War on the Rocks

<p>“The blob” — an unflattering nickname for the U.S. foreign policy establishment coined by a senior Obama official — gets a bad rap these days. From Obama to Trump, Washington’s foreign policy elite are blamed for being too hawkish, relying on tired conventional wisdom, and generally weakening America’s foreign policy position. In this episode, two members of the blob (along with a mystery guest) push back…over drinks, of course. Listen to Jim Steinberg, a former Deputy Secretary of the State Dept, and Frank Gavin, the director of the Kissinger Center at SAIS, defend the blob. Their argument? You don’t know how good you</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/in-defense-of-the-blob/">In Defense of the Blob</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>This week, Loren, Radha, and Erin discuss the North Korean assassination (beware the perfume lady) and take questions from listeners (what is inter-service rivalry anyway?). Kori Schake joins to dissect the defense budget, H.R. McMaster’s challenges at the National Security Council, Thucydides, and why she hates Moneyball. Image: U.S. Coast Guard</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/bombshell-rage-against-alcibiades/">Bombshell: Rage Against Alcibiades</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In this special episode, Ryan Evans sat down with Ben Buchanan of the Belfer Center at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and in front of an audience! Ben and Ryan chatted about his new book with Oxford University Press, The Cybersecurity Dilemma: Hacking, Trust and Fear Between Nations. There were some great questions from members of the audience. Enjoy! Music: Lovira, All Things ConsideredImage: U.S. Army illustration by David McNally </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-promise-and-peril-of-cyber-operations/">The Promise and Peril of Cyber Operations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>How has counter-terrorism changed from 9/11 to today over three presidencies? To answer that question, Ryan Evans sat down with two guests with deep perspective on counter-terrorism: Colin Kahl was the national security adviser to Vice President Biden and, earlier in the Obama administration, was the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. He is now associate professor in the Security Studies Program at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Stephen Tankel is an assistant professor in the School of International Service at American University, an adjunct senior fellow at CNAS, and a senior editor at War on</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/counter-terrorism-from-bush-to-obama-to-trump/">Counter-Terrorism from Bush to Obama to Trump</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In this episode, WOTR’s Ryan Evans interviews John Bew about the state of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom as the presidency of Donald Trump unfolds. How is Prime Minister Theresa May trying to manage British relations with the United States? Is Parliament making it easier or harder for her? What does Brexit mean for British power? Will Britain start to more seriously commit to a higher defense budget? Is the Winston Churchill bust in the White House a useful symbol of the special relationship (spoiler: no)? John tackles these questions and more, ending on a</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/is-the-winston-churchill-bust-weeping/">Is the Winston Churchill Bust Weeping?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>This week on Bombshell, we walk through the first week of the Trump administration. Sit down and listen to Radha Iyengar Plumb, Loren DeJonge Schulman, and Erin Simpson discuss America First, cabinet confirmations, Chelsea Manning, Wall of Stars + Hall of Heroes, re-organization of the National Security Council, and the immigration order. Stick around for our favorite podcasts and thoughts on Sherlock. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/bombshell-aint-no-party-like-an-america-first-party/">Bombshell: Ain’t No Party Like an America First Party</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Just an hour before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, Ryan Evans sat down with Richard Haass in New York at the Council on Foreign Relations. Given the momentous changes that seem to be underway, the topic under discussion was fitting: world order. Richard’s new book – A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order – seeks to explain the origins of the current world order, the shifts currently underway, and how the United States should seek to shape the next world order. Ryan and Richard also discussed negotiating</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/you-cant-always-get-the-world-order-that-you-want/">You Can’t Always Get the World Order That You Want</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Welcome to Bombshell. This new bi-weekly series, brought to you by War on the Rocks, is hosted by three of your favorite Washington insiders who will dissect today’s foreign policy crises and tomorrow’s security challenges. Our hosts — Loren DeJonge Schulman, Radha Iyengar Plumb, and Erin Simpson — will talk military strategy, White House mayhem, and the best cocktails known to (wo)man.In this episode, our hosts introduce themselves and each