiwan

Nov 3rd, 2022 24m 13s

While the world still watches the conflict in Ukraine, on the opposite side of the globe, the potential for conflict between Taiwan, China, and the United States is increasing. Will China forcibly try to reunify Taiwan with the mainland? And if

Putin's Failed War

Sep 29th, 2022 59m 44s

To launch our new season of World Class, we're bringing you a special extended interview with Michael McFaul and Ray Suarez of the World Affairs podcast about the changing conditions on the Ukrainian battlefield and the political situation insi

Putin's Fear of a Democratic Ukraine

Mar 14th, 2022 38m 41s

This is a special crossover episode of World Class and the World Affairs podcast, hosted by Ray Suarez. Michael McFaul, the director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, joins Ray as a guest to discuss what motivated Vladi

Taking the Temperature on the Climate Crisis with Marshall Burke

Feb 17th, 2022 22m 3s

Data clearly shows that extreme weather patterns like those seen across the globe in 2021 are driven by climate change. But is that fact driving policymakers to make meaningful inroads to address the climate crisis?Marshall Burke, the deputy

Spies, Lies and Algorithms with Amy Zegart

Feb 1st, 2022 24m 44s

There are plenty of glamorous Hollywood spies, but how does the world of real espionage and intelligence work?In her book Spies, Lies and Algorithms, national security and intelligence expert Amy Zegart separates facts from fictions about the

Ukraine, Russia and the Fight for Democracy

Dec 29th, 2021 26m 56s

The situation on the Ukraine-Russia border continues to change, but the ideological fight between democracy and autocracy is as hot as ever. Former prime minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk joins Michael McFaul to give an inside view on the U

Alexander Vindman on Why Right Matters to Democracy Here and Abroad

Dec 13th, 2021 22m 25s

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman joins Michael McFaul on World Class to discuss why values and integrity are crucial to upholding democratic norms here in the United States, and why democracies everywhere should support and encourage those

We Need To Rethink Our Assumptions about China’s Strategic Goals

Nov 29th, 2021 25m 10s

Taiwan. Hypersonic missiles. The South China Sea. In the last few months, China’s activities have grabbed headlines and imaginations. But how much of this action is posturing, and how much should U.S. policymakers and strategists take seriously

Understanding the Global Rise of Authoritarianism

Nov 8th, 2021 29m 26s

In the last 30 years, authoritarian regimes have gained significant ground in countries around the world, and democracy norms are in decline. Why? Former Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications and Speech Writing and vet

Democracy in Peril

Mar 18th, 2021 33m 11s

In his inaugural address, President Biden declared, “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause — the cause of democracy.” But is the United States still a beacon for aspiring democratic societies around the globe?In a c

Russia Resurrected

Mar 11th, 2021 28m 19s

What’s Going on in Georgia? A Democracy Activist Explains the Nation’s Current Political Crisis and Turbulent History

Mar 4th, 2021 28m 13s

Last week, riot police used force to remove Nika Melia, the leader of Georgia’s main opposition party, from his political headquarters. Meila’s arrest has deepened political rifts within Georgia and is plunging the nation into crisis, with oppo

President Biden on the World Stage

Feb 25th, 2021 59m 46s

In a special crossover episode, World Class host Michael McFaul discusses how the U.S. can mend relationships with the rest of the world after four years of unpredictability on the World Affairs Podcast. Mike and Jorge Castañeda, former Foreign