The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

Van explains how the Galactic Republic in Star Wars fell, and why it's so germane today. The South Korean Left sees Chinese imperialism more clearly than most Americans. America's sphere of influence dilemma in the Pacific. What Vice gets right about Dick Cheney. Also this episode: Van's philosophy about saying yes to career opportunities large and small. Paul Musgrave Tweet: https://twitter.com/profmusgrave/status/1302418858972766208?s=20Pat Blanchfield Tweet: https://twitter.com/PatBlanchfield/status/1303831078751408128?s=20Jon Wolfsthal Tweet: https://twitter.com/JBWolfsthal/status/1302228639879237633Elise Hu Tweet: https://twitter.com/elisewho/status/1303783836162031616Robin Wright on the myth of America: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/is-america-a-mythContributors: Alex Auty, Jake Dellow, Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie

Why we need to wait before debating whether to defend Taiwan. How good is the Netflix show Cobra Kai? Why Martha Nussbaum has evolved about the cosmopolitan tradition. How much of China's foreign policy is imperial? And a new poll finds that the people want progressive foreign policy!Gordon Flake Tweet: https://twitter.com/lgflake/status/1300577595956756480James Schoff Tweet: https://twitter.com/SchoffJ/status/1299407113320624130?s=19Stephen Wertheim Tweet: https://twitter.com/stephenwertheim/status/1300954470218641415ReThink Media Poll: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/08/26/ending-endless-war-progressive-foreign-policy-what-democrats-want/Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Martha Nussbaum: https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/interview-cosmopolitan-tradition-martha-nussbaum/Contributors: Jake Dellow, Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie, Ciara Mitchell

The racist motivations woven into China rivalry. Why nobody talks about American colonies hiding in plain sight. How to manufacture a Cold War with China. Australia shows the way in counter-imperial statecraft. Are neocons returning to the Democratic Party? NeverTrumpers are not anti-fascist heroes. And how serious a problem is QAnon? Andrew Carr Tweet: https://twitter.com/AOCarr/status/1297999757919449088AOC Tweet: https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1298311379305132032?s=20Rory MedcalfTweet: https://twitter.com/Rory_Medcalf/status/1298723505240850435Rita Konaev Tweet: https://twitter.com/ritakonaev/status/1294439812687187970?s=21Kaiser Kuo and William Yuen Yeo on racism and China policy: https://supchina.com/2020/08/21/white-privilege-american-hegemony-and-the-rise-of-china/?utm_content=bufferb9d3a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=bufferRachel Esplin Odell on Manufacturing China Threat: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/08/26/how-to-manufacture-a-new-cold-war-with-china/ Contributors: Jake Dellow, Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie, Ciara Mitchell

In this hustle episode of the pod, Van Jackson sits down with Ankit Panda to talk about writing productivity hacks, how to become a foreign policy pundit, and tips for straddling new media and the think tank world. They also talk about Ankit's new book, Kim Jong Un and the Bomb. Ankit's book: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/kim-jong-un-and-the-bomb/

The Pentagon's failure of accountability. Why Democrats are better at diversity but have work to do. Steve Bannon's arrest highlights the money behind the China threat movement. And Van's take on Edward Snowden on what Bernie Sanders foreign policy adviser Matt Duss has to say about making a career in Washington. Also this episode, structural violence explained.

Proliferation optimism or pessimism? Van weighs in on the classic Sagan-Waltz debate. Why liberals are of two minds about China. And what's wrong with advocating for a military coup in the United States? A lot! Dan Nexon's Tweet: https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1293350893446926340Adam Mount's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ajmount/status/1293063724161474560?s=20Tom Le's Tweet: https://twitter.com/profTLe/status/1291893103985438720Hunter Marston's Tweet: https://twitter.com/hmarston4/status/1292229570360311808?s=19Jonathan Hunt's Tweet: https://twitter.com/JRHunTx/status/1292004341461680130Edward Fishman on liberal internationalism: http://bostonreview.net/war-security/edward-fishman-death-and-rebirth-american-internationalismContributors: Jake Dellow, Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie, Ciara Mitchell

How does one get into the think tank game? Van explains. How does one use war-games to manipulate policy? Van explains. Why is our historical imagination limited to Greek and Roman history? Again, Van explains. What happens to the US-South Korea alliance when Trump threatens troop withdrawal? You get it. Chicago Council on Global Affairs Report: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/publication/troop-withdrawal-likely-undermine-south-korean-public-support-alliance-united-statesJames Palmer on the Thucydides' Trap: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/28/oh-god-not-the-peloponnesian-war-again/Matt Duss Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1289162903124418561Jeffrey Meiser Tweet: https://twitter.com/jwmeiser/status/1290431319030165505Yuna Wong Tweet: https://twitter.com/YunaHuhWong/status/1290287068149616640?s=20Contributors: Jake Dellow, Pete McKenzie, Ciara Mitchell, Gaby Magnuson

