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Departures Podcast with Andrew Bacevich, author of ‘After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed’

By Editor | Published: August 4, 2021

By many measures, 2020 was a year to forget. With natural disasters, a climate crisis, a vicious pandemic, a massive economic crisis, a cruel and dishonest president, unprecedented demands for racial justice and its corresponding ugly backlash, US society has been taken to the brink. For Prof. Andrew Bacevich of Boston University, these events represent […]

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Departures Podcast with Geoffrey Cain, author of ‘The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey Into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future’

By Editor | Published: July 29, 2021

In the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, more than 1.8 million people have been disappeared into a vast network of concentration camps without any clear charges, due process, or fair trial. How are these victims selected? Via state-of-the-art predictive artificial intelligence and surveillance technology systems deployed by Beijing that seek to punish people for political […]

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Departures Podcast with John Lough, author of ‘Germany’s Russia Problem: The Struggle for Balance in Europe’

By Editor | Published: July 21, 2021

In power since 2005, Angela Merkel’s CDU coalition has managed to govern Germany with an admirable level of success, but at the same time during this period, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has invaded multiple countries, interfered in elections both near and far away, and run amok with jailings and assassinations of dissidents. How is it possible […]

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Departures Podcast with Anne Meng, author of ‘Constraining Dictatorship: From Personalized Rule to Institutionalized Regimes’

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: July 16, 2021

When we think about dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, we tend to think of extremes. Places like North Korea, with brutal, absolutist rulers vanquishing their opponents with prejudice and limitless power. But that’s really not the reality for most autocratic countries, in fact, there are usually a series of executive constraints, rules, procedures, and structures even […]

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100th EPISODE – Departures Podcast with Philip Zelikow, author of ‘The Road Less Traveled: The Secret Battle to End the Great War, 1916-1917’

By Editor | Published: July 13, 2021

To commemorate the 100th episode of our Departures with Robert Amsterdam podcast, for the first time we have invited back a return guest, one of our favorite authors, Philip Zelikow. Dr. Zelikow is a renowned former diplomat, historian, lawyer academic, and author of extraordinary talent. He has formerly served as the Director of the 9/11 […]

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Departures Podcast with Ian Goldin, author of ‘Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World’

By Editor | Published: July 5, 2021

The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has obliterated many standing global norms, but it’s less clear how this crisis could change our approach to solving the world’s biggest challenges. According to Ian Goldin, who is a Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, the coronavirus pandemic could serve as the necessary […]

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Departures Podcast with Philip Bowring and Hans van de Ven

By Editor | Published: July 3, 2021

This July, the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its 100th anniversary, marking a major milestone and underlining some major questions about its future. No other communist party has lasted this long, and certainly no other ruling authoritarian government has held its grip on power for a similar period of time in the modern era. But that’s […]

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Departures Podcast with Regina Smyth, author of ‘Elections, Protest, and Authoritarian Regime Stability: Russia 2008–2020’

By Editor | Published: June 30, 2021

There is little debate over the fact that Russia is an authoritarian state in Vladimir Putin’s grip, one which oppresses the rights of its citizens and suppresses the voice of the political opposition. But this does not mean that elections and the democratic process – weakened as it may be – is not still important […]

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Departures Podcast with Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, author of ‘The Red Mirror: Putin’s Leadership and Russia’s Insecure Identity’

By Editor | Published: June 23, 2021

Vladimir Putin never seems to go away. No matter what economic or political crisis, invasions of neighboring nations, or crushing oppression of basic civil liberties, he somehow manages to sustain enough of a perception of popular support and legitimacy to keep on going. Why? That’s the question studied in the terrific new book “The Red […]

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Departures Podcast with Jing Sun, author of ‘Red Chamber, World Dream: Actors, Audience, and Agendas in Chinese Foreign Policy and Beyond’

By Editor | Published: June 14, 2021

Since Xi Jingping rose to power in 2012, China has embarked on a new phase of expanding their role as a global superpower. Gone are the days of the charm offensive and the peaceful rise, here come the ‘wolf warriors.’ Xi’s “Chinese Dream” has been pitched by state propaganda as a visionary plan for a […]

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