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Nation States with Yates

Nation States with Yates is your personal national security advisor: translating global politics, foreign policy, and geopolitical risk into clear, Main Street common sense. Hosted by Steve Yates, a former White House national security official, each episode delivers concise, experience-driven insight into how decisions are made at the highest levels, and what they mean for the United States and the world.

Latest Episodes:

Nation States: Pax Silica and America’s Coalition to Win the AI Century Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

As artificial intelligence reshapes economies, supply chains, and national security, the real competition may hinge on who controls the technology, minerals, energy, and manufacturing needed to power it. Steve Yates examines Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative designed to strengthen trusted partnerships, secure critical supply chains, reduce dependence on China, and position America and its allies to lead the AI century through innovation, investment, and smart power.

Follow Nation States with Yates for clear, common-sense insights where Steve Yates serves as your personal national security advisor, breaking down world events in ways that matter to Main Street, not just Washington. Connect with the show at NationStatesYates@Gmail.com and follow on X @NSWithYates.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: Pax Silica, America’s Blueprint for Winning the AI Century Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

America’s race to lead the AI century will depend on far more than faster chips or bigger data centers. Steve Yates examines the State Department’s Pax Silica initiative, explaining how trusted alliances, secure supply chains, critical minerals, semiconductor manufacturing, and strategic investment could strengthen America’s economic and national security while creating new opportunities for workers, businesses, and communities.

Follow Nation States with Yates for more conversations connecting global strategy to America’s future with Steve Yates, your personal national security advisor.

Connect with the show at NationStatesYates@Gmail.com and follow on X @NSWithYates

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: America’s Hidden Weakness, Supply Chains Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

America’s supply chains are more than an economic issue. They are a national security issue. Steve Yates explains how dependence on the People’s Republic of China for critical materials, medicines, semiconductors, and manufacturing creates strategic vulnerabilities, why COVID-19 exposed those risks, and what policymakers, businesses, and citizens can do to build a more resilient and secure American economy.

Follow Nation States with Yates for more conversations that connect global strategy to everyday American life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: America Maxing the China Challenge Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

America’s greatest strategic advantage may not begin with military power, but with national confidence, innovation, and economic resilience. Steve Yates explains the idea of “America Maxing,” why he believes it is essential to meeting the long-term challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China, and how stronger supply chains, reduced strategic dependence, and renewed American optimism fit into that vision.

Follow Nation States with Yates for more conversations that connect national security to everyday American life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: Smart Power Between War, Diplomacy and Appeasement Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Steve Yates breaks down “smart power,” the missing middle between open-ended military intervention and diplomacy that rewards bad behavior. Using Christian Whiton’s book Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War as a guide, Yates looks at how America can better use culture, rhetoric, economics, intelligence, military posture and political warfare to confront China, Iran and other adversaries without repeating past failures.

Follow Nation States with Yates for clear, common-sense insights where Steve Yates serves as your personal national security advisor, breaking down world events in ways that matter to Main Street, not just Washington.

Today's topics: Steve Yates, Nation States with Yates, smart power, Christian Whiton, Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War, national security, foreign policy, statecraft, diplomacy, war, appeasement, China, Iran, Islamism, political warfare, economic leverage, cultural influence, military posture, intelligence reform, Arab Spring, Libya, Benghazi, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine, Abraham Accords, Trump administration, Obama administration, Bush administration, Cold War, America maxing

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: Why No Trade Is Free: China, Tariffs, and America’s Future Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

Trade policy is about far more than prices at the checkout line. Steve Yates examines Ambassador Robert Lighthizer’s book No Trade Is Free and explains how globalization, tariffs, manufacturing, supply chains, and U.S.-China trade have reshaped America’s economic and national security priorities. He explores why reciprocity, strategic industries, and economic resilience have become central to today’s trade debate.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: America’s Quiet Comeback in Latin America Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

While headlines focus on China, the Middle East, and Europe, a major geopolitical shift is unfolding much closer to home. Steve Yates explores the rise of reform-minded governments across Latin America, growing cooperation on border security and cartel enforcement, and why a stronger Western Hemisphere could benefit American families, energy security, supply chains, and economic growth. Yates argues that one of America’s biggest strategic opportunities may be right in its own backyard.

Follow Nation States with Yates for clear, common-sense insight into the global events shaping your family, finances, security, and America’s future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: If You Don’t Have Borders, Do You Have a Country? Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

What happens when a nation loses control of its borders? Steve Yates examines the dramatic shift in U.S. immigration and border policy since 2025, why borders remain fundamental to the idea of a nation-state, and how similar debates are unfolding in allies like the United Kingdom and Japan. From migration, public safety, and economic pressures to sovereignty, citizenship, and assimilation, Yates explains why border policy ultimately affects families far beyond the border itself.

Follow Nation States with Yates for clear, common-sense insight into the global events shaping your family, finances, security, and America’s future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: The Biggest Foreign Policy Mistakes the Experts Keep Making Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Why do so many foreign policy predictions seem wrong? Steve Yates examines the biggest mistakes analysts, media commentators, and Washington insiders make when interpreting today’s world, from confusing rhetoric with results to misunderstanding alliances, deterrence, and America’s changing role abroad. He offers a framework for cutting through headlines and evaluating global events more clearly.

Nation States with Yates helps you understand global events through the lens of America’s interests. Join Steve Yates, your personal national security advisor, for clear, practical analysis on the issues shaping America’s future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nation States: Why China Fears a Stronger Japan Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

For decades, Japan has operated under post-World War II restrictions unlike any other major power. Now those limits may be changing. Steve Yates examines Japan’s push to become a more “normal” nation, why China is fighting that effort, and what a stronger Japanese military could mean for American security, Indo-Pacific stability, and the future balance of power in Asia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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