This episode was recorded on February 20, 2026. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

This episode was recorded on January 29, 2026. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Interviews were recorded over the course of January 6–8, 2026. The views expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of their institutions or funders.

In this episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Georgia Kernell, an associate professor at UC Los Angeles, who offers a comparative look at how the U.S. political system operates, how its design solidifies the duopoly of the Democratic and Republican Parties, and how it differs from other systems. Kernell also discusses how the internal machinations of the two parties impact political participation and policy positions, as well as how outsiders have challenged party establishments.

This episode was recorded on October 15, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

In this episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Sheena (Chestnut) Greitens, associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, about China’s global aims and whether the country might challenge the United States as global security superpower. Greitens explores whether we are moving from a U.S.-led global order to a Chinese one—or are instead heading toward a more fragmented, leaderless world.

This episode was recorded on September 15, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

This episode was recorded on August 27, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

In this fourth and final episode of Talking Policy’s Technology and Global Security in the 21st Century miniseries, guest host Nicolas Wittstock speaks with Dr. Patricia Falcone, the deputy director for science and technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Together, they discuss the history and purpose of the national labs, and the critical role they play in American innovation and global leadership.

This episode was recorded on July 17, 2025. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

In the third episode of Talking Policy’s Technology and Global Security in the 21st Century miniseries, guest host Nicolas Wittstock speaks with Mark Schwartz, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, about whether current global conditions are right to catalyze a new tech-fueled growth wave, as new technologies like artificial intelligence and clean energy take root and great powers like China and the United States compete to set the global standards of the industries.

This episode was recorded on May 30, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

This episode was recorded on April 23, 2025. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

This interview was conducted on May 14, 2025. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

This episode was recorded on March 24, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

In this episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Rachel Hulvey, a postdoctoral fellow at the Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program and the Harvard Belfer International Security Program, who studies China's rise and influence on the international order. Together, they discuss how China is taking advantage of the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the global stage to position itself as a responsible global leader.

This interview was conducted on April 16, 2025 and has been edited for length and clarity.

In the first episode of Talking Policy’s new miniseries on Technology and Global Security in the 21st Century, guest host Nicolas Wittstock, a postdoctoral fellow at IGCC, speaks with William Bonvillian, a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about the U.S. government’s role in driving domestic innovation, and the challenges and potentials for American science and technology leadership in in the future.

This episode was recorded on March 21, 2025. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

On this episode of Talking Policy, UC San Diego distinguished professor and IGCC senior fellow David Lake shares a new theory about war that views them as less about “winning” and more as evidence of failure—an event in which everyone loses relative to agreements and compromises that might have been reached without fighting. In an era of growing global uncertainty; protracted wars in Europe, Africa, and beyond; and the threat of new wars, this new way of thinking may provide fresh clues about how to prevent conflicts from starting in the first place.

One year on, we’ve reunited Jesse with two of the same experts to reflect on another year of war. Paul D’Anieri is a professor of political science and public policy at UC Riverside, and author of Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War. Jess Peake is the director of the International Comparative Law Program at the UCLA School of Law and a recent Pulitzer Prize nominee for her article “War Crimes by Any Name” for Los Angeles Lawyer.

This interview was conducted on February 3, 2025. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Tai Ming Cheung, IGCC director and UC San Diego professor, examines the implications of a hawkish approach to China for Washington’s relationship with Beijing. Caroline Freund, dean of the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, looks ahead to what a nationalist trade policy could mean for the U.S. and global economy. IGCC postdoctoral fellow on technology and international security Nicolas Wittstock analyzes what an “energy dominance” agenda could imply for U.S. clean technology development and broader climate objectives. Rupal Mehta, chair of research and postdoctoral fellows program and senior fellow at the Center of Global Security Research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, discusses what “America First” could mean for the global security architecture and managing threats from U.S. adversaries. Finally, IGCC research director for democracy and global governance and UC San Diego distinguished research professor Stephan Haggard unpacks how Trump will manage U.S. leadership of the liberal international order amid heightened competition between democracies and autocracies.

These interviews were recorded over the course of January 7th to January 17th. The views expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of their institutions or funders.

This interview was conducted on November 4, 2024. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

This interview was conducted on August 28, 2024. The conversation was edited for length and clarity. 

In this special episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by three experts who have devoted much of their careers to nuclear weapons security. Alex Bell is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability at the U.S. State Department; Gov. Jerry Brown is the executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; and John Scott is a nuclear scientist who serves as Division Leader of X-Theoretical Design at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Together, they answer the question of how the world can step back from the nuclear brink.

In the fifth and final episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by the two leaders of IGCC’s Future of Democracy initiative, Emilie Hafner-Burton and Christina Schneider, who reflect on the state of American democracy and why it is worth protecting and strengthening. Emilie Hafner-Burton is a professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy and author of Making Human Rights a Reality. Christina Schneider is a professor of political science at UC San Diego, an expert in research on the domestic politics of international cooperation, and the author of two books, including The Responsive Union: National Elections and European Governance.

In the fourth episode of our podcast miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Stephan Haggard to analyze the track record of “strong states” that have elected populist leaders. Stephan is a research professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy and serves as research director for democracy and global governance at IGCC.

In the third episode of our podcast miniseries Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by Zoltan Hajnal, who explains how and why the discourse around immigration is so effective at overshadowing all other dividing lines in American politics and creating confusion and division throughout the country. Zoltan, a professor of political science at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, is author of White Backlash: Immigration, Race, and American Politics, and co-author of a new book: Race and Inequality in American Politics: An Imperfect Union.

