The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

With Van out, guest host James Palmer from Foreign Policy magazine joins the pod to talk about whether realists or liberals are more annoying, the debate over Russian invasion, escalation ladder messiness, and China watching.  Contributors: Hunter Marston, Ciara Mitchell, Alex Auty

In this episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with James Palmer, Deputy Editor at Foreign Policy Magazine, award-winning travel writer, and best-selling author. They talk about James's life reporting in China and getting out just in time.  His best-selling first book about the Russian pro-Nazi monarchist who briefly took over Mongolia.  Anti-Americanism in South Korea.  And advice writing and pitchin...

In this episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with John Feffer, co-director of the Foreign Policy in Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies.  They talk about John's new book, Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far-Right and the Left Response.  They also talk about writing novels and plays as a foreign policy analyst, or doing foreign policy analysis as a playwright.  Reme...

With Van out, guest host Dr. Emma Ashford from The Atlantic Council joins the pod to talk about the credibility problem with extended nuclear deterrence, the restrainer perspective on Russia versus Ukraine, Washington's paralysis on international trade, and the complications with measuring power between China and the US.  Contributors: Hunter Marson, Ciara Mitchell, Jake Dellow

Where have all the peace intellectuals gone?  How do you make enemies into friends?  What's it like to be mixed-race in national security?  Should we do away with economic sanctions entirely?  Is it easier to shape the world than to shape China?  What's Russia's freaking problem?   Seva Gunitsky Tweet: https://twitter.com/SevaUT/status/1462766445121650696 Ben Scott Tweet: https://twitter.com/Ben_G...

In this Hustle edition of the show, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, author of multiple books including the novel The 2020 Commission, co-host of the Arms Control Wonk podcast, and founder of the Arms Control Won...

With Van Jackson out, Dr. John Delury (Professor at Yonsei University) joined the crew as guest host. This episode talks about his America's imperial blindspot in the Pacific, what Kissinger can't teach Asia, why historians aren't in the prediction business, China rivalry, and the South Korean presidency.   Contributors: Gaby Magnuson, Hunter Marston, Alex Auty

Rather than the normal show, this week's episode is a recording of Dr. Van Jackson's keynote lecture at Ritsumeikan University, addressing the concept of nuclear precarity and what it means for the risks of nuclear war in East Asia.  

What does the American public think about China, internal v. external threats, and who benefits from US foreign policy?  This week we were joined by Craig Kafura with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs to discuss the results of their recent survey about all things foreign policy.  Also this episode: the Philippines' Duterte problem as a structural issue; a review of a review of Rush Doshi's boo...

In this special event, Dr. Van Jackson discussed AUKUS and Indo-Pacific strategy at the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA).  He's joined by Bryce Wakefield (AIIA), Maria Rost-Rublee (University of Melbourne), Nick Bisley (Latrobe University), and Benjamin Zala (Australian National University).

With Van Jackson out on holiday, Sebastian Strangio (Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat) joined the crew as guest host.  This episode talks about his origins in journalism in Cambodia, Myanmar civil war, the problem with values and ideology in great-power competition with China, and his concerns with the risks of US authoritarianism.   Sebastian's site: https://www.sebastianstrangio.com Sebasti...

Why South Korea's Bernie Sanders is no Bernie when it comes to foreign policy.  Why Australia's submarine decision is vulgar balancing (but not useless).  Marxism versus liberalism.  Why the pandemic proves the world sucks at collective action.  Xi Jinping's common prosperity drive pits labor against oligarchy, but not the way you think.  Lil Uzi Hurt Tweet: https://twitter.com/lostblackboy/status...

Why defense grifters and jingoes love deterrence-by-denial strategies. Why Manny Pacquiao could beat Duterte, and why that might not be good for the Philippines.  WTH is a classical liberal?  Also this episode: Is China the new standard-setter in tech?   Jacob Levy Tweet: https://twitter.com/jtlevy/status/1424458950838263813?s=21 Kendra Schaefer Tweet: https://twitter.com/kendraschaefer/status/143...

In this special cross-over episode, Dr. Van Jackson speaks with Future Tense host and director of research for Diplomat Risk Intelligence, Abhijnan Rej.  They talk about scenario-based planning, intelligence failures, the perils of net assessment, and why it all matters in the context of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.  Future Tense pod: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2jvmc-10bacc2?utm...

