Why America Needs to Change Its Nuclear Weapons Posture

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1. 

   E209 · 24 Jun 2025 · 43 min

   A Regime Change War in Iran?

   Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities, discusses the Israel-Iran war, U.S. involvement, whether regime change is the objective, and the risks of escalation. Show Notes Rosemary Kelanic, “ A U.S. War With Iran Would Be a Catastrophe ,” New York Times , June 14, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2. 

   E208 · 10 Jun 2025 · 45 min

   Do Madman Tactics Work?

   Samuel Seitz, a fellow at MIT’s Security Studies Program, explores so-called “madman behavior” in international politics and whether it’s effective in gaining leverage in international confrontations. He explains why problems of signaling, credibility, and reassurance tend to make madman tactics ineffective and he discusses examples from the Cold War to Trump’s first and second administrations. Show Notes Samuel Seitz, Caitlin Talmadge, “ The Predictable Hazards of Unpredictability: Why Madman Behavior Doesn’t Work ,” The Washington Quarterly 43:3, 2020. Hosted on Acast. See…

3. 

   E207 · 27 May 2025 · 39 min

   Gen Z, Internationalism, & Change in Foreign Policy

   Christopher Chivvis and Lauren Morganbesser of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discuss the foreign policy attitudes of Gen Z, the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy, and the increasing salience of transnational issues, among other topics. Show Notes Christopher Chilis and Lauren Morganbesser, “ What Gen Z Thinks about U.S. Foreign Policy, ” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 17, 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4. 

   E206 · 13 May 2025 · 47 min

   Can Trump Make a Deal with Iran?

   Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, talks about the Trump administration’s diplomacy with Iran. He discusses the failures of the first Trump administration’s and the Biden administration’s approaches to Iran, why Trump’s second time around could lead to a new nuclear deal, Iran’s changing regional geopolitical position, and why a more peaceful US-Iran relationship serves US interests in the Middle East. Show Notes Trita Parsi, “ Why Trump’s Iran Diplomacy May Work ,” Time , April 11, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

5. 

   E205 · 29 Apr 2025 · 49 min

   UFOs, Aliens, & National Security

   Alexander Wendt, political scientist at Ohio State University, discusses his forthcoming book The Last Humans: UFOs & National Security, on the political and national security consequences of discovering that Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) are piloted by intelligent extra-terrestrial life. He argues that the ontological shock from this discovery risks triggering a civilizational “auto-immune reaction” of widespread disorder that could undermine the international state system and suggests possible policies and pathways to responsibly prepare for this scenario. Show Notes Alexander…

6. 

   E203 · 1 Apr 2025 · 49 min

   India’s Quest for Major Power Status

   T.V. Paul, professor of international relations at McGill University, talks about his recent book Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi . Paul discusses India’s international status, the push for permanent membership on the UN Security Council, India’s military capabilities and “reactive grand strategy,” India’s complex relations with Russia and China, how some of India’s domestic problems hamper its international ambitions, and strategic management of the U.S.-Indian relationship, among other topics. Show Notes T.V. Paul, Unfinished Quest: India’s Search…

7. 

   E202 · 18 Mar 2025 · 51 min

   Strategic Empathy & the Roots of the Ukraine War

   Barry Posen, professor of political science at MIT, argues that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 qualifies as a preventive war and was motivated in part to thwart U.S.-led efforts to expand NATO in Europe. He responds to detractors from this view and also discusses the partial political responsibility of U.S. leaders, the difference between explaining the war and justifying it, the lack of strategic empathy in U.S. foreign policy, how best to negotiate the end of the war, and whether the U.S. is making a similar mistake in incentivizing preventive war logic in Beijing with respect to…

8. 

   E201 · 4 Mar 2025 · 45 min

   The Return of Bipolarity

   Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor at Dartmouth College, argues that China’s rise now means the world is back to a bipolar balance of power. She provides insight into how U.S. foreign policy should manage this new reality and discusses why polarity is important, how to measure the balance of power, how stable unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar systems are, the major points of conflict between the US and China, and what to do about Taiwan, among other topics. Show Notes Jennifer Lind, “ Back to Bipolarity: How China's Rise Transformed the Balance of Power ,” International Security 2024; 49…

9. 

   E200 · 18 Feb 2025 · 38 min

   Reconsidering US Strategy in Europe & Asia

   Miranda Priebe, senior political scientist at RAND, discusses US strategy towards Europe and Asia and how to manage relations with Russia and China. She talks about changes to US posture towards Europe and Russia following the Ukraine war, NATO strategy, how to manage the Russia-China relationship, and potential changes to US posture in Asia, particularly towards Taiwan. She also touches upon the ‘isolationist’ label, the complicated politics of restraint, and how to put diplomacy at the forefront of US foreign policy, among other topics. Show Notes Miranda Priebe, Jasen Castillo, “ Here’s…

10. 

    E199 · 4 Feb 2025 · 42 min

    Trump, Conquest, & the Laws of War

    Oona Hathaway, professor of international law at Yale University, addresses President Trump’s plans to expand US territory into Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada. She discusses international law, the causes of the decline in interstate war, the difference between norms and laws, the problem of enforcement, tensions between norms against conquest and the need for a negotiated peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, among other topics. Show Notes Oona A. Hathaway, Scott J. Shapiro, The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World , Simon & Schuster, 2017. Hosted on…