Power Problems

When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, many cyber security analysts expected Russia to rely far more heavily on cyber tactics. Marine Corps University distinguished senior fellow Brandon Valeriano discusses the pitfalls of cyber security policy and research.    Show Notes:  Brandon Valeriano bio Brandon Valeriano, “ The Failure of Offense/Defense Balance in Cyber Security ,”  The Cyb...

Award winning journalist Peter Beinart discusses the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one year later and questions the wisdom of entering the war in the first place. He conjectures about why U.S. foreign policy does not seem to evolve much or reflect popular opinion as much as domestic policy. Show Notes: Peter Beinart bio Peter Beinart, “ Lessons from Afghanistan a Year Later ,” The Beinart...

Defense Priorities fellow Bonnie Kristian discusses the Beijing’s reaction to Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the risks of escalation in America’s Ukraine policy, continued U.S. presence in the Middle East, the overuse of national emergency declarations, and unchecked executive war powers. Show Notes:   Bonnie Kristian bio Bonnie Kristian, “ Pelosi’s Trip to Taiwan Might Be Good for Her Leg...

Author Robert Wright discusses the post-Cold War history of US policies, particularly in Europe, that increased the likelihood of today's ongoing war in Ukraine and the psychological factors influencing the climate of discourse in a time of war.    Show Notes Robert Wright bio Robert Wright, “ Anti-War Think Tank Attacked ,”  Nonzero Newsletter , July 11, 2022. Robert Wrig...

Despite campaign promises to re-enter the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, also known as the JCPOA, President Joe Biden has yet to show the political will required to make progress. Quincy Institute co-founder and executive vice president Trita Parsi discusses why the Biden administration has been slow to act and what the consequences will be. Show Notes Trita Parsi bio “ On Iran, the Biden Presidency Has...

Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the current state of transatlantic relations, how they shifted during the Trump administration, the need for European defense autonomy, the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, and why US foreign policy has a prioritization problem. Show Notes Jeremy Shapiro bio Jeremy Shapiro, “Does America Need a Foreign Policy?...

Lyle Goldstein, Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities and visiting professor at Brown University, discusses strategies toward Russia and China in this so-called era of great power competition, with a focus on the territorial disputes each rival has with its neighbors.  Lyle Goldstein bio Lyle Goldstein, “ Raising the Minimum: Explaining China’s Nuclear Buildup ,” Defense...

Georgia Tech associate professor Jon R. Lindsay discusses the role and ethics of AI in war, the risks and dangers in developing military and national security applications, and how AI applications will alter the nature of international conflict.    Notes: Jon R. Lindsay bio Jon R. Lindsay,  Information Technology and Military Power  (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020)....

Joshua Landis, professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the civil war in Syria, the fragmentation of the country, the history of US interventions in the conflict, how America's strategy there works against itself, and how best to stabilize and potentially resolve what has become a protracted quagmire.   Notes Joshua Landis bio Steven Simon, Joshua Landis, a...

Retired CIA officer Paul R. Pillar discusses the tensions between the intelligence community and policymakers, concerns over domestic abuses of the CIA and NSA, the continuing legacy of post-9/11 policy mistakes, the Russian war in Ukraine, the Biden administration's diplomacy with Iran, and how hyper-partisanship undermines national security policy.   Show Notes: Paul R. Pillar bio Paul R. P...

Tulane University associate professor and Cato adjunct scholar Christopher Fettweis discusses political psychology on the international and domestic levels, explains how misperceptions drive conflict, and argues that "enemy images" can be subdued by greater exposure to adversaries and political opponents.    Christopher Fettweis bio Christopher J. Fettweis,  Psychology of a Superpow...

The image of public harmony between elected officials and an entrenched national security bureaucracy collapsed in the Trump years, according to Tufts University professor Michael Glennon. Glennon discusses the massive transfer of power from the Madisonian institutions of government to a behemoth national security bureaucracy, the problems this poses for policymaking, and how our politics have bec...

