The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

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

Should the US isolate countries that isolate Taiwan? The US Senate just passed the TAIPEI Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that authorizes the State Department to take measures against countries who isolate or abandon Taiwan. In this Raw Uncut episode, Van Jackson weighs the pros and cons, arguing that it's great solidarity but questionable strategy.TAIPEI Act of 2019: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/s1678/BILLS-116s1678es.pdf.Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this episode, we get on a soapbox about "greenlanternism." Van and Pete debate what to make of Twitter's Jack Dorsey throwing shade at Facebook. We shine light on a new conservative-progressive consensus: Trump is a cartoon imperialist. We also discuss Extinction Rebellion and why the climate crisis does not warrant white privilege or targeted assassinations. Also this episode: the rules-based order is falling apart, but it may be recoverable. How many kills is Iran responsible for? Why does Obama hate wokeness? And the Van Jackson philosophy on why national security needs more progressive voices.Van’s Predictions1) Will John Bolton testify in the impeachment inquiry? | Yes2) Will Benny Gantz be form a government in Israel? | Yes3) Will Iraq’s Prime Minister be ousted before the end of 2019? | YesVan’s Podcast Recommendations:- Dissent’s ‘Know Your Enemy’ | https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/know-your-enemy-a-new-podcast-about-the-right- Crooked Media’s ‘Pod Save The World’ | https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-world/- The Diplomat’s ‘Asia Geopolitics’ | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-diplomat-asia-geopolitics/id852773346- Insert generic dry but informative think tank podcasts- War on the Rocks’ ‘Bombshell’ | https://warontherocks.com/category/podcasts/bombshell/Notes and Sources- NY Times on Sea Level Rise | https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/29/climate/coastal-cities-underwater.html- Extinction Rebellion’s White Privilege | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/19/extinction-rebellion-white-faces-diversity- Rebecca Davis Gibbons on the World International Order | https://twitter.com/RDavisGibbons/status/1188891448126652419- Jack Dorsey on Twitter Banning Political Ads: | https://twitter.com/jack/status/1189634360472829952?s=21- The American Conservative on Cartoon Imperialism | https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-cartoon-imperialist-president/?wpisrc=nl_todayworld&wpmm=1- Obama on Woke Culture | https://www.victoria.ac.nz/hppi/about/staff/jon-fraenkelMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this Raw Uncut episode, Van Jackson breaks down what it takes to render a bad take on China. Using a recent hot take from Prof. Stephen Walt as the example, Van identifies at least three ways of not only getting China wrong, but getting it wrong badly.One: Mischaracterize Chinese behaviorTwo: Promote China's preferred narrative for its misdeedsThree: Draw false equivalencies with the United States (Or, use China observations to throw shade at the US)Walt's take on China: https://twitter.com/stephenWalt/status/1188911798759645184Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

If you think fighting climate change is expensive, maybe you haven't seen the bill for endless war. Why Trump's parallel universes of diplomacy is a problem for foreign policy analysis. Van gets a little choked up talking about why America needs more Laura Coopers. Giuliani self-incriminates via tweet, collapsing Trump’s impeachment defense. What the Treaty of Versailles can teach us about poison pill diplomacy today. Van goes hard in the paint on Disney's Bob Iger. And in Asia, American credibility is vanishing and no amount of Pentagon money can fix it. Van’s Predictions:Will there be a British election before the end of the year? | No If there was, what would it elect? | Conservative majority government. Will Turkey expand out of the Russian-negotiated buffer zone in Syria? | NoWill the US stop the Korean/Japan trade war before 2020? | No, but the trade war will stopLinks:Marty Lederman on Rudy Giuliani: https://twitter.com/marty_lederman/status/1187170574562484226Kelsey Atherton on Climate Change: https://twitter.com/AthertonKD/status/1187211215279251456Kathleen Hicks on Laura Cooper:https://twitter.com/kath_hicks/status/1187043980787236867The Peacemakers of 1919 a Century On - Jay Winter: https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/10/14/peacemakers-of-1919-century-on-pub-79970How To Halt Global Warming for $300 Billion - Bloomberg:https://tinyurl.com/yxhx9y6kTrump’s Parallel Universe of Diplomacy - Adam Taylor: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/10/24/trumps-parallel-universe-diplomacy/What Happened to Rudy Giuliani? - Ken Frydman:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/opinion/giuliani-trump-ukraine.htmlIndicted Giuliani Associate Ties Case to Trump - NYT:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/nyregion/lev-parnas-igor-fruman-campaign-finance.htmlMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

We live in an age of foreign policy pluralism and congressional Democrats ought to take heed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly led a congressional delegation to Afghanistan and Jordan over the weekend. In this Raw Uncut edition of the Un-Diplomatic podcast, I explain why I hope the trip was part of a Democratic Party shadow foreign policy. Pelosi tweeting the CODEL: https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1186766247670599680Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

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