Late last year, Syrian opposition forces captured Damascus and put an end to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian dictator, whose family had ruled the country for more than 50 years, fled to Moscow. Across the country, Syrians celebrated.
Assad’s fall exposed the brutality of his regime, including gruesome discoveries in government prisons, tens of thousands of disappeared people, and mass displacement. But the group that replaced it also has a record of violence—and a former affiliation with al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Welcome to Counterpoint. Each week, we look at one pressing question facing world leaders—from two opposing points of view. Today, we’re tackling the question: Is Syria on a path to realizing the hopes of the revolution?
With us to make the case for viewing Syria’s new government with skepticism is David Adesnik, the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Arguing that Syrians are capable of securing a democratic future for themselves is Alia Malek, a journalist, former civil rights lawyer, and the author of The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria.
Counterpoint is hosted by Sasha Polakow-Suransky, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. The show is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
34:52
Are Tariffs the Right Approach?
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have roiled markets around the world and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Even after he suspended his so-called reciprocal tariffs, the measures he kept in place are still more dramatic than anything the world has seen in decades. Most economists believe free trade—not tariffs—is the best way to increase global prosperity. But Trump says other countries are taking advantage of the United States.
On this episode of Counterpoint, we’ll hear from two leading economists who feel very differently about tariffs. Oren Cass, the founder of American Compass, generally supports them, while Kimberly Clausing, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes the Trump tariff policy is a disaster for the United States. Their debate was moderated by Foreign Policy’s editor-in-chief, Ravi Agrawal, and originally aired on FP Live.
Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
44:38
Can the Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process Succeed?
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a cease-fire last month in its war with Turkey, opening the door to a possible peace agreement between the two sides. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has gone on for decades.
A deal would be a major win for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—but it’s not at all clear he can pull it off. In fact, he seems to have undermined his own chances by imprisoning the leader of Turkey’s political opposition, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, triggering widespread protests.
On this episode of Counterpoint, we’re posing the question: Can the Turkish-Kurdish peace process succeed?
Making the case that it can succeed is Galip Dalay, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House and researcher at the University of Oxford’s St. Antony’s College.
Taking a more pessimistic view is Arzu Yilmaz, an associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Kurdistan Hewler in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
36:56
Can Europe Fully Replace the U.S. as Ukraine’s Chief Protector?
The Trump administration has upended the U.S. approach to the war in Ukraine, largely siding with Russia as it tries to broker an end to the fighting. With Washington no longer interested in acting as Ukraine’s chief protector, the burden is shifting to Europe. But can it bear the load?
To launch Season 2 of Counterpoint, we put that question to Nathalie Tocci and Stephen M. Walt.
Tocci is the director of Italy’s Istituto Affari Internazionali and has worked as an advisor to the government of Italy and to EU officials. She argues that Europe can fully replace the United States in supporting Ukraine.
Walt, a professor of international affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and longtime columnist at Foreign Policy, argues the other side of the case.
Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. It is hosted by FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
45:18
Counterpoint, Season 2: Trailer
The world has changed dramatically since we released the first season of Counterpoint just a few months ago. Old alliances are collapsing and core assumptions are being questioned. On this second season of the show, FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky is back with eight new debates that help capture the complexities of the moment. Listen in as an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics, and activists from around the globe argue over the world's most contentious issues. Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Every day, experts from around the globe present their arguments for solving the world’s biggest problems. And every day, these experts disagree in small and large ways. At Foreign Policy, our approach is to share a wide range of opinions, side by side, day by day. But what if people could hear those arguments tested, in real time, under pressure from an opposing view–by an international cast of diplomats, journalists, academics and activists?
That’s the idea behind Counterpoint, a new debate show from Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
Join FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky and his guests, including anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, Britain’s former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, South African author Sisonke Msimang, veteran Middle East peace negotiator Dennis Ross—and many more.
USA