Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. James Brady, and Mr. Tobias Harris discussed the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Sanae Takaichi—who is likely to become the next prime minister following a parliamentary vote in mid-October—as well as trilateral relations among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, foreign policy views, and more.
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41:37
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41:37
President Lee's First 100 Days
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Jeonghun Min, and Dr. Hanbeom Jeong discussed President Lee’s first 100 days in office, the implications of his foreign policies for extended deterrence, U.S.–ROK and U.S.–North Korea engagement, and more.
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43:13
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43:13
Trump and the Autocratic Axis
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Patricia Kim, and Dr. Thomas Wright discussed the growing cooperation among the autocratic countries of China, Russia, and North Korea as they push back against U.S. influence and the U.S.-led international order; the strategies the United States might leverage to counter this bloc; the implications for U.S. policy and its allies; and more.
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45:29
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45:29
Is China Eating Our Lunch?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Ely Ratner, and Mr. Scott Snyder discussed two of China’s major diplomatic events—the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and the Victory Day Parade—as well as the Xi-Putin-Kim meeting, Kim Ju Ae's international debut, the growing alignment of hostile actors, and what all these developments mean for the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. and its allies, and more.
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35:36
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35:36
Are allies or autocrats managing Trump better?
This episode is a special crossover with our CSIS sister podcast, State of Play.
After a busy month of U.S. diplomacy, Victor Cha and Max Bergmann join Will to discuss what East Asian and European allies are learning about summits with President Trump and what patterns are emerging about how President Trump engages with autocrats.
"Statesmen’s Forum: His Excellency Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea" CSIS, August 25, 2025.
"Max and Maria on the Alaska and White House Peace Summits" Russian Roulette, CSIS, August 21, 2025.
Listen to CSIS Podcast State of Play at https://www.csis.org/podcasts/state-play
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
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