The war in Ukraine has prompted calls for armed neutrality as a resolution to the conflict. Audrey Kurth Cronin outlines the history of neutral states and why it is a promising solution in Ukraine.   Show Notes: Audrey Kurth Cronin bio Audrey Kurth Cronin, “ Could Ukraine Become Neutral, Like Switzerland? Five Things to Know ,”  Washington Post , March 9, 2022.  Patrick M. Cronin an...

Atlantic Council senior fellow Emma Ashford discusses how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has played out so far, what the broader implications for international security and the global economy will be, and what comes after the conflict for the United States, Europe, Russia, and China.   Emma Ashford bio Emma Ashford, “ It’s Official: The Post-Cold War Era Is Over ,” New York Times , February 24,...

MIT professor Barry Posen joined the show to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, the origins of the conflict, what diplomatic approaches are available, and how US strategy is pushing China and Russia together.   Barry R. Posen bio Barry Posen, “ Unleashing the Rhetorical Dogs of War ,” Just Security , February 15, 2022. Barry R. Posen, “ A New Transatlantic Division of Labor Could Save Billions Ev...

Should the United States classify as much information as it does? Yale Law School professor Oona A. Hathaway explains how the U.S. government overclassifies information, why incentives generate more secrecy, the threat to democracy this system poses, and what to do about it. Oona Hathaway bio Oona A. Hathaway and Scott J. Shapiro,  Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade th...

Richard Hanania argues that the existence of a consistent, top-down, overarching U.S. grand strategy is an illusion. Instead of a unitary actor adhering to a coherent strategy over time, the state is subject to a set of concentrated interests that have outsize influence on U.S. foreign policy.  Show Notes: Richard Hanania bio   Richard Hanania,  Public Choice Theory and the Illusion...

Quincy Institute Senior Fellow Anatol Lieven discusses the origins of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia's strategic perspective, the mistakes of NATO enlargement, and why the Biden administration has options to defuse tensions but is not pursuing them. Post-withdrawal Afghanistan policy and strategic competition with China are also covered.  Anatol Lieven bio Anatol Lieven, “...

 What do quantum mechanics have to do with international relations? Ohio State University professor Alexander Wendt lays out a theory of the physical world based on quantum effects and explains how it might inform our approach to social science, including international politics.  Show Notes Alexander Wendt bio Alexander Wendt,  Quantum Mind and Social Science: Unifying Physical...

The desire for high status drives great powers’ foreign policies. Cambridge University professor Steven Ward discusses how status concerns motivate rising powers like China as well as declining powers like the United States, and how that can produce belligerent policies and exacerbate international tensions. Show Notes Steven Ward bio Steven Ward,   Status and the Challenge of Rising Powers ,...

Despite the popular Cold War concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD), the United States and Soviet Union engaged in risky, escalatory nuclear competition despite the costs and risks. University of Cincinnati associate professor and Cato adjunct scholar Brendan Rittenhouse Green discusses what drove this competition and explains the role of nuclear arms today, with a focus on the future of U....

Marquette University Associate Professor Risa Brooks discusses civil-military relations in the United States, the role of military leaders and institutions in the making of foreign policy, and what reforms are needed to re-exert civilian primacy over the armed forces. Brooks touches upon concerning episodes, from Obama's Afghanistan surge to Trump's explicit politicization of the military, to sugg...

The U.S. military budget is larger than those of the next 11 highest spenders combined. William Hartung, Director of the Arms & Security Program at the Center for International Policy discusses what cuts would make military spending more efficient.   William D. Hartung bio  William D. Hartung, “ Profits of War: Corporate Beneficiaries of the Post-9/11 Pentagon Spending Surge ,” Watso...

Access to oil is so vital that powerful countries can take extraordinary measures to protect themselves from ever being vulnerable to oil coercion. Rosemary A. Kelanic, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame University, discusses the recent history of great powers’ quest for oil security and what kind of future military postures the United States and China may take toward...

President Joe Biden claimed he would defend human rights around the world, but his track record paints a different picture, especially in the Middle East. Quincy Institute senior fellow Annelle Sheline discusses how U.S. policies in the region have protected oppressive leaders while undermining American interests. Show Notes Annelle Sheline bio Annelle Sheline, “ House Passes Measure Ending U.S. S...