United States
US Military Primacy and Alliance Resilience
In 1956, the Suez Crisis revealed the limits of British power. Could a similar event hollow out the US alliance system today? Bence Nemeth applies his "five factor theory of defense cooperation" to answer this critical question.
Conventional Options Theory in the New Nuclear Era
Tyler Bowen from the US Naval War College joins us to discuss the logic of conventional coercion in nuclear crises. As the US faces nuclear-armed adversaries like Russia and China, understanding how to "thread the needle" between defense and escalation is…
Elizabeth Saunders’ “The Insiders’ Game”
Mara Karlin and Mathew Burrows review "The Insiders' Game," a book exploring how democratic elites—including legislators, military leaders, and civilian officials—constrain presidential decision-making in war.
The Arsenal of Democracy: Keeping China Deterred in an Age of Hard Choices
The margin of deterrence against China is rapidly shrinking, driven not by a failure of US technological innovation, but by the American and allied defense industrial base’s inability to field and sustain cutting-edge capabilities at scale, at speed, and…
The Art and Science of Grand Strategy
Marina Henke argues that grand strategy is more than just a list of goals—it is the art and science of allocating resources to achieve core objectives under conditions of uncertainty. We explore why so many governments struggle to prioritize, the dangers of…
Trade, Technology, & the US–Korea Alliance: A Conversation with Ambassador Kang
Sheena Chestnut Greitens sat down with Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, the Republic of Korea’s ambassador to the United States. Recorded before a live audience at The University of Texas at Austin on December 3, the conversation explores the deepening alignment…
How a US “Suez Moment” Could Hollow the US Alliance System
This article contends that while the United States still fields potent military capabilities, the narrowing military balance with China means that a future Indo-Pacific clash in which Beijing gains a regional edge is no longer implausible. Using the 1956…
AI Policy & Hostage Recovery with the Former Deputy Assistant to the President
Dr. Joshua Geltzer, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, shares his extensive experience on two crucial topics: artificial intelligence in national security and the evolving policies surrounding hostage…
Cold War Lessons for Export Controls Against China
We sit down with Dartmouth national security scholars Jennifer Lind and Michael Mastanduno as they compare Cold War export control strategies with modern attempts to limit China's access to sensitive US technologies. They delve into key lessons from the…
US Policy Toward North Korea: Quo Vadis?
As the Trump administration recalibrates America’s global priorities, containing Pyongyang should be at the top of its agenda. Despite the progress of North Korea's illicit weapons programs, the United States should still pursue its longstanding goal of…
Hard Then, Harder Now: CoCom’s Lessons and the Challenge of Crafting Effective Export Controls Against China
Will the US-led technology control regime against China have a meaningful impact on the emerging great power competition? Supporters praise the effort’s targeted approach and optimistically see the case as a prime example of weaponized interdependence. But…
Cultural Change in Military Organizations: Hackers and Warriors in the US Army
Why did the US Army decide to create a new basic branch for cyberspace? This decision is puzzling because it broke with long-standing patterns. We argue that it reflects an attempt at cultural change within the military. The establishment of a new branch for…