Power Problems

Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the current state of transatlantic relations, how they shifted during the Trump administration, the need for European defense autonomy, the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, and why US foreign policy has a prioritization problem.Show NotesJeremy Shapiro bioJeremy Shapiro, “Does America Need a Foreign Policy?” in New Voices in Grand Strategy, Michael J. Zak Lecture Series (Washington, DC: Center for New American Security, 2019).Majda Ruje and Jeremy Shapiro, “The Exaggerated Death of European Sovereignty,” European Council on Foreign Relations, April 27, 2022.Majda Ruge and Jeremy Shapiro, “Don’t Mention the War in Ukraine: Germany’s Deteriorating Image in Washington,” European Council on Foreign Relations, February 15, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyle Goldstein, Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities and visiting professor at Brown University, discusses strategies toward Russia and China in this so-called era of great power competition, with a focus on the territorial disputes each rival has with its neighbors. Lyle Goldstein bioLyle Goldstein, “Raising the Minimum: Explaining China’s Nuclear Buildup,” Defense Priorities, April 22, 2022.Lyle Goldstein, “Russia’s Progress In Donbas Means Ukraine Likely Won’t Win The War,” 1945, May 10, 2022.  Lyle Goldstein, “Joe Biden’s Taiwan Declaration is a Mistake,” Unheard, May 24, 2022.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia Tech associate professor Jon R. Lindsay discusses the role and ethics of AI in war, the risks and dangers in developing military and national security applications, and how AI applications will alter the nature of international conflict.  Notes:Jon R. Lindsay bioJon R. Lindsay, Information Technology and Military Power (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020).Avi Goldfarb and Jon R. Lindsay, “Prediction and Judgment: Why Artificial Intelligence Increases the Importance of Humans in War,” International Security 46, no. 3 (2022): pp. 7-50.Jon R. Lindsay, “Cyber Conflict vs. Cyber Command: Hidden Dangers in the American Military Solution to a Large-Scale Intelligence Problem,” Intelligence and National Security 36, no. 2 (2021): pp. 260-278. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joshua Landis, professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the civil war in Syria, the fragmentation of the country, the history of US interventions in the conflict, how America's strategy there works against itself, and how best to stabilize and potentially resolve what has become a protracted quagmire. NotesJoshua Landis bioSteven Simon, Joshua Landis, and Aiman Mansour, “How to Win the Influence Contest in the Middle East,” Foreign Affairs 100, no. 1 (February 3, 2021). Joshua Landis and Steven Simon, “The Pointless Cruelty of Trump’s New Syria Sanctions,” Foreign Affairs 99, no. 4 (August 17, 2020).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retired CIA officer Paul R. Pillar discusses the tensions between the intelligence community and policymakers, concerns over domestic abuses of the CIA and NSA, the continuing legacy of post-9/11 policy mistakes, the Russian war in Ukraine, the Biden administration's diplomacy with Iran, and how hyper-partisanship undermines national security policy. Show Notes:Paul R. Pillar bioPaul R. Pillar, “The Role of the Villain: Iran and U.S. Foreign Policy,” Political Science Quarterly 128, no. 2 (Summer 2013): pp. 211-231. Paul R. Pillar, Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, 9/11. And Misguided Reform (New York City: Columbia University Press, 2014).Paul R. Pillar, “Guantanamo Bay Remains a Moral Stain on America,” The National Interest, April 18, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tulane University associate professor and Cato adjunct scholar Christopher Fettweis discusses political psychology on the international and domestic levels, explains how misperceptions drive conflict, and argues that "enemy images" can be subdued by greater exposure to adversaries and political opponents.  Christopher Fettweis bioChristopher J. Fettweis, Psychology of a Superpower: Security and Dominance in U.S. Foreign Policy (New York: Columbia University Press, 2018). Christopher J. Fettweis, “After Trump: Enemies, Partisans, and Recovery,” Political Science Quarterly 136, no. 4 (September 23, 2021).Christopher J. Fettweis, “After Rome: Lessons in Grand Strategy from Emperor Hadrian,” Survival 60, no. 4 (July 16, 2018): pp. 123-150. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The image of public harmony between elected officials and an entrenched national security bureaucracy collapsed in the Trump years, according to Tufts University professor Michael Glennon. Glennon discusses the massive transfer of power from the Madisonian institutions of government to a behemoth national security bureaucracy, the problems this poses for policymaking, and how our politics have become a fight over prevailing "myth systems."  Show NotesMichael Glennon bioMichael J. Glennon, “Populism, Elites, and National Security,” Humanitas 31, nos. 1 and 2 (2018): pp. 35-45. Michael J. Glennon, National Security and Double Government (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014).Michael J. Glennon, Gene Healy, Jeremy Shapiro, and Justin Logan, “National Security and Double Government,” Cato Event, November 21, 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The war in Ukraine has prompted calls for armed neutrality as a resolution to the conflict. Audrey Kurth Cronin outlines the history of neutral states and why it is a promising solution in Ukraine. Show Notes:Audrey Kurth Cronin bioAudrey Kurth Cronin, “Could Ukraine Become Neutral, Like Switzerland? Five Things to Know,” Washington Post, March 9, 2022. Patrick M. Cronin and Audrey Kurth Cronin, “The Great Realignment: Russia’s Invasion Leaves Few Sitting on the Fence,” The Hill, March 2, 2022.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Atlantic Council senior fellow Emma Ashford discusses how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has played out so far, what the broader implications for international security and the global economy will be, and what comes after the conflict for the United States, Europe, Russia, and China. Emma Ashford bioEmma Ashford, “It’s Official: The Post-Cold War Era Is Over,”New York Times, February 24, 2022.Emma Ashford and Matthew Burrows, “Reality Check #4: Focus on Interests, not on Human Rights with Russia,” Atlantic Council, March 5, 2021.Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig, “Is Belarus Putin’s Next Target?”Foreign Policy, August 14, 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MIT professor Barry Posen joined the show to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, the origins of the conflict, what diplomatic approaches are available, and how US strategy is pushing China and Russia together. Barry R. Posen bioBarry Posen, “Unleashing the Rhetorical Dogs of War,”Just Security, February 15, 2022.Barry R. Posen, “A New Transatlantic Division of Labor Could Save Billions Every Year!”Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 7, 2021.Barry R. Posen,Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy(Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.