Jaw-Jaw

Latest Episodes:

Rethinking Our Assumptions About Chinese Aggression Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

Is it possible that China, far from its recent reputation for assertiveness, is in fact a remarkably stable and reticent actor on the world stage? Is there any way that the United States can counteract China's growing influence on international institutions? Should the United States extend security guarantees to countries like Vietnam? Lyle Goldstein discusses these issues and many more in the fourth episode of "Jaw-Jaw," the newest addition to the War on the Rocks family of podcasts.

Biographies

Lyle Goldstein is a research professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. A speaker of both Chinese and Russian, he writes frequently for The National Interest on national security issues. He is the author of Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry (2015), among other works.

Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama Administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.

If you'd like to read a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Links

John Fairbank, The United States and China, (Harvard University Press, 1983)
Lyle Goldstein, Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry, (Georgetown University Press, 2015)
Richard McKenna, The Sand Pebbles, (Naval Institute Press, 2001)
Hugh White, The China Choice: Why We Should Share Power, (Oxford University Press, 2013)
The Sinica Podcast
Sean's Russia Blog

Vicious Cycle: The Opening and Closing of Chinese Politics Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

Over its history, the People's Republic of China has cycled through softer and harder periods of authoritarianism. This is known in China as the "fang-shou cycle." Today, we are seeing a harder period of Chinese politics. The country's leader, Xi Jinping, is consolidating power and cracking down on both corruption and civil liberties. What does this mean for the future of China? What lessons did the Chinese Communist Party learn from the color revolutions and the fall of the Soviet Union? Can China avoid the "middle-income trap"? Professor David Shambaugh and Brad Carson discuss these issues in the third episode of "Jaw-Jaw," the newest addition to the War on the Rocks family of podcasts.

If you'd like to read a full transcript of this episode, click here.

Biographies

David Shambaugh is a professor of political science and international affairs at The George Washington University, where he is also director of the university's China Policy Program. The author of many books on China, his most recent include China's Future (Polity Press, 2016) and China Goes Global: The Partial Power (Oxford University Press, 2013).

Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005 and was undersecretary of the Army and acting undersecretary of defense for personnel & readiness in the Obama administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.

Links

Liz Economy, The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, 2018)
Carl Minzner, End of an Era: How China's Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise, (Oxford University Press, 2018)
Bruce Dickson, The Dictator's Dilemma: The Chinese Communist Party's Strategy for Survival, (Oxford University Press, 2018)
David Shambaugh, China's Future, (Polity, 2016)

Will Xi's Third Revolution Last? Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

What is Xi Jinping's "revolution" in Chinese politics? How did he amass the power to enact his ambitious agenda? Is he in danger of being toppled? Or is he effectively a dictator for life? In the second episode of "Jaw-Jaw," Liz Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations and our host Brad Carson discuss the future of China and its powerful leader, Xi Jinping. Please enjoy the newest addition to the War on the Rocks family of podcasts.

If you'd like to read a full-transcript of this episode, click here.

Biographies

Elizabeth Economy is the C.V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. In June 2018, Dr. Economy was named one of the "10 Names That Matter on China Policy" by Politico Magazine. Her most recent book is The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State (2018).

Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Obama Administration. Feel free to write him at brad.carson@warontherocks.com to share any feedback you have.

Links

Jung Chang, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (Touchstone, 2003).
David Shambaugh, China Goes Global: The Partial Power (Oxford University Press, 2013).
John Pomfret, The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present (Picador, 2017).

China is a Funny Sort of Revisionist Power — A Conversation with Dean Cheng Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

What is the future of U.S.-Chinese relations? Will a rising China seek to overturn the U.S.-led international order? What is China doing inside the first island chain? In cyberspace? Orbital space? Is China more like Imperial Germany or is it more like France in the late 19th century? Dean Cheng and Brad Carson explore these questions and many more in the inaugural episode of "Jaw-Jaw," the newest addition to the War on the Rocks family of podcasts. Dean even recommends some of his favorite books on China – which will be a regular "Jaw-Jaw" feature. You can read the entire transcript of this episode at War on the Rocks.

Biographies

Dean Cheng is Senior Research Fellow, Asian Studies Center, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, at the Heritage Foundation. He specializes in China's military and foreign policy, in particular China's relationship with its Asian neighbors and with the United States. His most recent book is Cyber Dragon: Inside China's Information Warfare and Cyber Operations (2016). Cheng is a frequent media commentator on China-related issues.

Brad Carson is a professor at the University of Virginia, where he teaches in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2005 and was Undersecretary of the Army and acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Obama Administration. He welcomes comments at brad.carson@warontherocks.com.

Links

Richard E. Nisbett, The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently…and Why (Free Press, 2004).
Alfred Wilhelm, The Chinese at the Negotiating Table: Style & Characteristics (Diane Publishing Co., 1994).
David Finkelstein and James Mulvenon (Eds), China's Revolution in Doctrinal Affairs: Emerging Trends in the Operational Art of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Center for Naval Analyses, 2005)

Jaw-Jaw: The Trailer Nov 08, 2018

Show notes

Winston Churchill once remarked: "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war."

Brad Carson, a former senior defense official and congressman, hosts 'Jaw-Jaw' -- an interview series on the world's greatest geopolitical challenges. Each season focuses on a different challenge and features interviews with the top thinkers and leaders working on that challenge. Our first season is on China.

This podcast is brought to you by War on the Rocks