The Asia Chessboard

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. They discuss how regime survival concerns among the Indo-Pacific’s authoritarian powers are shaping their foreign relations and the region's broader strategic competition. They explore the agency of authoritarian leaders influences grand str...

In this episode, Mike sits down with Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (January 2018-December 2019), to take stock of America’s strategy in Asia. They explore the forces shaping Washington’s approach to the region, the challenges accompanying Asia's shifting strategic landsc...

Mike is joined by Professor Vipin Narang, the Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science and inaugural director of MIT SSP’s Center for Nuclear Security Policy (CNSP). From March 2022 to August 2024, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. They discuss the future of the nuclear non-proliferation...

What does a more uncertain transatlantic relationship mean for Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific? Mike sits down with Dr Gorana Grgić, Head of the Global Security Team at ETH Zürich’s Center for Security Studies and Non-Resident Fellow at the United States Studies Centre, to explore how Europe is adapting to a shifting strategic landscape. They discuss the outcomes of the latest NATO summit in Ank...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dr Arzan Tarapore, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. They unpack the Pentagon's decision to revert the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) name back to Pacific Command (PACOM). They explore the strategic and political rationale behind the change; its imp...

In this episode, Mike sits down with Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute, about whether the United States is prepared for a major conflict in the Indo-Pacific. They examine how recent technological developments in drones, autonomous systems, electronic warfare, and precision strike capabilities are transforming the battl...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Ambassador Laura Stone, who most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and previously held senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of State, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Mongolia. They discuss the role that the Marshall Islands and the broader Pacific Islands play in U.S. engagement with the Indo-P...

This week, Mike hosts Professor Minxin Pei, the Tom and Margot Pritzker ‘72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College, and author of the recent book The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism. They discuss how China's political developments since the 1970s, culminating in the rise of Xi Jinping, has shaped U.S.–China relations and strategic c...

Mike sits down with Justin Bassi, Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, to examine Australia’s latest 2026 National Defence Strategy and what it reveals about Canberra’s evolving strategic outlook. They examine how the strategy aims to address Australia’s most pressing security challenges, how it differs from previous defense planning approaches, and explore emerging opp...

Mike joins Dr. Choi Kang, President of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, to break down the latest results from the Institute’s annual public opinion poll and what they reveal about how South Koreans view today’s most pressing security challenges. Why is Japan’s Prime Minister the most popular global leader among South Koreans? What’s driving record-high support for the U.S.–ROK al...

In this episode, Mike is joined by Joanne Lin Weiling, Senior Fellow and Coordinator at the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute and Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies. They unpack the results of ISEAS’ latest State of Southeast Asia Survey to examine how Southeast Asians across the region perceive intensifying U.S.-Chi...

In this episode, Mike sits down with Evan Medeiros, the Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.–China Studies. They examine Beijing’s response to the war in Iran, trace the evolution of the China–Iran relationship, and assess the conflict’s long-term strategic implications for Asia and U.S.–China competition.

Mike joins Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C., to explore the significance of the First Island Chain in U.S. strategic thinking on Asia. They trace its historical role in achieving a favourable regional balance of power, unpack its enduring relevance under the Trump administration, and assess how China is contesting its limits,...

Mike joins Tanvi Madan, senior fellow with the Center for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. They discuss developments in the U.S.-India relationship, the U.S.-India security alignment and other areas of cooperation, the new bilateral trade deal, interpersonal dynamics between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and what...

Mike joins I-Chung Lai, President of The Prospect Foundation. Prior to current role, he held several prominent positions within Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, serving as Executive Director of the DPP Mission to the United States and as the Director General of the Department of International Affairs. They discuss the PLA’s increasing operational abilities and Taiwan’s potential response to...

Mike joins Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, to unpack how U.S. national security strategy is shaping technology competition with China. They explore why Washington has rolled back certain tariffs and technology export restrictions, how allies and partners are responding to shifting U.S. trade polic...

Mike joins Ely Ratner, Principal at The Marathon Initiative and Senior Adviser at Clarion Strategies. Previously he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs during the Biden administration, and before that he was Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). They discuss the strategic competition with China, the diffi...

In this episode, Mike speaks with Christopher Johnstone, Partner and Chair of the Defense & National Security Practice at The Asia Group. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and before that as National Security Council Director for Asia under President Biden and Director for Japan and Oceanian Affairs under President...

In this episode, Mike speaks with three leading experts on international security: Elizabeth Saunders, Director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University; Luis Simón, Director of the Research Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy and Research Professor in International Security at the Brussels School of Governance; and Chung...

Mike speaks with Barbara Weisel, nonresident scholar in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She built a career serving in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for 23 years, departing as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia in October 2017. They discuss U.S. trade policy past and present, the mechanics of trade negotiations, how trade agreeme...

Mike speaks with Nicholas Burns, Managing Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Burns previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 2021-2025. They discuss where we are in U.S.-China relations, how the relationship has become much more complicated in r...

This week Mike speaks with Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and President Biden’s “Asia Czar.” He is currently Chairman of The Asia Group and Distinguished Fellow in Diplomacy with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. They discuss the U.S. strategic approach to the Indo-Pacific, the buildup of international security architecture, working in the Biden administration,...

This week Mike speaks with Ja Ian Chong, Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. They discuss the lessons and parallels of WWI and WWII for the contemporary Indo-Pacific, the potential for an outbreak of crisis and conflict in the region, the need for Singapore to review its geopolitical strategy, and much more.  

This week Mike speaks with Michael Schiffer, former Assistant Administrator of the USAID Bureau for Asia from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that he was Senior Advisor and Counselor to the U.S. Senate Committee of Foreign Relations. They discuss foreign aid and its role in supporting U.S. interests abroad.  

This week Mike speaks with Richard Rossow, an esteemed expert who has focused on U.S.-India Relations for over 25 years. He is currently Senior Adviser and Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They discuss the activities of the Quad, U.S.-India relations, how India could grow its trade partnership with the United States, and more.