What's going on with the Quincy Institute v. liberal internationalism debate?  How neoliberalism gave us the far right.   What's a master's in IR really worth?  Can you have too many national security experts (yes)?  How anti-hegemonist politics gives rise to campism within the left. Also this episode: China's empire-building in Tibet and Bhutan.  Nathan Robinson Tweet: https://twitter.com/NathanJ...

In this special crossover episode with the NK News podcast, Dr. Van Jackson has a wide-ranging discussion with its host, Jacco Zwetsloot.  Van and Jacco talk about Van's writing process, how close we got to nuclear war in 2017, what the Biden administration is missing on North Korea, the East Asian peace, and his political evolution.  

Why Chinese influence in New Zealand is an opportunity to pioneer an anti-CCP and antiracist policy.  Why the Roosevelt Doctrine is really an attempt to save Woodrow Wilson.  Writing about objects too big to write about.  Republicans are using China to kill democracy.  The problem with "punching left" on Cuba. Also this episode: What's wrong with international relations?  Chris Clary Tweet: https:...

Guam's anti-militarist plight exposes Sino-US competition as clashing spheres of influence.  How America did the Philippines dirty for a hundred years...and is still.  The promise and perils and the Progressive International's strategy.  Why boomers are hoarding real estate.  And is academia for poor people?   Evan Feigenbaum Tweet: https://twitter.com/EvanFeigenbaum/status/1403805400009486351 Ken...

Is it possible to push back on China's many forms of aggression without rivalry or racism?  What Wu-Tang teaches us about solidarity and capitalist critique.  Israel's occupying Palestine, so let's talk about terrorism.  Why alliance reassurance rarely makes sense.   Chris Clary Tweet: https://twitter.com/clary_co/status/1395448568983523328 Seva Gunitsky Tweet: https://twitter.com/SevaUT/status/13...

Why socialists aren't "very liberal."  The far right's war on critical race theory is a bigger deal than you think.  Why everyone loves to throw shade at New Zealand.  The histrionics of the Taiwan debate.  The truth about Van's interview on the Quincy Institute.  North Korea policy is going nowhere.   Ken Schultz Tweet: https://twitter.com/KSchultz3580/status/1387963382452477954 David Roberts Twe...

Why the Biden administration is performing its rivalry with China.  What the Afghanistan withdrawal decision says about global punditry.  Why UFOs might not be as sexy as Van hopes they are.  Theories for avoiding war.  Winners may write history, but that doesn't make it right.  Creating a talent pool for progressive technocrats.  How to think about the UK/EU jumping into the China-competition gam...

P. Diddy is an oligarch who was bad for hip-hop...and now he's exploiting BLM.  How Washington pundits became Xi Jinping's hype man.  Why FONOPs are a silly way to send a message.  Favorite feminist movies.  Also this episode: Why is there no DMZ in international relations?   Tanvi Madan Tweet: https://twitter.com/tanvi_madan/status/1380552263589113858?s=19 Ben Young Tweet: https://twitter.com/Dub...

The Global North owes the Global South progressive economic policies, not aid.  The essential (?) fascism of security clearances.  Why it's wrong to make international-relations paradigms into ideologies.  The tragic history and propagandizing about the third offset strategy--or, the origins of American militarism today.  The China Cold War question. Jason Hickel Tweet: https://twitter.com/jasonhi...

If an "Indo-Pacific strategy" can't cope with the Syria risk in Myanmar, then what good is it? Why the history of Cold War liberalism tells us not to pin domestic renewal on the China threat.  Why Chinese air incursions against Taiwan DO NOT signal invasion.  What's going on in Asian studies at Georgetown.  Japan's role in a Taiwan conflict.  The lost history of the WTO anti-globalization protests...

Which QAnon congresswoman thinks Guam is a foreign country?  Why Asia is not the Indo-Pacific.  Think tank infighting.  Wasting time before writing.   Rachel Rizzo: https://mobile.twitter.com/RachelRizzo/status/1370776048183435264 Spencer Ackerman: https://twitter.com/attackerman/status/1371127805296189446?s=19 JD Vance: https://mobile.twitter.com/JDVance1/status/1370873282824667136 Laicie Heeley:...