
Amb. Michael McFaul: The View from a Point In US-Russia Relations No One Could Have Envisioned
Five years ago, the Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine began. That was followed by the annexation of Crimea, US and European sanctions and, soon after, by stepped Russian efforts to undermine the leaders and parties in the West that were opposing him. Which of course, leads not just to Donald Trump but to Brexit and the rise of the right in Europe. It's a stunning turn of events...and events look like they're going to be turning just like this for some time to come. No one is better equipped to make sense of this and give us a perspective on where we are going than former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and professor at Stanford University Michael McFaul. It's a great, thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation. Please tune in Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Mar 201939min

How I Met The Creator Of How I Met Your Mother: A Conversation with the very funny Craig Thomas
Craig's college fallback plan was to become a tv writer and when you're as talented and funny as he is, a TV writer is a great fallback plan. Signing with an agent while a senior in college (overachiever) he and his writing partner Carter Bays quickly found work writing for David Letterman and moved on to create the hit show How I Met Your Mother. Craig's path to success wasn't a Disney Movie, unless the hero marches in his High School band (Craig's description of his uniform is chef's kiss perfection). Now that we know how Ted met his wife, Craig is taking on new projects and speaking out against the Orange one. He also offers great marital advice on how to give feedback to your spouse Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Mar 201948min

Please Stop the News! It's Too Much!
Depending on your view of history and human life, the Michael Cohen circus on television this Wednesday was the third or fourth most important story of the day (that we know of). Certainly, a shooting war between two nuclear powers like India and Pakistan has got to rank first. And the possibility of a breakthrough between the US and North Korea might rank second (if it actually happens and it is not all for show). Global warming is probably always a bigger story. So we got Katie Phang, Joe Cirincione, and our own Rosa Brooks to cover them all (except global warming...but we'll get to that again soon). Tune in! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Feb 201941min

Are We On the Verge of Trump’s First Big Foreign Policy Win?
Sometimes the experts at Deep State Radio harbor a slight but noticeable skepticism about the foreign policy acumen of Donald Trump and the band of ignorant thugs around him. But in this episode, nuclear experts Joe Cirincione and Jeffrey Lewis and DSR’s own Rosa Brooks suffer an outbreak of optimism about Trump’s summit with his diminutive love, Kim Jong Un. Is it possible? Where will this lead? Tune in to find out! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
26 Feb 201945min

Stephen Walt on Why Less is More in the Middle East and Where Donald Trump Has (Accidentally) Gotten It Right
Once upon a time Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer wrote a blockbuster book called "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy." Deep State Radio Host David Rothkopf slammed it. But if you are tuning in to hear the two of them go at each other, you'll be disappointed. Rothkopf admits to Walt he felt his critique of the book was over the top and that Walt and Mearsheimer helped trigger an important conversation in the U.S. Then the two discuss the state of the US-Israel relationship today and why it is so ugly, the best approach for the U.S. in a changing Middle East and where the first two years of Trump foreign policy have left us. (We're still alive, so there's that.) Tune in for a lively, wide-ranging conversation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Feb 201941min

That Time My Friend Turned Out To Be A Russian Spy: A Conversation with Elena Nico
Everyone has a story to tell and Elena Nicolaou has a helluva one. For years Elena and her family were close friends with Paul Erickson and his girlfriend Maria Butina...yes that Maria Butina. (The "alleged" Russian spy.) Elena details the relationship her family had with Paul and this red headed Russian girlfriend (who was half his age, but no judgement). Maria and Paul went to Disney World with Elena, Maria read Elena's palm and Paul texted Elena about Ariana Grande & Pete Davidson's relationship. If this story seems crazy, wait until you hear it ALL. Tune in for the absolutely crazy and unbelievably true story of the family that befriended the Russian (ahem "alleged") spy. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Feb 201958min

What’s Worse Than America Failing Its Allies?
Donald Trump’s America has so alienated our traditional allies that when Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump went to the Munich Security Conference this past week, they were humiliated on more than one occasion by a clearly hostile crowd. But our problem is not just that America is rejecting principles on which it has built its security for decades. Our allies are faltering and facing deep problems of their own. Brexit is the worst example. But everywhere you look there are others. That means we won’t just be able to hit reset when Trump leaves office (if he ever does). We may need to start from scratch with new ideas about new alliances for a much changed world. Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law and Ed Luce of the FT discuss whether there are any signs of those new ideas being cooked up now…anywhere. The answer is…well, let’s not spoil it for you. But bring a stiff drink (or several) for this one. Join us! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Feb 201944min

Traitors in Plain Sight
In America today we face the shocking reality that there are traitors at the highest level of our government selling out our country. What makes this more shocking is that depending on which party you are in, you see a different group of traitors. Incivility is so five years ago. We’re at the point where the goal is to send your opponents to jail. That said—the case against one set of traitors is pretty evident on its face and the case against the other is pretty cuckoo. But where does it all lead? Will it get worse? Is Mueller the answer? Or is focusing on fixing what really is broke in America the key. Join Edward Luce of the Financial Times, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University and journalist Sarah Kendzior of the Gaslit Nation podcast for a rousing discussion of our unsettled moment in history. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 Feb 201946min