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Artwork for Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

Ray Powell & Jim Carouso
China
United States
Taiwan
Indo-Pacific
South China Sea
Philippines
ASEAN
Australia
Japan
North Korea
Aukus
India
Donald Trump
Southeast Asia
Quad
Russia
National Security
Bowergroupasia
Vietnam
Ukraine

Chart the world's new strategic crossroads. Join co-hosts Ray Powell, a 35-year U.S. Air Force veteran and Director of the celebrated SeaLight maritime transparency project, and Jim Carouso, a senior U.S. diplomat and strategic advisor, for your essential weekly briefing on the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on decades of on-the-ground military and diplomatic experience, they deliver unparalleled insights ... more

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Artwork for Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?

Latest Episodes

What if the most important strategic relationship of the 21st century is the one Washington is actively damaging? In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso sit down with Kurt Campbell - former Deputy Secretary of State, President Biden's "Asi... more

The day her BYD rideshare driver told her the dashboard screen was a “national secret” … that's when Wall Street Journal correspondent Yoko Kubota knew China had really changed, and maybe it was time to think about leaving.

What does the world lose ... more

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Washington is engaging plenty with its Indo-Pacific allies these days … just not always on the things they want, and too often on things they don't. So how do savvy allies steer that relationship when the world's most powerful partner feels less pred... more

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Is Vietnam quietly drifting into China's orbit, and what does that mean for the United States and the future of Southeast Asia? Dr. Nguyễn Khắc Giang explains why Hanoi is hedging harder than ever because, as the Vietnamese saying goes, "when the buf... more

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Recent Guests

Yoko Kubota
Former Wall Street Journal correspondent in Beijing
Wall Street Journal / Journalist at large
Episode: Why Should We Care About Why Journalists are Leaving China? | with Yoko Kubota
Marise Payne
Australia's former defense and foreign minister
Australian Government
Episode: Why Should We Care How Indo-Pacific Allies Manage a Volatile and Distracted America? | with Marise Payne
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Visiting fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute; analyst of Vietnam politics
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
Episode: Why Should We Care if Vietnam is Swinging Toward China? | with Dr. Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Lisa Curtis
Director of Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS
Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Episode: Why Should We Care if a U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral can Deter China? | with Lisa Curtis and Ryan Claffey
Ryan Claffey
Research Assistant in CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program
CNAS
Episode: Why Should We Care if a U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral can Deter China? | with Lisa Curtis and Ryan Claffey
Ankit Panda
Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; co-host of Asia Geopolitics
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Episode: Why Should We Care if North Korea's "Little Rocket Man" is Firing Off Missiles Again? | with Ankit Panda
MaryKay Carlson
Retired ambassador, former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines (2022–2026)
U.S. Foreign Service
Episode: Why Should We Care About the U.S.-Philippine Alliance? with AMB MaryKay Carlson
Eyck Freymann
Hoover Fellow at Stanford University; non-resident Fellow at US Naval War Colleges, China Maritime Studies Institute
Stanford University / US Naval War Colleges
Episode: Why Should We Care About How to Prevent a War over Taiwan? | with Dr. Eyck Freymann
Michael Sobolik
Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; author of Countering China's Great Game (2024)
Hudson Institute
Episode: Why Should We Care About the Trump–Xi Summit? | with Michael Sobolik

Hosts

Ray Powell
Host of the show, former military officer; SeaLight maritime transparency project (Director); IEJ Media / Indo-Pacific podcast brand
Jim Carouso
Co-host, Senior Diplomat; former U.S. diplomat; strategic advisor; affiliated with BowerGroupAsia

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 67 ratings
  • Thanks

    Happy to find your podcast. After a while it is exactly what I was looking for. Loved it. Sound quality needs improvement. Sections are not numbered. Requires some technical attention.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ghadeernabi
    Spain2 years ago
  • Amazing expertise

    I love that each episode gets straight to the heart of an issue. Amazing depth of expertise between the hosts and guests.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Emile123
    United States2 years ago
  • Whether you are a foreign policy wonk or know nothing about the subject, this podcast will help you get smarter on the Indo-Pacific.

    Audible
    5
    Angelina and David
    United States2 years ago
  • The hosts are fantastic and help explain key issues in the Indo-Pacific and why people should care.

    Whether you are a foreign policy wonk or know nothing about the subject, this podcast will help you get smarter on the Indo-Pacific.

    Audible
    5
    Angelina and David
    United States2 years ago
  • This is the Indo-Pacific podcast I’ve been looking forever for

    Must listen - Ray & Jim are living legends

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Malachy J
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests and hosts mix deep experience with clear, actionable insights.
Listeners praise the breadth of topics across geopolitics, economics, and security.
Experts deliver depth with practical context for policy and business decisions.
Some reviews note room for improvement in production quality and segment structuring.

Chart Rankings

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Should We Care if Vietnam is Swinging Toward China? | with Dr. Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Q: How does To Lâm's leadership influence Vietnam's foreign policy hedging?
Giang and later guests describe To Lâm as a highly centralized, pragmatic leader who pushes fast decisions, prioritizes economic growth and strategic autonomy, and strengthens the military-civil fusion of policy with a more personalized diplomatic approach.
Why Should We Care if Vietnam is Swinging Toward China? | with Dr. Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Q: What does this swing toward China look like in concrete terms?
Giang explains it's incremental rather than a 180-degree shift, with Vietnam continuing to maintain important ties with both the US and China, while pursuing concrete steps like closer commerce with China and expanding multilateral partnerships to protect strategic autonomy.
Why Should We Care How Indo-Pacific Allies Manage a Volatile and Distracted America? | with Marise Payne
Q: Why should we care how Indo-Pacific allies manage a volatile and distracted America?
Payne argues that regional stability depends on governments engaging constructively with allied partners, staying flexible with changing leadership, and maintaining continuous, transparent communication to sustain long-term partnerships.
Why Should We Care if Energy Dependence Undermines Southeast Asia’s Quest for Agency? | with Gita Wirjawan
Q: Gita, why should we care if energy dependence is undermining Southeast Asia's quest for agency?
Because energy imports and volatile oil prices tighten fiscal space, force subsidies, and delay diversification, which in turn limits policy autonomy and the ability to pursue an independent security and economic strategy.
Why Should We Care About the Trump–Xi Summit? | with Michael Sobolik
Q: How should Trump approach Taiwan in the summit context, given the leverage over Xi and the domestic imperatives?
The guest suggests Trump likely has significant leverage on Taiwan but cautions that any concessions should be weighed against U.S. national security interests and the importance of maintaining credible deterrence and allied support; the expectation is for careful signaling rather than large, irreversible concessions.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program consistently centers on Indo-Pacific geopolitics, with deep dives into U.S.–China competition, alliance politics, and regional flashpoints such as the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. Episodes frequently feature senior diplomats, military officers, policy researchers, and journalists who illuminate strategic dynamics, economic statecraft, and security cooperation across ASEAN, AUKUS, and the broader Quad. A standout element is the blend of practitioner insight and high-level analysis from guests with real-world experience, making complex regional issues more approachable for policy professionals, business leaders, and scholars alike.

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These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. ChinaPower
2. The Asia Chessboard
3. The Proceedings Podcast
4. Modern War Institute
5. Net Assessment

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 2 years ago and published 161 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Yoko Kubota
2. Marise Payne
3. Nguyễn Khắc Giang
4. Lisa Curtis
5. Ryan Claffey
6. Ankit Panda
7. MaryKay Carlson
8. Eyck Freymann

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