Who makes foreign policy, what organizations drive relations between countries, do we as citizens have any say in all of this? Join your intrepid hosts as they talk with Bill Clifford, current Director of the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative at the Atlantic Council and former Executive Director of the World Affairs Councils of America, about why foreign policy matters and how you can actually help shape the conduct of the world.

While there is a complex web of actors involved in the creation of foreign policy, it is not shrouded in secrecy all the time. Living in a democracy, public opinion does constrain the actions of the government and can, at times, force the government's hand in making a decision (look at the various examples of hasty retreats from different global conflicts that have not always gone well).

However, going beyond the people and institutions who shape foreign policy, this conversation covers the ways in which norms, policies, and even social media can impact the ways countries interact with each other. By listening to this episode you will come away with a strong sense of who the key players in foreign policy creation are and how this can help you better understand how the world works.

Bill Clifford is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Director of the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative at the Atlantic Council. He previously served as the President and CEO of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) in Washington, D.C., where he led WACA's national office and represented its nonpartisan nonprofit network of more than 90 World Affairs Councils across the United States. Before his September 2013 appointment, he spearheaded the revitalization and growth of WorldBoston, a WACA member Council known for innovative programming, access to leaders, and a tradition of advancing public learning about critical international issues.

Previously, Clifford served as Asia Bureau Chief for the pioneering multimedia venture CBS MarketWatch, where he launched and directed news bureaus in Japan and Hong Kong. He got his start in broadcast news with Asia Business News TV and was senior correspondent in Tokyo for CNBC Asia after its merger with ABN. Bill began his work in journalism while earning his M.A. at SAIS and went on to cover international economics, finance, and politics for several newspapers.