The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

Silicon Valley might be turning against China. Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and needs to take a security studies course. There are no more US officials with gravitas. Trump's 5-dimensional chess is going to end with a Kurdish-Iranian alliance. Career advice for an aspiring China hand.  And will Van Jackson ever move back to Washington?  Van's Predictions:Will Pompeo survive until 2020? NoWill China sacrifice Carrie Lam by 2020? YesWill Giuliani be arrested by the end of 2019? NoWill China and the US sign a grand bargain deal by the end of 2020? NoWill US troops withdraw from Syria by 2020? NoShelly Banjo's Bloomberg tweet thread: https://twitter.com/sbanjo/status/1184070619693907968Michael Weiss tweet thread: https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1184139398507585536?s=20Tanisha Fazal and Paul Poast Foreign Affairs article: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-10-15/war-not-overMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Senator Chris Murphy says Trump has caused the rapid decline of US credibility. So does everyone, and they're not wrong. But the reasons why matter, and understanding the implications of America's damaged credibility matters even more. Why is it dangerous, and what's the price to paid?Sen. Chris Murphy's credibility tweet: https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1185749012432994304Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Our "Hustle" episodes are interviews with foreign policy and national security experts doing interesting things we can all learn from. We uncover their origin stories and how they found their path in a field with no user's manual. In this Hustle episode, Van Jackson sits down with Dr. Kathleen McInnis, author of the novel The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon. It's The Devil Wears Prada meets Catch-22, and this interview is a must-listen. We talk about the creative process, taking chances, writing on spec, and the importance of storytelling in an analytical world.  Buy The Heart of War: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-War-Misadventures-Pentagon/dp/1682616517Kathleen McInnis website: https://kjmcinnis.comMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Senator Bernie Sanders once again called out Vice President Joe Biden's decision to support the 2003 Iraq War during the democratic primary debate (10/15/2019). How much should it matter if presidential candidates previously supported the Iraq invasion? Is it good politics for the democratic primary? Van Jackson weighs in.Vox Explainer on Biden's Iraq War Support: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/15/20849072/joe-biden-iraq-history-democrats-election-2020Politico Coverage of the October 15, 2019 Democratic Debate: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/15/bernie-sanders-debate-047989Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Trump says he's the guy to end endless war.  A quick look at the scorecard tells a very different story.  Listen in to find out why the only thing you can trust a militarist to do is make more war. From sending more troops to Saudi Arabia to green-lighting a Turkish ethnic cleansing campaign of the Kurds in northern Syria. Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this episode, Van and the crew discuss the world, from China to pop culture to endless war in the Middle East. What does China’s battle with the NBA signal for the future? Why is only South Park getting China right? Should western companies start divesting from China?  And why did Trump announce a troop withdrawal from Syria? Non-sequiter: Superstar John Cusack tweeted and messaged Van!  Van’s predictions:1. Brexit will not occur before the 31st of October. 2. The PLA will deploy to Hong Kong, but not before 2020. 3. President Trump will leave office at the 2020 election. 4. President Trump will not reverse his decision on Syria (“the horse has left the stable”). Notes and Sources:Ned Price’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/nedprice/status/1181945348719292418?s=21South Park Tweet: https://twitter.com/SouthPark/status/1181273539799736320  Paul Poast Tweet: https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1181525000735641601Farhad Manjoo on China in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/opinion/china-houston-rockets.htmlTech Crunch weighs in on China: https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/07/the-nba-should-learn-from-google-china/Suzanne Sataline on Hong Kong’s police: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/09/hong-kong-police-lost-trust/597205/Kathleen McCinnis on using humor to take down fascism: https://warontherocks.com/2014/12/sony-vs-north-korea-send-in-the-clowns/America’s Sweethearts, starring John Cusack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N92ENEHigh Fidelity, starring John Cusack: https://www.amazon.com/High-Fidelity-John-Cusack/dp/B00003CXGAMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this episode, Van explores Trump inadvertently brainwashing himself into believing conspiracy theories simply by repeating them. He gets into it over a piece by Mike Fuchs on the real price of corrupt foreign policy and why we should all be worried about Trump meeting with foreign leaders. Also, why cyber is the new go-to for policymakers who feel the need to "do something." What foreign policy has to do with professional wrestling. The one thing Eminem and Trump have in common (not whiteness). And more!Notes and Sources:Michael Fuchs piece in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/02/trump-foreign-policy-impeachmentMira Rapp-Hooper's piece in Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2019-10-03/usurpation-us-foreign-policyAdam Taylor's piece in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/10/03/foreign-allies-who-gambled-trump-face-big-losses/Jeet Heer's tweet thread: https://twitter.com/HeerJeet/status/1179420012936912898Senator John McCollister's tweet: https://twitter.com/SenMcCollister/status/1179390933391020033Richard Hosftadter's "The Paranoid Style in American Politics": https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/Center for a New American Security Arms Control Report: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/risk-realismMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Why did US-North Korea working level nuclear talks fall apart...in less than a day? Van Jackson explains why the moral hazard of reality-show summitry is ultimately to blame.Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' HesterVan's prescription for a stabilizing North Korea policy: https://warontherocks.com/2019/09/confronting-reality-the-bitter-medicine-that-north-korea-policy-needs-now/

In this episode, Van digs into the varieties of progressive foreign policy thought, and confesses to evolutions about his own thinking. Why Joe and Hunter Biden--who did no wrong here--remind us that foreign money corrupts the politics of democracies everywhere. What is the "Washington Post test?" And how is journalism itself complicit in empowering Trump? Also in this episode, why government memos are sanitized versions of history. Ask Me Anything: Which democratic presidential candidates does Van like? Is China neo-fascist (or neo-racist)? Non-Sequitur: Van's recurring dream about Ted Cruz.Notes and Sources:Uri Friedman's Atlantic piece on GOP civil war: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/09/will-gop-split-trump-over-foreign-policy/598438/Jim Goldgeier's Washington Post piece on how to read government phone call "transcripts": https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/09/25/what-expect-when-you-are-expecting-trump-transcript/Liz Cheney v. Rand Paul feud: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/22/rand-paul-liz-cheney-senate-wyoming-1506603William Gallo Tweet: https://twitter.com/GalloVOA/status/1175420934108266501John Glaser, Trevor Thrall, and Christopher Preble's New Book: https://www.cato.org/events/fuel-to-the-fireIn The Loop Movie: https://www.amazon.com/Loop-Peter-Capaldi/dp/B0093SSPGGShow Producers: Pete McKenzie and Gaby MagnusonTheme Song: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester 

Weighing all the things that affect the likelihood of the once unthinkable: a second American civil war.  It's a joke, it's incredible, but it's also not implausible.  Here's why.Trump civil war tweet: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1178477539653771264Ben Collins tweet: https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1178701411594522624The Oath Movie: https://www.youtube.com/?v=4I8x79pgqokMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester