Cheap Talk

Trash balloons on the Korean Peninsula; unification policy and public diplomacy; checking in on anarchy in the international system; why there isn’t a world government; reasons to study (or ignore) international relations paradigms; the importance of thinking big thoughts in IR; and Marcus reveals he is anti-science The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the p...

Cheap Talk makes a triumphant return for its 5th season: sauna diplomacy; what Olympic medal counts say about international prestige; our new secret nuclear plan; transparency and nuclear deterrence; Ukraine’s Kursk offensive; political vs. military goals in Ukraine; US restrictions on Ukraine’s military efforts; and Marcus discovers long-standing concepts in international relations Please subscri...

The foreign policy implications of recent US news; a bad day for Vladimir Putin; Harris’ likely foreign policy; the role of the Vice President in international affairs; assassination attempts as a signal of vulnerability; international norms against assassination; and Marcus is keeping up with the news We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk o...

Leader age and international security; perceptions of experience vs. cognitive decline; does any of this matter for international outcomes; foreign policy is more than just a leader’s decisions; the problem with hotlines; and Marcus briefly considered a presidential run We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or y...

The US allows Ukraine to strike into Russia; the effect of making this public knowledge; prospect theory and taking greater risks in the loss domain; the risk of escalation is context-dependent; wargaming as a way to understand an adversary’s response; how concerned should we be about a possible bird flu pandemic; and Marcus is a worrywart We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the su...

The international implications of the Trump verdict; pandas are coming back to DC; trust vs. confidence in international relations; reciprocity in the nuclear nonproliferation regime; the real-world importance of trust semantics; interpersonal vs. inter state trust; precedent and trusting relations; and Marcus trusts Canada We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please sub...

The role of foreign affairs in the just-announced presidential debates; an international marathon update; orangutan diplomacy isn’t really diplomacy; the cutest diplomatic animals; cognac diplomacy also isn’t really diplomacy; Antony Blinken plays guitar and delivers a message of US support in Kyiv; does nuclear deterrence even work; and Marcus confesses his love for presidential debates We will b...

The role of bees in international politics; Panda diplomacy is happening; Ukraine’s tenuous position against Russia; prospects for a US/China AI arms control process; letting AI decide to deploy nuclear weapons; the State Department’s new digital and cyber strategy; and Marcus is no entomologist Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice Plea...

Panda diplomacy, local edition; what is diplomacy, anyway; Israel’s retaliation against Iran; a success story for international diplomacy; a restrained response as a particular kind of signal; the TikTok ban is happening; US aid to Ukraine is happening; Russian strategy in response to this aid; US-Taiwan military collusion; and Marcus thinks things are looking up Please subscribe and leave a revie...

TikTok as an information-gathering platform; worries about a wider war in the Middle East; the signal sent by Iran’s attack against Israel; a missile defense success story; how technology affects the risk of escalation; Iran’s nuclear program as a potential target for Israel; cyberattacks in gray zone conflict; a chance for diplomacy to work; and Marcus is hopeful that he is right Please subscribe...

Fragmentation in the international relations discipline; normal science versus overarching theory; insights from the International Studies Association annual conference; the best name for a political science department; the US-Japan state visit; state dinners as a signal of alliance ties; insulating the US-Japan relationship from a future Trump administration; Japan’s increasing role in defense co...

What is happening with the Apple Vision Pro; recent Chinese cyber activity; signaling and deterrence in the cyber domain; building and maintaining cyber trust; demonstrating a capability without losing it; the psychological impact of potential cyberattacks; managing the overall US-China relationship in the midst of cyber incidents; extending the US cyber umbrella; cyber-intrusions into the elector...

Jaime Settle joins Cheap Talk to discuss her research on social media networks; pending legislation to ban TikTok; how social media influences political knowledge and mobilization; the importance of the algorithm to the social media experience; what it is like to work with Meta to conduct research on Facebook; and Marcus is not afraid to take a stand Jaime Settle is the Cornelia Brackenridge Talbo...

A rebroadcast of the October 16, 2022 episode of Cheap Talk: The sixtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis; lessons from the crisis; the dangers of reasoning from analogy; why Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine; how NATO would respond if they did; gambling for resurrection; the US role in facilitating peace; and Marcus would prefer that countries refrain from using nuclear...

How leaders matter if you believe countries are people; what would happen if Putin died; the impact of the Russian invasion two years on; what a nuclear weapon in space means for international security; space nukes and the violation of international law; and Marcus thinks every listener would agree Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice Please s...

Special guest Nicholas Wheeler returns to Cheap Talk to explain the English School of international relations; why the English School never took off in the US; methodology in IR theory; the fractionalization of IR; nuclear responsibilities; and Marcus doesn’t love sharing the spotlight Nicholas Wheeler is @WheelerICCS on Twitter/X . You can also find him on LinkedIn and Google Scholar . Subscribe...

Nicholas Wheeler joins Cheap Talk to discuss his research program in international diplomacy; personal chemistry among leaders; the security dilemma; explaining Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine; the policy utility of international theory; and Marcus is so excited Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice Please send us your questions or comments!...

What the Apple Vision Pro means for the future of international diplomacy; the essential elements necessary to realize the benefits of face-to-face diplomacy; micro-expressions and realism in virtual worlds; barriers to outsiders and the risk of eavesdropping; verifying that you’re talking to the person you think you’re talking to; the promise of training in virtual and augmented reality; and Marc...

Iran and the risk of a wider war in the Middle East; the likely US response to the recent drone strike; how to cooperate in an age of conflict; barriers to working together; the role of confidence-building mechanisms in international security; the death of the dream of Korean reunification; and Marcus doesn’t want to scare the listener Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or...

Doomsday clock trivia; the origins of the clock; over-interpreting what time it is; becoming desensitized to global threats; public education and advocacy around existential risk; risk assessment by the global elite; the perils of expert prediction; and Marcus thinks this is a trick question Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice Please send us...

International bright spots for 2024; democracy is still a thing; a newly aggressive Iran; Iran as a missile power; domestic political imperatives for international conflict; Pakistan’s response and the maintenance of an international reputation; an absence of diplomacy in the region; the US and multinational response to Houthi attacks; where is Saudi Arabia when you need them; whether Iran has cha...

Happy New Year from Cheap Talk: The top global risks in 2024; the shadow of the US presidential election; the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the dangers of risk-taking; a broader war in the Middle East; accidental conflict and North Korea; China’s economy; AI and misinformation; extreme weather and El Niño; the erosion of limits on nuclear weapons; the decline of global cooperation; and Marcus declin...

The final Cheap Talk podcast of 2023: Thanks for visiting our store at cheaptalk.shop ; Beast Train follow-up; EU regulation and the project of AI governance; the tension between domestic and international action; the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a poor analogy for an international agreement on AI; an agreement at the Climate Summit; non-binding agreements and screening for national preferen...

Check out the new Cheap Talk shop at https://cheaptalk.shop ; Chinese asylum seekers at the southern US border; the Beast Train; the latest Cuban espionage case and motivations for spying; why parties to conflict agree to ceasefires; the latest in the Elgin Marbles saga; royal neckwear; and Marcus has strange taste in YouTube videos Get all your holiday gifts at the new Cheap Talk shop ! Subscribe...

The grand opening of the Cheap Talk shop at https://cheaptalk.shop ; cheating at really fast chess; yet another panda update—this time from Scotland; video games as the solution to polarization and international peace; video games to strike fear into your hearts; Biden skips the climate summit; and Marcus is nothing if not consistent Holiday shopping? Check out the brand new Cheap Talk shop ! Our...