The good, bad, and ugly of Biden picking Susan Rice for Vice President. Why progressives need sanctions too, and how a new think tank report sheds light on how it might work. The Pentagon has militarized the Coronavirus response and yet can't win a war. And America's closest allies are hedging in reasonable--and dangerous way. South Korea is the latest.Jeet Heer tweet: https://twitter.com/HeerJeet/status/1287561065526489088Yakov Feygin tweet: https://twitter.com/BuddyYakov/status/1287037655700529152Tsai Ing Wen tweet: https://twitter.com/iingwen/status/1288422813183827969?s=19Eduardo Saravelle on sanctions: https://twitter.com/esaravalle/status/1288549638908379137Contributors: Jake Dellow, Ciara Mitchell, Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie

The US is going to withdraw troops from South Korea--you heard it here first. The Democratic Party platform throws a bone to progressives, mostly. Pompeo rejects Nixon, and shows himself to be worse than him too. Gestapo come to Portland, and why the mayor needs strategy advice. Also the this episode: The myth of China strategy, Quislings, and decoupling for real.Matt Duss Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1286281992145907715Ken Schultz Tweet: https://twitter.com/kschultz3580/status/1285599806317105158?s=21Patrick Iber Tweet: https://twitter.com/PatrickIber/status/1286052109666988033James Palmer Tweet: https://twitter.com/beijingpalmer/status/1286038960725200896?s=21Inkstick Media piece: https://inkstickmedia.com/the-myth-of-chinese-strategic-genius/

A foreign policy reckoning is coming for the establishment Democrats in Congress. Kanye West can't be president, but he can mess it up for Biden. If China invades Taiwan, the real press it will pay comes during occupation. Why broad anti-fascist coalitions are good. Contributors: Pete McKenzie, Ciara Mitchell, Jake Dellow, Gaby MagnusonDavid Klion Tweet: https://twitter.com/DavidKlion/status/1283047130433822726Blak Herzinger Tweet: https://twitter.com/BDHerzinger/status/1282493494850809857Dan Nexon Tweet: https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1282848860994449408Chris Hayes Tweet: https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1280624770674032647?s=19Bonnie Glaser Tweet: https://twitter.com/bonnieglaser/status/1281968219901890561?s=21Sheri Berman in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy-com.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/2020/07/04/coronavirus-crisis-turning-point-change/Kate Kizer in Inkstick Media: https://inkstickmedia.com/america-is-ready-for-human-security-is-congress/

As I officially launch a new book project, I'm also launching a new occasional series within The Un-Diplomatic Podcast called Writer's Room. It's going to track my journey of writing my third book with occasional mini-episodes. I'll also use the Writer's Room episodes to intermittently check in with other writers working on books to learn about their experiences.

The Democratic Party's foreign policy is controlled by unipolar-moment hawks. Australian strategists are making plans for conflict with China without the US. New Zealand has a China policy that looks awfully janus-faced, but there's method (and risk) to the madness. And if Democrats' plan to fight Trump is to "win big in November" and nothing else, then the game is already lost. Contributors: Pete McKenzie, Gaby Magnuson, Jake DellowAnne-Marie Brady Tweet: https://thediplomat.com/2020/06/new-zealands-quiet-china-shift/?fbclid=IwAR15ssAj0Lfh0elwaFyAC69vOX2P-uCmHzWIey3aGYeH4Pfn-9TAHEKbSJEMike McFaul Tweet: https://twitter.com/McFaul/status/1278757751947014144?s=19Sophia McDougall Tweet: https://twitter.com/McDougallSophia/status/1276538425395630081?s=20Andrew Carr Tweet: https://twitter.com/AOCarr/status/1277853262650019840

There's NOTHING progressive about working with the MAGA right. Why the arguments for US military superiority keep changing but the demand stays the same. Also this episode: Does Taiwan need nukes? Why did Kim Jong Un publicly restrain his military from attacking the South? And what's wrong with imagining Korea as a maritime defense perimeter?Yakov Feygin Tweet: https://twitter.com/BuddyYakov/status/1276219280816656385Dan Nexon Tweet: https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1275601160381104131Weijia Jiang Tweet: https://twitter.com/weijia/status/1275422015059615750?s=21Tom McTague on American decline: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/06/america-image-power-trump/613228/Contributors: Pete McKenzie, Gaby Magnuson, Ciara Mitchell, Jake Dellow

Deterrence is not failing in Asia, America is. A little advice about how NOT to network in Washington. What's more dangerous, the Sino-Indian conflict or North Korea? Also this episode: how international relations theory can be used in practice, and why China hawks are actually Trump's useful idiots.Susan Hennessy Tweet: https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/1273392725937790979?s=20Rachel Rizzo Tweet: https://twitter.com/RachelRizzo/status/1271416729424535552Matt Duss Tweet: ttps://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1273356008337870854Contributors: Gaby Magnuson, Pete McKenzie, Jake Dellow, Ciara Mitchell

In this episode, Van sits down with Matt Duss, senior foreign policy adviser to former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders. Matt shares his backstory, including his pathway into foreign policy, his relationship to the Washington establishment, and how he ended up working working for Senator Sanders. He dishes about how the Sanders presidential campaign organized its foreign policy team, as well as how he thinks a Biden presidency ought to approach foreign policy on a range of issues--China decoupling, Space Force, Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry, and much more. Matt also goes on the record about where Transformers rates relative to The Usual Suspects in the pantheon of great movies.

