Power Problems

Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities, dives deep into the complexities of the Israel-Iran conflict and U.S. involvement. She discusses the nuances of military intervention and the profound risks of escalation, emphasizing the dangers of overlooking critical perspectives in military decision-making. Kelanic also explores the ongoing tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program, questioning the effectiveness of U.S. foreign policy and its implications for future military actions. Her insights challenge us to reflect on past lessons and current strategies.

Samuel Seitz, a fellow at MIT’s Security Studies Program, explores so-called “madman behavior” in international politics and whether it’s effective in gaining leverage in international confrontations. He explains why problems of signaling, credibility, and reassurance tend to make madman tactics ineffective and he discusses examples from the Cold War to Trump’s first and second administrations. Show NotesSamuel Seitz, Caitlin Talmadge, “The Predictable Hazards of Unpredictability: Why Madman Behavior Doesn’t Work,” The Washington Quarterly 43:3, 2020.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Chivvis and Lauren Morganbesser of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discuss the foreign policy attitudes of Gen Z, the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy, and the increasing salience of transnational issues, among other topics. Show NotesChristopher Chilis and Lauren Morganbesser, “What Gen Z Thinks about U.S. Foreign Policy,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 17, 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, talks about the Trump administration’s diplomacy with Iran. He discusses the failures of the first Trump administration’s and the Biden administration’s approaches to Iran, why Trump’s second time around could lead to a new nuclear deal, Iran’s changing regional geopolitical position, and why a more peaceful US-Iran relationship serves US interests in the Middle East.Show NotesTrita Parsi, “Why Trump’s Iran Diplomacy May Work,” Time, April 11, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexander Wendt, political scientist at Ohio State University, discusses his forthcoming book The Last Humans: UFOs & National Security, on the political and national security consequences of discovering that Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) are piloted by intelligent extra-terrestrial life. He argues that the ontological shock from this discovery risks triggering a civilizational “auto-immune reaction” of widespread disorder that could undermine the international state system and suggests possible policies and pathways to responsibly prepare for this scenario.Show NotesAlexander Wendt, The Last Humans: UFOs and National Security (forthcoming from Oxford University Press)Alexander Wendt, Raymond Duvall, “Sovereignty and the UFO,” Political Theory, 36(4), 607-633. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Stimson Center’s Christopher Preble and Geoff Wilson argue that nuclear weapons modernization programs are wasteful boondoggles that undermine deterrence and stability while serving as a give-away to parochial interests. They discuss a “deterrence first” posture on nuclear weapons, perverse incentives in the bureaucracy, profligate waste and inefficiency, the risks of nuclear escalation, the consequences of eroding nuclear deterrence, and threat inflation on China, among other issues. Show NotesGeoff Wilson, Christopher Preble, Lucas Ruiz, “Gambling on Armageddon: How US Nuclear Policies are Undercutting Deterrence and Lowering the Threshold for Nuclear War,” Stimson Center Report, February 19, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

T.V. Paul, professor of international relations at McGill University, talks about his recent book Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi. Paul discusses India’s international status, the push for permanent membership on the UN Security Council, India’s military capabilities and “reactive grand strategy,” India’s complex relations with Russia and China, how some of India’s domestic problems hamper its international ambitions, and strategic management of the U.S.-Indian relationship, among other topics. Show NotesT.V. Paul, Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi, (Oxford University Press, 2024).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barry Posen, professor of political science at MIT, argues that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 qualifies as a preventive war and was motivated in part to thwart U.S.-led efforts to expand NATO in Europe. He responds to detractors from this view and also discusses the partial political responsibility of U.S. leaders, the difference between explaining the war and justifying it, the lack of strategic empathy in U.S. foreign policy, how best to negotiate the end of the war, and whether the U.S. is making a similar mistake in incentivizing preventive war logic in Beijing with respect to Taiwan.Show NotesBarry R. Posen, “Putin's Preventive War: The 2022 Invasion of Ukraine,” International Security 2025; 49 (3): 7–49. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor at Dartmouth College, argues that China’s rise now means the world is back to a bipolar balance of power. She provides insight into how U.S. foreign policy should manage this new reality and discusses why polarity is important, how to measure the balance of power, how stable unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar systems are, the major points of conflict between the US and China, and what to do about Taiwan, among other topics. Show NotesJennifer Lind, “Back to Bipolarity: How China's Rise Transformed the Balance of Power,” International Security 2024; 49 (2): 7–55. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miranda Priebe, senior political scientist at RAND, discusses US strategy towards Europe and Asia and how to manage relations with Russia and China. She talks about changes to US posture towards Europe and Russia following the Ukraine war, NATO strategy, how to manage the Russia-China relationship, and potential changes to US posture in Asia, particularly towards Taiwan. She also touches upon the ‘isolationist’ label, the complicated politics of restraint, and how to put diplomacy at the forefront of US foreign policy, among other topics. Show NotesMiranda Priebe, Jasen Castillo, “Here’s why Trump’s foreign policy is hard to pin down,” MSNBC.com, December 28, 2024.Miranda Priebe, John Schuessler, Bryan Rooney, Jasen Castillo; “Competing Visions of Restraint.” International Security 2024; 49 (2): 135–169.Miranda Priebe and Sam Charap, :”Will Putin Stop at Ukraine? That’s the Wrong Question.” The Washington Quarterly, 47(3), 143–159.Miranda Priebe, et al. “Like-Minded Allies? Indo-Pacific Partners' Views on Possible Changes in the U.S. Relationship with Taiwan.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023.Miranda Priebe and Sam Charan, “Planning for the Aftermath: Assessing Options for U.S. Strategy Toward Russia After the Ukraine War.” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.