Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

A weekly podcast that goes beyond the headlines on the critical global news stories shaping US foreign policy.

Subscribe to Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Cover of Deep Dish Podcast

Join Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri as she speaks with thought leaders, journalists, and experts shaping global affairs. Together, they go beyond the headlines, explaining how events unfolded, why they matter, and what to watch for. Can global trade survive the shock of Trump's tariffs? What's behind the global race for AI dominance? 

Follow the conversation every Thursday—subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music.

About the Host
Leslie Vinjamuri
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She brings nearly 30 years of experience working at the intersection of international affairs, research, policy, and public engagement.
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot

Latest | Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

What Trump's Peace Plan Means for Israel and Hamas

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Trump and Netanyahu announced a 20-point plan for Gaza, widely hailed by global leaders What comes next?

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with President Donald Trump after a news conference at the White House on September 29, 2025.
Alex Brandon / AP
Global Politics

80th Birthday Blues: UN's Fight to Stay Relevant

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Budget cuts, global crises, and a disengaged US, Deep Dish explores the UN at a pivotal moment and whether it can still deliver.

President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2025.
Angelina Katsanis / AP
Global Politics

Why Trump's State Visit Could Shape the UK's Next Chapter

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Britain’s been through Brexit, new leaders, and a new king. What does Trump’s visit reveal about what’s next?

Britain's King Charles III and President Donald Trump speak to military personnel at Windsor Castle, England, on September 17, 2025.
Jordan Pettitt / PA via AP, Pool
US Foreign Policy

Why Dambisa Moyo Thinks This Economic Moment is Different

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

The global economy isn’t just slowing—it’s being completely reshaped. Here’s what that means for your future.

A man watches stock prices displayed on an electronic board at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 7, 2025.
Tatan Syuflana / AP
Global Economy

Jan Egeland on Syria's Defining Moment and a Humanitarian Reset

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

As the UNGA prepares to open its 80th session, one of the world’s top humanitarian leaders explains where the global aid system is failing—and how we fix it.

Jan Egeland standing and speaking with a man and children in Idlib, Syria.
Tareq Mnadili / NRC
Human Rights

Why Beating China Might Be the US' Wrong Focus

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Is every move against China strengthening the US—or is it just making us weaker? Jessica Chen Weiss breaks it down.

Two miniature American flags rest in front of a larger group of Chinese flags.
Andy Wong / AP
Global Politics

The US and Europe Unite with Ukraine—What Comes Next?

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

What do Putin and Trump have in common? Both turn grievance into power, and our guests explain how.

President Donald Trump stands in the middle of a line of European leaders for a photo at the White House on August 18, 2025.
Alex Brandon / AP
Global Politics

Is India Under Pressure to Pick a Side?

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

As Trump threatens to double tariffs and Putin courts Modi, can India rise as a great power without choosing a side?

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks past the flags of participating countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 7, 2023.
Willy Kurniawan / Pool Photo via AP
Global Economy

Trump's Tariffs: Can Global Trade Survive the Shock?

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Brent Neiman and David Henig join Deep Dish to break down how Trump's reciprocal tariffs could impact the global economic system.

Cargo containers line a shipping terminal at the Port of Oakland on July 31, 2025.
Noah Berger / AP
Global Economy

Is Gaza's Hunger Crisis Driving the World to Recognize a Palestinian State?

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Ertharin Cousin joins Deep Dish to unpack the unfolding hunger crisis in Gaza and explains how calls for Palestinian statehood recognition could reshape the conflict.

Palestinians push up against a fence waiting for food at a community kitchen in Gaza City on July 26, 2025.
Abdel Kareem Hana / AP
Food and Agriculture

Subscribe

The world is always changing. Subscribe now to stay informed and engaged in the world's most critical issues through our Global Insight newsletter.
Sign Up
person holding cell phone

The trick is how we stay engaged and stay positive...the simplest solution is just to cut off our access to the media entirely, but that is obviously highly problematic for all of us who care about the world and want to be engaged citizens.

Headshot for Jonathan Tepperman Jonathan Tepperman, Former Editor in Chief of Foreign Policy In a December, 2022, episode of Deep Dish

Explore Related Commentary & Analysis

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with President Donald Trump after a news conference at the White House on September 29, 2025. Global Politics
Alex Brandon / AP
What Trump's Peace Plan Means for Israel and Hamas
Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Trump and Netanyahu announced a 20-point plan for Gaza, widely hailed by global leaders What comes next?

US President Donald Trump addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly US Foreign Policy
Richard Drew / AP
America Is Stronger When It Participates in the UN
In the News The Dispatch by Suzanne Nossel

“By preemptively counting itself out, Washington squanders its own influence, isolates itself, and makes room for its rivals to work their will," Suzanne Nossel argues.

President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly Public Opinion
Evan Vucci / AP
Trump's UN Speech at Odds with American Public Opinion
BLOG Running Numbers by Lama El Baz

Trump mostly spoke for himself and a small, but vocal, segment of the Republican Party when denouncing immigration, climate action, and multilateralism at the UN General Assembly.

Paul Poast appears on a video screen that is also showing an image of President Donald Trump US Foreign Policy
Trump Says Kyiv Can Win Russia-Ukraine War
In the News Fox 32 Chicago by Paul Poast

Paul Poast unpacks President Donald Trump's pivot on the conflict after meeting with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.