Podcast · Business

The Truth of the Matter

by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies · English · Business

A weekly analysis of the complex policy issues driving the news.

New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 23 min
Latest: 10 Jul 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Jul 2025 · 31 min

AI Competition and Security: A discussion with Kemba Walden and Devin Lynch

“We’re in a whole tangled mess…we’ve gotten ourselves into a tangled mess around not just securing our infrastructure, but also around competition for the pieces of our infrastructure.” AI has become a cornerstone of modern defense, economic security, commerce, and more. But without effective cybersecurity strategies, the technology that has helped drive U.S. innovation and productivity could become our Achilles heel. Kemba Walden, president of the Paladin Global Institute and former Acting National Cyber Director, and Devin Lynch, senior director of the Paladin Global Institute and former…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

3 Jul 2025 · 16 min
Keeping Our Beaches Clean with the Surfrider Foundation
This summer, millions of Americans will head to the beach to beat the heat. But how clean is the water they're swimming in? At many beaches, especially on the East Coast, water quality is rarely tested for bacteria, pollution, and other health hazards that may be dangerous to both beachgoers and the many species that live in marine habitats. While the importance of clean drinking water is a well-known issue, pollution in swimming water has also become a serious public health issue in some areas of the United States, even causing national security issues for Navy SEALs, Border Patrol…
30 Jun 2025 · 25 min
NATO’s “Brain-Dead” Summit
“I think what happened here is Europeans made a lot of commitments that they don’t have any intention of fulfilling—at least in the near term—and this is all about appeasing President Trump to keep him engaged with the NATO alliance.” At the recent summit in The Hague, Netherlands, NATO allies agreed to spend a target 5 percent of GDP on defense in a win for Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed the belief that European NATO allies are not spending enough. Was this a mistake—and can European nations afford to follow through?CSIS’s Max Bergmann, director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and…
30 Jun 2025 · 22 min
Did U.S. Strikes Prevent an Iranian Bomb—or Provoke One?
“The word ‘obliteration’ is being used a lot…I think there’s a little more nuance to it.” Intelligence assessments from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran, and the United States have provided competing accounts of the functionality of Fordow, Iran’s critical uranium refinement site, and the Iranian nuclear program as a whole. The intelligence community still has a lot of blanks to fill in, including the extent of the damage to various Iranian nuclear sites, the state of Iran’s missile arsenal, and how much of a setback this represents for Iran’s nuclear program. CSIS’s Heather…
26 Jun 2025 · 29 min
Is Ideology Blinding Iran to Reality?
“They didn’t understand the essence of Israel, and they are now dead.” Are Iran and regional terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah considering the reality of Israel’s military posture and motivations? Iran may have underestimated Israel’s willingness to launch a surprise attack like the one that started the 12-day war, but with a fragile ceasefire in place, it is unclear whether Tehran’s military calculus has changed. Ambassador Dennis Ross, counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and best known for serving in five U.S.…
25 Jun 2025 · 14 min
Emergency Podcast: How Degraded is Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Program?
CSIS Missile Threat Program director Tom Karako joins the podcast to assess conflicting reports about the degradation of Iran’s nuclear and missile program and how soon Iran may be able to rebuild.
24 Jun 2025 · 25 min
12-Day War: Now What?
CSIS’s Jon Alterman, a longtime Middle East scholar and geopolitical expert, joins the podcast to discuss potential outcomes from Israel and Iran’s 12-day war and shaky ceasefire. Key question: Does the conflict and ceasefire make the world a safer place and reduce nuclear proliferation, or does it possibly increase nuclear proliferation?
23 Jun 2025 · 15 min
Emergency Podcast: Iran Strikes Back
CSIS Middle East Program Director Mona Yacoubian joins the podcast to discuss Monday’s strike by Iran on Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American military installation in the Middle East and the broader strategic implications of the conflict.
20 Jun 2025 · 47 min
Google's Gopi Kallayil on the AI Revolution
In this cross over episode, Mariana and Andrew are joined by Gopi Kallayil, Google’s Chief Business Strategist for AI, to explore what he calls “the most profound technology ever created by human beings.” Gopi shares how AI’s evolution is reshaping industries while amplifying human cognition and creativity. They discuss the tightrope between AI’s promise and risks, including the need for new “checks and balances” and emerging defenses against malicious AI. Gopi offers a nuanced take on AI’s impact on jobs, the skills future generations need, and why uniquely human traits will always matter.…
