World Class

Podcast from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, featuring Director Colin Kahl, former under secretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Department of Defense. Colin and his guests dive into critical international issues, offering insights into the history and context of the biggest stories in the news.

World Class is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 172 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts World Class, a news show with 172 episodes published.

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  Episode #173

  Policy Leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic on AI in National Security

  Aug 4, 202642 min

  Sasha Baker is the head of national security policy at OpenAI. Prior to that, she served as the acting under-secretary for policy and the deputy under-secretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, and as the senior director for strategic planning on President Biden's National Security Council staff. Tarun Chhabra is the head of national security policy at Anthropic. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for technology and national security on the National Security Council staff, where he coordinated the Biden administration's strategies for technology competition with China and technology partnerships with U.S. allies and partners. This weeks reading/watching recommendations are AI 2027 , a project by Daniel Kokotajlo; AlphaGo , a documentary by director Greg Kohs; and " Nineteenth-Century Horse Sense " by Francis Thompson. If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X , Facebook , LinkedIn , Instagram , and YouTube , and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates .

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  Episode #172

  The Technology Reshaping Our World

  May 21, 202643 minS0

  <p>Artificial intelligence, social media, biotechnology, energy systems, propaganda, and geopolitics — each is transformative on its own, but together they're converging in unprecedented ways that are rapidly reshaping our world. On this episode of World Class, Colin Kahl shares expertise and insights from a panel of scholars on how emerging technologies are impacting society, politics, and global security.</p> <p>Drew Endy is a bioengineer at Stanford University who studies and teaches synthetic biology. Endy served on the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) the Committee on Science Technology & Law (CSTL) the International Union for the Conservation of Nat...

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  Episode #171

  How to Prevent a War with China Over Taiwan

  Apr 28, 202644 minS0

  <p>Even though China is the main global competitor to the United States, has there has been sufficient planning in Washington on how the U.S. might respond to aggression against the island of Taiwan by Beijing? Eyck Freymann wants to make sure there is. He joins Colin Kahl on World Class to discuss his new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China, which outlines how the U.S. can integrate its military strength, economic leverage, technological leadership, and diplomatic influence into a single, coherent plan to prevent war.</p> <p>Eyck Freymann is a Hoover Fellow...

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  Episode #170

  An Iranian, Israeli, and American Perspective on the War in Iran

  Mar 6, 202655 minS0

  <p>On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched wide-spread, coordinated attacks against Iran which struck military, naval, and nuclear infrastructure and killed many of the country’s senior leaders. On a special episode of World Class, Colin Kahl discusses the war, its immediate impacts, and its possible trajectory with Israeli security expert Ori Rabinowitz and Iranian studies professor Dr. Abbas Milani. The audio of this episode was originally recorded during a panel discussion held at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University on March 4, 2026.</p> <p>Colin Kahl is the director of the Freeman Spogli Institute fo...

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  Episode #169

  Two National Security Advisors on Two Breakneck Months of U.S. Foreign Policy

  Feb 18, 202637 minS0

  <p>H.R. McMaster and Jake Sullivan, the respective national security advisors of the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, join Colin Kahl to sort through everything that has happened in U.S foreign policy since the start of the year, from Venezuela and Iran to Greenland and strain on U.S.-European alliances, and the ever-present competition with China and Russia, and how all of these issues may affect the rest of 2026.</p> <p>H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate Sc...

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