other before launching into a guide to what is going to face the Trump administration as it takes hold of the reins of power. If you’re wondering about new appointments, how the new National Security Council could</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/introducing-bombshell-the-explosive-first-episode/">Introducing Bombshell: The Explosive First Episode</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>If you follow international affairs, it often feels like you can’t go to a lecture or read an article without being told that the world’s economic and military center of gravity is shifting from West to East. Michael Auslin takes a different view in his new book, The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World’s Most Dynamic Region (Yale University Press, 2017). We sat down at the Tabard Inn in Washington, DC to talk about it. Auslin argues that Asia’s golden age is over and the region is likely to be approaching an era of</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/is-asias-golden-age-already-ending/">Is Asia’s Golden Age Already Ending?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>One thing is clear about President-elect Donald Trump: He is skeptical of the U.S. intelligence community. With the aid of a bottle of bourbon, War on the Rocks assembled a top-notch group of experts to talk about what Trump means for the intelligence community. Our guests in this episode included Carmen Medina – a 32-year veteran of the CIA; David Priess – author of The President’s Book of Secrets and a CIA veteran; Mark Stout – a WOTR senior editor, program director at Johns Hopkins, and a veteran of the CIA and the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and Mark Zaid</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/hes-just-not-that-into-you-trump-intel-and-the-american-presidency/">He’s Just Not That Into You: Trump, Intel, and the American Presidency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In this episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, editor-in-chief Ryan Evans sat down with Michael S. Neiberg, author of the new book, The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America. Neiberg, an accomplished historian who holds the Chair of War Studies at the U.S. Army War College, covered a range of topics, starting with America and World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, World War II, the use and abuse of historical analogies, doing historical research, and advice for young historians. Image: Harvey Thomas Dunn</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/world-wars-and-the-craft-of-history/">World Wars and the Craft of History</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Revelations over emails are going to be roiling this election season to the very end. This is, in no small part, due to a series of targeted hacks and leaks that cyber-security experts and the U.S. intelligence community have attributed to Russia.In this episode, we address this unprecedented Russian-directed information operations campaign targeting the U.S. presidential election and, indeed, the fundamental legitimacy of the American system of government. From email hacks to electronic voting machines, major vulnerabilities have been exposed and could change how we approach national campaigns forever, not just in the United States but in other democracies as</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/emails-and-influence-investigating-russias-attack-on-the-u-s-political-system/">Emails and Influence: Investigating Russia’s Attack on the U.S. Political System</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In an “around the world” edition of our podcast series, Ryan Evans convened a top-notch group to discuss everything from Cuba to the Middle East to Russia to deterrence to China to personnel issues along with a whole range of big issues for the first 100 days of the next administration. Tune in to listen to Elbridge Colby (CNAS), Radha Iyengar (RAND), Will McCants (Brookings), and Bill Rosenau (CNA) talk about some of the world’s most pressing issues with the aid of a few drinks.We also briefly remember the respected scholar and international security analyst, Angel Rabasa, who recently passed</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/around-the-world-over-drinks-the-middle-east-russia-and-big-issues-for-the-next-president/">Around the World Over Drinks: The Middle East, Russia, and Big Issues for the Next President</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In the latest episode of our podcast, editor-in-chief Ryan Evans sat down with Gen. Jim Mattis and Kori Schake of the Hoover Institution to talk about civil-military relations, the subject of their new book Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military. This is the first major study of civil-military relations in years. The conversation also turned to strategy, with Mattis observing that Washington is a “strategy-free environment” and that this is a problem that goes back through two administrations.Next, Ryan sat down with Richard Fontaine, the president of the Center for a New American Security, to discuss his summer</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/civ-mil-relations-in-the-u-s-and-strategy-tales-from-australia/">Civ-Mil Relations in the U.S. and Strategy Tales from