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Introduction
Over the last several decades, governments have collectively pledged to slow global warming. But despite intensified diplomacy, the world is already facing the consequences of climate…
Show Notes
In this special episode of The World Next Week, Heather A. Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, joins James M. Lindsay and Robert McMahon to discuss the books they recommend reading, the books they’re looking forward to reading, and the podcasts they’re listening to for fun this summer.
Read more about Jim, Bob, and Heather’s picks on Jim’s blog, The Water’s Edge.
Jim’s Picks
Michael Mandelbaum, The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy (2022)
Richard Cohen, Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past (2021)
Laszlo Montgomery, The China History Podcast, Teacup Media
Bob’s Picks
Catherine Belton, Putin’s People (2020)
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois (2021)
Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Gastropod, Vox Media Podcast Network
Heather’s Picks
Greg Behrman, The Most Noble Adventure: The Marshall Plan and How America Helped Rebuild Europe (2007)
Patrick Radden Keefe, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (2018)
Todd Schulkin, Inside Julia’s Kitchen, Heritage Radio Network
Additional Books, Podcasts, and Shows Mentioned on the Podcast
Karen Dawisha, Putin’s Kleptocracy (2014)
Aaron L. Friedberg, Getting China Wrong (2022)
Joseph Marion Jones, The Fifteen Weeks (1965)
Michael Kimmage, The Abandonment of the West (2020)
Sebastian Mallaby, The Power Law (2022)
George Mitchell, Making Peace (1999)
Yascha Mounk, The Great Experiment (2022)
Benn Steil, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War (2019)
Ali Wyne, America’s Great-Power Opportunity (2022)
Heather A. Conley, “How Will Biden Handle Russia?” The President's Inbox, December 1, 2020
David Crowther, The History of England
Mike Duncan, The History of Rome
Jamie Jeffers, The British History Podcast
Michael Mandelbaum, “America’s Rise to Power,” The President's Inbox, May 7, 2022
Robin Pierson, The History of Byzantium
Julia, HBO Max (2022)
In this live series finale, Bob and Carla discuss the most pressing international news stories with special guest Deborah Amos. President Donald Trump virtually attends the annual Davos summit where he will address corporate and government leaders just three days after his inauguration; the next phase of hostage and prisoner swaps is due as part of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal; a tightly controlled presidential election in Belarus kicks off a new year of consequential elections around the globe; and TikTok is revived in the United States—for now— after President Trump forestalled the app’s initial ban.
This episode was originally produced live on January 21, 2025.
Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire deal aimed at exchanging hostages and prisoners while seeking a longer-term pause in fighting; the incoming Donald Trump administration weighs ambitious moves on immigration; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign off on a twenty-year partnership agreement; and students in Serbia protest violations of civil rights.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Supreme Court hears arguments over the Joe Biden administration’s imminent banning of TikTok; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation prompts questions on the future of U.S.-Canada trade relations; and Europe’s eastern states confront energy issues after Ukraine stops the flow of Russian gas through its territory.