World Review with Ivo Daalder

The panel assesses the Middle East after years of regional war, asking whether Israel’s military gains have come at the expense of lasting security, political stability, and international support. They also discuss how the conflict has reshaped American politics and weakened confidence in U.S. leadership across the region.

The conversation then turns to Ukraine, where battlefield developments, pressure on civilian infrastructure, and proposed business deals with Russia raise new questions about the path to peace. Finally, the group considers the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in Congo and whether a more inward-looking U.S. response could leave both America and the world less prepared.
Links
Matthew Kaminski - https://cepa.org/author/matthew-kaminski/
Anton Troianovski - https://www.nytimes.com/by/anton-troianovski
Yasmeen Abutaleb - https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/yasmeen-abutaleb/
Ivo Daalder - https://www.ivodaalder.com/
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs — belfercenter.org
World Review with Ivo Daalder — belfercenter.org/world-review-ivo-daalder

China, Iraq, and Brexit: three shifts with global consequences
Ivo Daalder is joined by Ken Moriyasu, Carla Anne Robbins, and Giles Whittell to examine the strategy and symbolism behind three major international stories. The panel discusses Xi Jinping’s Washington visit and how the language around World War II could support Beijing’s preferred historical narrative. They consider whether the White House understood the significance of its messaging, and what the summit reveals about the wider U.S.-China relationship. The conversation then turns to the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The guests explore whether the move benefits Iran, what it could mean for Iraq’s security and the fight against ISIS, and how American allies might interpret Washington’s changing commitments. Finally, they look at Britain’s revived Brexit debate. With economic growth and trade increasingly central to the discussion, the panel considers what renewed EU ties could mean for the UK—and what rejoining would require.
In this episode:
Xi’s visit and the politics of historical narratives
U.S.-China competition and strategic messaging
The consequences of the U.S. exit from Iraq
Iran’s influence, Iraqi security, and the ISIS threat
Britain’s changing debate about Brexit and EU membership
What these stories suggest about U.S. global priorities
Guests:
Ken Moriyasu, Carla Anne Robbins, and Giles Whittell

Key Topics
What Trump’s UN speech and meeting with Xi tell us about the current state of diplomacy
How seriously to take Europe’s warnings about Russian threats
The challenges NATO faces in deterring—and responding to—gray-zone attacks
Whether Germany’s far-right gains foreshadow a wider European trend
Why cultural identity and distrust of established parties are reshaping politics
Links
Karen DeYoung - https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/karen-deyoung/
Steve Erlanger - https://www.nytimes.com/by/steven-erlanger
Jamie Dettmer - https://www.politico.eu/staff/jamie-dettmer-3/
Ivo Daalder - https://www.ivodaalder.com/
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs — belfercenter.org
World Review with Ivo Daalder — belfercenter.org/world-review-ivo-daalder

Key Topics
Martin Wolf argues that the Fed’s move is politically significant as much as economically justified, because Donald Trump’s demand for 1 percent rates is, in his words, “insane.”
Missy Ryan adds that Trump’s economic focus seems centered less on inflation itself and more on the stock market and the AI boom, especially with the midterms looming.
Peter Spiegel links Fed policy to the broader debt and tech borrowing picture, arguing that AI spending may be helping prop up markets even as it pushes rates higher.
The panel debates whether higher rates can really fight a global inflation environment shaped by war, oil prices, and supply shocks.
On Canada and Europe, Peter Spiegel says Mark Carney’s approach is partly symbolic but politically powerful, since it has helped rally Canadian patriotism against Trump.
Missy Ryan stresses that Canada’s stance is rooted in sovereignty and values, but also constrained by how tightly integrated the Canadian and U.S. economies remain.
Martin Wolf argues Europe is in a very different position from Canada because most of its trade is internal, and it could survive even a major rupture with the United States.
The discussion returns repeatedly to the question of permanence: is Trump’s approach a temporary disruption, or a long-term reordering of U.S. alliances and trade policy?
In the Saudi segment, Missy Ryan describes the Houthi conflict and the Iran war as a destabilizing force that has widened old regional fractures and exposed U.S. limits.
Peter Spiegel raises the possibility that Gulf states may respond by diversifying security ties and increasing their own defense spending, even if China is not yet able to replace the United States.
Martin Wolf suggests that if the United States becomes unreliable, regional powers may eventually move closer to Iran and a broader regional balance of power, rather than count on Washington.
The episode closes on oil prices, with Wolf arguing that while the market could still worsen, it has so far adjusted better than expected and may not reach the catastrophic levels many feared.
Links
Missy Ryan - https://www.theatlantic.com/author/missy-ryan/
Martin Wolf - https://www.ft.com/martin-wolf
Peter Spiegel - https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/peter-spiegel/
Ivo Daalder - https://www.ivodaalder.com/
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs — belfercenter.org
World Review with Ivo Daalder — belfercenter.org/world-review-ivo-daalder

Key Topics
Nicholas Burns recounts being the new U.S. ambassador to NATO when the attacks happened and describes the urgent push to invoke Article V for the first time in NATO history.
Meghan L. O’Sullivan explains how 9/11 helped push a generation of foreign policy professionals into government and public service, including her own move from Brookings to the State Department.
Juliette Kayyem recalls being on maternity leave and on an Amtrak train to New York when the attacks unfolded.
The group discusses how 9/11 changed the American national security mindset from treating terrorism as a niche issue to making it a central organizing concern.
O’Sullivan breaks down the evolution of the phrases “you’re with us or against us” and “the war on terror,” arguing that both became more problematic over time than they were at the moment they were first used.
Burns emphasizes that NATO allies were unified immediately after the attacks and that Canada was the first country to raise the idea of invoking Article V.
The guests contrast the diplomatic and alliance-based response to 9/11 with the later turn toward preemption, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq.
O’Sullivan explains why the Iraq invasion cannot be understood apart from the post-9/11 atmosphere, even if the Iraq-9/11 connection itself was not proven.
Kayyem describes the creation of homeland security as a major structural shift, from fragmented local and federal systems to a more centralized architecture with FEMA, the FBI, state homeland security advisors, and fusion-style coordination.
The panel argues that domestic terrorism, political violence, technology, and radicalization now pose different challenges than the international terrorism focus that dominated the years after 9/11.
Burns warns that the State Department and broader foreign policy bureaucracy have been weakened, arguing that America needs experienced diplomats and allies more than ever.
The conversation closes with a shared lesson: America is strongest when it relies on friends, coordinates across institutions, and resists making the military the sole organizing principle of foreign policy.
Links
Juliette Kayyem - https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/juliette-kayyem
Meghan L. O'Sullivan - https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/meghan-osullivan
Nicholas Burns - https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/nicholas-burns
Ivo Daalder - https://www.ivodaalder.com/
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs — belfercenter.org
World Review with Ivo Daalder — belfercenter.org/world-review-ivo-daalder