It’s been 100 years since the Spanish flu killed millions worldwide. While we’ve made medical and technological progress in the century since, the world remains vulnerable to mass disease. In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss how greater mobility, population pressures and climate change increase the risk of global epidemics. Peter Piot, Director of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about the importance of effective outbreak preparedness.

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As the US continues to abdicate its leadership role in global affairs, China’s international influence continues to grow – diplomatically, economically and politically. Will it, can it, fill the void? And how will its role on the world stage influence domestic policy? Elizabeth Economy, senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and John Pomfret, former Washington Post bureau chief in Beijing, and author of “The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present”, discuss the ramifications of America's absence in global leadership with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Over the past fifty years, we have experienced two fundamental digital revolutions, one in computing and one in communication. Today, we’re entering a third digital revolution, that of fabrication. From medical advancements to weapon design, in this hour, we’ll discuss what widespread digital fabrication could mean for the future. In conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales are brothers Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Alan Gershenfeld, Co-Founder and President, E-Line Media, and Neil Gershenfeld, Director, Center for Atoms and Bits, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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In recent weeks, searing rhetoric from President Trump has pushed our trading relations with both Europe and with China onto center stage. In the case of China, an escalating trade war has begun, and with Europe, President Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker first clashed before agreeing in principle to work toward lowering barriers to commerce. Is Trump simply solving problems of his own making or is this part of a smart negotiating strategy that will ultimately benefit American consumers, producers and farmers? Can trade wars actually be won? Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris chair of economics at George Mason University, and Gillian Tett, US managing editor for the Financial Times, discuss the ramifications of Trump's trade policy with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Digital and social media have upended not only the news industry, but entire notions of governance and leadership. In this week’s episode, we’ll consider how the rise of digital media has impacted public life and the ethical innovations needed in order to capture the benefits and mitigate harm. In conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour, is a panel of digital media experts, including, Jennifer Cobb, Director of United for News, Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University, Tristan Harris, Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, and Gerald Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

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The increased use of cyberweapons is changing geopolitics. Cyberattacks now occur on a daily basis, by states and non-state actors alike, large and small. On the receiving end, governments are challenged by the anonymity and asymmetry of these attacks. In this week’s episode we’ll consider how, and if, we can develop foreign policy doctrines to deal with this new reality. David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about how the US can protect itself in the age of cyberweapons.

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The White House recently announced that President Trump plans to hold his first formal summit with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland on July 16^th. The meeting will take place against a contentious backdrop that includes Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, widespread diplomatic expulsions on both sides, continued Russian support of military offensives in Syria and the ongoing investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. How did we get here and is there a way forward? World Affairs CEO Jane Wales is in conversation with former US ambassador to Russia and author of “From Hot War to Cold Peace” Michael McFaul.

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The Mexican national elections will take place on July 1st. A new president could transform Mexico and, in turn, reset North American political and economic relationships. In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss what’s at stake in the elections, from immigration, to NAFTA, to energy production, and what it could mean for US–Mexico relations. Arturo Sarukhan, the former Mexican Ambassador to the U.S., and Andrew Selee, Director of the Migration Policy Institute and author of Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS Newshour.

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Following President Trump's relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem - timed to coincide with Israel's 70th anniversary - tensions along the border in Gaza have flared. Although a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces was reached on May 30, recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have enduring consequences for both the Middle East and the international community at large. In this week’s episode, we’ll delve into the obstacles to peace and consider potential paths forward. World Affairs CEO Jane Wales talks with Ehud Barak, former Israeli prime minister and minister of defense, and Marwan Muasher, former Jordanian minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister.

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