Can liberals and Marxists find common cause? The left often weighs in on China, but is silent on the biggest strategic question of our time: Should the United States seek to decouple its economy from China? Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong forecasts a more zero-sum world, but is anyone listening? Australia has put itself in a bad place strategically, and it's a warning to small states everywhere. John Glaser Tweet: https://twitter.com/jwcglaser/status/1270722911410638851John Carl Baker Tweet: https://twitter.com/johncarlbaker/status/1270360182686732291Paul Poast Tweet: https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1269620204289568769?s=19Duyeon Kim Tweet: https://twitter.com/duyeonkim/status/1270682908978581504?s=19Fred Kaplan on Civ-Mil Relations: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/milley-trump-esper-civil-military.htmlContributors: Pete McKenzie, Gaby Magnuson, Jake Dellow, and Ciara Mitchell

Joe Biden needs progressive technocracy to fight the transnational corruption and oligarchy that threatens democracies everywhere. The demands of the Black Lives Matter campaign are the best foreign policy. Antifa is not a terrorist group. Terrorizing Antifa is, you know, fascism. The danger of 'little green men' in Washington. Also this episode: Why Tom Cotton is no friend of Hong Kong, or democracy.Chris Murphy Tweet: https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1266459665216475141?s=19David Rothkopf Tweet: ttps://twitter.com/djrothkopf/status/1267865183126532096James Palmer Tweet: https://twitter.com/BeijingPalmer/status/1268267458663759875Tamara Cofman Wittes Tweet: https://twitter.com/tcwittes/status/1267657924089962496Ben Judah, Yakov Feygin, and Eduardo Saravalle piece on kleptocracy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/03/biden-united-states-kleptocracy-power-sanctions/

How much does it cost to buy a Washington Post columnist? One fancy dinner at the State Department. The think tank behind Trump's anti-China campaign. North Korea getting dangerous and nobody paying attention. Why the Marine Corps' new war fighting concept threatens the Military-Industrial-Congressional complex. What the India-China border dispute tells us about Chinese intentions. Matt Duss's Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1265645358442520576Andreas Nick's Tweet: https://twitter.com/DrAndreasNick/status/1264858787585949701?s=19Matthew Fay and Michael Hunzeker on Marine Corps Innovation: https://warontherocks.com/2020/05/no-sure-victory-the-marines-new-force-design-plan-and-the-politics-of-implementation/Dan Sneider on The Hudson Institute: https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/352479?fbclid=IwAR2gTT3YfFSpiTCNH_jMmg35bSsG6OH1lt_JYWZeLNrn5WsasYeymF5oZbY

HR McMaster proves that in Washington, hawks only fail up. Are Republicans against international order? Chinese Netizens wants Trump to win the election because they think he's a racist joke who helps rally nationalism in China. What conspiracy theory is leading to cell phone towers being set ablaze in New Zealand? Only one country thinks arms-racing is the path to security--America, baby. Corey Pein Tweet: https://twitter.com/coreypein/status/1261166298043527168Waleed Shahid Tweet: https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1262492507868463107?s=19Mitt Romney Tweet:https://twitter.com/SenatorRomney/status/1261799211760222210?s=19Vipin Narang Tweet: https://twitter.com/NarangVipin/status/1263258794211098633Timothy McLaughlin in The Atlantic on Taiwan: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/05/taiwan-china-who-coronavirus-pandemic/611737/

Biden's best chance of winning might be embracing the anti-war movement. Democracies for Taiwan. Is there anything Australia can do to save the United States? Is the US Space Force a militarist boondoggle? Also this episode: The legacy of Henry Kissinger. Turkish imperialism. Pompeo gaslighting on Iran. And advice about studying international relations. Demand Progress: https://demandprogress.orgCaitlin Talmadge Tweet: https://twitter.com/ProfTalmadge/status/1259240712777928704Don Moynihan Tweet: https://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/1259477460904808449?s=20Benjamin Young Tweet: https://twitter.com/DubstepInDPRK/status/1259673664456359937?s=20Quantian Tweet: https://twitter.com/quantian1/status/1260387202871287809Brendan Taylor in Australian Foreign Affairs: https://www.australianforeignaffairs.com/articles/extract/2020/02/message-to-washington

American foreign policy is a reality TV show. Through the China looking glass with HR McMaster. Also this episode:Why is Korean peace a dirty phrase in Washington? Did a member of Congress just tell a journalist that defense hawks will have to lies in the form of strategic rhetoric to keep the defense budget obscenely high? Yes, he did. Does speaking Chinese make for good anti-China propaganda? Matt Duss's Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1258094892351467520?s=19James Palmer's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BeijingPalmer/status/1258484792049520641Paul McLeary: https://twitter.com/paulmcleary/status/1258007330651803648Matt Korda's Tweet:https://twitter.com/mattkorda/status/1257775280388812806?s=20Damon Linker's Tweet: https://twitter.com/DamonLinker/status/1258023836341219329Nick Miller's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Nick_L_Miller/status/1256672374868660225Ethan Paul in Responsible Statecraft: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/05/05/how-mcmaster-sees-china/

