The Missing Piece [International]

Since Donald Trump started his second term in 2025, the entire world very much anticipated more uncertainties and political shifts. Nations in Southeast Asia and Europe are still having a hard time in understanding the "MAGA" impact, owing to Trump's political ambitions. Meanwhile, nations like Argentina and Brazil are the two best examples, when it comes to political alliance and economic hurdles. In this brand-new episode, Professor Kurt Weyland joins the show to talk more from his amazing book. Kurt Weyland is Professor of Government and Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford (1991) and has conducted extensive field research in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, and Venezuela. His work has drawn considerable inspiration from cognitive-psychological insights and has increasingly combined political science with historical analysis. His amazing book is called "Democracy’s Resilience to Populism’s Threat."

Ian Trottier is one talented Podcaster and an amazing author. His new book is called "High Stakes Treason: How John Brennan Compromised American Security for Millions." In this book, Ian presents verified open-source information to show former CIA Director John O. Brennan conducted a long-term criminal scheme to manipulate intelligence protocols and key counterterrorism (CT) personnel to increase the value of stock he held illegally to make millions. Brennan repeatedly filed, or caused to be filed, false official statements to hide his illegal ownership of stock in an indispensable government contracting company while maintaining his control over the CT initiatives of the Obama Administration—a clear conflict of interest. Ian Trottier joins the latest show to talk more about his amazing book.

President Donald Trump is making his greater efforts to make America great and workable, especially for the Middle-Class. He is laser-focused on immigration policies and economic balance to ensure the societal fairness. Meanwhile, his interests in shaping Iran should not be underestimated, period. one thing Trump must realize is the fact that Iran's politics and economy is way more complicated than the US. Does Iran's transformation needs the support of US? Is Trump making Iran greater than ever? Jamsheed K. Choksy is Distinguished Professor of Iranian and Central Eurasian Studies in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and Director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University.

If President Donald Trump were to come to China in October to attend the Chinese National Day Celebration, experts believe the political and the economic relationship between the two nations would be greatly improved. As President Trump continues to deal with international and domestic chaos, China is a key player. Meanwhile, China's economic ties with Russia indeed worries the West. How about the military alliance between China and Russia? Is NATO going to beef up to support Ukraine these days? In this brand-new episode, Dr. Michael Patrick, as one renowned international journalist, and a professor of leadership joins the show to share his insights.

American President Donald Trump voiced frustration Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to launch attacks in Ukraine after having “very pleasant” phone calls in which Putin indicated a desire to reach a peace agreement. Once again, Putin appears to have badly miscalculated, much in the same way that the Iranian mullahs miscalculated when they tried to drag out nuclear negotiations with the United States. Trump is showing that he is not afraid to punish countries when he concludes that they are not dealing in good faith. In this brand-new episode, in addition to the war in Ukraine, China is also the center of the conversation. Dr. Alexander Motyl is an American historian, political scientist. He is professor of political science at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey and a specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the Soviet Union.

Rumor has it that sitting American President Donald Trump is invited to attend the "National Holiday Celebration" in Beijing in September. It could be seen as a golden opportunity for Xi and Trump to re-patch the limbo relationship, owing to the ongoing disagreements in trade and politics. Meanwhile, war in Ukraine seems to demand more attention from Trump, rather than Xi. Trump is hoping Xi could be a key player to "end" the war. Is Russia willing to speak to China, regarding the desire to overcome Ukraine? Will Trump play the card wisely to ensure the healthful relationship between China and the US? In this episode, all the questions will be answered. Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcn9R6zigqqIGeqrM4kr-0A

As we continue to witness the political polarization in America, it is rather puzzling and perplexing to understand some of the changes under the Trump administration. It is one thing to modify the historical content, it is taking a big risk to "re-write" the history of the nation. Harriet Tubman, one of the well-known heroes during the Civil War, is facing some major political criticism. Only few could understand how Trump' team are making the "right move." In this episode, Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, joins our show to talk more. Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black is a specialist in the transnational history of West Africa rice, peasant farmers in the pre-colonial Upper Guinea coast and enslaved laborers on antebellum Lowcountry South Carolina and Georgia rice plantations. She is the author of the new book called "COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War."

As the whole world continues to follow the war between Israel and Iran, there seems to be certain expectations that America" ought to" be the example to protect democracy, no matter what the cost can be. Historically speaking, wars used to drive the nations apart, politically. Nowadays, wars continue to be the main reason for political polarization. In his new book "Untied Hands," Dr. Dan Reiter dived into the fact that not all wars should be "celebrated," instead, some wars ought to be avoided. In this episode, Dr. Reiter will explain the facts and research in this amazing book. Dr. Dan Reiter is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Political Science at Emory University. His scholarly interests include interstate conflict, gender and international relations, civil-military relations, alliances, military effectiveness, public opinion and foreign policy, war termination, and others. His new book is called "Untied Hands: How States Avoid the Wrong Wars."

On Saturday night, the United States bombed three nuclear sites in Iran at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, ending weeks of speculation about whether the US military would join the Israeli war on Iran that began more than a week ago. This time, Iran responded by saying that they no longer sit quietly and wait for the results. What will happen next to Iran and the US is rather crucial for the entire world. Will Israel change Iranian political base? Is Iran going to fight back against America? Jamsheed K. Choksy is a Distinguished Professor, former Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, former Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, and current Director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center (US Title VI) at Indiana University - Bloomington. In 2008, he was nominated by President George W. Bush to the National Council on the Humanities and served as a member of the council until 2019.

