Power Problems

Stephen Wertheim is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. He discusses 20 years of failed post-9/11 national security policies, the strategy of global military dominance, and the ongoing the battle of ideas on the U.S. role in the world. Show Notes: Stephen Wertheim bio Stephen Wertheim, “ The Ever-Ready Answer for Failure in Afghanistan: More War, ”  The Washington Post ,&nbsp...

U.S. Naval War College professor Peter Dombrowski argues that the most pressing problems Americans face are internal domestic challenges and non-military risks like pandemics and climate change. But national security policy devotes disproportionate time and resources to confronting inflated threats from external actors. He joins the show to discuss the problems with an overly militarized gran...

The chaos that accompanied the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan does not negate the wisdom of bringing the war to an end, despite protestations in Washington about U.S. credibility and the "sustainability" of endless war. Benjamin H. Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities, weighs in.    Show Notes   Benjamin H. Friedman bio Benjamin H. Friedman, “ Exiting Afgh...

The now-popular "ending endless wars" slogan has generated more political rhetoric than real policy changes. David Sterman, senior policy analyst at New America, helps define the concept of "endless war" as a strategy based on unachievable objectives and offers practical policy solutions for a substantive shift away from the War on Terror.  Show Notes David Sterman bio David Sterman, “ Defini...

Boston University’s Joshua Shifrinson weighs in on a new critique of the restraint school in U.S. foreign policy debates and explains why the strategy proposed by some liberal internationalists to confront a rising China - a strategy he terms "neo-primacy" - is bound to fail.   Show Notes Joshua Shifrinson bio Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson, “ Neo-Primacy and the Pitfalls of US Strategy Towar...

9/11 set the course for U.S. national security policy in the 21st century, often with counterproductive results. Cato Institute senior fellow Justin Logan explains how post-9/11 foreign policy went off the rails and thrust America into disastrous elective wars and wasteful spending sprees. The lack of accountability for those who carried out such failures bodes ill for the future.   Just...

  As the U.S. military withdraws from Afghanistan, the Biden administration is retaining some presence nearby. Tactics are shifting, but U.S. intervention looks far from over. Cato research fellow Sahar Khan discusses the debate over building bases in Pakistan and the role of U.S. security contractors in the so-called Forever War.   Show Notes   Sahar Khan bio Sahar Khan, “ Double G...

Many realists assume that national leaders are rational. But are they? University of Southern California professor Brian Rathbun draws on classical realism to argue that realpolitik is a demanding psychological standard that is less prevalent than often assumed. Constructive diplomacy obligates policymakers, therefore, to better account for both their own subjective biases and those of other state...

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has erupted again, but the politics in both Israel and the United States on this longstanding issue appear to be undergoing change. Jeremy Pressman, a political scientist at the University of Connecticut and an expert on the conflict, explains the historical context of the recent outbreak in violence, argues the cycle of military force undermines the objectives of...

One longstanding predicate of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East -- that America's military presence in the Persian Gulf region protects the free flow of oil -- is false. That is according to University of Pennsylvania professor Robert Vitalis, along with a growing academic literature scrutinizing the claim. Because of the global nature of the oil market, even infamous past disruptions, such a...

The renewed debate in Washington over U.S. foreign policy reflects changing attitudes in public opinion. George Mason University professor and Cato Senior Fellow A. Trevor Thrall discusses how generational differences are changing views on U.S. military activism and America's global role. Millennials and younger people generally support international engagement while rejecting excessive military i...

Jessica Trisko Darden joins John Glaser to discuss how U.S. foreign aid tends to support state violence and coercion. Economic and military aid often helps undemocratic regimes secure and sustain their power and carry out human rights abuses. Even aid conditioned on good behavior and respect for democratic norms is highly fungible and often misused in ways that contradict the stated intentions of...

What are China's international ambitions and how does Beijing seek to achieve them? Johns Hopkins professor Daniel S. Markey joins the show to discuss how the People’s Republic of China has pursued evolving strategies in discrete regions and to explore what strategic options are open to the United States in response. Daniel S. Markey bio Daniel S. Markey, China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the N...