The "Blob" national security establishment is necessary, often wrong, and loses any argument where it concedes that it's a Blob. Are nuclear weapons inherently undemocratic and tyrannical? George Orwell predicted yes. Are political scientists wrong about diversionary war? The National Republican Senatorial Committee thinks so in their latest memo that directs candidates to not defend Trump and instead attack China. Has "the data" really replaced "strategy" as Washington's new favorite empty term? Why fair trade might be a better way to fight China than the Hayekian wet dream of free trade at all costs. Also this episode: How did Van Jackson become a North Korea watcher?Matt Duss Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1255610412189581314?s=20Anne Marie-Brady Tweet: https://twitter.com/AaronFriedberg/status/1254861734059421700?s=20Robert Kelly Tweet: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/1256033975568482304Adam Serwer Tweet: https://twitter.com/AdamSerwer/status/1255620408952393729?s=20"In Defense of the Blob" piece: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-04-29/defense-blob

Grand strategy is more necessary--and harder to do--than ever. Alliance management with Japan and South Korea is becoming impossible when one is a hawk and the other a dove. What the hell is happening with Kim Jong Un? China's horrible...and so is anti-Chinese racism. Van's endless white-collar frustrations with working from home in the Coronavirus era. Also this episode: What does Van like to eat? Uri Friedman on New Zealand's Crisis Response: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/jacinda-ardern-new-zealand-leadership-coronavirus/610237/Aiden Smith's Tweet: https://twitter.com/AidanSmith2020/status/1252041966214242305Jackie Schneider's Tweet: https://twitter.com/JackieGSchneid/status/1252391127652552707Duyeon Kim's Tweet: https://twitter.com/duyeonkim/status/1252429076205203464?s=19

Why Senator Chris Murphy might end up being the Henry Kissinger of the Left. Are Millennials more hawkish on China than Boomers and Gen X? Chicago Council on Global Affairs has polling data that tells us. Robert Zoellick's new book highlights a neoliberal split on the China question. Why socialists need to support Biden. South Korean elections bring a North Korean defector to the National Assembly. And we're living in a cyberpunk dystopia.Alex Ward's Profile of Chris Murphy in Vox: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/16/21127501/chris-murphy-foreign-policy-coronavirus-trump?fbclid=IwAR08dq1ioUta18m-dCMTPbGkhEB7oeJ47ThrOQV6ChLAiaPplGrTK9-b1MoKelsey Atherton on our Cyberpunk Dystopia: https://slate.com/technology/2020/04/coronavirus-cyberpunk-science-fiction-government-politics.htmlRobert Kelly's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/1250940245626941443Stephen Maher's Tweet: https://twitter.com/stphnmaher/status/1250414565399187457?s=20

Does the novel Coronavirus pandemic count as a Black Swan? Van Jackson goes deep on why it was and why it matters. Is strategic competition within interdependence possible? The neoliberal irony of strategizing to fight China using resources gotten from trading with China. Why the metaphor of Pearl Harbor is not just in appropriate securitization of the pandemic--it's ultimately an un-democratic power grab. Also this episode: Where Van fits in the international relations paradigm wars, why North Korea needs but doesn't want help, and what happened to Van's old podcast. George Takei tweet: xhttps://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1246904615985188867?s=20Abe Denmark tweet: https://twitter.com/AbeDenmark/status/1247867195859914752?s=20Euan Graham tweet: https://twitter.com/graham_euan/status/1248033806226870273James Laurenson tweet: https://twitter.com/j_laurenceson/status/1247839183646883846

Singapore's not happy with any of the great powers, but do they have a Plan B for a failure of US leadership? Should NATO expel Hungary for turning into a dictatorship? What happened in the latest Korea-watcher spat between Jeffrey Lewis and Joel Wit? Also this episode: The paradigm wars in international relations theory didn't end; they migrated into Asian security studies. The Coronavirus shouldn't be a national security issue. Why John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath is more important than Matt Damon's Contagion.Christopher Woody shouts out the pod: https://www.businessinsider.com/backlash-to-trump-use-of-sanctions-as-coronavirus-spreads-2020-3Antonio DeLoera Tweet: https://twitter.com/AntonioDeLoeraB/status/1244708115720728578Dan Nexon Tweet: https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1244990273899450368Nick Bisley Tweet: https://twitter.com/NickBisley/status/1245589570806145029Fred Kaplan on Hungary and NATO: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/orban-hungary-dictatorship-eu-nato.html

Is US China policy racist? A better question is whether Pompeo is the Sebastian Gorka of China policy. How to make sense of dueling Chinese diplomats. Will the European Union expand, even as it's contracting? Is the US prepping an invasion of Venezuela? And the avoidable nightmare of a suspended presidential election. Also this episode: North Korea as a bizarrely stable nuclear flashpoint, and whether arms-racing with North Korea makes any sense (it doesn't). Erin Ryan's Tweet: https://twitter.com/morninggloria/status/1241041892231413760Ryan Hass's Tweet:https://twitter.com/ryanl_hass/status/1242088502189326337Benjamin Denison's Tweet: https://twitter.com/DenisonBe/status/1241885474144256001How to Vote During a Pandemic: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-03-24/how-vote-during-pandemic

