Council of Councils
Think Global Health
In this live series finale, Bob and Carla discuss the most pressing international news stories with special guest Deborah Amos. President Donald Trump virtually attends the annual Davos summit where he will address corporate and government leaders just three days after his inauguration; the next phase of hostage and prisoner swaps is due as part of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal; a tightly controlled presidential election in Belarus kicks off a new year of consequential elections around the globe; and TikTok is revived in the United States—for now— after President Trump forestalled the app’s initial ban.
This episode was originally produced live on January 21, 2025.
Episode Guests
Show Notes
In this special year-end episode of The World Next Week, James M. Lindsay and Robert McMahon are joined by Shannon K. O’Neil, CFR vice president, deputy director of studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America Studies. They discuss this year’s historic elections and the state of democracy in Latin America and beyond, the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, and U.S. President Joe Biden’s first year in office.
Articles Mentioned on the Podcast
Lauren Sloss, “The Documents You Need to Travel Abroad Now,” New York Times, December 10, 2021
Christopher Troeger and Thomas J. Bollyky, “Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic Hinges on Trust,” Think Global Health, November 30, 2021
Podcasts Mentioned
Richard Haass, Nine Questions for the World, Council on Foreign Relations
Anne Appelbaum and Richard Haass, “Can Democracy Survive?,” Nine Questions for the World, December 16, 2021
Michelle McMurry-Heath and Richard Haass, “Can Biotech Be Harnessed?,” Nine Questions for the World, December 16, 2021
Fareed Zakaria and Richard Haass, “Does World Order Have a Future?,” Nine Questions for the World, December 16, 2021
Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire deal aimed at exchanging hostages and prisoners while seeking a longer-term pause in fighting; the incoming Donald Trump administration weighs ambitious moves on immigration; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign off on a twenty-year partnership agreement; and students in Serbia protest violations of civil rights.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Supreme Court hears arguments over the Joe Biden administration’s imminent banning of TikTok; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation prompts questions on the future of U.S.-Canada trade relations; and Europe’s eastern states confront energy issues after Ukraine stops the flow of Russian gas through its territory.
