The Precision-Guided Podcast

During the Global War on Terror after 9/11, the United States frequently criticized other states for exporting extremism. In recent years, however, it is the US that has seen an expansion of far-right extremism spread within its country. As some American allies have designated groups within the United States as terrorist organizations, US-based far-right groups have continued to export their ideol...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly! This week, host Gareth Smythe sits down with GSSR's Associate Editor for Europe and Central Asia Arjan van Tongerlo to discuss the latest on the war in Ukraine and how Dutch elections, shifting European politics, and the world's focus on the Middle East may impact the progress of Ukraine's fight. We hope you enjoy!

It is evident that the nature of warfare has evolved, as demonstrated by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. Exponential technological acceleration is driving much of this change: multi-domain sensors are making the battlespace transparent, long-range precision munitions can accurately hit any observed target, and autonomous weapons can attack from above, hitting the weakest point of tank...

In a world increasingly polarized and facing complex challenges like climate change, distrust in institutions, and great power competition, it is vital to move beyond apathy and fear and rethink how we approach security. Kellsie Herrmann (SSP ‘24) hosts Professor Gina Bennett, a renowned former member of the intelligence community with a distinguished counterterrorism record who considers national...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly! This week, host Miriam Pasternak explores the U.S.'s posture on strategic nuclear deterrence and the concept of 'tripolar deterrence’, in light of a recently published Congressional report. Miriam sits down with two guests: Shane Ward, an SSP Master’s student at Georgetown University who focuses on nuclear deterrence in his studies at SSP, and Dr. Adam Mount, an...

In a debut format, host Shawn Rostker presents a narrated version of a peer-reviewed journal article from Nick Lekkas, a senior columnist at the Georgetown Security Studies Review and fellow SSP colleague. Nick’s article, titled “Mobilized, Forgotten, Ignored: Russia’s Control Mechanisms of its Minority Populations Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War,” explores the disproportionate effect that Russia’s c...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly! This week, host Gareth Smythe sits down with guest Katherine Wells to discuss Saudi Arabia's grand strategy and how they view the current conflict in the Middle East. Next, Miriam Pasternak sits down with Veronika Melkozerova, a Ukrainian reporter for Politico, who has been providing coverage of the war in Ukraine to the biggest media outlets in the world. Veronika...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly! This week, host Miriam Pasternak sits down with guest Harrison Durland, a fellow SSP student, focusing on tech and emergent technology, to talk about the recent U.S. export controls on China. After this, host Gareth Smythe sits down with Anna Bassoli, the Associate Editor for the Indo-Pacific at the Georgetown Security Studies Review (GSSR), about the Australian state v...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly! This week’s theme is the Polish elections and the surprising victory of Donald Tusk, a political giant both in Poland and the European Union. Host Miriam Pasternak sits down with Jan Gerber, a fellow SSP student born and raised in Poland. The two discuss how Donald Tusk managed to defeat the current right-winged government which has been in power since 2015, and how Tus...

The global effort for “going green” is creating dependency on Chinese renewable energy because China is dominating the renewable energy market. While moving forward with environmentally friendly energy alternatives is a crucial movement, should the West choose that option even if it means dependency on China? Can the West protect the environment and also win the Great Power Competition with China?...

This week, hosts Miriam Pasternak and Gareth Smythe sit down with guest Zach Markenson to put the events in Israel and Palestine this past week into historical context. In the episode, Zach sheds light on the prolonged relationship between Israel and Hamas, provides an overview of long-term Israeli policies toward Palestine, and helps unpack the dynamics between many of the myriad actors in the re...

Welcome back to SSP Weekly: a new format from Georgetown University’s Precision-Guided Podcast! This week, hosts Miriam Pasternak and Gareth Smythe follow up on the updates since last episode's government shutdown story, and talk about the ousting of House speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Next, we discuss the recent brewing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, as a result of a violent attack on Kosovar...

Welcome to the SSP Weekly: A new format from Georgetown University’s Precision-Guided Podcast, in which our two hosts, Miriam Pasternak and Gareth Smythe, dissect security and foreign policy stories from the week. This week, we are talking about the possibility of a US Government shutdown and its impact on national security, and the Polish-Ukrainian dispute over weapons and grain supplies. Our fir...

The DPRK’s nuclear missile program is growing every day. The DPRK has conducted a number of missile tests against the ROK and Japan recently. Does the growing threat of the DPRK’s missile program destabilize the security balance in Northeast Asia? Does China’s nuclear program threaten nuclear non-proliferation in Northeast Asia? Should Japan and the ROK gain their own nuclear arsenals? Iku Tsujihi...

The destabilizing effects of global climate change represent key security challenges for the United States. These challenges are manifested at both the strategic level, in how climate impacts are fueling global trends like instability and mass migration, and at the tactical level, as climate change threatens critical national security infrastructure like military installations. How the United Stat...

There have never been as many security issues facing American business as there are today. Threats from international insecurity, great power competition, and new tools like cyber and AI that allow malign actors to destabilize from a distance face nations and companies alike. This trend is especially concerning given the outsized private ownership of critical infrastructure like energy, water, and...

Is a war for Taiwan “winnable” and is it possible for that war to be short? What is the future of pairing humans with AI systems on the battlefield, and what remains of the enduring nature of war given the state of emerging technology? How effective is the US strategy of “strategic ambiguity” in the face of modern threats to Taiwan?   Check out our latest episode as hosts Miriam Pasternak Jorgense...

Today, host Shawn Rostker speaks with Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, about his lab’s groundbreaking report documenting Russia’s systematic effort to steal and harbor at least 6,000 Ukrainian children throughout the war. They discuss Russia’s network of over 40 facilities, stretching from Crimea to Siberia, in which childr...

What is the “Quad,” and how does it serve to foster a Free and Open Indo-Pacific region? What are the main strategic challenges and opportunities that the four Quad member nations hope to use the Quad to address? Which country should be included in the Quad to help further the foreign policy goals of the member nations?  Check out our latest episode as host Gareth Smythe sits down with Professor M...

Join our host, Chris Bull, as he sits down with Mike Sexton to discuss career and life advice for SSPers in the first of a new series with SSP and Georgetown alumni.

Check out Part II of host Gareth Smythe’s discussion with Dave Diaz, currently the Director of a State Department Interagency Task Force and formerly the Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council. Dave and Gareth discuss the role of education in the national security profession and how to successfully create a long-term plan for a career in foreign policy and security. The two a...

How does the US Government effectively leverage a whole-of-government response to the multi-varied threats posed by US adversaries? What is the US’ greatest strength in working with allies and partners on key security challenges? How does the National Security Council actually work? Check out Part I of our latest episode as host Gareth Smythe sits down with Dave Diaz, currently the Director of a S...

Host Shawn Rostker talks with foreign affairs journalist, and SSP alumni, Mark Leon Goldberg about his career in journalism and the field of foreign policy. Mark talks at length about his experience as creator and host of the longest-running independent international affairs podcast, Global Dispatches, and offers insights and advice for anyone interested in pursuing journalistic endeavors or a car...

What role does gender play in conflict? In this episode of the Precision-Guided Podcast, University of Georgia alumni Stephanie Cannon and Kara Joyce interview Dr. Maryann Gallagher, a senior lecturer at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and the director of the Security Leadership Program in the Center for International Trade and Security, to discover the ways...

In this episode, airing one year after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, our host Miriam Pasternak Jorgensen interviews Jill Dougherty about being a journalist in Russia. What did journalism look like in the Soviet Union? How has Russian media coverage of the war changed throughout the past year? Jill shares her insights as a Russian expert and journalist with over 50 years of experience working...