Why does the Pentagon keep getting deterrence wrong? Why is Mike Pompeo threatening the families of staff who work for the International Criminal Court? And what makes Russia so different from China? Also this episode: the danger of US-China conspiracy theories; why China's bid for hegemony involves a lot of cheap talk; white supremacy in the military; and the inhumanity and anti-strategy of sanctioning Iran amid the coronavirus. Mehdi Hasan on Iran: https://theintercept.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-iran-sanctions/Daniel Larison on Iraq: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/we-have-lost-in-iraq-and-we-should-leave/Matt Zeitlin's Tweet: https://twitter.com/MattZeitlin/status/1239024271877439489Matt Korda's Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattkorda/status/1239968570043289606Gerry Doyle's Tweet: https://twitter.com/mgerrydoyle/status/1240085453690130438

Why liberal foreign policy is a bad fit for dark times. What Netflix's Narcos can tell us about order and stability in international relations. Why Russia started an oil price war with Saudi Arabia. Why the critical left doesn't understand power as well as it thinks. If your think tank gets money from Ali Baba, that doesn't automatically make you a Chinese agent. What does Bernie Sanders really think about China? Also this episode: A brief history lesson on the politics of the American Progressive Era. Matt Stoller tweet: https://twitter.com/matthewstoller/status/1237580289888505856Rush Doshi tweet: https://twitter.com/SolomonYue/status/1237579397483261952Jeff Colgan tweet: https://twitter.com/JeffDColgan/status/1237075224446881792Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes on democracy's decline: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/opinion/democracy-eastern-europe.html

The dangers of low-yield nukes in Taiwan. Why great power competition requires democracy and equality at home. Thinking through the risks and benefits of arms control summitry with China, and why Trump can't make it work. Why the comparisons between Vietnam and Afghanistan militate against keeping troops around. Also this episode: Is Biden killing the youth vote, or saving American democracy? And why Van identifies with Seth Rogen.Mike Mazarr Tweet: https://twitter.com/MMazarr/status/1234901196550348800Emma Ashford Tweet: https://twitter.com/EmmaMAshford/status/1234306863421890562Tong Zhao Tweet: https://twitter.com/zhaot2005/status/1234338686788964352Lessons From Vietnam on Leaving Afghanistan by George Herring: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-04-15/lessons-vietnam-leaving-afghanistan

Why pundits don't understand the political savvy of Bernie Sanders. Does losing Taiwan mean losing Japan? Yes and no. Why the pundits don't understand the political savvy of Bernie Sanders. Why the State Department is sabotaging arms control while promoting a fake arms control agenda. And how China's historical record speaks to a strategic culture that Pompeo just doesn't understand. Also this episode: Why Van has too much hustle for Marxism, Matt Duss for National Security Adviser, and how the US and Chinese economies could actually decouple. Alexandra Bell Tweet: https://twitter.com/atomicbell/status/1231718308812120064Nicholas Miller Tweet: https://twitter.com/Nick_L_Miller/status/1231998228679270401T. Greer Post on Taiwan-Japan: http://scholars-stage.blogspot.com/2020/02/losing-taiwan-means-losing-japan.htmlM. Taylor Fravel on China: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/21/mike-pompeo-criticized-china-not-respecting-its-neighbors-territorial-integrity-whats-story/

The restraint movement in foreign policy starts penetrating Washington. Elizabeth Warren takes on the biggest oligarch of them all--Mike Bloomberg. China trade distorts the national interest. And Van Jackson thinks through the merits of NATO versus a European Defense Union. Also this episode: Why Trump will keep extorting South Korea; the danger of Russia and Turkey treating Syria as a sphere of influence; Scottish independence; and Van's musings about "Washington insider status." John Carl Baker's Tweet: https://twitter.com/johncarlbaker/status/1230322409330397185Adam Mount's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ajmount/status/1228404906865909765Alex Ward's Tweet: https://twitter.com/AlexWardVox/status/1230312105661865984Anne Marie Brady's Tweet: https://twitter.com/Anne_MarieBrady/status/1229998784421060608Judah Grunstein on Restraint in World Politics Review: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28544/restraint-could-turn-the-u-s-into-the-european-union-for-better-or-worse?utm_source=Active+Subscribers&utm_campaign=0df4292aa5-Daily_Subscribers_02192020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35c49cbd51-0df4292aa5-64517997&mc_cid=0df4292aa5&mc_eid=6220f8ae15

Would Bernie Sanders bomb North Korea? Probably not but the New York Times thinks so. Ilhan Omar's plan to save America from militarism. Trump's fake arms control agenda. Why Australia losing faith in the US might mean acquiring nuclear weapons. Why Kim Jong Un finds Trump totally embarrassing. And the wage theft of Washington think tanks. Daniel McDowell in World Politics Review: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28418/ofac-sanctions-and-the-new-dollar-diplomacyAnkit Panda's Tweet: https://twitter.com/nktpnd/status/1227424186165010435Nuclear Memes for Atomic Teens Tweet: https://twitter.com/NuclearMemes/status/1227640799912976385Uri Friedman on The Sanders Doctrine: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/02/bernie-sanders-doctrine-america-military-foreign-policy/606364/Michael Fullilove on Losing Faith in America: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/how-americanophile-lost-his-faith-us/606388/