In the second episode of our democracy miniseries, host Lindsay Shingler is joined by UCLA professor Marty Gilens, author of Democracy in America? What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It. Together, they look at the role of money in U.S. elections—and in American politics as a whole—and explore the corrosive impact it has on representation.

In the first episode of Talking Policy’s new miniseries, Democracy and Its Discontents, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Simone Chambers, a professor of political science at UC Irvine, about what disinformation is, and how it’s impacting voter trust—both in elections and in the institution of democracy itself. Chambers is the author of Wrecking the Public Sphere: The New Authoritarians’ Digital Attack on Pluralism and Truth (with Jeff Kopstein) and the new book Contemporary Democratic Theory.

U.S. democracy is facing unprecedented challenges. Political polarization is at its highest level in decades. An uncharted new media environment is spreading questionable information and undermining public trust. And profound economic and societal changes are prompting deep dissatisfaction with democratic institutions and procedures. What’s going on with democracy—and how can we save it?

For forty years, IGCC’s network of scholars from across the University of California has leveraged world-class academic expertise toward addressing the most serious matters of global security. As the world experiences reversals in democratic governance and a resurgence of authoritarianism, understanding the causes of U.S. democratic discontent could not be more salient to IGCC’s mission of utilizing rigorous research to help build a more peaceful and prosperous world.

This has been the year of the election, bringing half the world’s population to the polls in contests of varying degrees of legitimacy. As 2024 closes with a general election in the United States, we are releasing a five-episode Talking Policy podcast miniseries featuring in-depth conversations about the most pressing problems faced by U.S. democracy and how they can be addressed.

Democracy and Its Discontents will explore the spread of misinformation in political discourse, the influence of money on the U.S. electoral system, how political actors promote division and enmity, and how the rise of populist demagogues is testing democracies across the world. The series will place these challenges in historic context to ask if the risks to U.S. democracy are really so unprecedented and how we can reinvigorate the democratic ideals that the nation was founded upon.

This interview was conducted on August 6, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Robert Trager, the co-director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, International Governance Lead at the Centre for the Governance of AI, and Senior Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford about the risks and potential solutions.

This interview was conducted on June 4, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

In a new episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler talks with Dr. Pranab Bardhan, a distinguished professor emeritus of economics at UC Berkeley, about his book, A World of Insecurity: Democratic Disenchantment in Rich and Poor Countries. Bardhan shows that both cultural and economic insecurity are contributing to the trend of democratic backsliding, and offers perspectives on policies that would make citizens of democracies more secure while protecting the processes and norms of democratic governance.

This interview was conducted on April 16, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

This interview was conducted on March 27, 2024. The audio has been edited for length and clarity.

Jesse Driscoll is co-author of Ukraine’s Unnamed War: Before the Russian Invasion of 2022. Paul D’Anieri is the author of Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War. Jess Peake is a recent Pulitzer Prize nominee for her article “War Crimes by Any Name” for Los Angeles Lawyer.

This interview was conducted on January 31, 2024, with additional recording on February 13, 2024. The audio has been edited for length and clarity.

The State of the World is a special series on IGCC’s Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC’s 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.

Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

The State of the World is a special series on IGCC’s Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC’s 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.

Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

The State of the World is a special series on IGCC’s Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC’s 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠⁠IGCC⁠⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.

Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

The State of the World is a special series on IGCC’s Talking Policy podcast that explores the biggest global challenges that will shape our future. The series is part of a suite of activities celebrating IGCC’s 40th anniversary. Since 1983, ⁠IGCC⁠ scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.

Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

Since 1983, IGCC scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict and build a more peaceful world. To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’ve created The State of the World, a Talking Policy miniseries featuring faculty from across the University of California on the biggest global challenges that will shape our future.

In our first episode, Talking Policy host Lindsay Morgan speaks with Susan Shirk and Tai Ming Cheung to assess the state of U.S.-China relations, as a more assertive China and elections in the United States signal a transforming relationship. Susan is the founding chair of the 21st Century China Center, a research professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, and director emeritus of IGCC. Tai is the current director of IGCC, and a professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego.

Archival audio used in this series is from NPR; the University of California, Irvine, audio recordings collection; Freesound.org; the Internet Archive; the Library of Congress; and the United States Government. Used with permission, where applicable. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

In his fourth Dispatch from Taiwan, James Lee, IGCC affiliate and assistant research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica in Taipei, shares insights into the election and results from a recent survey of Taiwanese citizens. This interview was recorded on November 16, 2023, and December 6, 2023.

Since 1983, IGCC scholars from across the University of California and the UC-managed National Labs have used rigorous research, training, and policy engagement to improve policies and practices in ways that help reduce conflict, foster global cooperation, and build a more peaceful world.

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we are creating a Talking Policy miniseries that will give listeners access to expert analysis—without the jargon. Simple, punchy interviews will help unpack these daunting questions and put things happening locally—whether in Los Angeles, Lagos, or Lausanne—into a broader context of what’s happening globally.

The series will explore threats to democracy, as well as democratic resilience; the global implications of China’s rise; nuclear weapons proliferation and how to limit their spread and use; and the security implications of climate change.

This interview was recorded on Sept. 29, 2023.

Barry Naughton co-leads IGCC research on China's science, technology, innovation, and industrial policy and is an economist at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy.