Michael Brenes

Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Brenes, director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale University. They discuss the state of the U.S. defense industrial base, military readiness, and the impacts of U.S. military involvement in active conflicts and great-power competition on political stability. They also explore the challenges of supplying Ukraine, the evolution of the defense industrial base, strategic planning, the dangers of narrow focus in strategic thinking, and the consequences of pursuing great power rivalry.

Michael Brenes, historian and co-author of 'The Rivalry Peril', dives into the complex dynamics of U.S.-China competition. He critiques both Biden and Trump’s strategies, suggesting they're fostering an unwarranted existential threat. The conversation highlights the detrimental impacts of rivalry on American society, warning against societal division and violence. Brenes also discusses lost opportunities for cooperation, like climate action, emphasizing the need for a more respectful engagement with China to address global challenges.

Michael Brenes, Director of the Brady Johnson Program on Grand Strategy at Yale, discusses post-Trump internationalism and U.S. strategy in a changing world. He delves into the emergence of a multipolar landscape and the necessity of prioritizing transnational threats like climate change over dominance. Brenes argues for rebuilding domestic institutions to enhance foreign policy and the importance of multilateralism in addressing global challenges, while pushing back against the fallacy of winning against China in a competitive framework.