The Brookings Current

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Valerie Wirtschafter

podcasts@brookings.edu

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Booking Overview

This is a short-form policy analysis interview show focused on breaking news and current public-policy issues, typically featuring Brookings scholars and subject-matter experts discussing their research. Credible pitches would include foreign-policy scholars, international-security experts, technology-policy researchers, AI-governance specialists, and former senior officials with timely expertise and original analysis; booking difficulty is high because the format is institutionally curated and guest selection is closely tied to Brookings research.

Metrics

Episodes: 300

Frequency: Biweekly

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Unknown

Location: USA

YouTube: 160.0k subscribers

Instagram: 73.0k followers

Contact Information

podcasts@brookings.edu

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş - Journalist and Brookings foreign-policy scholar specializing in international affairs and geopolitics.

Valerie Wirtschafter - Brookings fellow in Foreign Policy whose work covers international affairs and global policy developments.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high
Typical Credentials:  
Established policy scholars, senior fellows, research directors, academics, or former senior officials with demonstrated subject-matter expertise, published research, and timely analysis of major international or domestic policy issues.
Required Achievements:  
Published policy research, Leadership of research centers or policy initiatives, Recognized expertise in international affairs, national security, technology, or public policy

Recent Guest Discussions

Mara Karlin - NATO Summit Dynamics, European Security, And Conflicts Involving Iran And Ukraine.

Thomas Wright - NATO Summit Dynamics, European Security, And The United States’ Role In International Affairs.

Bruce Jones - The Geopolitical Implications Of A United States-iran Agreement And The Future Of The Strait Of Hormuz.

Kari Heerman - The Geopolitical Implications Of A United States-iran Agreement And The Future Of The Strait Of Hormuz.

Elham Tabassi - Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technology, And The Implications Of Pope Leo Xiv’s Encyclical.

Recent Topics

Public Policy, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, International Relations, Technology Policy

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
The Brookings Current
:

A fractured front? Inside the Ankara NATO summit

July 10, 2026

At the NATO summit in Ankara, wary European leaders sought an equilibrium with the United States. Against a backdrop of ongoing conflict in Iran and Ukraine, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş asked Thomas Wright and Mara Karlin about the dynamics at play. Episode transcript and show notes. Show notes and transcript.--> Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Will the Strait of Hormuz reopen after the US-Iran deal?

June 25, 2026

After the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş spoke to Brookings experts Kari Heerman and Bruce Jones about its geopolitical implications, building on their recent articles in the series "Blowback: How the Iran war may change the world." Episode transcript and show notes. Show notes and transcript.--> Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@bro...

Understanding Pope Leo's AI encyclical

June 04, 2026

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical is a 42,000-word Vatican treatise that elevates "the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence." Nicol Turner Lee, senior fellow and director for the Center for Technology Innovation, and Elham Tabassi, senior fellow and director for the AI and Emerging Tech Initiative, spoke to Valerie Wirtschafter, fellow in Foreign Policy, about the implications of this groundbreaking document. Episode transcript and show notes. Show notes and tra...

Get your clients booked on top podcasts

Try us risk free with a FREE 3 days trial.

Start Your Free Trial

Join hundreds of PR teams using Podseeker to pitch and land bookings