Australia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>The Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul was closed down during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. This former symbol of Turkey’s revered founding father is today adorned with large photos of its current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who successfully defeated an attempted military coup d’etat on Friday evening and Saturday morning.Some of you might have chimed into yesterday’s live Google Hangout on Turkey’s thwarted coup. For those who didn’t and prefer audio to video, we’ve adapted it into an episode of our podcast series. WOTR’s Ryan Evans spoke with Selim Koru of TEPAV in Turkey, Burak Kadercan of the U.S. Naval War College, Aaron</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/talking-turkeys-coup-erdogan-a-fractured-military-and-the-gulen-movement/">Talking Turkey’s Coup: Erdogan, a Fractured Military, and the Gulen Movement</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>What big think books on strategy in history should you add to you shelf this summer? Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, sat down with two authors of two of his favorite books this year. First, he spoke to Hal Brands, author of the new book Making the Unipolar Moment: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Rise of the Post-Cold War Order (Cornell). Hal has just taken up a professorship at the Kissinger Center at the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. Next, Ryan sat down with John Bew of the King’s College London War Studies Department, author of Realpolitik: A History (Oxford), and</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/what-to-read-about-the-history-of-strategy-this-summer/">What to Read About the History of Strategy this Summer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Is Barack Obama’s foreign policy “failing at nearly every turn,” as Speaker Paul Ryan and many other Republicans contend? Or has the president actually crafted a wiser, more effective approach to America’s place in the world that sets this country up for success? Derek Chollet, a six-year veteran of the Obama administration, takes the latter view in his new book, The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World (PublicAffairs). Ryan Evans, WOTR’s editor-in-chief, sat down with Chollet, currently at the German Marshall Fund, and Richard Fontaine, the president of the Center for a New American</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-long-game-how-will-obamas-foreign-policies-be-judged-by-history/">The Long Game: How Will Obama’s Foreign Policies Be Judged By History?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We’re going to try something a little different with this episode of the podcast, and I think you’re going to like it. If you listened to our last episode, you know our focus was on the Munich Security Conference – a major annual event that hosts heads of state, ministers of foreign affairs and defense, thought leaders, and, this year, whisky-swilling editors like me. In this episode, the focus is Russia, and especially U.S. Russian relations. To do that, we tell a story that starts with Vladimir Putin’s 2007 speech at the Munich Security Conference and ends with Russian Prime</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/a-tale-of-two-speeches-u-s-russian-relations-through-the-lens-of-munich/">A Tale of Two Speeches: U.S.-Russian Relations Through the Lens of Munich</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>The Munich Security Conference brings together leaders from all around the world to discuss defense, foreign policy, and strategy – the bread and butter of War on the Rocks. It has been called the Davos of international security. Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, was privileged to join the U.S congressional delegation to this year’s conference. While he was there, he interviewed a number of key leaders and thinkers. This episode of our podcast series is the first of two to come out of these interviews and discussions. They are sponsored by American University’s School of International Service.Listen here for Ryan’s interviews with</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/four-key-leaders-in-munich-on-the-state-of-the-world/">Four Key Leaders in Munich on the State of the World</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We have a two-parter for you in this episode. First, WOTR’s Ryan Evans spoke with Steve Blank of Silicon Valley fame about his new course, “Hacking Defense.” The class just launched at Stanford, but Steve has plans to proliferate it around the country. Will this course help change the way we approach national defense?Next, Ryan sat down with Basam Ridha Al Hussaini. Basam works for Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi and was in Washington to talk to U.S. officials about the Popular Mobilization Units, a Iraqi security program that mobilizes armed groups – including sectarian groups responsible for terrible violence during</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/hacking-defense-and-iraqs-controversial-new-security-groups/">Hacking Defense and Iraq’s Controversial Security Groups</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>The relationship between journalists and the U.S. military is simultaneously intimate and distant. In the last several decades and the last two in particular, many things have changed in the way that journalists cover the military, but perhaps not as many as you think. Three defense and national security journalists of different generations joined Ryan Evans of War on the Rocks to talk about how covering the military has and has not changed over time: David Wood, the veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at The Huffington Post Nancy Youssef, senior national security correspondent for The Daily Beast Paul Shinkman, national security reporter for U.S.