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Alternate Shots with Richard Haass and John Ellis
The idea of the podcast is this: We talk about “three things” that are interesting, important or both. The third thing will be about something from the world of sports.
Richard is a veteran diplomat (he served in the Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and G.W. Bush administrations). He was president of the Council on Foreign Relations for two decades (he’s now president emeritus). He’s a Senior Counselor at Center|View Partners, a prominent New York City-based investment banking firm. He also distributes a weekly newsletter — Home and Away — on Friday mornings. Home and Away addresses matters domestic and foreign.
John is the founder and editor of News Items, a daily newsletter that covers global politics, financial news, advanced technologies and science. He has been in and around the news business for virtually all of his adult life, working for NBC News (as a political analyst), The Boston Globe (as a columnist), CNBC, Fox News, and Newscorp. In 2016, he launched News Items as a morning brief for executives and editors at Fox and Newscorp. In 2018, News Items became The Wall Street Journal CEO Council's morning newsletter. He restarted News Items as an independent newsletter in August of 2019.
Episodes
27 episodes
Bored of War: Episode 27
John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss the latest on multiple wars, actual and political. They review the absence of good options for ending the war with Iran, noting that wars dont necessarily end when one side (in this case Donald Trump) has ha...
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More Stress than Strategy: Episode 26
Alternate Shots returns with John Ellis and Richard Haass examining a geopolitical and domestic political landscape defined by drift. The crisis surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz underscores a broader reality: deterrence is fraying, dip...
Two Wars & A King: Episode 25
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass tackle two wars, a Royal visit, and the world of sports. The conversation starts with the Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and leave the nuclear issue for ...
Cautious Optimism: Episode 24
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass navigate a tumultuous week where cautious optimism collided with geopolitical reality. The conversation ranges from Iran and the fragile ceasefire in and around the Strait o...
Strait Talk Everywhere But the SitRoom: Episode 23
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass dissect a ceasefire that exists mostly on paper and a war that has created more problems than it has solved. The Strait of Hormuz has gone from highway to choke point, while what ...
Losing the Battle, Winning the War: Episode 22
In this episode of Alternate Shots, hosts John Ellis and Richard Haass dissect a familiar American illusion: that battlefield dominance equals strategic victory. Yes, Iran has taken a beating; but, as Haass notes, capability plus will ...
Strait Talk or Dire Straits: Episode 21
War, markets, and maritime choke points collide in this brisk tour of a Middle East crisis that could empty gas tanks worldwide. John Ellis and Richard Haass unpack whether the U.S. has really clipped Iran’s wings or merely annoyed a country th...
It Takes Three to Tango: Episode 20
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass dissect the messy endgame of the US-Israeli war with Iran. They discuss leverage, informal and formal ceasefires, and strategy. The conversation explores whether and how Washingto...
Missiles, Missteps, and Middle East Math: Episode 19
In this week’s episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass dissect the widening conflict with Iran, asking the uncomfortable question: what exactly is the strategy? They debate the shaky logic behind Operation Epic Fury, t...
Tehran, Tariffs, Cartels, & Capacity: Episode 18
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass begin in Iran, where the Trump administration has assembled more military might than strategy. From there, they unpack the recent Supreme Court decision on tariffs, making c...
From Munich to Machine Learning: Episode 17
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass begin with the recent Munich Security Conference. A focus is Marco Rubio's speech, which was praised by some but did little to reassure on Ukraine or on US support for a democrati...
From the Middle East to the Midterms: Episode 16
In episode 16 of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haassbegin with Iran and the critical question of how the U.S. defines “success” as well as the limits to what military force could accomplish. They then turn to the expiration of the New...
Episode 15
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass begin with the muddled US response to upheaval in Iran, highlighting the lack of clarity as to both US objectives and the potential role of military force. Here at home, they exam...
Episode 14
In episode 14 of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass delve into the new "real estate doctrine" of American foreign policy, discussing the irrelevance of ownership in international relations, particularly in the context of Gre...
Episode 13
In the newest episode of Alternate Shots, hosts John Ellis and Richard Haass dig into many of the most pressing issues around the world. Iran is experiencing widespread protests against a regime that has lost widespread support. The Trump admin...
Episode 12
In the year's first episode of Alternate Shots, hosts John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss the U.S. intervention in Venezuela: what led to it, why it is better understood as leadership rather than regime change, and why the US might well encoun...
Episode 11
In the latest episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass look back at 2025, focusing on a Trump foreign policy that is radically different from what we have known for 80 years, the resistance of the Military Industrial Legislative...
Episode Ten
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss the recent National Security Strategy, highlighting a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy that has come to prioritize commercial interests and the Western Hemisphere ...
Episode Nine
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss flaws in the US approach to negotiating an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine on terms consistent with US interests, new doubts raised about U.S. foreign policy com...
Episode Eight
In this episode of Alternate Shots, John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss the recent developments in U.S. foreign policy, particularly focusing on the controversial Ukraine peace plan. They explore the implications of the plan, the disarray with...
Episode Seven
In this episode of "Alternate Shots," hosts John Ellis and Richard Haass dive into a range of pressing global issues and intriguing insights. John, the founder and editor of two Substack newsletters, and Richard, a seasoned expert in foreign re...
Episode Six
In this new episode of 'Alternate Shots', Richard and John discuss the diplomatic twists and turns of the Ukraine "peace" negotiations, the "Donroe Doctrine" and Venezuela, financial "cockroaches", and the politics of the U.S. government shutdo...
Episode Five
John Ellis and Richard Haass discuss various pressing global issues, starting with the Middle East situation and the potential for a deal involving hostages and ceasefire in Gaza. They explore the political dynamics in Israel, the rise of right...