Dominic Tierney, associate professor at Swarthmore College, explains how the “negativity bias” affects international relations. Negativity bias causes threat inflation, leads policymakers to maintain failing policies out of loss aversion, and produces misconceptions that make conflict more likely. Biden administration policies towards Iran, Afghanistan, and China are discussed, among other issues....

Former career diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford recounts how her experiences working for the State Department caused her to grow disillusioned with U.S. diplomatic policy. She emphasizes the advantages of adopting a more diplomatic rather than militarized foreign policy and offers policy prescriptions to help make that transition.   Show   Notes   Elizabeth Shackelford bio Elizabeth Sh...

Why has international war become more uncommon and unpopular since World War II? Sure some states still meddle in others’ civil wars or launch cyber offensives, but overall the world is experiencing an unprecedented era of peace. Some international relations experts claim that U.S. adventurist foreign policy has held off international war. This week’s guest, Ohio State University political scienti...

Geopolitical changes in East Asia call for new ideas to inform much needed policy reforms. Jessica J. Lee from the Quincy Institute joins John Glaser to discuss how policymakers can approach a rising China, traditional East Asian allies, and a nuclear North Korea. Show   Notes Jessica J. Lee bio Michael D. Swain, Jessica J. Lee and Rachel Esplin Odell, “ Toward an Inclusive & Balanced Ord...

What is the future of conservative foreign policy? The Republican Party is divided on many issues of national security as it searches for a new direction in the post-Trump age. The American Conservative senior editor Daniel Larison joins the show. Show Notes Daniel Larison bio: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/daniel-larison/ Daniel Larison, “ Where Do Conservatives Go On Foreign Pol...

Is the United States on course for a new Cold War with China? Campbell Craig tells John Glaser that there may be a chance to cooperate and ease tensions with Beijing. They discuss how changes in the U.S. military budget, threat perception, nuclear posturing, alliances, and domestic politics can help the two superpowers avoid a potential standoff. Show Notes Campbell Craig bio: https://www.cardiff....

Did Russia commit a cyber attack or cyber espionage? What is the difference and how does it affect the U.S. response and future of cybersecurity? Cato Institute’s own Brandon Valeriano and Atlantic Council’s Erica Borghard join host John Glaser to discuss the severity of the SolarWinds hack and its implications for the broader cybersecurity political landscape. 1.  Br...

Peter Beinart and host John Glaser discuss the problems of "global leadership" in U.S. foreign policy, why Washington over-spends on the wrong threats, the implications of President-elect Biden's incoming national security team, and how America should approach an increasingly influential China.      1. Peter Beinart bio:  https://www.gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Res...

After four years of an unpredictable commander-in-chief, it’s time to think about the future of U.S. foreign policy. John and David Hendrickson discuss the Trump to Biden transition, the illiberal nature of the "liberal order," and the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy, among other issues.   1.       David C. Hendrickson bio:  https://www.co...

President Donald Trump has shown excitement about the newly created Space Force division of the military. Is it worth the hype? According to Robert Farley, there is still too much unknown to make that call.   1.Robert M. Farley bio:  https://www.uky.edu/~rmfarl2/   2. There is no link yet to his Cato paper referenced as it has yet to be published. It’s a PA titled:  Space Force...

  How will President-elect Biden change US foreign policy? John Glaser talks to Emma Ashford of the Atlantic Council about the transition from Trump to Biden, and from host Emma to host John.      Emma Ashford Bio  https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/emma-ashford/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/joe-biden-just-won-the-presidency-what-does-that-mean...

Power transitions are a hot topic in international relations! David Kang and Xinru Ma join Emma Ashford to discuss why we should look outside Europe for insight.      David Kang Bio:  https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/faculty-and-staff/faculty.cfm?pid=1024445    Xinru Ma Bio:  https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/people/xinru-ma#:~:text=She%20uses%20...