Power Problems

Todd Harrison from the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss the proposed Space Force, war in space, and his chapter in the forthcoming Cato report America’s Nuclear Crossroads.Todd Harrison bioAmerica’s Nuclear CrossroadsAerospace Security Project at CSIS, “Commanding Space: The Story Behind the Space ForceTodd Harrison, “A Space Force is Worth the Price” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With new protests in Sudan, ongoing conflict in Syria, and continued regional tensions, the legacies of the Arab Spring are everywhere in the Middle East. Peter Mandaville joins us to discuss.Peter Mandaville bioKamron Bohkari and Peter Mandaville, The Muslim Brotherhood and American Muslims, Center for Global Policy, August 11, 2018Peter Mandaville and Shadi Hamid, “Islam as Statecraft: How Governments Use Religion in Foreign Policy,” Brookings Institute, November 2018 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What kind of foreign policy do Americans want? Not the one they have, apparently. To learn more Emma and Trevor chat with Peter Juul from the Center for American Progress about a new report from the Center for American Progress, “America Adrift: How the U.S. Foreign Policy Debate Misses What Voters Really Want.” Peter Juul bioCenter for American Progress, “America Adrift: How the U.S. Foreign Policy Debate Misses What Voters Really Want”Eurasia Group Foundation, “Worlds Apart: U.S. Foreign Policy and American Public Opinion”Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs, “America Engaged: American Public Opinion and US Foreign Policy” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American presidents often praise U.S. foreign policy as a force for global freedom and liberty. We chat with Chris Preble about his new book, Peace, War, and Liberty. Christopher Preble bioChristopher Preble, Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign PolicyFree Thoughts/​Power Problems Crossover: “What do Libertarians Believe About Foreign Policy?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arguments about the Iraq War loom large over pretty much every foreign policy debate in Washington. Does the Trump administration have similar intentions towards Iran? Lawrence Wilkerson joins us to discuss.Lawrence Wilkerson bioLawrence Wilkerson, “I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It’s Happening Again/​a>,” New York Times, February 5, 2018Dexter Filkins, John Bolton on the Warpath, New Yorker, May 6, 2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women play an increasingly important role as insurgents and rebels in civil conflicts all over the world. But most often their story goes untold and their impact has been poorly understood. Jessica Trisko Darden, co‐​author of Insurgent Women, joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss her new book to discuss.Jessica Trisko Darden bioJessica Trisko Darden, Alexis Henshaw, and Ora Szekely, Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars (Georgetown University Press 2019).Jessica Trisko Darden, “https://​the​con​ver​sa​tion​.com/​h​o​w​-​w​o​m​e​n​-​w​a​g​e​-​w​a​r​-​a​-​s​h​o​r​t​-​h​i​s​t​o​r​y​-​o​f​-​i​s​-​b​r​i​d​e​s​-​n​a​z​i​-​g​u​a​r​d​s​-​a​n​d​-​f​a​r​c​-​i​n​s​u​r​g​e​n​t​s​-​1​13011 The Conversation, March 8, 2019.Jessica Trisko Darden, “Return from ISIS: American Women Want Out of Extremism,” NPR On Point podcast.Mia Bloom, Bombshell: Women and Terrorism (University of Pennsylvania, 2011).Jessica Davis, Women in Modern Terrorism: From Liberation Wars to Global Jihad and the Islamic State (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pundits seem increasingly undecided whether we’re living in a new Cold War, or simply making a return to the 1930s. Ali Wyne of the RAND corporation joins us to discuss great power competition, the problem of foreign policy by analogy, and what the global order might look like in the future.Ali Wyne bioAli Wyne, America’s Blind Ambition Could Make It a Victim of Global Competition, National Interest, February 11, 2019Ali Wyne, Questioning the Presumption of a U.S.-China Power Transition, RAND Corporation, January 9, 2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cyber era has amplified the impact of non‐​state actors on international relations. From election meddling to sabotage to espionage, states are using non‐​state actors as proxies to do their dirty work. Tim Maurer from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins Trevor Thrall and John Glaser to talk about the rise, reach, and implications of these cyber mercenaries.Tim Maurer bioTim Maurer, Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and PowerBrandon Valentino and Benjamin Jensen, “The Myth of the Cyber Offense: The Case for Restraint,” Policy Analysis 862, January 15, 2019. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong Un has come and gone, this time in abject failure. Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall are joined by Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest to discuss where U.S.-North Korean relations go from here.Harry Kazianis bio"A Top Trump Official May Have Just Doomed US-North Korea Talks," Vox, March 8, 2019"Dealing with North and South Korea: Can Washington Square the Circle?" Cato Institute Capitol Hill Briefing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Controversy is growing over the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela, where the United States has backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in his attempt to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power. Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Venezuela expert Moises Rendon to discuss the situation.Show Notes:Guest Bio: Moises RendondMoises Rendon, “Food vs. Freedom in Venezuela,” July 9, 2018Amanda Sakuma, “The Last 48 hours in Venezuela News, Explained,” Vox, February 24, 2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.