Face-Off: The U.S. vs China
Hosted by Jane Perlez · Airwave Media
4.8from 318 ratings
- 44
- Episodes
- 40
- Transcribed
- 318
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2024
- First episode
About Face-Off: The U.S. vs China
The nuclear age began in secrecy and scientific ambition. The story is familiar, but its implications have never left us. A bomb created in a moment of wartime urgency became the foundation of a global order defined by terror and deterrence. But what happens when that global order breaks down? Face-Off: Nuclear Anarchy is an 8-part series tracing the arc of nuclear danger from the Manhattan Project to the Cuban Missile Crisis to the abandonment of the New START treaty and the shattering of the nonproliferation order today. We take you behind the scenes of key moments and key places of the nuclear story to shed light upon the present. In each episode, Pulitzer-winning journalist Jane Perlez interviews leading participants in the nuclear conversation: David Sanger, Tong Zhao, Rose Gotemoeller, Alex Wellerstein and more. Plus, Matthew Bunn, of Harvard's Managing the Atom project, joins for a wrap-up segment to put everything in context. We are living in a more crowded and unstable nuclear world—where proliferation spreads not through ideology or conquest, but through fear, hedging, and the collapse of confidence. Face-Off asks who will hold the line, and for how long? Episodes out every Tuesday in October & November 2026. This project is made possible by the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Managing the Atom Project. Our special guest is Professor Matthew Bunn, Faculty Chair of the Managing the Atom Project (@matthew-bunn.bsky.social). Face-Off is produced and reported by Jane Perlez. Our production team is Nina Porzucki, Louise Morris, and Frank Zhou. Sound design and mixing by John Myers and Rowhome Productions.
- Publisher
- Airwave Media
- Category
- news
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 20 Mar 2024
- Latest episode
- 6 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
40 of 44 episodes have a transcript.
6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
The New Nuclear Age
22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing Face-Off: Nuclear Anarchy?
28 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing Asian Innovation for Social Good
Inside a recent episode
The New Nuclear Age
Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And same question about China and Taiwan. So the answer to your question is different countries define deterrence in different ways. They always have, but the new technologies now actually make that problem worse. And that's why I'm so glad you're doing your series here. For a generation, most universities were not teaching nuclear strategy anymore because the Cold War ended and we thought that was an old problem. It went dormant for a while, but now it's back with a vengeance. And that's why we need new thinking, new scholars, new approaches, more money being poured into thinking about the strategy. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on Face-Off: The U.S. vs China
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- David Sanger
- Matthew Bunn
- Tong Zhao
- Rose Gottemoeller
- Alex Wellerstein
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.8 / 5
- 178 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.7 / 5
- 140 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 25
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 98
Contact Face-Off: The U.S. vs China
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Shows with a similar audience
Questions about Face-Off: The U.S. vs China
Who hosts Face-Off: The U.S. vs China?
Jane Perlez host the show. Published by Airwave Media.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Face-Off: The U.S. vs China take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
40 of 44 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Face-Off: The U.S. vs China?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show
Podcast research with Pod Engine