The Secure Line

David and Xander discuss how impeachment proceedings have demonstrated the importance of independent civil service at the State Department. California burns as the President makes moves to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. And a deep dive into the long reach of China’s influence over free speech, US companies, and even Hollywood.

Dave and Xander discuss election happenings around the world, the quiet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and give a primer the security implications of climate change. NOTE: Our apologies for last week’s episode being download-able for a few days; it was a technical mishap on Dave’s end. Fixing it pushed the release of this episode by a few days as well.

Dave and Alex Bell touch on Syria, Ukraine, the Open Skies Treaty, the Democratic presidential debate, and why Kim Jung Un riding a white horse might be a problem.

Dave, Alex, and Matt catch up on Ukraine, personalizing state power, impact on US credibility and the Sopranos. The People’s Republic of China celebrates its 70th Anniversary. And North Korea tests missiles. Mentioned: Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals by Carol Cohn. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3174209?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

NOTE: This episode was recorded the day before we learned that the president sought a foreign state’s intervention in the 2020 election. So… yeah. Sigh. Dave, Matt, and Caitlin discuss drones and why Saudi Arabia’s military has issues, the fact that John Bolton never did the job he was supposed to do, and then dive into the Marine Commandant’s service reform goals. Reading: The Commandant’s Planning Guidance by Gen. David Berger The Dictator’s Army: Battlefield Effectiveness in Authoritarian Regimes by Caitlin Talmadge  

Ongoing protests in Hong Kong offer insight into the future of protest and organizing in information dominant surveillance states. The Amazon is on fire and it’s not a mistake. A fight over intel sharing between South Korea and Japan sparks a deep dive into the security structure of the Asia-Pacific. And Becky has a new job. Recommended reading: If you’re interested in the question of why there isn’t an Asian NATO, Victor Cha’s very approachable article Powerplay: Origins of the U.S. Alliance System in Asia is probably your best introduction to the issue. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40389236

Dave and Xander catch up on the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, the role of the US, and the importance of human rights to American interests. Also, TPP. Then: Russia’s crazy nuclear-powered missile engine blew up. And the President wants to buy Greenland.

Political violence in the US: How it affects views of America overseas and how we can use an international affairs analyst mindset to better understand ourselves. Dems candidates talk nuclear policy at the last debate. And dive into China’s statement of military policy. 

Yes, this episode is a week late. Yes, Dave is sorry. The UK gets a new PM who wants to make England Great Again. The WHO declares an emergency over Ebola. And the President suggests nuking Afghanistan. Mentioned: Hellen Branswell’s writing at STAT on Ebola: https://www.statnews.com/staff/helen-branswell/ UK PM’s Comms guy quits via the boss’ twitter account: http://digg.com/2019/jared-omara-tweets-resign

The team reviews the Secretary of Defense nomination hearings, the US cuts Turkey off from the F35, the INF sits at death’s door, and Dave manages to offend Montenegro.

Becky is back from Afghanistan. It’s Alex’s first episode back since podcast paternity leave. And we have so much to talk about! Trump swipes left on the UK Ambo. DOD musical chairs continues. Iran pushes back. And the next President is gonna need to solve some problems. Also: Radioactive rattlesnakes. Mentioned: Ganesh Sitaraman: The Emergence of a Progressive Foreign Policy, https://warontherocks.com/2019/04/the-emergence-of-progressive-foreign-policy/ Van Jackson: Wagering on a Progressive vs Liberal Theory on National Security: https://tnsr.org/roundtable/wagering-on-a-progressive-versus-liberal-theory-of-national-security/ Radioactive Rattlesnakes: https://www.wdrb.com/news/national/rattlesnake-uranium-whiskey-found-during-traffic-stop/article_3d21172f-81b8-57dc-a120-35347e8cba05.html

Brief updates on Iran and North Korea before diving deep into President Trump’s personalization of the state, including wrapping himself in the military at this week’s 4th of July celebrations in Washington, DC. Then Xander explains what the Arctic Council is and why we should pay attention to it.

After four months of podcast paternity leave, the Secure Line is back! Thank you all who hung around and waited patiently for host Dave’s little baby to learn how to sleep at night. This week on The Secure Line: Acting Secretaries of Everything, stumbling towards war with Iran, and Beto’s war tax idea.   Mentioned: SECDEF, The Nearly Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense. https://www.amazon.com/SECDEF-Neary-Impossible-Secretary-Defense/dp/1574887955 Washington POst: As Trump’s defense pick withdraws, he addresses violent domestic incidents. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trumps-defense-nominee-addresses-violent-incident-between-ex-wife-son-amid-fbi-vetting-process/2019/06/18/e46009de-190b-11e9-a804-c35766b9f234_story.html?utm_term=.388680e95ae8

Dave, Caitlin, and Tony take a look at democracy backsliding in Europe and what to do about it. Then a discussion of DOD’s war-funding account gets into the broader question of national security spending priorities. And finally, Iran’s 1979 revolution turned 40 this week, so we touched on how it continues to impact US policy and politics. Mentioned in the show: What Comes Next: Lessons for the Recovery of Liberal Democracy by Rachel Kleinfeld and David Solimini. Via the Democracy Fund and Carnegie Endowment. https://www.democracyfund.org/publications/what-comes-next-lessons-for-the-recovery-of-liberal-democracy Reminder: The Secure Line will take a short hiatus when host Dave Solimini’s baby is born some time in the next few weeks.

What was notable about the State of the Union? What was missing? What what’s going to happen at the Trump-Kim Summit later this month? Also: Alex goes deep on Bob Marley and Xander likes bad movies.