Podcasts & Radio
Selected sound clips and podcasts
The Future of Russia and China in Central Asia
Despite the many proclamations that Russian and Chinese interests would collide in Central Asia, Moscow and Beijing continue to work together in service of their shared objectives in the region. Most importantly, Russia and China seek to keep the United States, the West, and democracy out, maintain stability, and pursue economic benefits. Though fissures exist, thus far the two countries have kept tensions from derailing the broader Russia-China relationship. Alexander Cooley and Reid Standish join this episode of Brussels Sprouts to discuss how changes in a political relationship between Russia and China may shape the Central Asian region.
The Political Science of the Middle East and The Uprisings of Gaza
Alexander Cooley joins Marc Lynch on the POMEPS Middle East Political Science Podcast to discuss his review essay, The Uprisings of Gaza: How Geopolitical Crises Have Reshaped Academic Communities from Tahrir to Kyiv. The essay reflects upon the contributions of Marc Lynch’s edited volume (The Political Science of the Middle East: Theory and Research Since the Arab Uprisings) to address three occurring central issues at the intersection of regional studies and political science that are affected by geopolitical shocks
How Central Asian Countries and Russia are Responding to the Taliban takeover
“In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the ripple effects are reverberating across its borders. Some Afghan people are looking to the north, to Central Asia, as a potential safe haven from the Taliban. However, it's unclear how receptive countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will be in the long term. Meanwhile, Russia is keeping a close eye on its southern border with Central Asia. Host Marco Werman speaks with Alexander Cooley, who is the director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute, where he studies Central Asia and the Caucasus.”
America's Waning Dominance and the Rise of Kleptocracy, Illiberalism, and China
Background Briefing with Ian Masters features international and national news, expert guests, policy makers, and critics offering analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural, and social issues. In this episode of the podcast, Ian Masters and Alex Cooley discuss America’s waning dominance and the rise of kleptocracy, illiberalism, and China.
China’s Interests and Role in the SCO
This podcast episode by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) explores the ins and outs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) nearly two decades after its founding, as well as China’s evolving role within the organization. Bonnie S. Glaser, CSIS Senior Adviser for Asia and Director of the China Power Project interviews Cooley, who analyzes potential future areas of contention and cooperation between China and other SCO member states.
Belt and Road Challenges Across Central Asia
In the Bribe Swindle or Steal podcast Alexandra Wrage, president of TRACE, interviews luminaries in the field of financial crime, including bribery, fraud, money-laundering, insider trading and sanctions. Each week, Alexandra and her guests discuss who commits “white collar crime”, how it works and what is being done to stop it. In this episode, Alexander Cooley, political science professor at Columbia University and author of Dictators Without Borders, describes the corruption climate across Central Asia.
Podcast: Dictators Without Borders
In this episode of the Asia Unbound podcast, Alexander Cooley probes the inner world of illicit capital flows between autocratic Central Asian regimes and power centers in the West. In conversation with Elizabeth C. Economy, C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Cooley describes how a perfect storm of globalization, state-building, and regime consolidation in the 1990s gave Central Asian leaders easy opportunities to engage in massive embezzlement schemes and graft.