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/journalism-the-military-and-americas-wars/">Journalism, the Military, and America’s Wars</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>WOTR’s Ryan Evans sat down with Colin Kahl, the National Security Advisor to Vice Present Joe Biden, to talk about the mess of the Middle East and what the Obama administration is doing about it. From Iran to the Gulf states to Syria to Iraq to Turkey and beyond, Kahl explains how the White House views the problems and opportunities there. He also discusses what it’s like to be in a presidential administration in its final year.If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our last conversation with Kahl about the Iran nuclear agreement.Image: USAF, Senior Airman Matthew</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-obama-administration-and-the-middle-east-an-insiders-view/">The Obama Administration and the Middle East: An Insider’s View</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We are trying something a little new with our podcast series. Segments! And music! In the first segment of our new podcast, Ryan Evans sits down with Claude Berube to talk about his new novel, Syren’s Song. Ryan then joins Gen. Bob Scales to talk about his recent trip to Europe where he looked at the ability of U.S. and European forces to fight Russia in the event of a war. Gen. Scales expands on some of the concerns he expressed in the Wall Street Journal.Happy listening!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/fighting-russia-in-europe-and-a-dose-of-military-fiction/">Fighting Russia in Europe and a Dose of Military Fiction</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>How will the U.S. military stay competitive? This is about far more than platforms, bombs, and guns. It is fundamentally about people. And with archaic personnel systems plaguing the armed forces and the Department of Defense, our talented young men and women are being drawn away into the private sector in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter sat down with WOTR’s Ryan Evans to talk about the Force of the Future initiative – a sweeping program of reforms that aims to bring the Department of Defense into the 21st Century in terms of how it</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/secdef-ash-carter-on-how-the-military-will-build-the-force-of-the-future/">Ash Carter: The Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In histories of the Second World War, the Vatican has not fared well. Pope Pius XII has been condemned as “Hitler’s Pope” and the Church castigated for not doing enough to avert war and save the victims of the Third Reich. Enter Mark Riebling’s new book, Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler. After years of painstaking research in the Vatican’s archives, Riebling has a different and heart-pounding story to tell of the Pope’s network of spies that fought to bring about Hitler’s downfall. In this podcast, WOTR’s Ryan Evans and Mark Stout (himself a veteran of the CIA) sits down</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-vaticans-cloak-and-dagger-war-against-hitler/">The Vatican’s Cloak-and-Dagger War Against Hitler</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>What’s going on around the world? For our latest podcast, WOTR editor-in-chief Ryan Evans was joined by a great group to talk about Russia and its intervention in Syria, the Middle East more broadly, America’s approach to foreign policy, the refugee crisis in Europe, the international economy, and Congress. Our guests were Justin Johnson of the Heritage Foundation, Denise Natali of the National Defense University, Bill Rosenau of CNA, and Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/around-the-world-episode-2/">Around the World: Episode 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Will McCants of the Brookings Institution and David Ignatius of The Washington Post sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the topic of Will’s new book, ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. In this wide-ranging conversation, our guests reached back into the origins of the Islamic State and came all the way up to the storm of violence that covers so much of the Middle East today. Have a listen! </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/navigating-the-islamic-state-challenge/">Navigating the Islamic State Challenge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Dmitry Gorenburg, an occasional WOTR contributor and expert on Russian military affairs at the CNA Corporation, sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the state of Russia’s armed forces, its campaigns in Ukraine and Syria, Putin as a strategist, and how one becomes an expert on Russian military affairs. Have a listen! </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-state-of-russian-strategy-ukraine-syria-and-beyond/">The