Autocrats vs. Democrats: The New Cold War with Michael McFaul

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins Katie Couric to talk about his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. McFaul says America's retreat from global leadership hasn't just left a vacuum: it's helped autocrats like Putin and Xi fill it. So where does that leave democracy? Together, they dig into what happens when the U.S. pulls back, why isolationism is making a comeback, and what it will take to reassert our moral and political leadership on the world stage. It's a fascinating–and surprisingly hopeful–conversation about power, principle, and possibility.

You can listen to Autocrats vs. Democrats: The New Cold War with Michael McFaul online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Autocrats vs. Democrats: The New Cold War with Michael McFaul is an episode from Next Question with Katie Couric by iHeartPodcasts.

This episode is 72:20 long.

This episode was published on Oct 30, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Next Question with Katie Couric when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.