Cheap Talk

Thank you to our listeners for joining us for five seasons and 100 episodes! Cheap Talk returns for Season 6: Advice for new college students; the Trump-Putin summit spectacle; analyzing Trump’s body language; the challenges of studying summitry; the Trump administration’s unique approach to high-level meetings; a typology of leader diplomacy; Zelensky’s DC visit; the Trump administration’s overal...

A Cheap Talk emergency episode on the Israel-Iran conflict

Cheap Talk’s Season 5 finale: Everyone is cheating their way through college; remembering Joe Nye; interpreting President Trump’s big beautiful phone call with Vladimir Putin; evaluating the Golden Dome missile defense system; missile defense and strategic stability; and Marcus is looking forward to season 6 We’re mostly taking the summer off from podcasting (unless something big happens), but we’...

Some good arguments against AI use in the classroom; how students are actually using AI; the idea of AI as a learning coach; other models for AI use by students; testing out an AI prediction coach; the balance between coaching and just doing the work for you; issues to consider before deploying AI in the classroom; and Marcus does math without a calculator Try the AI prediction coach described in...

Iran nuclear talks are a marathon, not a sprint; three models for an Iran nuclear agreement; the role of technical expertise in nuclear negotiations; snap-back sanctions as a point of leverage; the demise of Iran’s proxy network; a regional solution to the nuclear problem; President Trump’s metrics for a successful deal; and Marcus says chafing is for amateurs The opinions expressed on this podcas...

The resumption of Iran nuclear talks; direct vs. indirect negotiations; the administration’s confusing messaging around the goals of talks; what kind of a deal is actually achievable; President Trump’s potential advantages in trying to reach a deal; and Marcus looks ahead to 2032 The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William &...

Normalizing national security-related Signal chats; blaming Siri for revealing the Signal chat; what is the plan with US tariff policy; trade deficits are normal and fine; anti-expert public opinion; political dimensions to the tariff story; bringing manufacturing back to the United States; the domestic politics of tariffs; and Marcus is running a trade deficit with Fresh Market The opinions expre...

High-level US government deliberations on the Signal app; the true beliefs of our national security leaders; why using Signal for national security discussions is a bad idea; classified information and Signal’s security; the use of emoji in formal work settings; and Marcus is more of a WhatsApp person The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or posi...

Trip report from the 2025 International Studies Association Annual Conference; the reasons to attend academic conferences; whether diplomats will embrace virtual reality diplomacy; the usefulness of AI in diplomacy; teaching people to use AI; and Marcus goes out for deep dish pizza The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William &am...

The disastrous return of face-to-face diplomacy between Trump and Zelensky; the ambush theory of international diplomacy; should this meeting have been an email; a stark signal to Europe and other allies; and Marcus’ rooms have feels The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple...

Five things we did this week; small signs of pushback against Elon Musk; foreign policy implications of DOGE; security risks from merging government computer systems; efficiency vs. other priorities in government; what’s in a place name; the fleeting nature of place names in a digital world; maps as arbiters of truth; Mapquest does not care; and Marcus’ rose is off the bud The opinions expressed o...

A bad week for Ukraine and transatlantic relations; Trump’s mini-feud with Zelensky; a bargaining approach to the question of whether Zelensky could have avoided war; the return of spheres of influence; reassuring words from Vladimir Putin; Europe’s appetite for securing a post-conflict Ukraine; and Marcus embraces rationalism The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not re...

The Trump administration’s early moves and their implications for US foreign policy; hollowing out expertise in the civil service; the loss of USAID; Trump’s designs on the Gaza Strip; tough signals to Ukraine on upcoming negotiations; and Marcus is already working on the op-ed The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & M...

Pandas are back in our nation’s capital; DeepSeek challenges the AI status quo; TikTok remains in legal limbo; how TikTok is like Bed Bath & Beyond; and Marcus is always up for a little China talk The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podc...

The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Please send us your questions or comments!

New products (and discounts!) in the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop ; heterarchy in international relations; rebel advances in Syria; continuing popular protests in Georgia; the German Chancellor visits Ukraine; and Marcus hates hand-washing coffee mugs The Cheap Talk store has been restocked with new t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers, perfect for the IR enthusiast in your life. All...

Cheap Talk records live from Williamsburg, Virginia with the students of William & Mary’s Government 204 course, Introduction to International Politics, answering questions about Ukraine, face-to-face diplomacy, the international relations paradigms, North Korea, and more; and Marcus had a good time (Our apologies for some audio issues this week—we hope you enjoy the podcast anyway. We will be...

Moritz Graefrath joins Cheap Talk to discuss the new international relations board game World Order; the role of IR theory in the design of the game; how board games can teach us about the world; the state of board games today; some recommendations for getting started in gaming; and Marcus doesn’t play board games Moritz Graefrath is a Security and Foreign Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at William &am...

What to expect from the new Trump administration’s foreign policy; uncertainty about Trump’s foreign policy views; new risks for Ukraine; fewer limits on Israeli action in the Middle East; tariffs and trade barriers with China; poor prospects for cooperative efforts on climate change; hope for a new deal with North Korea but worries about South Korean security; the important role of foreign policy...

Dan Maliniak joins Cheap Talk to discuss the recent elections in the country of Georgia; evidence of irregularities; how much of this is Russia’s fault; European identity in Georgia; the path forward from here; the little-known fact that wine started in Georgia; what the US can do; and Marcus is a big Dave Matthews Band guy Dan Maliniak is an associate professor of government at W&M. Check out...

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to atomic bomb survivors; the importance of living memory in international relations; the policy effect of first-person testimony; living through history and thus not repeating it; how society collectively understands history; and Marcus is not actually undecided The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of...

How long it would take for Iran to have a nuclear weapon; where these estimates come from; Iran’s strategy of nuclear hedging; why the Iran deal failed and the prospects for nuclear diplomacy; Israel’s ability to strike Iran’s nuclear program; NotebookLM and the arrival of AI podcasts; and Marcus is pretty sure he’s human and not AI The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do...

The chain of events that led to Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah; what could lead to a cessation of hostilities; Iran’s attack on Israel and Israel’s possible response; calls for Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear program; the folly of “restoring deterrence” in the Middle East; diminished US leverage; and Marcus is still undecided The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not...

Israel’s aims in its attacks on Hezbollah; Iran’s role in the current conflict; what is a crisis, really; the US perspective; how to get to a ceasefire from here; OpenAI’s new ChatGPT model; evaluating model risk; deceptive alignment; and Marcus is still an AI optimist The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Plea...

The exploding pager attacks in Lebanon; the use of pagers as communications infrastructure; supply chain vulnerabilities; the supposed safety of outdated technology; Israeli motivations for the attacks; the risk of escalation in the Middle East; and Marcus consults a focus group The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William &...