Patterson Perspectives

In the first episode of the 2024-25 season of Patterson Perspectives, the podcast of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and international Commerce, first year student Elijah McKay interview Visiting Professor Jonathan Powell regarding Dr. Powell's work on military coups. Mr. McKay and Dr. Powell talk through some of the most relevant issues associated with the study of coups, including how different coup attempts are defined, whether examples such as the January 6 Insurrection in the United States or the EuroMaidan demonstrations in Ukraine count as coups, and what coups portend for long-term regional political stability.

On the latest Patterson Perspectives podcast Dr. Farley down with Dr. Gregg Hall and talk about his latest book, Examining US-China-Russia Foreign Relations . Farley and Hall talk through Neoclassical Realism, the relationships that undergird the Russia-China-US axes, the nature of the relationships between this triangle and the Global South, how to write a book about foreign relations in the era of the Polycrisis, and finally how to use classic IR paradigms to teach contemporary foreign policy students. 

Camden Hanley and Surya Nallapati talk with Lt. Colonel Amy McGrath (USMC Ret.) about fighter jets and modern air warfare. The conversation covers suppression of enemy air defenses, no fly zones, F-16s and MiG-29s, training for fighter pilots, modern air-to-air combat, and more. 

Osetemega Iribiri and Dalton Goble interview Dr. Igbinedion about the recent coup d'etats in West Africa. Dr. Igbinedion is a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, Nigeria and joins us in a discussion about why West Africa is experiencing a surge in military coups, and offers potential solutions.

Camden Hanley and Osetemega Iribiri speak with Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh about the long term implications of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The conversation covers the origins of the war, the goals of the combatants, the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, Russia's relationship with China, and more. 

On the latest episode of Patterson Perspectives, Suryakiran Nallapati and Camden Hanley spoke with Dr Trita Parsi, an expert on US-Iran relations, about the Iran nuclear deal. In the wake of President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018, the Biden administration and European powers are engaged in intense diplomatic negotiations with Iran to revive the deal Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). . The negotiations between Iran and the Western powers are in the final stages, with the global community anxiously waiting to know which way the deal will go. 

Camden Hanley and Dalton Goble sit down with Former Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol to discuss the recent protests in Kazakhstan. The conversation covers what happened, why it happened, who the main actors were, and what implications there are going forward for Kazakhstan, Russia, and the US. 

On the latest episode of Patterson Perspectives, Dr. Robert Farley interviews LTC Amy McGrath (USMC, Ret.) about her career in the military, her return to Kentucky, and her transition to teaching in a civilian institution. Caution: There is discussion of the consumption of a rabbit's eyeball.

On the latest episode of Patterson Perspectives, Dr. Farley speaks with Ed "Cliffy" Zukowski, leader of the Army War College's International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE). Farley and Zukowski discuss the history and purpose of the simulation, the growing interest of colleges and universities in participating in the sim, and a few of the most surprising things that have happened in one of the negotiation exercises.

On the latest episode of Patterson Perspectives, Dr. Kathleen Montgomery interview Ambassador Anupam Ray of the Indian Foreign Service. Dr. Montgomery and Ambassador Ray discuss career paths, the impact of education in the foreign affairs, and the challenges currently facing Indian foreign policy.