Power Problems

David Burbach from the U.S. Naval War College joins Trevor Thrall and guest host John Glaser to discuss civil‐​military relations and public attitudes towards the military. David T. Burbach bio David Burbach, “ Gaining Trust While Losing Wars: Confidence in the U.S. Military after Iraq and Afghanistan ,” Orbis , vol. 61, no. 1, 2019 David Burbach, “ Partisan Dimensions of Confidence in the U.S. Mi...

Christopher Preble and John Glaser join Trevor Thrall to discuss their new book, Fuel to the Fire, which assesses Donald Trump’s foreign policies and makes the case for greater restraint in international affairs. Christopher A. Preble bio John Glaser bio Trevor Thrall bio Christopher A. Preble, John Glaser, Trevor Thrall, Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America’s Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse...

Vipin Narang of the M.I.T. Department of Political Science joins Trevor Thrall and guest host Eric Gomez to discuss nuclear trends and the nuclear balance in Asia. Vipin Narang bio Vipin Narang, “ Why North Korea Is Testing Missiles Again ,” Foreign Affairs , May 16, 2019 Vipin Narang, “ India’s Counterforce Temptations ,” International Security , Winter 2018/19 Caroline Dorminey and Eric Gomez, “...

Gregory Gause from the Bush School at Texas A&M joins Trevor Thrall and John Glaser to discuss U.S. policy and strategy in the Middle East in the wake of the missile strike on the Saudi oil facilities. F. Gregory Gause bio F. Gregory Gause, “ Should We Stay or Should We Go? The United States and the Middle East ,” Survival , Fall 2019. Gregory Gause, “ Why the U.S. Should Stay Out of Saudi Politic...

Jonathan Caverley of the Naval War College joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss the defense industry and the arms trade. Jonathan Caverley bio Jonathan Caverley, “ Slowing the Proliferation of Major Conventional Weapons: The Virtues of an Uncompetitive Market ,” Ethics & International Affairs , Vol. 31, No. 4, Winter 2017 Jonathan Caverley, “ America’s Arms Sales Policy: Securi...

Hilde Restad, a professor of International Relations at Bjorknes College in Oslo, Norway, joins us to discuss Trump’s foreign policy, nationalism, and the view from Europe. Hilde Restad bio Hilde Restad,  American Exceptionalism: An Idea that Made a Nation and Remade the World Cato Unbound , “ The Clash of Civilizations? ,” February 2017 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Matthew Goodman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss Trump’s trade war with China. Matthew P. Goodman bio Matthew P. Goodman and Ely Ratner, “ A Better Way to Challenge China on Trade: Trump’s Harmful Tariffs Aren’t the Answer ,” Foreign Affairs , March 22, 2018 Eswar Prasad, “ Which country is better equipped to win a U.S.-Chin...

Monica Toft, Professor at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, joins us to discuss the growth in U.S. military interventions and the decline of diplomacy. Monica Toft bio Monica Toft, “ The Dangerous Rise of Kinetic Diplomacy ,” War on the Rocks , May 14, 2018 The Military Intervention Project Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our special live episode of Power Problems, Emma Ashford chats with Heather Hurlburt of New America about ongoing debates on the future of U.S. grand strategy. Heather Hurlburt bio Heather Hurlburt, “ Making Sense of the Grand Strategy Debate ,” Lawfare , June 7, 2019 Emma Ashford, Hal Brands, Jasen Castillo, Kate Kizer, Rebecca Lissner, Jeremy Shapiro, and Joshua Shifrinson, “ New Voices in Gr...

In part two of the focus on America’s Nuclear Crossroads, Emma Ashford and guest host Eric Gomez delve into the future of arms control agreements with Maggie Tennis of the Brookings Institute. Maggie Tennis bio America’s Nuclear Crossroads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Todd Harrison from the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss the proposed Space Force, war in space, and his chapter in the forthcoming Cato report America’s Nuclear Crossroads . Todd Harrison bio America’s Nuclear Crossroads Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, “ Commanding Space: The Story Behind the Space Force Todd Harrison, “ A Space For...

