Horns of a Dilemma

Before he became governor of California and later president of the United States, Ronald Reagan was an actor. In the 1940 film, Knute Rockne: All American, Reagan portrayed Notre Dame running back George Gipp who, on his deathbed from pneumonia, told Coach Rockne to have the team "win just one for the Gipper." Rockne related the line to his team in a moving speech, which inspired them to come from behind to upset an undefeated West Point team in 1928. Reagan used the line "win one for the Gipper" extensively during his presidency, referring to himself as "the Gipper." In this week's Horns of a Dilemma, Texas National Security Review editor-in-chief Will Inboden joins Editorial Board Chair Frank Gavin to discuss Inboden's new biography of Reagan, Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan,  the Cold War, and the World on the Brink. As Inboden points out, many of Reagan's signature victories, including his pivotal role in defeating the Soviet Union in the Cold War, seem inevitable in retrospect, but at the time, they were often seen as anything but inevitable. Reagan's unwavering faith in his vision for the country was often at odds with expert assessments. Inboden and Gavin discuss the faith, fortunes, and failures that marked Reagan's presidency. This is a rich discussion that helps cast Reagan's achievements in a new light, and promotes a deeper understanding of just what a remarkable achievement it was to secure a peaceful American victory in the Cold War.

This week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma is a must-listen for anyone who knows that microchips are a national security issue, but perhaps doesn't really understand just why chips are so strategically important. It is equally enlightening for those who have been closely following the security issues around microchips and are eager to know more. Professor Chris Miller of the Fletcher School at Tufts University gives a detailed, accessible overview of what microchips are, how they are used, where and how they are made, and the implications of the microchip supply chain for national security.  His talk is based on his book, Chip Wars: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. Miller spoke in early November at the University of Texas, Austin.

Politics is serious business. According to Aristotle, "the main concern of politics is to engender a certain character in the citizens and to make them good and disposed to perform noble actions." But some political leaders seek to manipulate passions and prejudices, rather than appealing to reason and pursuing a noble end. The ancient Greeks called such leaders "demagogues."  In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Charles Zug of the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs discusses the history of demagogues in American politics.  Zug's discussion is at once philosophical and practical, examining the nature of demagogues, as well as how and when they have appeared in American life. This fascinating talk was held at the University of Texas, Austin.

Civil-military relations is not a topic that gets many hearts racing. Yet attention to the relationship between the military and the society it serves has become more urgent after it was revealed that Gen. Mark Milley, the nation's most senior military officer, worked with cabinet and sub-cabinet officials to frustrate the desire of President Donald Trump to use the American military in ways Milley viewed as inappropriate. In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Texas National Security Review Executive Editor Doyle Hodges is joined by three scholars of civil-military relations who have published in War on the Rocks or TNSR (or both) on the topic, to discuss the state of American civil-military relations. Alice Friend, Ron Krebs, and Risa Brooks bring a depth of insight and experience that helps to better illuminate a topic critical to American democracy.

The field of strategy is littered with authors whose works are often-quoted but seldom-read. While Clausewitz is likely the foremost example of such an author, the naval strategists Alfred Thayer Mahan and Sir Julian Corbett are not far behind.  In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Professor Kevin McCranie of the U.S. Naval War College discusses his book, Mahan, Corbett, and the Foundations of Naval Strategic Thought. McCranie's talk provides an overview of the writings of both naval thinkers, and highlights how their works complement each other and continue to exert a profound influence on modern strategy. This talk was given at the University of Texas, Austin.

In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Katie Stallard, a journalist and scholar, speaks about her book, Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia, and North Korea. Stallard details how totalitarian regimes use a doctored version of history--especially history regarding World War II--to forcibly shape public remembrance in a way that reinforces the goals of the regime. This effort to rewrite history ranges from the careful omission of facts surrounding Soviet atrocities to an entirely fictionalized account of Kim Jong Il's exploits during the war.  Stallard's fascinating study helps illuminate how the control of history can be a critical instrument of power, and provide a potent means to bolster the legitimacy of even the most horrific actions by a totalitarian leader. This talk was recorded at the University of Texas, Austin.

As the European Union has evolved over the past 20 years into a more cohesive social, economic, and political entity, one area of integration has lagged behind the others: defense. This is due to the extensive overlap in membership between the European Union and NATO, and to the reluctance of European governments to spend large sums on their militaries. In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, a former Polish defense minister, foreign minister, and speaker of the Polish parliament who is currently serving as a member of the European Parliament argues that Europe should develop its own military force. Radoslaw Sikorski  makes the case that a European army, independent of NATO, would be valuable in responding to and deterring Russian aggression, as well as dealing with other distinctly European challenges--such as migration--that do not directly implicate American security interests. This event was recorded at an event sponsored by the Polish Club at the University of Texas, Austin, and co-sponsored in part by the Clements Center for National Security.

In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy Daniel Fata discusses the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Fata explains how decades of U.S. policy under  administrations of both parties was based on what he describes as wishful thinking. He argues that this may have emboldened Vladimir Putin to believe that he could invade his neighbor without serious consequences. Fata analyzes the conduct of the war, as well how it may shape the international system for years to come. This event was recorded at the University of Texas, Austin.

In this week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma,  Charles Edel, the inaugural Australia chair at CSIS in Washington, DC, discusses Australia's "strategic revolution," which focuses on building diplomatic, economic, and military capacity to resist coercion by China. The recent AUKUS nuclear submarine deal is one manifestation of this effort, but as Edel explains, the deal is just one part of a larger strategic realignment, which is likely to become increasingly important to U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ideologies help people understand the world around them. They provide a lens through which we arrange events and images into patterns, and they offer a menu of actions that seem appropriate in response to that pattern. Although leaders and states often subscribe consciously to certain ideologies, some ideas--such as religion or a belief in the goodness of an ideal like "freedom" or "democracy"--operate at such a fundamental level that we may not recognize them as ideologies at all.  This week's episode of Horns of a Dilemma features a panel of contributors to a new book on the influence of ideology in American foreign relations. Christopher McKnight Nichols of Ohio State University, Raymond Haberski, Jr, of Indiana University, and Emily Conroy-Krutz of Michigan State University join host Jeremi Suri of the University of Texas, Austin to discuss what ideology is, and explore the ways in which it has shaped, and continues to shape, America's role in the world.  This discussion was hosted at the University of Texas, Austin on September 7, 2022.