Power Problems

The renewed debate in Washington over U.S. foreign policy reflects changing attitudes in public opinion. George Mason University professor and Cato Senior Fellow A. Trevor Thrall discusses how generational differences are changing views on U.S. military activism and America's global role. Millennials and younger people generally support international engagement while rejecting excessive military intervention.  Show NotesA. Trevor Thrall bioA. Trevor Thrall and Erik Goepner, (2021), “The New Faces of Internationalism: How Generational Change Is Reshaping American Foreign Policy Attitudes,” Cato Working Paper, Cato Institute, Washington, DC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Trisko Darden joins John Glaser to discuss how U.S. foreign aid tends to support state violence and coercion. Economic and military aid often helps undemocratic regimes secure and sustain their power and carry out human rights abuses. Even aid conditioned on good behavior and respect for democratic norms is highly fungible and often misused in ways that contradict the stated intentions of U.S. policymakers. Dr. Darden discusses the three case studies she details in her book to draw those conclusions.Jessica Trisko Darden bioJessica Trisko Darden,Aiding and Abetting: U.S. Foreign Assistance and State Violence, (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2020). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are China's international ambitions and how does Beijing seek to achieve them? Johns Hopkins professor Daniel S. Markey joins the show to discuss how the People’s Republic of China has pursued evolving strategies in discrete regions and to explore what strategic options are open to the United States in response.Daniel S. Markey bioDaniel S. Markey, China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia, (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2020). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Tierney, associate professor at Swarthmore College, explains how the “negativity bias” affects international relations. Negativity bias causes threat inflation, leads policymakers to maintain failing policies out of loss aversion, and produces misconceptions that make conflict more likely. Biden administration policies towards Iran, Afghanistan, and China are discussed, among other issues.  Show Notes Dominic Tierney bioDominic D.P. Johnson and Dominic Tierney, “Bad World: Negativity Bias in International Politics,” International Security 43, no. 3 (Winter 2018/19): 96-140. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former career diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford recounts how her experiences working for the State Department caused her to grow disillusioned with U.S. diplomatic policy. She emphasizes the advantages of adopting a more diplomatic rather than militarized foreign policy and offers policy prescriptions to help make that transition. Show Notes Elizabeth Shackelford bioElizabeth Shackelford, The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age, (New York City: Hachette Book Group, 2020). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has international war become more uncommon and unpopular since World War II? Sure some states still meddle in others’ civil wars or launch cyber offensives, but overall the world is experiencing an unprecedented era of peace. Some international relations experts claim that U.S. adventurist foreign policy has held off international war. This week’s guest, Ohio State University political scientist and Cato’s own John Mueller, argues against that premise in his new book The Stupidity of War: American Foreign Policy and the Case for Complacency. He says that after two world wars, most people have realized that there are better solutions to disagreements than international war. Show NotesJohn Mueller bio:https://www.cato.org/people/john-mueller  John Mueller, The Stupidity of War: American Foreign Policy and the Case for Complacency, (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2021).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Geopolitical changes in East Asia call for new ideas to inform much needed policy reforms. Jessica J. Lee from the Quincy Institute joins John Glaser to discuss how policymakers can approach a rising China, traditional East Asian allies, and a nuclear North Korea.Show NotesJessica J. Lee bioMichael D. Swain, Jessica J. Lee and Rachel Esplin Odell, “Toward an Inclusive & Balanced Order: A New U.S. Strategy in East Asia,” Quincy Institute Paper No. 5, January 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the future of conservative foreign policy? The Republican Party is divided on many issues of national security as it searches for a new direction in the post-Trump age. The American Conservative senior editor Daniel Larison joins the show.Show NotesDaniel Larison bio: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/daniel-larison/Daniel Larison, “Where Do Conservatives Go On Foreign Policy,” The American Conservative, December 16, 2020.John Glaser, “Was Trump a Realist or a Wrecking Ball?” Empire Has No Clothes, podcast audio, January 24, 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the United States on course for a new Cold War with China? Campbell Craig tells John Glaser that there may be a chance to cooperate and ease tensions with Beijing. They discuss how changes in the U.S. military budget, threat perception, nuclear posturing, alliances, and domestic politics can help the two superpowers avoid a potential standoff.ShowNotes Campbell Craig bio:https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/542163-craig-campbell Campbell Craig and Fredrik Logevall, America’s Cold War: The Politics of Insecurity, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Russia commit a cyber attack or cyber espionage? What is the difference and how does it affect the U.S. response and future of cybersecurity? Cato Institute’s own Brandon Valeriano and Atlantic Council’s Erica Borghard join host John Glaser to discuss the severity of the SolarWinds hack and its implications for the broader cybersecurity political landscape.1.  Brandon Valeriano bio: https://www.cato.org/people/brandon-valerianoErica Borghard bio: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/erica-borghard/   2.  Sean Lawson and Brandon Valeriano, “The Russian ‘Cyber Peral Harbor’ That Wasn’t,” The American Conservative, December 18, 2020.Benjamin Jensen, Brandon Valeriano, and Mark Montgomery, “The Strategic Implications of SolarWinds,” Lawfare Blog, December 18, 2020. 3.  Erica D. Borghard, “The SolarWinds Compromise and the Strategic Challenge of Information and Communications Technology Supply Chain,” Council on Foreign Relations, December 22, 2020.Erica Borghard and Jacquelyn Schneider, “Russia’s Hack Wasn’t Cyberwarfare. That Complicates US Strategy,” Wired, December 17, 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.