None Of The Above

Nuclear weapons are the forgotten existential threat. Yet, they can alter the course of history in an afternoon. Leading nuclear policy expert, Joe Cirincione, joins Mark Hannah to discuss the dangers of a policy orientation geared toward maintaining, modernizing, and growing a large nuclear arsenal. According to Joe, proliferation of nuclear weapons in the U.S. makes us less safe as other countri...

The foreign policy establishment sees America locked in a fierce and strategic competition with China. With the ongoing trade war, the protests engulfing Hong Kong, and China's rising geopolitical influence, are Washington's fears and hardliner policies justified? Two China experts, Isaac Stone Fish and Stephen Orlins, join None Of The Above to discuss and debate Washington's appropriate response ...

America continues its unwavering devotion to Saudi Arabia, despite the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the humanitarian catastrophes in Yemen. What is behind this resolute support to America's undemocratic ally in the Middle East? Bill Hartung dives into the history of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, U.S. arms sales, and just how much of the arms trade actually benefits America's defense compa...

The Pentagon identifies climate change as a threat multiplier and links climate change to rising instability and insecurity around the globe. But what about the inverse? Murtaza Hussain, political and national security reporter for The Intercept, explores the forgotten costs to America's endless wars: climate change. How does warfare contribute to and exacerbate the climate crisis? What are the ec...

Chances are, empathy is not the first thing you think about when you consider the ideal mix of skills and attributes of American soldiers. Yet the military is beginning to appreciate how their officers need to understand the interests, values, and experiences of people up and down the chain of command, and of their foreign partners as well. Justin Bokmeyer is a graduate of West Point Military Acad...

What happens when the distinction between war and peace starts to disappear? Rosa Brooks, a law professor and former top Pentagon official, explores the causes and consequences of this alarming trend, and discusses its antecedents in other cultures. As the seemingly never-ending War on Terror is used to justify increasing government power and intrusions on civil liberties, are we sacrificing too m...

What do the American people think about America's role in the world?  Many foreign policy experts assume the public just doesn't care very much about international relations--or that average citizens are so uninformed that it's not worth paying attention to their views.  Brian Katulis upends these assumptions, discussing his new research that shows the public really does have important things to s...

The United States and the United Kingdom have historically had a special relationship. Can this kind of enduring alliance be replicated, and if not, why not? As American hegemony wanes and China's international influence rises, Kori Schake argues that shared values can propel common national interests and goals. And that these can endure even as countries' relative power rises and falls.

For decades, America has pursed a foreign policy of liberal hegemony: the idea that the U.S. should use its power to spread values like freedom and democracy, often by using military force.  America's foreign policy elite, whether in government, think tanks, media, or academia, have largely supported this strategy.  But Harvard University's Stephen Walt thinks America's expansive global reach has...

A new generation of military veterans who fought in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq confronts new challenges. News reports emphasize the trauma and loss associated with military service. But Kayla Williams, who served in Iraq and is now an advocate on veterans issues, explodes these myths and misconceptions as she shares both her personal experiences and professional expertise with war and its af...

After the Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and imposed the toughest ever sanctions against the Tehran, it seems to many that the president is seeking a pretext for war. Trump threatened "the official end of Iran" if the U.S. were provoked. The Iranian foreign minister condemned such "genocidal taunts," and accused the U.S. of provocations. Trita Parsi, the author o...

As the U.S. seeks a resolution to America's longest war, we're joined by Chris Kolenda, the first American to have both fought against—and then engaged in diplomatic talks with—the Taliban.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un clearly have a complicated relationship. Former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry makes the case for reunification of the Korean peninsula, and helps us understand what's at stake in the ongoing U.S.—North Korea talks.

Our first episode confronts the paradox of America's military might. As the Cato Institute's Chris Preble sees it, exorbitant spending on national defense actually makes America less safe. We examine the historical roots and potential consequences of our outsized military industrial complex.