The contradiction of military superiority and China threat deflation. How many " left technocrats" are actually out there? Is dollar hegemony good for national security? And why do Millennials shun American exceptionalism while Boomers still revel in it? Also this episode: blowing up the landmine ban triggers Van's inner activist, military superiority is politically unsustainable, more Chinese imperialism, and what the defense budget shouldn't be spending money on. Emma Ashford's tweet: https://twitter.com/EmmaMAshford/status/1223274059800203264Matt Duss's tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1224324932814938112Chris Clary's tweet: https://twitter.com/clary_co/status/1224705466800001024Chicago Council on Global Affairs Survey: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/publication/lcc/ok-boomer-youth-hesitant-use-force-shun-us-exceptionalism-foreign-policyJoshua Zoffer on Dollar Dominance: https://newrepublic.com/article/156417/end-forever-war-keep-dollar-globally-dominant

What's the point of low-yield nuclear weapons? To use them, of course. Elizabeth Warren's plan to end endless war. How Trump fractured the left by flirting with Korean peace, and why his fake Israel peace plan threatens to do so again. Chinese imperialism is a thing now. Also this episode: difficulties of democratizing foreign policy, prediction in international relations, being kind in national security, and...South Korean conscription.Elizabeth Warren on ending endless war: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/elizabeth-warren-we-can-end-our-endless-wars/605497/Maggie Caroliine repping NatSecGirlSquad: https://twitter.com/MaggieCaroline1/status/1219409363623989250Kori Schake on being kind: https://twitter.com/KoriSchake/status/1219441028186419202?s=20Gregg Carlstrom on fake Israeli peace: https://twitter.com/glcarlstrom/status/1222279492183494662?s=20Stephen Wertheim on defense: https://twitter.com/stephenwertheim/status/1222294594735525888?s=20Corey Pein on anti-elite resistance to Trump: https://twitter.com/coreypein/status/1222275041456357377Andrew Facini on tactical nukes: https://thebulletin.org/2020/01/the-low-yield-nuclear-warhead-a-dangerous-weapon-based-on-bad-strategic-thinking/Daniel Larison on Elizabeth Warren: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/campaign-promises-and-ending-wars/

This is the second of two episodes interviewing Dr. Dan Nexon, a former adviser to Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, a proponent of progressive internationalism, scholar of empires, and much more. In this episode, we talk about:--how he ended up advising Sanders's campaign in 2016, --what led him to think seriously about progressive foreign policy, --his beef with the anti-imperial left, --why the "liberal international order" is on death's door, --how to think about the rise of far right movements in Europe, --Chinese versus US imperialism, --what he likes about the convergences and divergences in Warren versus Sanders as presidential candidates,-- and more!Dan's blogging: https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/author/dnexonDan's forthcoming book w/ Alex Cooley (Exit from Hegemony): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/exit-from-hegemony-9780190916473?cc=us&lang=en&Dan's influential Foreign Affairs piece on progressive foreign policy: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-09-04/toward-neo-progressive-foreign-policy

This is the first of two episodes interviewing Dr. Dan Nexon, a former adviser to Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign, a proponent of progressive internationalism, scholar of empires, and much more. In this episode, Part I, we talk about how he found his way into academia, got interested in international relations, and flirted with the practice of foreign policy.Dan's blogging: https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/author/dnexonDan's forthcoming book w/ Alex Cooley (Exit from Hegemony): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/exit-from-hegemony-9780190916473?cc=us&lang=en&Dan's influential Foreign Affairs piece on progressive foreign policy: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-09-04/toward-neo-progressive-foreign-policy

Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders converge on foreign policy way more than Twitter thinks. Democratizing foreign policy is a noble goal but is it possible? Millennials are freaked out about World War III and Trump is to blame. The "Phase I" trade deal with China is fake reality TV. Deterrence by escalation is dumb. Breaking the political assassination taboo will prove costly. And why the policymaker literacy gap on artificial intelligence is a career opportunity for the next generation of mandarins.Notes and Sources:Mike Pilger on Ian Bremer: https://twitter.com/mikepilger/status/1215076257362337792Matt Duss on political assassination: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1213471599841677312Jess McIntosh on Bernie Bros: https://twitter.com/jess_mc/status/1217470071402123265?s=20Whitney McNamara on AI literacy: https://twitter.com/Whitney_McN/status/1217509704433389571?s=20Howard French in World Politics Review:https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28470/china-s-policies-toward-hong-kong-and-taiwan-are-driving-a-slow-motion-catastropheWorld Politics Review on the China trade deal: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/28474/what-does-the-phase-one-u-s-china-trade-deal-actually-accomplishSubscribe to the World Politics Review Newsletter: wpr.pub/undiplomatic

What do Democrats think about foreign policy and national security? The recent democratic debate was stunningly superficial on foreign policy, yet the most revealing to date. It covered Iran, defense spending, troops in the Middle East, trade deals, North Korea, and China (sort of). Van offers his take, where there's daylight between candidate, and what's wrong going forward.New York Times Weighs the Winners and Losers in the Debate: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/15/opinion/democratic-debate-who-won.html

Does 'bothsidesism' threaten democracy? Gary Kasparov thinks so and so does Van. Fareed Zakaria and the Washington establishment disagree about China. Van thinks they're both wrong. Dan Drezner throws shade at the incoherence of US foreign policy. Taiwan's democracy under pressure. And what North Korea's Christmas gift silence really tells us. Also this episode: Advice for young writers. Dan Drezner's tweet: https://twitter.com/dandrezner/status/1210748831731572739Gary Kasparov's tweet: https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/1210280850094526464Vipin Narang's tweet: https://mobile.twitter.com/NarangVipin/status/1209861487251951617Fareed Zakaria's Foreign Affairs piece: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2019-12-06/new-china-scare

Why did the Trump administration just assassinate an Iranian senior military leader? What will it lead to? Lots of questions about deterrence stupidity and diversionary foreign policy in this quick Raw Uncut episode.