According to Dr. Vali Nasr, author of the new book "Iran's Grand Strategy," the ongoing war between Israel and Iran indeed alarmed the entire world, and it looks like Israel is looking for a regime change for Iran. Meanwhile, America is standing at a crossroad, in terms of balancing between maintaining the close ties with Israel and inviting Iran to the negotiation table. Will the US achieve both goals? How should we understand so-called "Grand Strategy" behind Iran? In this amazing episode, Dr. Nasr and Will are going to get deeper on those critical matters.

There is no surprise that sitting American President Donald Trump is the fan of tariff, which is causing massive international concerns and economic hurdles. Based on the 2nd round of talk between US and China, both sides agreed that trade relationships are far more important than anything else. Meanwhile, by placing more tariffs on other nations, is Trump violating the Constitutional rights? How should we understand Trump's power? Will the international community overlook Trump's power hunger? Ilya Somin is an American legal scholar. He is a law professor at George Mason University, B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, a blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy, and a former co-editor of the Supreme Court Economic Review.

After the major fallout between the sitting US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the world wonders how such major political conflict will impact the economic and the political future of the nation. Meanwhile, as we continue to discuss how Trump is delegating the domestic and the international affairs, it is worth noticing how soft power might bring charms to the full effective. Not all the countries in the world buy into the charm, take China for example. China has been rather bold and straightforward when it comes to sovereignty and economic growth, without being intimidated by the US. Our special guest is Professor Robert Keohane. Professor Keohane is the Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at Princeton University and an Associate at the Harvard Center for International Affairs. In this exciting episode, he is going to share more. Youtubelink: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcn9R6zigqqIGeqrM4kr-0A

According to the reliable source, Chinese delegates will meet with the American representatives in London on June 9th for the 2nd round of conversation, regarding the ongoing economic tension between the two nations. Based on the phone call between Donald Trump and Xi Jin Ping, both sides are willing to work out the details, lowering the temperature before it is too "unbearable." In this episode, I will talk to Dr. Michael Patrick, who closely follows the trade war between Beijing and the US. Plus, how should we access the situation in Taiwan these days? Will Trump learn to read Xi's mind these days? Please follow our show, and leave your comments.

Sandwiched between China and the US, Vietnam is facing more pressure lately, regarding strengthening the economic relationships for both US and China. It is rather crucial for Vietnam to balance the relationship between those two economic powers. At the same time, Vietnam continues to be the hot spot for manufacturing and the central spot for international trade. Is Vietnam facing more pressure these days? How should Vietnam "please" China and the US, without losing any partners? Dr. Hai Hong Nguyen is currently a senior lecturer of politics, social change, and international relations in the College of Arts and Sciences at VinUniversity in Vietnam. He is a political scientist and an experienced lecturer/researcher in politics and international relations. Prior to joining VinUniversity, Dr. Nguyen held different positions in Vietnam and Australia as senior lecturer, international development manager/specialist. Currently, he is one amazing fellow at the American University.

When it comes to diplomacy, it is a lot harder these days, since the games are no longer played fairly around the world. The current economic uncertainties and political polarization indeed are pushing more Americans, and international audience to think about the strategies, in terms of dealing with wars and conflicts. Trump's diplomacy could work, but how should the strategies better fit into the bigger picture? Is Trump a true blessings for the global order? Ryan Griffiths focuses on the dynamics of secession and the study of sovereignty, state systems, and international order. He teaches a variety of courses in international relations. His two recent books include: (1) The Disunited States: Threats of Secession in Red and Blue America and Why They Won't Work (Oxford University Press, 2025); and (2) Before Colonization: Non-Western States and Systems in the Nineteenth Century (Columbia University Press, 2025, with Charles Butcher). Previously, he taught at both the University of Sydney in Australia and at John Hopkins University.

Sitting US President Donald Trump's recent trip to the Middle East seemed rather fruitful and productive, regarding his foreign policies to those critical regions. Trump has been using unorthodox approach to deal with allies and foes these days, which is rather unconventional to the realists in the international community. Based on the close-door information, Trump's teams are de facto divided by realists and neoconservatives. How should we evaluate his trip to the Middle East? How about the reactions fro Israel? How will BiBi balance his political and personal ties with the US? Professor Jamsheed K. Choksy is a Distinguished Professor, former Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, former Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, and current Director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center at Indiana University - Bloomington.

The obsession to Canada from sitting US President Donald Trump is getting more complicated, despite the fact that Canadian officials made crystal clear that Canada is, and will never be for sale. The friction between Trump and Canada is less likely to go away soon. Meanwhile, historically speaking, American founding fathers had their shots to "acquire" Canada, too. How did that go? Why did Ben Franklin insist on getting the land from Canada? It is all in the brand-new episode of The Missing Piece.

More than 100 days, sitting US President Donald Trump continues to boast about his political agenda, as well as his economic progress for the American people. Despite the constant criticism from the left, Trump uses his power to generate much louder noises, and seeks ways to boost his political base. In this episode, we invited Dr. Alexander Motyl, a historian and political scientist, shares his feelings and thoughts about Trump, Ukraine, and the future of America.

In this brand-new episode, Will and Michael talked about American President Donald Trump's 100 day performance, and why China should sit down with American leaders, regarding de-escalation the economic tension between the two nations. Plus, why should more American kids be more motivated to go to colleges or universities, since the tuition rates are still increasing? How should we understand the value of international talents from both nations?

US President Trump officially "celebrated" first 100 days by claiming economic and political victory, while more voters today are still questioning the future of the nation. Too often, we believe that democracy is going to work when all the pieces are together, without violating constitutional rights. However, another type of political trend is quietly taking place around the world - Illiberalism. How should we understand that? Why is it concerning to all of us at this moment? Dr. Steven Howard Hahn is Professor of History at New York University. He just came out with a new book, regarding the history of Illiberalism.