Elisabeth Kendall, a scholar of Arabic and jihadism at Oxford University, joins the podcast to discuss the state of the jihadi threat in Yemen, a country she knows well. The local franchises of al-Qaida and the Islamic State are weakened but continue to pose a significant threat. As Kendall argues, conditions in Yemen favor an al-Qaida resurgence. How have these groups changed over time and where are they headed? How do the jihadis fit on the political map of the ongoing Yemeni civil war? Would a ceasefire in the war diminish the jihadi threat or, perversely, fuel it?
Elisabeth Kendall
Cole Bunzel
Videos
What to make of the Cold War rivalry over AI and the prospects of a Chinese move on Taiwan? Hoover fellow and Sino expert Eyck Freymann discusses the state of U.S.-China relations, followed by a look at Russia’s war of attrition and Vladimir Putin’s options 55 months after his country launched this century’s second invasion of Ukraine.
September 23, 2026
Videos
H.R. McMaster and Vladimir Kara-Murza discuss the state of the war in Ukraine, the prospects and perils facing Russia's opposition, the shifting currents of Russian domestic politics, the effort to organize the Russian diaspora into a coherent political force, and prospects of a post-Putin Russia.
September 23, 2026
Videos
Rising energy demand makes energy pragmatism—not climate alarmism—more essential than ever to secure abundant, reliable, sustainable power while remaining environmentally responsible.
September 22, 2026