20 Jun 2025 · 30 min
How Might Iran Conflict End?
CSIS’s Norm Roule, a former senior U.S. intelligence officer for the Middle East joins the podcast to discuss how conflict with Iran might end, what regime change could look like, the wider implications for the United States and the region and more.
18 Jun 2025 · 24 min
Israel’s Strategic Objectives and the Future of Warfare
CSIS’s Eliot A. Cohen, former dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and former councilor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joins the podcast to discuss Israel’s strategic objectives, potential regime change in Iran and what Israel’s military operation indicates for the future of warfare.
17 Jun 2025 · 18 min
Israel-Iran: Is Time Running Out?
"This is easily once of the biggest ballistic missile and ballistic missile defense engagements in history, and it is truly momentous in terms of the overall context and the overall posture that Israel is taking." Israel and Iran have been at war since June 13, with each country firing hundreds of ballistic missiles in just a few days. Iran's defense enterprise is severely weakened following Israel's huge initial attack, but Israel lacks the capability to completely destroy Iran's hardened nuclear targets, at a time when the United Nations' nuclear watchdog warned that Iran could be as close…
13 Jun 2025 · 30 min
Emergency Podcast: Israeli Strike on Iran
CSIS’ Seth Jones, Emily Harding and Ben Jensen join the podcast to discuss Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, leadership and other targets.
9 Jun 2025 · 13 min
Can We Share Spectrum?
"The spectrum is a scarce national resource...it is absolutely a defense priority." Much of the spectrum has been auctioned off for commercial use, sparking a fierce debate on Capitol Hill: How can we balance spectrum use between commercial and national defense needs? While fast telecommunications is crucial to our economy, leaving spectrum space for military radar is also key for U.S. homeland security and intelligence. Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of spectrum policy and defense and whether spectrum can be…
3 Jun 2025 · 27 min
What is the End Point of U.S.-China Competition?
“I do believe we’re in a strategic competition. I believe it’s fine to describe it that way analytically. But if it’s a competition that is purely strategic, what’s the goal? What’s the endpoint?” U.S. strategic competition with China is a cornerstone of our Indo-Pacific policy. However, this suggests that the U.S.-China relationship is always a zero-sum game when the reality is much more complicated. Dr. Tom Christensen, Columbia University professor, former State Department official, and new CSIS Pritzker Chair, joins the podcast to discuss U.S. strategic competition with China and how we…
29 May 2025 · 18 min
Russia’s Battlefield Woes
“The stark reality is that the Russians really aren’t doing well on the battlefield, and their economy is also in pretty tough shape.” CSIS experts examined several indicators of Russia’s battlefield performance and found that it has been performing poorly since January 2024. Russia’s rate of advance on some fronts has been as slow as just 50 meters per day—the slowest rate since World War II. It has also only seized around 5,000 square kilometers, less than 1 percent of Ukrainian territory, over the same time period. Russia is also losing equipment at a significantly higher rate than…
15 May 2025 · 21 min
The Golden Dome and the New Missile Age
“Back in 2015, about $12.8 billion, or about 7.6 percent of DOD’s modernization, went to missile defense of some kind. Today it’s up to $25.5 billion, and 8.2 percent of DOD’s modernization budget.” As hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles become increasingly more common on the battlefield, focusing on the full spectrum of missile threats is crucial, especially as the missile threat from China and Russia grows. Developing next-generation missile defense capabilities like space-based interceptors and smart procurement and manufacturing strategies will make or…
15 May 2025 · 16 min
Trump’s Middle East Minerals Deal
“The Gulf is an absolutely critical player in critical minerals, because they’re all working on their goal of diversifying away from a reliance on oil…Each of these countries has adopted critical minerals as a central priority for their own economic development agenda, and that mirrors President Trump’s prioritization of minerals.” Minerals collaboration is already growing between the United States and Middle Eastern nations, including co-owned mining companies and high-level cooperation agreements. As countries like Saudi Arabia make development investments in emerging markets, these…
14 May 2025 · 27 min
Emergency Podcast: U.S.-China Tariff Pause
“The economic costs were beginning to become much more obvious—not just in terms of the market volatility, but potential shortages, inflation, the rare earths restrictions that the Chinese imposed. Those were going to bite soon.” On May 12, the White House announced a 90-day pause in the trade war between the United States and China and a significant reduction in tariffs following talks in Geneva. However, the impacts of the tariffs are already being felt by American consumers. Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and director of the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, and Philip…
