Horns of a Dilemma

On Sept. 17, at the University of Texas at Austin, General (Ret.) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie Jr. spoke about his book, “The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century.” This discussion, moderated by Joseph Maguire, covers Gen. McKenzie’s military career, with a particular focus on his time as commander of U.S. Central Command – which included the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.

TNSR Managing Editor Rick Landgraf talks with Charles Ziegler about his latest article, Filling the Void Left by Great-Power Retrenchment: Russia, Central Asia, and the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan. Charles and Rick discuss how the Central Asian countries have reacted to the withdrawal, how Russia has tried to reassert itself in the region, and why China might eventually supplant Russia as the regional hegemon.

Robert D. Kaplan spoke at the University of Texas at Austin, where he discussed how our leaders can come to grips with a world seemingly in disarray.

TNSR Production Editor Kerry Anderson talks with historian Daniel Chardell about his article The Origins of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait Reconsidered, published in Volume 6, Issue 3 of TNSR. Daniel and Kerry discuss Saddam Hussein's understanding of the shifts in power that followed the Soviet Union's collapse, how U.S. and Iraqi leaders perceived each other, Saddam's concerns about Israel, and historians' use of Iraqi archives.

Marshall Kosloff talks with journalist Martin Pengelly about his book, "Brotherhood: When West Point Rugby Went to War." They discuss rugby and Pengelly's story about members of a West Point rugby team in the aftermath of 9/11.

In this episode, TNSR Production Editor Kerry Anderson sits down with Joseph Stieb to discuss his article from Volume 6, Issue 3 of TNSR: "Why Did the United States Invade Iraq? The Debate at 20 Years."

Jim Goldgeier and Marshall Kosloff discuss the post-Cold War era, NATO expansion, great-power expectations, and the future of the U.S. role in Europe.

China's defense spending is difficult to quantify because many assessments make methodological errors that result in inflated figures. Taylor Fravel, George Gilboy, and Eric Heginbotham explain these flaws and offer a novel method for a more accurate assessment. Their article was published in the summer 2024 issue of TNSR.

At the Clements Center for National Security's Summer Seminar in History and Statecraft, Susan Colbourn and Simon Miles discussed how different concepts of history have shaped the war in Ukraine and how students of international affairs should challenge their assumptions and embrace uncertainty.

In this episode, TNSR publisher Ryan Evans spoke with the journal's new editor-in-chief, Prof. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, an award-winning scholar and associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs. They spoke about why she became a scholar, her research, the intellectual challenges of the competition with China, and her vision for taking TNSR to the next level.