Cheap Talk

Israel’s aims in its attacks on Hezbollah; Iran’s role in the current conflict; what is a crisis, really; the US perspective; how to get to a ceasefire from here; OpenAI’s new ChatGPT model; evaluating model risk; deceptive alignment; and Marcus is still an AI optimist

The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.

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Further reading:
OpenAI. 2024. “OpenAI o1 System Card.”

Signal Samuel. 2024. “The new followup to ChatGPT is scarily good at deception,” Vox.

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The exploding pager attacks in Lebanon; the use of pagers as communications infrastructure; supply chain vulnerabilities; the supposed safety of outdated technology; Israeli motivations for the attacks; the risk of escalation in the Middle East; and Marcus consults a focus group

The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.

Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments!

Trash balloons on the Korean Peninsula; unification policy and public diplomacy; checking in on anarchy in the international system; why there isn’t a world government; reasons to study (or ignore) international relations paradigms; the importance of thinking big thoughts in IR; and Marcus reveals he is anti-science

The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.

Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments!

Further reading:
Jin Yu Young. 2024. “North Korea Launches New Salvo of Balloons, but the South Barely Shrugs.” New York Times.

David A. Lake. 2009. Hierarchy in International Relations. Cornell University Press.

David A. Lake. 2011. “Why "isms" Are Evil: Theory, Epistemology, and Academic Sects as Impediments to Understanding and Progress.” International Studies Quarterly 55(2): 465–480.

John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M.Walt. 2013. “Leaving theory behind: Why simplistic hypothesis testing is bad for International Relations.” European Journal of International Relations 19(3): 427–457.

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Cheap Talk makes a triumphant return for its 5th season: sauna diplomacy; what Olympic medal counts say about international prestige; our new secret nuclear plan; transparency and nuclear deterrence; Ukraine’s Kursk offensive; political vs. military goals in Ukraine; US restrictions on Ukraine’s military efforts; and Marcus discovers long-standing concepts in international relations

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Further Reading:
Alyson Krueger. 2024. ‘Whatever Happens in the Sauna Stays in the Sauna’: Diplomacy, Conducted in the Nude.” The New York Times.

Robbie Gramer. 2023. “The Finnish Art of Sauna Diplomacy.” Foreign Policy.

J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. and Bryan R. Early. 2013. “Going for the gold: Status-seeking behavior and Olympic performance.” International Area Studies Review 16(3): 244-261.

The foreign policy implications of recent US news; a bad day for Vladimir Putin; Harris’ likely foreign policy; the role of the Vice President in international affairs; assassination attempts as a signal of vulnerability; international norms against assassination; and Marcus is keeping up with the news

We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

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Further Reading:
Joshua Byun and Austin Carson. 2024. “The Senile Superpower?” Foreign Affairs.

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Leader age and international security; perceptions of experience vs. cognitive decline; does any of this matter for international outcomes; foreign policy is more than just a leader’s decisions; the problem with hotlines; and Marcus briefly considered a presidential run

We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail

Further Reading:
Dana G. Smith. 2024. “A User’s Guide to Midlife.” New York Times.

Joshua Byun and Austin Carson. 2023. “More than a Number: Aging Leaders in International Politics.” International Studies Quarterly 67(1).

Christian Ruhl. 2024. “Beijing is unavailable to take your call: Why the US-China crisis hotline doesn’t work.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

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The US allows Ukraine to strike into Russia; the effect of making this public knowledge; prospect theory and taking greater risks in the loss domain; the risk of escalation is context-dependent; wargaming as a way to understand an adversary’s response; how concerned should we be about a possible bird flu pandemic; and Marcus is a worrywart

We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail

Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop

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The international implications of the Trump verdict; pandas are coming back to DC; trust vs. confidence in international relations; reciprocity in the nuclear nonproliferation regime; the real-world importance of trust semantics; interpersonal vs. inter state trust; precedent and trusting relations; and Marcus trusts Canada

We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail

Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop

Further Reading:
Andrew H. Kydd. 2005. Trust and Mistrust in International Relations. Princeton University Press.

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The role of foreign affairs in the just-announced presidential debates; an international marathon update; orangutan diplomacy isn’t really diplomacy; the cutest diplomatic animals; cognac diplomacy also isn’t really diplomacy; Antony Blinken plays guitar and delivers a message of US support in Kyiv; does nuclear deterrence even work; and Marcus confesses his love for presidential debates

We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.

Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail

Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop

Further Reading:
Detroit Free Press Marathon

Heather Chen. 2024. “An ape for palm oil? Why critics say Malaysia’s ‘orangutan diplomacy’ plan is problematic.” CNN.com.

Associated Press. 2024. “Call it Cognac Diplomacy: France offered China’s Xi a special drink, in a wink at their trade spat.”

Watch Antony Blinken play Rocking’ in the Free World in a Kyiv Bar

Paul Poast. 2024. “What We Don’t Know About Nuclear Deterrence Could Hurt Us.” World Politics Review.

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The role of bees in international politics; Panda diplomacy is happening; Ukraine’s tenuous position against Russia; prospects for a US/China AI arms control process; letting AI decide to deploy nuclear weapons; the State Department’s new digital and cyber strategy; and Marcus is no entomologist

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Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail

Further Reading:
Sarah Kliff. 2024. “Honeybees Invaded My House, and No One Would Help.” New York Times.

Alan Rappeport. 2024. “Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego, China Announces.” New York Times.

Edward Geist. 2024. “Building a Foundation for Strategic Stability with China on AI.” RAND Corporation.

US Department of State. 2024. Building Digital Solidarity: The United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy.

David E. Sanger. 2024. “A New Diplomatic Strategy Emerges as Artificial Intelligence Grows.” New York Times.

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