9 May 2025 · 32 min
Analyzing Missile Attacks in Ukraine
“Modern war is almost a new missile age.” Missiles have played a crucial role in the Russia-Ukraine war, with Russia beginning to send mass missile salvos at command and control nodes, political centers, and even civilian targets. The CSIS Futures Lab has launched an innovative new project, the Russian Firepower Strike Tracker, that uses AI and data analysis to determine the success of these attacks and ways for Ukraine to fight back.CSIS’s Benjamin Jensen, director of the CSIS Futures Lab and senior fellow in the CSIS Defense and Security Department, joins the podcast to discuss the CSIS…
7 May 2025 · 21 min
Trump and the Australian Elections
CSIS’s Charles Edel joins the podcast to discuss the Australian elections and what it means for the Trump administration and the United States.
2 May 2025 · 19 min
A Drone and Ground View From Ukraine
CSIS’ Emily Harding joins the podcast to discuss observations from her recent visit to Ukraine including drone warfare, the state of the battlefield, U.S. and European support as well as the mining deal forged by President Trump and President Zelensky.
1 May 2025 · 31 min
Debt Matters
CSIS’s Phil Luck joins the podcast to discuss the U.S. national debt, why it matters and what the Trump administration and Congress can do to address it.
29 Apr 2025 · 19 min
Trump’s Panama Canal Policy
CSIS’s Ryan Berg joins the podcast to discuss the U.S. strategic interests in the Panama Canal, competition with China and potential outcomes.
24 Apr 2025 · 22 min
Can Policy Win the AI Race?
"There's some real concern that if U.S. companies back away from selling in China, Chinese companies like Huawei could become dominant in this space and outsell us all over the world, which then hurts our competitiveness." China and the United States have quickly taken the lead in the global AI race, each acting as a hub for innovation in its own hemisphere. Which country comes out on top could be determined by how the White House shapes the future of U.S. AI policy. Josh Geltzer, former deputy White House counsel under President Biden and former legal advisor to the National Security…
17 Apr 2025 · 19 min
China Weathers the Storm of U.S. Tariffs
“This is not good for China’s economy, but they have staying power, and I don’t see them backing down.” While the pandemic years were tough on China’s economy, the country has recently recovered financially, recording a 5 percent growth rate last year. China is also becoming increasingly less dependent on exports to the United States and is diversifying investments in Southeast Asia, putting it in a good position to weather the storm of U.S. tariffs. Scott Kennedy, CSIS senior adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, joins the podcast to discuss the latest in the…
15 Apr 2025 · 23 min
Auto Tariffs Threaten to Drive Up Prices
"The President's 'Liberation Day' really shakes the foundation of the current system in the auto industry...if these tariffs stay on for any length of time, they could lead to a fundamental reordering of the U.S. market." The slate of tariffs recently announced by the White House will likely lead to rising costs for cars in the United States, especially for smaller and lower-priced vehicles. Some foreign auto makers are already pausing shipments to the United States, which also curtails choices for consumers. However, in the long term, the tariffs could be good for U.S. manufacturing if…
15 Apr 2025 · 20 min
China’s Halt of Critical Minerals
CSIS’s Gracelin Baskaran joins the podcast to discuss China’s halt of critical minerals to the United States. In addition to consumer products, the Pentagon and defense contractors are heavily reliant on magnets and rare earth minerals mined or processed in China. Baskaran discusses the impact of this decision and more.
11 Apr 2025 · 23 min
Rep. Bryan Steil on STABLE Act
“We are in the Golden Age of digital assets.” More Americans than ever are investing in cryptocurrencies and digital assets, keeping the United States dominant in blockchain technologies. However, given market volatility and the decentralized nature of these assets, some lack confidence in dollar-denominated payment stablecoins as a viable investment. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) joins the podcast to discuss the STABLE Act, a piece of legislation he introduced with Rep. French Hill (R-AR) to support innovation and stability in the stablecoin space, protect consumers, and encourage the development…
8 Apr 2025 · 31 min
Liberation Day Fallout and What Comes Next
In this special crossover episode with CSIS podcast, The Trade Guys, Bill Reinsch and Scott Miller unpack the latest news about the impacts of the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariffs and how markets, trading partners, and consumers will respond.

About The Truth of the Matter

A weekly analysis of the complex policy issues driving the news.

The Truth of the Matter is a English business podcast from CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 23 min
Latest episode: 10 Jul 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id214886950

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