American Grand Strategy & the Logic of War | Edward Luttwak

19 snips

Nov 20, 2023

Edward Luttwak, an expert in grand strategy and international relations, discusses the logic of war, American grand strategy in the 21st century, and the potential risks of China attempting to take Taiwan by force. He explains why such an action would lead to war with the United States and its allies, and why it would ultimately end in China's defeat. The conversation also touches on Edward Luttwak's diverse background, his involvement in US foreign policy, and the different levels of military strategy.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Edward Luttwak's Journey and Career

02:43 • 7min

National Health Service, Fresh Orange Juice, and Personal Trauma

09:43 • 2min

Childhood Exposure to Violence and Writing a Book on Coup d'Etat

11:29 • 3min

Involvement in US Foreign Policy and Advisory Roles

14:06 • 5min

Levels of Military Strategy

18:36 • 23min

The Concept of Grand Strategy

42:02 • 12min

American Foreign Policy, China, and the Future of Confrontation in the Pacific

54:30 • 2min

In Episode 338 of Hidden Forces, speaks with Dr. Edward Luttwak about American grand strategy and the logic of war. Dr. Luttwak is an author and consultant to governments and companies around the world and is known for his work on grand strategy, military strategy and history, and international relations.

Luttwak and Kofinas spend the first hour of their conversation discussing the logic of war and the dimensions of strategy, how the nature of a nation state’s political system influences its grand strategic objectives, and what American grand strategy is and should be given the strategic challenges the United States faces in the 21st century.

In the second hour, the conversation shifts to China given U.S. President Biden’s and Xi Jinping’s recent in-person meeting at the APEC summit in San Francisco. Edward Luttwak explains why he believes that it would be a very bad idea if China attempted to take Taiwan by force, how it would find itself at war with the United States and an assortment of regional and international allies, why it would lose that war, and why that still won’t deter Xi Jinping from trying to retake the island by force. The two also discuss the implications of China’s nearly three decade-long one-child policy for its military readiness and what Beijing’s push to increase domestic grain production as part of its initiative to promote food security (even at the expense of long-standing efforts to reforest the country) can tell us about Xi Jinping’s desire to ready the country for war.

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Episode Recorded on 11/15/2023