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Deep Dish Podcast Explains What to Watch for in 2021

Global Insight by Brian Hanson
Ji Pak
Washington Monument at sunrise

Many of the challenges the world faced in 2020 will continue to shape our world next year.

Six recent Deep Dish episodes provide a foundation for understanding the issues poised to dominate news cycles again next year.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is seen making remarks on his plan to fight COVID-19 on a television monitor from the White House Briefing Room, in Washington
1. US Leadership President-elect Biden has assured the world—and US allies—that America "is back," but instead of looking to restore the past, the US needs to define a new agenda for a 21st-century global order and the role of leadership. Rebecca Lissner offers solutions.
US Navy ship in South China Sea
2. China Our most listened to episode of 2020 offers insight on one of the great foreign policy challenges the US will face in 2021—how to counter an increasingly aggressive China. Security expert Bonnie Glaser and Lieutenant Commander Matt Dalton explore the options.
Mark Zuckerberg appears on a video feed testifying before Congress.
3. Cybersecurity The largest hack against the US government happened just weeks before the end of the year, renewing questions on how to ensure we’re safe from digital interference from foreign and domestic actors. Tech experts Laura Rosenberger and Jacob Helberg examine the challenges tech brings to protecting democracy.
Black Lives Matter protests in June, 2020.
4. Race The world spent this year grappling with the effects of systemic racism and the foreign policy establishment was no exception. Historian Brenda Plummer examines how racism at home has shaped US foreign policy and how to build a better, more equitable future.
Children protesting and holding a sign that says "Make Billionaires Pay."
5. Inequality The pandemic-fueled economic crises of 2020 highlighted staggering levels of inequality in our society and around the globe. World-renowned economist Thomas Piketty explores how we got here and what we can do about it.
Fareed Zakaria speaking at the Council
6. The Future CNN Host Fareed Zakaria looks beyond where we are now to imagine what society, government, and power will look like in the post-pandemic world. A conversation on his new book offers clues to our future.

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About the Author
Brian Hanson
Former Vice President, Studies
Brian Hanson headshot
Brian Hanson served as the vice president of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He managed the Council's research operations and hosted the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.
Brian Hanson headshot