Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, April 20, 2015

Can U.S. President Joe Biden really support Ukraine against Russia for “as long as it takes,” as he has pledged? Congressional support for this aid has largely been bipartisan and wide-r...Show moreanging, but Ron DeSantis and other leading Republicans are beginning to question whether the United States is prepared to keep it up. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow, as the competition between the United States and China intensifies and the diplomatic relationship dives to a new low. Heading into a possible reelection year, FP’s reporters will discuss if and how Biden can juggle these substantial foreign-policy issues—and how the campaign trail might change things. They’ll also talk about the budget and what it reveals about the administration’s foreign-policy agenda. Plus, as always, there will be a glimpse into the reporters’ notebooks, with insider insights into what Washington is really talking about when it comes to geopolitics. Tune in for the inside scoop and watch FP’s reporters in conversation with the magazine’s executive editor, Amelia Lester.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting weekly against their government’s plans to overhaul—and weaken—the country’s judiciary. Several former military officials have ...Show moreaccused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a judicial power grab, raising the question of whether serving officers will disobey what they might see as an illegitimate government. How will Israel’s constitutional crisis develop? What happens if an internal mutiny actually takes place? And how does the United States continue its partnership with a country it once lauded as the sole democracy in the Middle East? Ehud Barak, Israel’s former prime minister, who also served as the country’s defense minister and army chief, will join FP’s Ravi Agrawal for a live discussion about the future of Israel’s democracy and what happens next in the current standoff.

Every year, the top Chinese legislative and advisory bodies meet for two weeks to rubber-stamp decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s called the “two sessions,” ...Show moreand it began on March 4. This year’s meeting is the first since the end of zero-COVID restrictions; it’s also an opportunity to get an inside look into the Chinese leadership’s fears and priorities. Beyond the headlines, what can the world expect from the convening? What will it mean for China’s economy, defense budget, and foreign policy? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with a panel of China experts as they decipher the news from Beijing: Ryan Hass is the former China director at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Zongyuan Zoe Liu is an FP columnist and fellow for international political economy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy and the author of the magazine’s China Brief newsletter.