Notre Dame International Security Center

In this episode of ‘Students Talk Security’, undergraduate fellow, Callie Whelan, speaks with Pamela Fierst-Walsh, the Senior Advisor on Conflict Minerals and U.S. Representative to the Kimberley Process at the U.S. Department of State. Callie and Pamela dig into critical mineral supply chains, their relationships with electric vehicle production, and what it means for the United States.

An Interview with U.S. Army Civil Affairs Captain Ben Ordiway by Cullen Geahigan where they discuss the purpose and function of Army Civil Affairs operations as well as the value of Civil Affairs missions as part of the Army's guiding mission. Additionally, we covered the future role Civil Affairs will play in great power competition.

Recorded: Aug 31, 2021

Host: Dan Lindley

Speaker: Fred Kaplan

The Fall of Afghanistan: What Does it Mean for America and the World?

A virtual flash panel discussion on the fall of Afghanistan featuring Michael Desch, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Dina Smeltz, and Eugene Gholz.

Recorded: August 24, 2021

Summary:

In this episode, Mike and Jim interview Andrew Bacevich, author After the Apocalypse: America's Role in a World Transformed. In this latest book, Bacevich, a retired U.S. Army officer, former professor at Boston University, and President of the new Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, laments that America has failed both domestically and internationally since the end of the Cold War. To those failures should now be added, on the very day the interview was recorded, the unexpectedly rapid collapse of the pro-American regime in Kabul, Afghanistan. How the unipolar moment became such a disappointment what is the way forward for a renewed America at home and abroad were the topics of our discussion.

Summary:

In this episode of Outside the Box, Mike and Jim are joined by Doug Bandow of the CATO Institute to discuss national service. We are once again hearing calls to institute some form of national service; whether in the military through conscription or via some form of mandatory civilian service along the lines of AmeriCorps. Proponents of some form of national service could bolster citizen engagement with our national life and inculcate a stronger sense of community, especially among younger Americas. Critics worry about both the feasibility as well as the ethics of imposing mandatory national service. We'll hash these things out on our next show.

Recorded: May 4, 2021

Host: Joseph Parent

Speaker: Jeffrey Taliaferro

An Interview with Associate Professor Karrie J. Koesel by Andrew DelVecchio

Summary:

In this episode of Students Talk Security, Professor Karrie Koesel discusses the role that Russian domestic politics play in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Professor Koesel uses her experience with contemporary Russian politics to explain how President Putin is constrained and catalyzed by popular opinion and NATO's best avenue for de-escalating the conflict.

Biography:

Karrie J. Koesel is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame where she specializes in the study of contemporary Chinese and Russian politics, authoritarianism, and the politics of religion. She is the author of Religion & Authoritarianism: Cooperation, Conflict and the Consequences (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and co-editor of Citizens and the State in Authoritarian Regimes (Oxford University Press, 2020). Her research has been featured in World Politics, Perspectives on Politics, The China Quarterly, Post-Soviet Affairs, Economics and Politics, Demokratizatsiya, and the Review of Religion and Chinese Society and has been funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Fulbright program, the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), and IDCAR. Professor Koesel is a Public Intellectual Fellow for the National Committee on US-China Relations.

An interview with Former U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly by Liam Karr

Summary:

In this podcast, I discuss America's role in the regional conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Trump and Biden Administrations have taken drastically different approaches to both our ally and our adversary, and we'll break down the different outcomes this could cause. We discuss Saudi Arabia's unique leadership situation and its role in Yemen, and also go over how America seeks to contain Iran, with a special focus on a return to the Nuclear Deal. We'll then wrap up with a broader analysis of America's relationships and actions in the Middle East, and whether they need any updating.

An Interview with Former U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly by Carson Whitesell

Summary:

In this episode of “Students Talk Security,” former United States Senator Joe Donnelly discusses the domestic terrorism in the United States with an emphasis on recent events like the storming of the Capitol on January 6th. Donnelly brings a special perspective to the problem because of his time in the Senate, which gives him insight into what Congress and the federal government in general can do to combat this preeminent national security threat.

Biography:

Joe Donnelly served as the three term U.S. Representative from Indiana’s Second Congressional District from 2007 to 2013 and the United States Senator from Indiana from 2013 to 2019. Senator Donnelly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School.

While in the House of Representatives, Congressman Donnelly served on the Veterans’ Committee, the Financial Services Committee, and the Agriculture Committee. While in the United States Senate, Senator Donnelly served on the Aging Committee (primarily Senior Issues), the Agriculture Committee, the Banking Committee, and the Armed Services Committee. Senator Donnelly was the Ranking Member of the Banking Committee’s National Security and International Trade and Finance Subcommittee. Donnelly was also the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee. Senator Donnelly was a member of the Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and the Airland Subcommittee.

Senator Donnelly currently teaches National Security at the University of Notre Dame, practices law at the firm of Akin, Gump and is the Board Chairman of the Soufan Center, a research center dedicated to global security issues and emerging threats.