Counterpoint

NATO was created after World War II to deter the Soviet Union and protect Western Europe. But the trans-Atlantic organization did not disband after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In fact, in the years since, its membership has doubled to include countries in Eastern Europe and eventually Finland and Sweden. Supporters say the expansion helps protect countries from Russian aggression and makes Europe safer. But critics argue that NATO’s growth has provoked a confrontation with Vladimir Putin.

Welcome to Season 3 of Counterpoint, where we take one big question facing world leaders and look at it from opposing points of view. Our host this season is Nick Danforth, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.

To launch the season, we’re asking: Has NATO expansion made Europe safer?

Arguing in favor is Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia and a political science professor and senior fellow at Stanford University.

Arguing against is Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and an assistant professor at Georgetown University. Ashford is also a columnist at Foreign Policy.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
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The world at this moment is more fractured than it’s been in decades: more wars, more extremism, and deeper disagreements on a range of issues. On season 3 of Counterpoint, we get to the heart of those disagreements with a series of debates—hosted by Nick Danforth, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy magazine. Nick brings together two of the smartest people in their field on each episode, to face off over the world’s most vexing questions, including: Are the U.S. and China on a collision course? Has NATO expansion made Europe safer? And will AI destroy the world? Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
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On a special bonus episode of Counterpoint, FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal sits down with former U.S. secretary of state Hilary Clinton on the main stage of this year’s Doha Forum to discuss the Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy, what Congress needs to do better, the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and more.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
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On a special bonus episode of Counterpoint, FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal sits down with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, on the sidelines of the United Nations’ annual meetings to discuss relations with Washington, Russia’s war in Ukraine, recognizing Palestine, and dealing with China.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum.
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The Bosnian War in the early 1990s was at the time the bloodiest conflict on European soil since World War II. Some 100,000 people were killed and more than 2 million displaced amid widespread ethnic cleansing and massacres.

In 1995, the warring parties struck a power-sharing deal in negotiations just outside Dayton, Ohio, in what came to be known as the Dayton Accords. But the deal didn’t really resolve the underlying problems. Bosnia continues to be plagued by ethnic division, and the country’s political structure is widely seen as ineffective and unstable.

Welcome to Counterpoint. On each episode, we look at one pressing question facing world leaders—from two opposing points of view. 

In our season finale, we’re tackling the question: Did the Dayton Accords set Bosnia up for failure?

Arguing that the agreement put Bosnia on a path to perpetual crisis is Jasmin Mujanović, a senior nonresident fellow at New Lines Institute. He is the author of two books, Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans and  The Bosniaks: Nationhood After Genocide.

And making the case that the Dayton Accords were essential to bringing peace and maintaining stability is Chris Hill. A career diplomat, Hill was part of the U.S. delegation that brokered the agreement. Most recently, he served as the⁠ U.S. ambassador to Serbia⁠ under President Joe Biden.

Counterpoint is a production of Foreign Policy, in partnership with the Doha Forum. The show is hosted by Sasha Polakow-Suransky.
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