In this special New Year's episode with the BBC Dad, Dr. Robert Kelly, we get his predictions about a range of foreign policy issues for 2020:--Will North Korea conduct a nuclear test?--Will Kim Jong Un meet with Trump again?--Will Trump leave office before the end of the year?--Will there be any wars anywhere?--Will the US withdraw any troops from South Korea?

Is Buttigieg a foreign policy hawk? Is international relations really just about Russian foreign policy? Van points out the obvious--Tulsi Gabbard is not a Democrat, and not progressive. Why America sucks up to India (hint: it’s all about China), and why it shouldn’t. The Pod implores Bernie Sanders to weigh in on the Transformers v. Usual Suspects debate that Matt Duss started. And finally, is ‘Chained Globalisation’ here to stay, and what can we do about it? Predictions:Will Ankara (Turkey) follow up on their threat to shut down the U.S controlled Incirik AFB before the end of 2019? | NoWill Congress pass any resolutions addressing the New START treaty (which expires in 2021) before February 2020? | NoWill the U.S resume peace talks with the Taliban before the end of 2019? | NoLinks:Benjamin R. Young on North Korea and Time - https://www.nknews.org/2019/12/the-need-for-speed-time-as-a-political-tool-in-north-korea/Daniel Larison on Pete Buttigieg’s Foreign Policy - https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/buttigiegs-increasingly-hawkish-foreign-policy/Jason Kander on Tulsi Gabbard - https://twitter.com/JasonKander/status/1207487212234969088Tom Nichols on Gabbard - https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1207476464356143104Tim Draper on India and Religious Freedom - https://twitter.com/TimDraper/status/1207674025616519173Paul Poast on Russia and Foreign Affairs - https://mobile.twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1204745930144174080Journal of Global Security Studies special issue on American Bias -https://academic.oup.com/jogss/article-abstract/4/3/299/5521930Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman on Chained Globalisation - https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2019-12-10/chained-globalization

National security Republicans' "theory of security" might just kill us all in the name of deterrence. House Democrats pass a defense budget that George W. Bush would be proud of. China is decoupling from the US whether we like it or not. Arms control is unravelling because the Trump administration is all neocons, ethno-nationalists, and multi-millionaires. Also this episode: What the heck do foreign policy advisers do on presidential campaigns? World Politics Review Newsletter: https://about.worldpoliticsreview.com/undiplomatic/ Prediction Market:Will the U.S place meaningful sanctions on Turkey in response to their purchasing of Russian arms before the end of 2019? | No. Following the Russian-Ukraine peace deal, will Russia withdraw active duty troops before the end of 2019? | Not a peace deal - it’s a ceasefire. No. Will North Korea test an ICBM before the end of 2019? | No Notes and Sources:Ross Douthat on Republican foreign policy credibility: https://twitter.com/DouthatNYT/status/1201574412018950147Ankit Panda on international institutional revisionism: https://mobile.twitter.com/nktpnd/status/1204986200228089856Shadi Hamid on meritocracy and McKinsey: https://twitter.com/shadihamid/status/1203416084189196288Goose Lee on the Hong Kong protests and sex: https://twitter.com/Lee_Cobaj/status/1202209651665723396?fbclid=IwAR128MOLpR3C-YSKmnmN6Wn1Mwp_MqPwtL7grJwArCP68I_O0kn4-UWpVA4Jeffrey Lewis on nuclear weapons treaty: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/inside-the-new-global-arms-race-washington-us-russia-china-nuclear-weapons-cyberwarfare

What would a Mayor Bloomberg foreign policy look like (some concerning clues in his past)? The wisdom of French realpolitik. Why Trump will sell out Taiwan but the rest of Washington should keep the faith. Why neoliberalism is the new neoconservatism. Why Iran policy reveals Trump to be a neocon minus the love of democracy bit. And why Van Jackson backs a no-first use nuclear policy. Also this episode: Van reveals the presidential campaign he's been volunteering for as a foreign policy adviser. Notes and Sources:Mehdi Hasan on Michael Bloomberg: https://theintercept.com/2019/11/25/michael-bloombergs-right-wing-views-on-foreign-policy-make-him-a-perfect-candidate-for-the-republican-nomination/Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1202008446083698689Ilan Goldenberg on the JCPOA: https://mobile.twitter.com/ilangoldenberg/status/1202343502501339136Gérard Araud on realpolitik: https://twitter.com/GerardAraud/status/1201071186626502656Matt Duss on neoliberalism: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1201179005912854530

