Security Dilemma

Latest Episodes:

Realism Roundtable with Jasen Castillo and John Schuessler May 13, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts John Gay and A.J. Manuzzi interviewed Dr. Jasen Castillo and Dr. John Schuessler, both Associate Professors and Co-Directors of the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy at Texas A&M University, about U.S. grand strategy and their current projects on extended deterrence and whether the United States can learn to live with rival regional hegemons. Prior to joining A&M, Dr. Castillo worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Strategy and Plans Office, as well as at the RAND Corporation. Currently, he is working on a book project exploring the military requirements of deterrence and U.S. nuclear weapons policy. Dr. Schuessler, meanwhile, previously taught at the Air War College, was chair of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association, and wrote the book Deceit on the Road to War: Presidents, Politics, and American Democracy.

Learn more about the Bush School here!

Apply for our ⁠⁠⁠Summer Conference⁠⁠⁠!

https://jqas.org/2026-summer-conference/

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Cyber Deterrence with Jon Lindsay

Russia-China Maritime Cooperation with Lyle Goldstein
The Foreign Influence Fight for War with Iran with Nick Cleveland-Stout
World Order After the Iran War with Danny Bessner

The Donroe Doctrine with Fulton Armstrong May 08, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts John Gay and A.J. Manuzzi spoke with Fulton Armstrong, a longtime analyst of Latin American affairs in government and academia. Fulton is a writer, analyst and adjunct professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School Program in Washington, D.C. and a Fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. Previously, he followed Latin American affairs for almost 30 years in a number of U.S. government positions, serving as senior professional staff member responsible for Latin America affairs on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, National Intelligence Officer for Latin America, chief of staff of the Director of Central Intelligence’s Crime and Narcotics Center, Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council, and as a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this conversation, we discussed Trump’s Latin America policy and the latest on Venezuela, Cuba, and other hot spots throughout the region.

Apply for our ⁠⁠Summer Conference⁠⁠!

https://jqas.org/2026-summer-conference/

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Cyber Deterrence with Jon Lindsay
Realism and Nuclear Weapons with Jasen Castillo and John Schuessler
Russia-China Maritime Cooperation with Lyle Goldstein

Chasing Bandits: America's Long War on Terror with Michael Neagle Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay spoke with Dr. Michael Neagle about his book Chasing Bandits: America's Long War on Terror (https://uncpress.org/9781469691046/chasing-bandits/) and why America's 21st century "bandit wars" resemble previous bouts of American war and expansionism. Dr. Neagle is a Professor of History at Nichols College. In addition to Chasing Bandits, he is the author of America’s Forgotten Colony: Cuba’s Isle of Pines. In this episode, we discussed Chasing Bandits and the ways in which U.S. policymakers and politicians have leveraged popular understandings of so-called “bandits” to mobilize public support for war abroad.

Apply for our ⁠Summer Conference⁠!

https://jqas.org/2026-summer-conference/

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

The Donroe Doctrine with Fulton Armstrong
Cyber Deterrence with Jon Lindsay
Realism and Nuclear Weapons with Jasen Castillo and John Schuessler
Russia-China Maritime Cooperation with Lyle Goldstein

Iran Negotiations and Trump's Middle East Strategy with Albert Wolf Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay spoke with Dr. Albert Wolf. Dr. Wolf is Research Fellow at Habib University in Karachi. His research focuses on security studies, with particular attention to the Middle East, the relationship between domestic political survival and international relations, as well as nuclear proliferation. He has served as a foreign policy advisor to several presidential campaigns, as well as a foreign affairs staffer on Capitol Hill. In this episode, we discussed why America’s Iran strategy is proving counterproductive and the politics of diplomacy within Iran.Apply for our Summer Conference!

https://jqas.org/2026-summer-conference/

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Chasing Bandits: A History of American Wars with Non-State Actors with Michael Neagle

The Donroe Doctrine with Fulton Armstrong
Cyber Deterrence with Jon Lindsay
Russia-China Maritime Cooperation with Lyle Goldstein

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Trump, Iran, and the Future of America First with Curt Mills Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay invited Curt Mills, Executive Director of The American Conservative, back on the show to discuss the Iran War's reception in Trumpworld and on the Hill.

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Chasing Bandits: A History of American Wars with Non-State Actors with Michael Neagle
The Iran Ceasefire with Albert Wolf
The Donroe Doctrine with Fulton Armstrong
Russia-China Maritime Cooperation with Lyle Goldstein

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The Iran War's Impact on US Military Readiness with Jennifer Kavanagh Apr 08, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay are joined again by Jennifer Kavanagh. Jennifer is a Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis at Defense Priorities. Her research focuses on U.S. military strategy, force structure and defense budgeting, the defense industrial base, and military interventions and alliances in Asia and the Middle East. She is also the former director of RAND’s Army Strategy program and an alum of the Society’s Strategic Leaders Fellowship. In this episode, we discussed the impact of the Iran War on U.S. defense readiness.

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Chasing Bandits: A History of American Wars with Non-State Actors with Michael Neagle
The Politics of the Iran War on the Right with Curt Mills

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Boots on the Ground in Iran? with John Byrnes Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

On this week's special, quick-hit edition of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay spoke with John Byrnes, Strategic Director of Concerned Veterans for America about the risk of American ground forces entering the war in Iran. Mr. Byrnes joined the Marine Corps in 1991 out of high school and served four years, deployed to Somalia in 1993. He joined the New York National Guard, serving at Ground Zero after the September 11th terrorist attacks and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring from the National Guard in 2018.

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers
The Iran War's Impact on US Military Readiness with Jennifer Kavanagh
Chasing Bandits: A History of American Wars with Non-State Actors with Michael Neagle
The Politics of the Iran War on the Right with Curt Mills

New Supreme Leader and the Iranian Voices America Isn’t Hearing with Sina Toossi Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay are joined by Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, as they have a conversation about the ongoing U.S.-Iran war and the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei. Sina has a professional background in producing research and analysis on U.S.-Iran relations, U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, and nuclear policy issues. He was also previously a senior research analyst at the National Iranian American Council.

You can check out his recent article in The Nation here: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/iran-massacre-bombing-protests/

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests ⁠here⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers

Is Ukraine Losing the War? with Michael Desch Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, co-hosts A.J. Manuzzi and John Gay were joined by Dr. Michael Desch, the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and founding Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of the O'Brien Notre Dame International Security Center to discuss Dr. Desch's new Foreign Affairs article "Ukraine is Losing the War."

Listener Questions:

We are opening up SD to listener-submitted questions! Submit questions you'd like to ask future guests here. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include:

JQAS Discusses the Marcellus Papers
Why Realism Still Matters with Patrick Porter
Iran with Sina Toossi

Special: Iran War Update with Michael Desch Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

In a special, quick hit edition of Security Dilemma, John Gay and A.J. Manuzzi spoke with Dr. Michael Desch, Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and the Director of the O'Brien Notre Dame International Security Center, about the early course of the American war with Iran.

Listeners also won't want to miss our regularly scheduled episode coming out on Tuesday with Dr. Desch, in which we discuss his article "Ukraine is Losing the War" in Foreign Affairs. Stay tuned!

Listener Questions:

We are opening up Security Dilemma to listener-submitted questions. Submit questions you'd like us to ask future guests ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ouD8WAp0g_HhqLtGm4kOmqTGsJpDbaKT7CSUN3ogFrk/edit⁠⁠⁠. Please specify the episode pertaining to the question in your response.

Upcoming recordings include: