The President’s Inbox

This episode unpacks the unique challenges faced by women leaders, their contributions to democracy, and the critical lessons they offer in the fight against authoritarianism.

 

Enter the CFR book giveaway by July 8, 2026, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Women in Power by Linda Robinson. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.

 

Host:

James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

 

Guest:

Linda Robinson, Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy, CFR; Author, Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism

 

We Discuss:

Why women's political representation has stalled at roughly 27 percent in the world's legislatures.

How right-wing authoritarianism and the normalization of violent misogyny have combined to create ferocious headwinds for women in politics.

Whether women govern differently from men, and what the research reveals about their attentiveness to health, education, welfare, and climate issues.

Why rolling back women's rights is central to authoritarian and right-wing movements, and why playing the "misogyny card" proves so effective, even among women voters.

Why some of the most prominent nationalist movements—in Italy, France, and Germany—are led by women, and how right-leaning figures like Giorgia Meloni complicate the picture.

How authoritarian governments use hybrid warfare and gendered disinformation against women leaders, including Chinese campaigns against Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen and Russian campaigns against Moldova's Maia Sandu.

Which common themes emerge among successful women leaders.

Which policy reforms could strengthen both democracy and women's political participation.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Linda Robinson, Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism, Columbia University Press

 

Sanna Marin, Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead, Scribner

 

“Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy,” Freedom House

 

“Expanding Representation: Reinventing Congress for the 21st Century,” American Academy of Arts and Sciences

 

“TAKE IT DOWN Act (S.146),” U.S. Congress

 

“The Digital Services Act,” European Commission

 

“First Five,” HBO Max

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/women-in-power

 

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode unpacks whether Ukraine has turned the tide against Russia on the battlefield and assesses the new security relationship between Ukraine and Europe.

 

Host:

James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

 

Guest:

Liana Fix, Senior Fellow for Europe, CFR

 

We Discuss:

The state of the battlefield in Ukraine after four and a half years of war.

How Ukraine’s drone strategy has evolved from frontline attacks to strikes deep inside Russia.

Why Russia has failed to achieve its goals on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

Growing frustration among the Russian elite and what it signals about Putin's position.

What U.S. intelligence sharing still provides Ukraine and why direct military aid has effectively ended.

How European countries have filled the military support gap left by the United States.

Whether European support for Ukraine is politically sustainable.

What escalation options Putin has left.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Jack Watling, "Ukraine Turns the Tide," Foreign Affairs

 

Sauli Niinistö, "Safer Together: Strengthening Europe's Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness," European Commission

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/ukraine-turns-the-tide

 

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode unpacks how a major Ebola outbreak in Central Africa exposed critical gaps in global health surveillance and assesses U.S. preparedness for future biological threats.

 

Host:

James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

 

Guest:

Thomas J. Bollyky, Bloomberg Chair in Global Health; Senior Fellow for International Economics, Law, and Development; and Director of the Global Health Program

 

We Discuss:

 

The current state of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, and why the case count was already high by the time authorities reported it.

Why governments are often slow to report cases during outbreaks, and what delayed reporting may have cost in this instance.

Why the WHO has discouraged trade and travel restrictions.

How the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO is shaping a more limited response.

Whether China is stepping in to fill the global health leadership gap left by U.S. institutional withdrawal.

What the politicization of mRNA vaccine technology means for the U.S. ability to respond to future outbreaks that require rapid vaccine deployment.

How artificial intelligence creates opportunities to accelerate global health responses, but also introduces new risks like engineered pathogens.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

CDC Health Alert: Ebola Disease Outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, May 19, 2026

 

WHO Disease Outbreak News: Ebola caused by Bundibugyo Virus, DRC and Uganda, May 21, 2026

 

WHO Declaration of Public Health Emergency of International Concern, May 17, 2026

 

Bollyky et al., "Assessing COVID-19 pandemic policies and behaviours and their economic and educational trade-offs across US states from Jan 1, 2020, to July 31, 2022: an observational analysis," The Lancet

 

CDC Mobilizes International Response Following Ebola Disease Outbreak, May 18, 2026

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/americas-ebola-preparedness

 

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode unpacks how the Marshall Plan transformed postwar Western Europe and why security, allied cooperation, and forward thinking were the real keys to its enduring success.

 

To mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence, CFR is dedicating a yearlong series of articles, videos, podcasts, events, and special projects that will reflect on two and a half centuries of U.S. foreign policy. Featuring bipartisan voices and expert contributors, the series explores the evolution of America’s role in the world and the strategic challenges that lie ahead.

 

Host:

James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

 

Guest:

Benn Steil, Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics, CFR

 

We Discuss:

How the British Empire’s rapid collapse in early 1947 forced the United States to assume responsibility for Western European security.

What George Marshall’s six weeks of negotiations in Moscow revealed about Soviet intentions in Germany and Western Europe.

How Marshall deliberately crafted the plan’s offer to include the Soviet Union while ensuring Soviet leader Joseph Stalin would reject it.

How Congress, controlled by Republicans, was persuaded to support a massive foreign aid program from a Democratic administration.

Whether the Marshall Plan's $13 billion actually explains Western Europe’s economic recovery in the late 1940s.

What role NATO played in making the Marshall Plan work, and why the French and British insisted on security guarantees before cooperating.

Why security has to precede economic reconstruction—and what Afghanistan and Iraq  reveal about ignoring that lesson.

What Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.’s 1947 prediction about sustained alliances tells us about the stakes of U.S. foreign policy today.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

The 10 Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

 

Benn Steil, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War

 

George Kennan’s Long Telegram, February 22, 1946

 

“Sinews of Peace (‘Iron Curtain’ Speech).” at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946.

 

Harry Truman, “The Truman Doctrine,” Address to Congress, March 12, 1947

 

George C. Marshall, Commencement Address at Harvard University June 5, 1947

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/america-at-250-the-marshall-plan

 

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

This episode unpacks how Africa's demographic surge, critical mineral wealth, and expanding security threats are reshaping its relevance to U.S. foreign policy in the twenty-first century.

 

Host:

James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

 

Guest:

Michelle Gavin, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, CFR

 

We Discuss:

Why U.S. policy has historically treated engagement with Africa as an option rather than a strategic priority.

How Africa's demographic growth is reshaping its position in the global order.

Why maritime chokepoints around Africa are increasingly critical to global commerce.

How other powers, including China, Turkey, and the Gulf states, are outpacing the United States in building African partnerships.

What Africa's critical mineral resources mean for the green transition and for African domestic politics.

How the United States can balance working with political elites while remaining relevant to broader African publics.

What the diminished U.S. response to the current Ebola outbreak reveals about American policy choices.

Why job creation should be the organizing principle for any coherent U.S. strategy toward the continent.

 

Mentioned on the Episode:

 

Michelle Gavin, "The New African Power Map," cfr.org

 

Michelle Gavin, The Age of Change: How Urban Youth Are Transforming African Politics

 

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/why-the-us-needs-an-africa-strategy

 

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.