Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the “nuclear hurricane” sweeping the world. They begin by returning to the question of whether President Trump made the right decision to conduct strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Then they shift to discussing Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi’s recent article “How to Survive the New Nuclear Age.” Should American leaders adopt a new nuclear strategy or adjust existing nuclear policies and capabilities? Chris endorses the Trump administration’s rethinking of certain types of aid to Ukraine, Melanie applauds General Dan Caine’s handling of a delicate political situation, and Zack commends Congressman Don Bacon for his leadership.

Show Links:

Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi, “How to Survive the New Nuclear Age: National Security in a World of Proliferating Risks and Eroding Constraints,” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2025.
James Acton, “Optimal Deterrence: How the United States Can Preserve Peace and Prevent a Nuclear Arms Race with China and Russia,” Council on Foreign Relations, June 2025.
Ankit Panda, Vipin Narang, and Pranay Vaddi, “Nuclear Proliferation Will Haunt ‘America First,’” War on the Rocks, March 10, 2025.
“80 Years of Nuclear Weapons with Chris Preble,” Global Santa Fe, Wednesday, July 16, 5 pm.
Geoff Wilson, Christopher Preble, Lucas Ruiz, “Gambling on Armageddon: How U.S. Nuclear Policies Are Undercutting Deterrence and Lowering the Threshold for Nuclear War,” Stimson Center, February 19, 2025.
Christopher Preble, “The Influence of History on Nuclear Weapons,” Review of Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America’s Atomic Age by Francis J. Gavin, International Studies Review, March 2014.
Jack Goldsmith, “An Authority to License Illegal Conduct,” Executive Functions Substack, July 3, 2025.
Gen. Dan Caine, press conference, June 26, 2025.
Annie Karni, “Breaking with Trump, Bacon Says He Won’t Follow His Party ‘Off the Cliff,’” New York Times, June 8, 2025.
Supporting Stimson, https://www.stimson.org/support/.

Optimal Deterrence

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