Horns of a Dilemma

Latest Episodes:

Was George H. W. Bush Truly a Realist? Understanding His Approach to International Diplomacy Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

We welcome Dr. Samuel Helfont to examine the foreign policy legacy of President George H. W. Bush. Conventional wisdom often frames Bush 41 as the quintessential realist practitioner. However, in his recent TNSR article, "Liberal Internationalism Forgotten: Myth and Memory in the Legacy of George H. W. Bush," Dr. Helfont directly challenges this narrative.

Drawing from archival records, National Security Council transcripts, and Bush's personal diaries, Helfont argues that Bush's foreign policy was deeply rooted in liberal internationalism, emphasizing international law, collective security, democratic development, and multilateral institutions. Our discussion explores how Bush exercised prudence with discipline across pivotal historic events, including the Gulf War, German unification, Lithuanian independence, and US-China diplomacy following Tiananmen Square.

Guests:

Dr. Samuel Helfont | Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy in the Naval War College program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Hosts:

Sheena Chestnut Greitens | Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review
Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review

Producer:

Jordan Morning | Digital and Technical Manager of the Texas National Security Review

Taiwan and North Korea as Linked Flashpoints in US-China Relations Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

As high-level meetings between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping keep regional security front and center, how do Taiwan and North Korea connect within China's broader strategic calculus? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shuxian Luo to examine the concept of "issue linkage" connecting two of East Asia's most sensitive security flashpoints.

Drawing from primary Chinese-language sources, authoritative government reports, and high-level interviews, Dr. Luo breaks down her article featured in Volume 9, Issue 4 of the Texas National Security Review: "A Plum for a Peach: Taiwan, Issue Linkage, and China's Policy toward North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program." The conversation explores how Beijing leverages its influence over Pyongyang based on US assurances regarding Taiwan, tracing four distinct historical phases of issue linkage and evaluating a practical "middle path" for foreign policy strategy .

Guests:

Dr. Shuxian Luo | Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii, Manoa

Hosts:

Sheena Chestnut Greitens | Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review
Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review

Producer:

Jordan Morning | Digital and Technical Manager of the Texas National Security Review

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Battle for Belarus Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Recorded at the Aspen Security Forum, TNSR Executive Editor Dr. Ryan Vest and Kennan Institute Director Dr. Michael Kimmage sit down with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-elect of Belarus and head of the United Transitional Cabinet.

Tsikhanouskaya details her transformation from a political outsider into the leader of the country's democratic forces following the contested 2020 presidential election. The conversation examines the distinction between the Lukashenko regime and the anti-war stance of the Belarusian public, the deepening political and military integration between Belarus and Russia, diplomatic tracks for releasing political prisoners, and why democratic transition in Belarus is critical to NATO's eastern flank and broader European security.

Guest: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | President-elect of Belarus, head of the United Transitional Cabinet, and leader of the country's democratic movement

Hosts: Dr. Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review (TNSR) Dr. Michael Kimmage | Director of the Kennan Institute and collaborator with TNSR

China's Bid for Space Supremacy in the Middle East Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

We examine China's space diplomacy across the Middle East and North Africa with the authors of their recent Texas National Security Review article, "Choosing Orbits: China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East." The discussion analyzes how regional states—specifically Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran—utilize space partnerships with Beijing to serve distinct domestic, economic, and security imperatives . Our guests challenge assumptions that smaller powers are passive subjects in great power rivalry and detail how Middle Eastern states exercise strategic agency through hybrid alignment strategies .

Guests

Lawrence Rubin | Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, co-director of the GTDC Pathways to Policy program, and associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies .
Lincoln Hines | Assistant Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Fellow with the Carnegie China Fellowship at the University of Maryland .
Dayana Alagirova | PhD student at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Fulbright Scholar, and space policy researcher .

Hosts:

Producer:

Jordan Morning

Virtuous Violence and the Psychology of Nuclear Escalation Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we speak with Paul Slovic, Rose McDermott, and Cmdr. Daniel R. Post about their recent TNSR article "When Our Minds Go Nuclear," arguing that nuclear strategy too often assumes rational, stable decision-making despite decades of psychological research on bounded rationality and bias.

Drawing on survey experiments based on the Sagan and Valentino Iran war scenario, they discuss how mechanisms like psychic numbing, affect, hot/cold empathy gaps, social contagion, and comparative framing can increase support for nuclear strikes, including through "virtuous violence" and the "better bomb" (lesser-evil) effect. They warn that modernization and expanded use concepts make non-use a "dangerous illusion," and recommend safeguards such as multi-person authorization, training, protocols, structured dissent, and deliberation—especially as AI increases information pressure.

Guests:

Paul Slovic | Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon and Senior Scientist at the Oregon Research Institute
Rose McDermott | David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University
Commander Daniel R. Post | Permanent Military Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College

Hosts:

Producer:

Jordan Morning

How the Soviet Collapse Shaped North Korea Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

We are joined by Dr. Benjamin R. Young to discuss his TNSR article, "Saving Socialism: What North Korea Learned from the Collapse of the Soviet Union."

Dr. Young argues that the fall of the USSR profoundly influenced Pyongyang's grand strategy. Rather than embracing reform, he explains that North Korea interpreted the Soviet collapse as a failure of ideological fervor and leadership. He contends that this historical turning point catalyzed North Korea's shift toward "military first" politics (Songun), stricter information blockades, and the accelerated development of its nuclear weapons program. Join us for a fascinating conversation on regime survival, Stalinism, and the historical drivers of North Korea's modern security posture.

Guest:

Dr. Benjamin R. Young (Assistant Professor of Intelligence Studies at Fayetteville State University)

Hosts:

Producer:

Jordan Morning

Deep Ocean Danger: Unveiling the Threats to Global Connectivity Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

This episode, we are joined by Charles Mok, author of the TNSR article "Toward Undersea Cable Resilience: The Case for Global Collaboration." He speaks on the rising pace of attacks on undersea cable infrastructure and why these vulnerabilities remain under-discussed despite carrying about 99% of intercontinental data.

Mok explains how growing geopolitical tension, choke points, and greater dependence on internet connectivity (including for AI) increase incentives for disruption, and argues resilience requires attention to supply chains, repair capacity, and cable routing—not just cable defense. He discusses industry concentration, aging repair fleets, the shift of investment to US big tech, legal and attribution challenges in international waters, recent policy responses in Europe and Taiwan, and why Washington must pursue allied cooperation beyond a China-focused, shore-centric approach.

Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Ryan Vest

Producer: Jordan Morning

25 Years of the US-China Commission: Taiwan, Tech Competition, and Over-the-Horizon Risks Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

Twenty-five years after its founding, how has the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission shaped American strategic policy? In this episode, we feature a panel discussion examining the evolution of major power competition. Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens sits down with Randall Schriver (Chairman of the Board, Institute for Indo-Pacific Security) and Mike Kuiken (Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution and USCC Commissioner) to assess the shifting geopolitical landscape.

The guests argue that the strategic environment has transitioned from early debates over human rights and market access to intense military coercion and sophisticated cyber operations, such as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon. They analyze the critical 2027 Taiwan timeline, evaluating the island's central role in global semiconductor supply chains. Furthermore, Schriver and Kuiken explore how Beijing has successfully leveraged state resources to leapfrog Western innovation in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and quantum computing. They assert that sustaining deterrence requires policymakers to look beyond immediate crises and proactively address over-the-horizon technological risks.

This event was co-sponsored by the Asia Policy Program, the Clements Center for National Security, and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.

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