With new protests in Sudan, ongoing conflict in Syria, and continued regional tensions, the legacies of the Arab Spring are everywhere in the Middle East. Peter Mandaville joins us to discuss. Peter Mandaville bio Kamron Bohkari and Peter Mandaville, The Muslim Brotherhood and American Muslims , Center for Global Policy, August 11, 2018 Peter Mandaville and Shadi Hamid, “ Islam as Statecraft: How...

What kind of foreign policy do Americans want? Not the one they have, apparently. To learn more Emma and Trevor chat with Peter Juul from the Center for American Progress about a new report from the Center for American Progress, “America Adrift: How the U.S. Foreign Policy Debate Misses What Voters Really Want.” Peter Juul bio Center for American Progress, “ America Adrift: How the U.S. Forei...

American presidents often praise U.S. foreign policy as a force for global freedom and liberty. We chat with Chris Preble about his new book, Peace, War, and Liberty . Christopher Preble bio Christopher Preble, Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy Free Thoughts/​Power Problems Crossover: “What do Libertarians Believe About Foreign Policy?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Arguments about the Iraq War loom large over pretty much every foreign policy debate in Washington. Does the Trump administration have similar intentions towards Iran? Lawrence Wilkerson joins us to discuss. Lawrence Wilkerson bio Lawrence Wilkerson, “ I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It’s Happening Again/​a>,” New York Times , February 5, 2018 Dexter Filkins, John Bolton on the Warp...

Women play an increasingly important role as insurgents and rebels in civil conflicts all over the world. But most often their story goes untold and their impact has been poorly understood. Jessica Trisko Darden, co‐​author of  Insurgent Women , joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss her new book to discuss. Jessica Trisko Darden bio Jessica Trisko Darden, Alexis Henshaw, and Ora Sze...

Pundits seem increasingly undecided whether we’re living in a new Cold War, or simply making a return to the 1930s. Ali Wyne of the RAND corporation joins us to discuss great power competition, the problem of foreign policy by analogy, and what the global order might look like in the future. Ali Wyne bio Ali Wyne, America’s Blind Ambition Could Make It a Victim of Global Competition...

The cyber era has amplified the impact of non‐​state actors on international relations. From election meddling to sabotage to espionage, states are using non‐​state actors as proxies to do their dirty work. Tim Maurer from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins Trevor Thrall and John Glaser to talk about the rise, reach, and implications of these cyber mercenaries. Tim Maurer bio Tim...

Donald Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong Un has come and gone, this time in abject failure. Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall are joined by Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest to discuss where U.S.-North Korean relations go from here. Harry Kazianis bio " A Top Trump Official May Have Just Doomed US-North Korea Talks ," Vox , March 8, 2019 " Dealing with North and South Korea: Ca...

Controversy is growing over the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela, where the United States has backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in his attempt to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power. Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Venezuela expert Moises Rendon to discuss the situation. Show Notes: Guest Bio: Moises Rendond Moises Rendon, “ Food vs. Freedom in Venezuela ,” July...

The Trump administration has emphasized the reemergence of great power competition as the organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. How will international relations change in an era when new actors are challenging the status quo? In Part II of our great power special, Professor Stacie E. Goddard of Wellesley College joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to talk about her recent book, When Might...

Great Power competition is back. How will international relations change in an era when new actors are challenging the status quo. In Part I of our great power special, Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Joshua Shifrinson, author of Rising Titans, Falling Giants, a book on great power rise and decline. Joshua Shifrinson's bio Joshua Shifrinson, Rising Titans, Falling Giants " The Return...

From trade to immigration, the Trump administration takes a much broader view of national security than prior administrations. Cato Senior Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to talk about the links between immigration and national security. Show Notes: Alex Nowrasteh’s bio Alex Nowrasteh, “ Incarcerated Immigrants in 2016: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Count...

Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Cato colleague Eric Gomez for a discussion of the year in review, and a preview of 2019. From nuclear weapons and North Korea to the U.S.-Saudi relationship, it’s been a wild year. Show Notes: Eric Gomez’s bio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attorney and Cato Institute adjunct scholar Scott Lincicome joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to discuss the Trump administration’s trade strategy and the role of international trade in U.S. foreign policy. Scott Lincicome’s bio Scott Lincicome, The “Protectionist Moment” That Wasn’t: American Views on Trade and Globalization , Free Trade Bulletin Scott Lincicome, “ Doomed to Repeat It: The Lon...