Nukes, missiles, and being oblivious to risk. The Indo-Pacific strategy is freaking some people out. Allies worry that the US doesn't know what it's doing in Asia, and a nuclear Japan and South Korea may just be a matter of time. Trump doesn't care about Hong Kong. Also this episode, why it sucks to have a liberal foreign policy in the Second Nuclear Age. When New Zealand will start developing nukes. And why post-INF missiles are the Christmas present no ally wants. In Ask Me Anything: Why Van Jackson is a good example of how not to build a career in foreign policy.Stay Off Twitter:David Frum on honorable resignations - https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1199528319483596800Brett McGurk on the Trump/Erdogan bromance - https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1199041509317701632Mike Mazarr on the INF Treaty and missiles in Kansas - https://twitter.com/MMazarr/status/1197011144759595008Vipin Narang on a new nuclear age - https://twitter.com/NarangVipin/status/1197924400428810241Armchair Analysis:Mira Rapp-Hooper on decoupling and the new nuclear age - https://warontherocks.com/2019/11/decoupling-is-back-in-asia-a-1960s-playbook-wont-solve-these-problems-2/

This special episode was recorded live from Seoul, South Korea in late November. Dr. Van Jackson gave a talk at the East Asia Foundation in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament. Have a listen to learn the unintended dangers of pursuing North Korean denuclearization, and why a credible arms control process is the only way to stabilize Korea.Center for a New American Security Report: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/risk-realism

Who supports military bases in South Korea? Surprising majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Also this episode, why some neoliberals are hostile to democracy. Why sphere-of-influence diplomacy is gross and destabilizing. Why the left needs to do better on Hong Kong. The State Department’s clash-of-civilizations problem. What North Korea means by its end-of-year deadline. Coercion with Chinese characteristics. And mental health in national security.Van’s Predictions: 1) Will Bolivia’s interim president (Jeanine Añez Chavez) remain in power until elections can be held in 90 days? | Yes 2) Will Erdogan fully implement the anti-aircraft system they purchased from Russia (in violation of NATO regulations) by the end of 2020? | Yes3) Will China/Hong Kong police acknowledge deaths at the hands of police before the end of 2019? | No 4) Will Presidents Putin and Zelensky meet before the end of 2019? | No Notes and Sources:· Karl Friedhoff on JCS: https://twitter.com/KarlFriedhoff/status/1194303256949927937· Jonathan Allen on impeachment talking points: https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/1194706489438621697· Kyle Bass on American silence on Hong Kong: https://twitter.com/Jkylebass/status/1194590176078704640· Van Jackson on progressives and Asia policy: https://thediplomat.com/2019/10/how-american-progressives-think-about-asian-security/· Quinn Slobodian on economic freedom and democracy: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/11/democracy-defenders-economic-freedom-neoliberalismVan’s Recommended IR Reads (Part I):- James Mann – ‘Rise of the Vulcans’ - James Mann – ‘About Face’ - Fred Kaplan – ‘The Wizards of Armageddon’ - Sagan & Waltz – ‘The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate’ - Yuen Khong – ‘Analogies at War’ - Paul MacDonald – ‘Networks of Domination’ - John Ikenberry – ‘Liberal Leviathan’ Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Jared Kushner's North Korea doctrine sucks, and Kim Jong Un's job is way too easy these days. What universities can do to cope with Chinese influence. India tries (and fails) to get a far-right alliance to whitewash Kashmir. Trump continues to channel the Biff Tannen school of imperialism and the Pod has a fever-dream about a smarter, sinister Ted Cruz presidency. Also this episode: An Assistant Secretary of State learns the wrong lesson from Van Jackson’s first book - not everything is a bluff. Van's Predictions1) Will the RCEP trade deal come into force by 2020? | No2) Will India lift the state of emergency in Kashmir by the end of 2019? | No3) Will Russia, China, Europe remain party to the JCPOA through 2020? | Yes4) Will America fully withdraw from the Paris Agreement in 2020? | Yes, but it won’t matter.Notes and Sources:Huffington Post: "What if the World Treated the U.S like a Rogue State?" https://www.huffpost.com/highline/article/sanctions/(Note: Huffington Post, not Buzzfeed)Aaron Stein tweet on Trump & Oil: https://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/1192191364055875584Ryan Evans tweet on Boomers: https://twitter.com/EvansRyan202/status/1192196752318894091Ezra Klein tweet on American Constitutionalism: https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1191857312543064064?s=21ChinaFile – ‘How Should Universities Respond to China’s Growing Presence on Their Campuses?’ http://www.chinafile.com/conversation/how-should-universities-respond-chinas-growing-presence-their-campusesVan's Recommended Lefty Websites:Dissent - https://www.dissentmagazine.orgThe New Republic - https://newrepublic.com/The Baffler - https://thebaffler.com/n+1 - https://nplusonemag.com/

In the latest episode of our "Hustle" series, Van Jackson sits down with Suzanne DiMaggio to discover how she does it all. How did she end up as a foreign policy adviser to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign? What was it like to live in downtown Manhattan on 9/11? What did a jazz musician have to do with her leaving business school? How did she build herself into one of America's pre-eminent experts in Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy without ever serving in the US government? And how did she find time to become a co-founder and Chairman of the Board for a new think tank, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft?Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.orgSuzanne DiMaggio: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1592Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester