The Rationale

Three years after the first Russian troops entered Ukraine, a ceasefire is in the works. The Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have shown tremendous bravery in defying all odds in the defense of their nation. Ordinary citizens have turned soldiers. And the Russians have been left red-faced.And yet, the challenges remain. With Donald Trump’s embrace of the Kremlin, American support for Ukraine is no longer a guarantee. Many worry that a ceasefire mediated by the Trump White House is more than likely to be partial to Putin’s terms. And then there’s the larger question of the future of NATO and America’s commitment to defending Europe.To discuss these themes, I have a very special guest joining me on the podcast. Steven Pifer is the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. A retired Foreign Service officer with over 25 years at the State Department, he has served as Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and as Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia on the National Security Council. Today, he’s an affiliate at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and a senior fellow at Brookings.The Rationale is hosted by Kshitij Betjewargi.You can always reach out to the host at kshitij@therationalepodcast.com.

Are we witnessing a hostile takeover of the American-led order by an American president? Is there a coordinated effort among right-wing populist leaders worldwide to reject the liberal international order? Can the United States weather this storm and ensure the endurance of Pax Americana?In part two of this episode, I sat down with Dr. John Ikenberry, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is the Co-Director of Princeton’s Center for International Security Studies, a Global Eminence Scholar at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea, and a former Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford.One of the foremost scholars of the liberal international order, Professor Ikenberry described Donald Trump as a "narcissist who filters the world through his own ego." And yet, he remains optimistic, arguing that America’s singular role in the world cannot be so easily dismissed.

It hasn’t even been two months since Donald Trump set foot in the Oval Office again, and all hell has broken loose. All bets are off, and the script hasn’t just been flipped—it’s been tossed in the bin. Common sense and decency, you ask? What are those again?In this episode, I'm asking some simple but pretty controversial questions: Can the world order established by the United States and its allies at the end of World War II—some 80 years ago—survive four years of Donald Trump? Does it even have a place anymore? And if it can’t, will the twilight of the ‘American Age’ have come at the hands of an American president?I’m fortunate to be joined by a leading scholar of international relations. Professor William Wohlforth is the Daniel Webster Professor of Government at Dartmouth College. He has written extensively on U.S. foreign policy, great-power politics, and international security. He was the editor-in-chief of Security Studies and has previously taught at Georgetown and Princeton University.Be sure to check out part two of this episode—a conversation with Professor John Ikenberry, who teaches Politics and International Affairs at Princeton.

With Joe Biden having dropped out of the race for the White House, how well placed is Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump? Do race and gender give Harris an edge over Trump, or will they only reinforce the conservatives’ belief that the nation is being stolen from them under their noses? What is to say that a Harris vs Trump match won’t be a repeat of the 2016 Hillary Clinton vs Trump contest? And if Trump does win the Presidency, what does that mean for the oldest democracy in the modern world? In a world where America is seen as being on the decline, what further havoc can a Trump presidency unleash?These are some of the questions I ask my guest, Dr. Charles Kupchan. Dr Kupchan is a Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Between 2014-2017, he served as Special Assistant to President Barack Obama, working closely with Joe Biden, who was then the Vice President. He’s also held senior positions on the National Security Council under both Obama and Bill Clinton.I’m hoping you’ll enjoy my conversation with him as much as I have.The Rationale is hosted by Kshitij Betjewargi.You can always write to the host at kshitij@therationalepodcast.com.

Justin Trudeau has accused India of the murder of a Canadian Khalistan advocate on Canadian soil.Makes for an interesting premiere episode, doesn't it?I interview Mr. Bryan Passifiume, Parliament Bureau Reporter at Canada's National Post and ask him what he makes of Trudeau's decision to accuse India as publicly as he did, without presenting any evidence. We discuss how relevant the Sikh vote in Canada is, how much influence the NDP's Jagmeet Singh exercises, and whether criticisms of 'politics of appeasement' hold any water. I also ask him why Ottawa does not view Khalistan proponents as a security threat to itself, despite the history of the 1985 Air India bombing. We broach on the question of securitization with regard to the minority Sikh community and discuss how differently the secessionist movements in our countries have panned out. I also ask Mr. Passifiume what this episode tell us about where India and Canada stand in the hierarchy of international power politics. And finally, we discuss the real lives at stake here, about how ordinary Sikhs are likely to be affected by a major international incident such as this one.The Rationale is hosted by Kshitij Betjewargi. You can always reach out to the host at kshitij@therationalepodcast.com. 'The Rationale OST' was produced by the host .