State of Russian Strategy: Ukraine, Syria, and Beyond</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Is the American defense industry ready for what is coming next? Can it adapt, survive, and thrive in an era of paradigm-changing new technologies? Can the industry maintain America’s military superiority in the face of the U.S. government’s stifling contracting regulations? What can the U.S. government and the defense industry learn from Silicon Valley? We brought together three experts – Stephen Rodriguez, Sam Zega, and Paul Scharre – the talk about how we can hack the defense industry.Have a listen! Image: Dammit, CC</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/hacking-the-defense-industry/">Hacking the Defense Industry</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In the latest installment of our podcast, we gathered some top Asia wonks – WOTR Senior Editor Van Jackson of CNAS, Evan Montgomery of CSBA, Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, and Samm Sacks of the Eurasia Group. The topic? The state of U.S.-China relations and the major issues likely to occupy President Barack Obama when Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to town.Have a listen! Image Credit: thierry ehrmann</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/america-china-and-xi-jinpings-visit-to-washington/">America, China, and Xi Jinping’s Visit to Washington</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>One organization has been behind America’s most daring raids, from the deserts of Iraq and Syria to the hills of Pakistan to the jungles of South America. That organization is Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).Ryan Evans, editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks, sat down with Sean Naylor of Foreign Policy and author of the new book, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command. Have a listen!Image: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paul Peterson</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/a-relentless-conversation-about-jsoc/">A Relentless Conversation About JSOC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>TM Gibbons-Neff of The Washington Post (and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps) and ​Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson of Marine Corps University joined WOTR’s Ryan Evans to talk about TM’s recent reporting from the front in Eastern Ukraine through the lens of the history of infantry combat.Image Credit: TM Gibbons-Neff</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-infantry-combat-from-modern-ukraine-back-to-world-war-i/">PODCAST: Infantry Combat from Modern Ukraine back to World War I</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In this week’s podcast, navalists B.J. Armstrong and Scott Cheney-Peters joined Alex Hecht, the editor of the Molotov Cocktail channel, and Ryan Evans for a carousing (but responsible) imbibing of naval history through four naval drinks: grog, the rum flip, the daiquiri, and the gimlet.Have a listen and drink along with us! The recipes are below.Grog: 4 ounces lime juice 1/4 pound brown sugar 4 oz. dark rum 8 oz. water 2 sprigs mintRum Flip: 4 oz. Gosling’s Rum 1 oz. simple syrup 2 egg yolks Grated nutmegDaiquiri: 3 oz. silver rum 1.5 oz. simple syrup 1.5 oz. lime juiceGimlet: 3</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-drinking-through-naval-history/">PODCAST: Drinking Through Naval History</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>At War on the Rocks, we are re-vamping our podcast series. We will be holding one podcast a week. The first of each month will be ’round the world. We will discuss the most pressing global security issues…over drinks of course.Have a listen!This week, we were joined by: Richard Fontaine, President of the Center for a New American Security Frank Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow at the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies (all of his opinions are his own, of course, and not those of NDU, the Dept. of Defense, or the U.S. government) Justin T. Johnson, Senior Policy</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-around-the-world-ep-1/">PODCAST: Around the World, Ep. 1</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>In today’s podcast, John Amble talks to August Cole of the Atlantic Council’s Art of Future Warfare project and B.J. Armstrong, a historian and naval officer, about how we approach the critical task of forecasting the future of warfare. In the discussion, we examine the comparative merits of history and fiction as sources of lessons with which to understand, make predictions about, and prepare for warfare in the future.Somewhat sadly, this podcast’s title isn’t entirely accurate. This is one of those rare War on the Rocks podcasts that we did not record over drinks. I trust you’ll make up for our shortcoming in this</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-a-novelist-and-a-historian-walk-into-a-bar-2/">PODCAST: A Novelist and a Historian Walk Into a Bar</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with PW Singer and August Cole to talk about their new book, Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War. Yes, these two wonks wrote some fiction and it’s an impressive piece of work. In Ghost Fleet, they bring us into the