Power Problems

Matthew Goodman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss Trump’s trade war with China. Matthew P. Goodman bio Matthew P. Goodman and Ely Ratner, "A Better Way to Challenge China on Trade: Trump’s Harmful Tariffs Aren’t the Answer," Foreign Affairs, March 22, 2018 Eswar Prasad, "Which country is better equipped to win a U.S.-China trade war?" Washington Post, August 9, 2019.

Monica Toft, Professor at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, joins us to discuss the growth in U.S. military interventions and the decline of diplomacy. Monica Toft bio Monica Toft, "The Dangerous Rise of Kinetic Diplomacy," War on the Rocks, May 14, 2018 The Military Intervention Project

In our special live episode of Power Problems, Emma Ashford chats with Heather Hurlburt of New America about ongoing debates on the future of U.S. grand strategy. Heather Hurlburt bio Heather Hurlburt, "Making Sense of the Grand Strategy Debate," Lawfare, June 7, 2019 Emma Ashford, Hal Brands, Jasen Castillo, Kate Kizer, Rebecca Lissner, Jeremy Shapiro, and Joshua Shifrinson, "New Voices in Grand" Daniel Drezner, Mira Rapp-Hooper, Rebecca Lissner, Stephen Walt and Kori Schake, "Searching for a Strategy," Foreign Affairs, May/June 2019 Ben Sasse, "The End of the End of History," Texas National Security Review, February 2019 Emma Ashford, "The Gentleman from Nebraska Misfires on Foreign Policy," War on the Rocks, May 6, 2019 Ganesh Sitaraman, "The Emergence of Progressive Foreign Policy," War on the Rocks, April 15, 2019 Colin Dueck, Elliot Abrams, Emma Ashford, John Fonte, Henry R. Nau, Nadia Schadlow, Kelley Vlahos, Dov Zakheim, "The Future of Conservative Foreign Policy," Texas National Security Review, November 30, 2018 Van Jackson, Heather Hurlburt, Adam Mount, Loren Schulman, Thomas Wright, "The Future of Progressive Foreign Policy," Texas National Security Review, December 4, 2018 The John Quincy Adams Society

In part two of the focus on America’s Nuclear Crossroads, Emma Ashford and guest host Eric Gomez delve into the future of arms control agreements with Maggie Tennis of the Brookings Institute. Maggie Tennis bio America's Nuclear Crossroads

Todd Harrison from the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss the proposed Space Force, war in space, and his chapter in the forthcoming Cato report America’s Nuclear Crossroads. Todd Harrison bio America's Nuclear Crossroads Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, “Commanding Space: The Story Behind the Space Force Todd Harrison, "A Space Force is Worth the Price"

With new protests in Sudan, ongoing conflict in Syria, and continued regional tensions, the legacies of the Arab Spring are everywhere in the Middle East. Peter Mandaville joins us to discuss. Peter Mandaville bio Kamron Bohkari and Peter Mandaville, The Muslim Brotherhood and American Muslims, Center for Global Policy, August 11, 2018 Peter Mandaville and Shadi Hamid, "Islam as Statecraft: How Governments Use Religion in Foreign Policy," Brookings Institute, November 2018

What kind of foreign policy do Americans want? Not the one they have, apparently. To learn more Emma and Trevor chat with Peter Juul from the Center for American Progress about a new report from the Center for American Progress, "America Adrift: How the U.S. Foreign Policy Debate Misses What Voters Really Want." Peter Juul bio Center for American Progress, "America Adrift: How the U.S. Foreign Policy Debate Misses What Voters Really Want" Eurasia Group Foundation, "Worlds Apart: U.S. Foreign Policy and American Public Opinion" Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs, "America Engaged: American Public Opinion and US Foreign Policy"

American presidents often praise U.S. foreign policy as a force for global freedom and liberty. We chat with Chris Preble about his new book, Peace, War, and Liberty. Christopher Preble bio Christopher Preble, Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy Free Thoughts/Power Problems Crossover: "What do Libertarians Believe About Foreign Policy?"

Arguments about the Iraq War loom large over pretty much every foreign policy debate in Washington. Does the Trump administration have similar intentions towards Iran? Lawrence Wilkerson joins us to discuss. Lawrence Wilkerson bio Lawrence Wilkerson, "I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It’s Happening Again/a>," New York Times, February 5, 2018 Dexter Filkins, John Bolton on the Warpath, New Yorker, May 6, 2019

Women play an increasingly important role as insurgents and rebels in civil conflicts all over the world. But most often their story goes untold and their impact has been poorly understood. Jessica Trisko Darden, co-author of Insurgent Women, joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss her new book to discuss. Jessica Trisko Darden bio Jessica Trisko Darden, Alexis Henshaw, and Ora Szekely, Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars (Georgetown University Press 2019). Jessica Trisko Darden, "https://theconversation.com/how-women-wage-war-a-short-history-of-is-brides-nazi-guards-and-farc-insurgents-113011 The Conversation, March 8, 2019. Jessica Trisko Darden, "Return from ISIS: American Women Want Out of Extremism," NPR On Point podcast. Mia Bloom, Bombshell: Women and Terrorism (University of Pennsylvania, 2011). Jessica Davis, Women in Modern Terrorism: From Liberation Wars to Global Jihad and the Islamic State (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017).

Pundits seem increasingly undecided whether we’re living in a new Cold War, or simply making a return to the 1930s. Ali Wyne of the RAND corporation joins us to discuss great power competition, the problem of foreign policy by analogy, and what the global order might look like in the future. Ali Wyne bio Ali Wyne, America's Blind Ambition Could Make It a Victim of Global Competition, National Interest, February 11, 2019 Ali Wyne, Questioning the Presumption of a U.S.-China Power Transition, RAND Corporation, January 9, 2019

The cyber era has amplified the impact of non-state actors on international relations. From election meddling to sabotage to espionage, states are using non-state actors as proxies to do their dirty work. Tim Maurer from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins Trevor Thrall and John Glaser to talk about the rise, reach, and implications of these cyber mercenaries. Tim Maurer bio Tim Maurer, Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and Power Brandon Valentino and Benjamin Jensen, "The Myth of the Cyber Offense: The Case for Restraint," Policy Analysis 862, January 15, 2019.

Donald Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong Un has come and gone, this time in abject failure. Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall are joined by Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest to discuss where U.S.-North Korean relations go from here. Harry Kazianis bio "A Top Trump Official May Have Just Doomed US-North Korea Talks," Vox, March 8, 2019 "Dealing with North and South Korea: Can Washington Square the Circle?" Cato Institute Capitol Hill Briefing

Controversy is growing over the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela, where the United States has backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in his attempt to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power. Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Venezuela expert Moises Rendon to discuss the situation. Show Notes: Guest Bio: Moises Rendond Moises Rendon, “Food vs. Freedom in Venezuela," July 9, 2018 Amanda Sakuma, “The Last 48 hours in Venezuela News, Explained," Vox, February 24, 2019

The Trump administration has emphasized the reemergence of great power competition as the organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. How will international relations change in an era when new actors are challenging the status quo? In Part II of our great power special, Professor Stacie E. Goddard of Wellesley College joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to talk about her recent book, When Might Makes Right, about the relationship between rising powers and existing great powers. Show Notes: Guest Bio: Stacie Goddard Stacie Goddard, “When Right Makes Might: Rising Powers and World Order" Stacie Goddard, “Uncommon Ground: Indivisible Territory and the Politics of Legitimacy," International Organizations, vol. 60, no. 1, January 2006 Cato Policy Forum, “The Return of Great Power Competition." January 15, 2019