War on the Rocks

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With the Caliphate Crushed, What's Next? Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

With the last slivers of Syrian territory being wrested from the grasp of the Islamic State, where does the war against this tenacious terrorist organization go next? To understand where we came and where we are heading, we assembled a fantastic cast of experts that co-hosts Usha Sahay and Ryan Evans did their best to wrangle: Rasha al-Aqeedi of FRPI, Ryan Fishel of the U.S. Air Force, Hassan Hassan of the Tahrir Institute, Haroro Ingram of Program on Extremism at GWU, Brett Reichert of the U.S. Army, and Aaron Stein of FPRI.

Our guests in this episode range from people who fought the self-proclaimed Caliphate on the ground and in the air to scholars, think tankers, and analysts.

Mayhem and Misadventures in the Middle East Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

The Middle East is the region that keeps on giving, and taking away. How has the American approach to the use of force evolved in Syria and Iraq? And what is the relationship between U.S. politics and these policies? How is Turkey preparing for the possible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria? What is Iraq's view of the region's conflicts? Is the Trump administration really taking the fight to Iran somehow? What of other great powers interests? Our guests tackle these questions and many more. We were joined -- over drinks of course -- by Doug Ollivant of New America and Mantid International,* Elizabeth Saunders of Georgetown University, and Nicholas Danforth of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Don't forget to check out the War on the Rocks membership program: https://warontherocks.com/membership

*Mantid does business in Iraq

Ready to Compete? America's Military and Technological Edge Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

About a year after the National Defense Strategy was launched, what progress has been made when it comes to America's edge against its great power rivals? And what role do great power partners, like India, have to play?

Over drinks at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar (our old school recording location, as longtime listeners of the show will remember) Elbridge Colby, Tanvi Madan, Roger Zakheim, and Nina Kollars debate these questions and more.

No Good, Very Bad Ideas in National Security Jan 17, 2019

Show notes

Bad ideas. How much trouble do they cause in national security? How do they disrupt or hinder the protection and advancement of American interests? Where do they come from? How do they gain traction? Our friends at the Center for Strategic and International Studies decided to delve more deeply into these questions and more with their project, "Bad Ideas in National Security." It features short articles from various thinkers on recently considered and not too obvious bad ideas in the defense and foreign policy space. In this episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, we dig into a selection of them with a stellar panel of experts. Also, Zack Cooper and I continue our self-indulgent feud on the great wargame controversy of 2016, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, listen to our last episode.

You can read all the articles in the "Bad Ideas" series at the CSIS website.

Full Steam Ahead: Naval Competition with China Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

With a new era of great power competition upon us, the U.S. Navy is in the midst of developing its future fleet. The good people up at the U.S. Naval War College are chipping in to help their service figure out the answers to big strategic and operational questions. This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the college's "Bridging the Straits" conference and focuses on the dynamics of maritime competition with the People's Republic of China.

We have a very special guest host for this episode: Zack Cooper of AEI and a contributing editor at War on the Rocks. Zack was joined by Ketian Zhang, Jonathan Caverely, Michael O'Hara, and Fiona Cunningham. You don't want to miss this!

Jaw-Jaw: 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.

You can subscribe to "Jaw-Jaw" by clicking here or simply by searching for it on your podcast app of choice.

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).

Jaw Jaw: 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. And, more importantly, you can subscribe to the "Jaw-Jaw" feed right here!

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)

Net Assessment: The China Hand Oct 18, 2018

Show notes

This week's Net Assessment podcast featured a deep-dive into the Vice President's early October speech on the competition with China. Largely drowned out by the Kavanaugh SCOTUS controversy, Melanie, Chris, and Bryan give this important speech due consideration, to include administration views on Taiwan, China's defense buildup, and its growing global influence. The crew also discussed foreign aid, the F-35, the deficit, the alleged assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, and the resignation of Nikki Haley. All of this while celebrating Melanie's birthday.

Vice President's Speech

Airing of Grievances

Attaboys

Two Editors Go Nuclear on Each Other: A Conversation with Gideon Rose Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

Can two great power publications peacefully co-exist? Or are they fated to clash? And what if you throw nuclear weapons into the mix? Gideon Rose and Ryan Evans, the benevolent editorial autocrats of Foreign Affairs and War on the Rocks seek to answer these questions and more. They dive deep into a new special issue of Foreign Affairs: "Do Nuclear Weapons Matter?" The issue features a diverse range of thinkers on nuke – some of whom have also written for WOTR – including Elbridge Colby, John Mueller, Olga Oliker, Scott Sagan, Caitlin Talmadge, and Nina Tannenwald. Gideon and Ryan also dish about editing, dealing with different kinds of authors, and whether wordsmithing drives them to drink. After this display of inter-publication generosity, Ryan demands the unconditional surrender of Foreign Affairs.

Introducing Net Assessment Oct 04, 2018

Show notes

What happens when a libertarian, a conservative hawk, and a constitutional powers specialist walk into a podcast studio? 'Net Assessment' happens. Welcome to the hottest new national security podcast hosted by Melanie Marlowe, Christopher Preble, and Bryan McGrath. This is a show about competing visions of America's role in the world. In each episode, they will be discussing a featured article, airing their grievances, and giving attaboys. In the first episode of this bi-weekly series, our hosts introduce themselves and their hopes for this podcast. They tackle this episode's featured article, Adrian Lewis' "The Ivory Tower and Academic Ignorance of What the Armed Forces Actually Do," published by Task & Purpose. They also discuss the role of American seapower and, of course, Twitter feuds. Don't forget to subscribe to Net Assessment on your podcast app of choice.

Adrian Lewis, "The Ivory Tower And Academic Ignorance Of What The Armed Forces Actually Do," Task and Purpose, September 20, 2018.
Ken Buck, "Congress, Take Your War Powers Back," Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2018.
Dion Nissenbaum, "Top U.S. Diplomat Backed Continuing Support for Saudi War in Yemen Over Objections of Staff," Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2018.
Nicholas Kristof, "Be Outraged by America's Role in Yemen's Misery," New York Times, September 26, 2018.
Claudia Grisales and Corey Dickstein, "Vice Adm. Faller: 'I Was Cleared of All Wrongdoing' in 'Fat Leonard' Case," Stars and Stripes, September 25, 2018.
Chico Harlan, "Vatican and China Reach 'Provisional' Deal on Appointment of Bishops," Washington Post, September 22, 2018.
Corey Dickstein, "House Lawmakers Confused over US Military's Goals in Syria as Pentagon Maintains Focus on ISIS," Stars and Stripes, September 26, 2018.
Joshua Keating, "Why John Bolton is So Obsessed with the International Criminal Court," Slate, September 10, 2018
Base Redevelopment Forum, Association of Defense Communities, Portland, Maine, October 8-10, 2018.
The Hell of Good Intentions: America's Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy by Stephen M. Walt, Book Forum with the author, Cato Institute, October 17, 2018.

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