future – not too far away – and show us how this war could very well be fought, examining the social, political, and technological issues through the eyes of a massive cast of characters. The way they portray military technology and its myriad effects was, in particular, fresh and interesting.Listen</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-the-war-with-china-youve-been-waiting-for/">PODCAST: The war with China you’ve been waiting for</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans to talk about the nuclear negotiations over drinks at the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Bar. Ryan lobbed every objection to the deal he could come up with at Colin. The result was one of the most candid conversations we’ve ever seen from a senior administration official on what might be a monumental event in the history of diplomacy.Have a listen! </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/vps-national-security-adviser-on-the-iran-deal-colin-kahl-gives-an-insiders-view/">VP’s National Security Adviser on the Iran Deal: Colin Kahl Gives an Insider’s View</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>This is a very special Schoolhouse edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series. As many of you know, our Schoolhouse series is concerned with the intersection between policy and the academy. Is scholarship relevant to the policymaker? Is the academy preparing people to go into the policy world? Our guests grappled with these questions and more, telling their own stories of how they came be involved as scholars in the policy world, in the field in Afghanistan, and the private sector. We were joined by Frank Gavin of MIT, Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates, and Stephen Tankel of</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-national-security-and-the-schoolhouse/">PODCAST: National Security and the Schoolhouse</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Four members of the War on the Rocks squad ended up in Istanbul this week. What could go wrong?Afshon Ostovar of the CNA Corporation, Aaron Stein of RUSI, Joshua Walker of GMF, and Ryan Evans of your favorite outlet on strategy, defense, foreign policy, and booze join you from a lovely garden a stone’s throw from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia to talk about the Turkish elections, the implications of the Iranian nuclear negotiations, Turkish-Iranian relations, the Syrian civil war, and Istanbul’s best watering holes.Have a listen! </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-war-on-the-rocks-goes-to-istanbul/">PODCAST: War on the Rocks goes to Istanbul</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Editor’s Note: I was honored to attend Professor Patrick Porter’s inaugural lecture, celebrating his appointment at the University of Exeter as the academic director of the Strategy and Security Institute. Patrick is one of the most insightful and engaging scholarly speakers I know. Using Carl von Clausewitz and Hans Morgenthau as guideposts, he discusses Western strategic mishaps and proposes means by which states might navigate the fog of peace. Have a listen -RE Image: GerryBuckel</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-fog-of-peace-defense-and-uncertainty/">The Fog of Peace: Defense and Uncertainty</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Yesterday, Lawrence Freedman of King’s College London joined me for a conversation on the state of the world atop the ME Hotel’s rooftop bar in central London, Radio. From the Middle East, to Russia, to China, to Britain’s role in the world, the discussion ranged widely as we sat in the afternoon sun (an unusually lovely, breezy day in London). Have a listen! Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. His most recent book is Strategy: A History (OUP, 2013). He is a contributing editor at War on the Rocks.Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/the-state-of-the-world-a-conversation-with-lawrence-freedman/">The State of the World: A Conversation with Lawrence Freedman</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>This is the podcast in which War on the Rocks fixes the Middle East…ok, we kid, but it is a fascinating conversation with some of the most astute and informed U.S. experts on Iraq and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).Have a listen! We were joined by: J.M. Berger, author of the new book, ISIS: State of Terror (along with Jessica Stern) and a nonresident fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. William McCants, author of the forthcoming book, ISIS Apocalypse, a fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy and director of</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-the-islamic-states-war-in-iraq-and-syria/">PODCAST: The Islamic State’s War in Iraq and Syria</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We got together a great panel of experts to talk all things cybersecurity, with a little bit of ClintonEmail.com and comedy troupes mixed in.Listen here to Jason Healey of the Atlantic Council, Shane Harris of The Daily Beast, and John Amble and Mark Stout, both of War on the Rocks, as they talk about cyber over drinks.(And yes, only Jason had a Sazerac, but alliteration won out over absolute accuracy. We trust you’ll forgive us.) Image Credit: Paul Hartzog, CC</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/cybersecurity-over-sazeracs/">Cybersecurity over Sazeracs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Last night, just hours before President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, Ryan Evans sat down with Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute’s Center for American Seapower, RADM Mike McDevitt (ret) of CNA, and Scott Cheney-Peters of CIMSEC. Their beverage-fueled conversation ranged widely, from China’s disputes with the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan to the balance of seapower in the Asia Pacific.Have a listen!Make sure you visit the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and read RADM McDevitt’s latest report on the South China Sea!Image: Philippines Navy ship BRP Artemio Ricarte. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dave</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-asian-maritime-security-and-a-rising-china/">PODCAST: Asian Maritime Security and a Rising China</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund, Stephen Tankel of American University and WOTR, and Joshua White of the Stimson Center joined Ryan Evans to talk about South and East Asian regional affairs, including the complex web of relations between Pakistan, China, India, and Afghanistan. Have a listen and read Andrew’s new book, The China-Pakistan Axis.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-south-east-meets-east-asia/">PODCAST: South Asia meets East Asia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We recently sat down with the gang at the Center for a New American Security to discuss offset strategies. As you can see from the photo, we had all the important props one would need to plan how the United States will maintain its military technological superiority, including Star Wars action figures, a drone from Radio Shack, a model drone, a plastic shotgun, a fake robot, and – of course – a bottle of bourbon. We had a lot of fun recording this and we hope you have fun listening to it.Read more about our Beyond Offset series here. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-spitballing-offset-strategy/">PODCAST: Spitballing Offset Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Editor’s note: Recently, the Clements Center of the University of Texas at Austin and the King’s College London War Studies Department held an important conference on the “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States in the larger context of grand strategy. Many WOTR friends and contributors were involved, including John Bew, MLR Smith, Kori Schake, Tim Hoyt, Ryan Evans, and — of course — Lawrence Freedman, who gave the final keynote lecture on a subject near and dear to WOTR readers: strategy. Read Freedman’s Strategy: A History if you haven’t already. And if you have, read it again! Lawrence Freedman</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/on-strategy-and-strategists/">On Strategy and Strategists</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Admiral Chris Parry (ret.) of the Royal United Services Institute, Bryan McGrath of Hudson’s Center for American Seapower, and Evan Montgomery of CSBA joined Ryan Evans for a wide-ranging conversation on naval strategy, a rising China, territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, NATO’s ability to project power in the Baltic and Black Seas, and much more.Have a listen and read Admiral Parry’s new book, Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21st Century. Image: U.S. Navy</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-naval-and-maritime-strategy/">PODCAST: Naval and Maritime Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>We sat down to talk Asian security at the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Bar. Our guests included: Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Robert Haddick, an independent consultant for special operations command and author of Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific (Naval Institute Press, 2014). TX Hammes, who needs no introduction. With Ryan Evans moderating, the participants buzzed through a number of contentious issues related to Asian security including the ongoing protests in Taiwan, North Korea, tensions between South Korea and Japan, and whether or not the U.S. military is appropriately preparing itself for</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-asian-security-hong-kong-taiwan-and-confrontation-with-china/">PODCAST: Asian Security – Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Confrontation with China</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>

<p>Some of the sharpest minds on the Middle East in town sat down over drinks to tackle some of the most troublesome problems in the world’s most troublesome region. Have a listen!Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of The Rise of Turkey.Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks.Douglas A. Ollivant is a Senior National Security Fellow with the New America Foundation and the Senior Vice President of Mantid International, LLC.Afshon Ostovar is a senior analyst at the CNA Corporation.Joshua W. Walker is</p> <p>The post <a href="https://warontherocks.com/podcast-in-search-of-a-middle-east-strategy/">Podcast: In Search of a Middle East Strategy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://warontherocks.com">War on the Rocks</a>.</p>