Show Notes
On February 24, 2022, the Russian army invaded Ukraine in what would become the largest attack on a European country since World War II. Last year, IGCC assembled a roundtable of experts led by guest host Jesse Driscoll, an associate professor of political science at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, for a conversation to mark the second anniversary of the invasion. 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.
More from Talking Policy
Why do people believe the things they do, and how do those beliefs affect how they vote? In this second episode of our Talking Policy miniseries on U.S. elections, guest host Georgia Kernell is joined by professors Ben Bishin and Jennifer Merolla at the University of California, Riverside for a closer look at how group identities shape voters' attitudes and behaviors at the ballot box. They argue that political messaging that emphasizes a common plight—such as economic policy issues—may be the key to uniting a currently divided American public. This episode was recorded on September 15, 2026, with additional recording on October 14, 2026. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
Political campaigns in the United States devote millions of dollars to advertising and media strategies in an attempt to influence voters. But can the media truly change the way voters see the world and what they do at the ballot box? In this first episode of a new Talking Policy miniseries on U.S. elections, guest host Georgia Kernell, a political scientist at UCLA, is joined by Stuart Soroka and Lynn Vavreck to examine the information environment surrounding U.S. elections, and how even the smallest persuasive effects or changes to the media ecosystem can lead to major impacts on the political landscape. This episode was recorded on April 2, 2026, with additional recording on October 8, 2026. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
In September 2026, UC Press published the second IGCC-led issue of Current History, a century-old magazine of global affairs. The issue features a collection examining rising strains in civil-military relations in the United States and other democracies, where militaries are being pulled into undemocratic politics. On this episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler speaks with two scholars of civil-military relations and contributing authors to the September issue, Rebecca Best and Lindsay Cohn, about the changing relationship between the U.S. military, political leadership, and the American public. They examine the forces driving the politicization of the armed forces; what the structure and traditions of the U.S. military reveal about its role in a democratic society; and how recent controversies—including the removal of senior military officers and the deployment of troops in American cities—are testing longstanding norms surrounding civilian control, military professionalism, and public trust in the armed forces. This episode was recorded on September 2, 2026. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
In July, IGCC hosted the 36th Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD) in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1993 to reduce the risk of conflict in Northeast Asia and beyond, the convening brought together scholars and current and former officials from China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. What are the forces reshaping Northeast Asia’s security landscape—and how do they look from Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Moscow, and Washington? In this special episode of Talking Policy, host Lindsay Shingler sits down with an expert from each of the five countries represented at NEACD to explore the questions that animated this year’s discussions and what they reveal about the region’s changing geopolitical order. These interviews were recorded over the course of July 23-24, 2026, with additional recording on August 6, 2026. The episode has been edited for length and clarity.
In a moment when discussions about the shifting global order are crowded by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf; the rise of China; and the repositioning of the United States and Europe—the role of Africa in the international system is often overlooked. On this episode of Talking Policy, Stephan Haggard, IGCC research director and senior editor of Current History, speaks with Folashadé Soulé, a contributing author to the July 2026 issue of the UC Press journal that is now under the editorial management of IGCC. Soulé shows how African states have used diplomacy, regional organizations, and international law to advance sovereignty, challenge global power imbalances, and expand Africa’s influence on the global stage. This episode was recorded on July 7, 2026. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.