President Biden entered office with ambitious foreign policy goals and is leaving a complicated legacy. Though he navigated the global COVID-19 pandemic, rallied allies to support Ukraine, and implemented policies to address climate change, challenges such as the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, record illegal border crossings, the war in Gaza, and high inflation marred his term. The Gaza cease-fire that looks eminent mirrors a Biden proposal, yet Donald Trump has claimed credit for the deal. Will Biden’s presidency be remembered as an interlude between two Trump terms? Jamil Anderlini, Anton La Guardia, and Carla Anne Robbins join Ivo Daalder on this week’s World Review to evaluate Biden’s foreign policy record and what he leaves behind for Trump, including the Gaza cease-fire deal that Israel’s cabinet still needs to ratify and waning public support for continuing to aid to Ukraine.

In this episode, we unpack the first major global stories of 2025. Donald Trump’s expansionist rhetoric this week toward Greenland and Panama reflects his “America First” doctrine and risks violating international law, alienating allies, and deepening global tensions. How serious is he? Meanwhile, tech titans Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg stir misinformation controversies. What does Musk hope to gain by targeting European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with unverified allegations? And what impact will Meta’s decision to discontinue third-party fact-checking have on democracy? Ravi Agrawal, Susan Glasser, and Philip Stephens join Ivo Daalder to discuss the wild start to 2025 and what, if anything, might surprise them this year.

In our final episode of 2024, we’ll dig into the stories that are not only dominating the headlines this week but also will command attention well into 2025. First, how is the Syrian revolution already reshaping the Middle East and how will it affect the balance of power in the region? Then, European leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte, gathered in Brussels this week ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration to discuss support for Ukraine. What do Trump, Europe, and Zelensky want? Finally, we’ll wrap up by addressing President Trump's renewed hostility toward the press and examine what it might mean for press freedom during his second term. Steven Erlanger, Bobby Ghosh, and Carla Anne Robbins join Ivo Daalder to discuss the week's top news stories on World Review.