Power Problems

Did Russia commit a cyber attack or cyber espionage? What is the difference and how does it affect the U.S. response and future of cybersecurity? Cato Institute’s own Brandon Valeriano and Atlantic Council’s Erica Borghard join host John Glaser to discuss the severity of the SolarWinds hack and its implications for the broader cybersecurity political landscape.

1.  Brandon Valeriano bio: https://www.cato.org/people/brandon-valeriano

Erica Borghard bio: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/erica-borghard/  

2.  Sean Lawson and Brandon Valeriano, “The Russian ‘Cyber Peral Harbor’ That Wasn’t,” The American Conservative, December 18, 2020.Benjamin Jensen, Brandon Valeriano, and Mark Montgomery, “The Strategic Implications of SolarWinds,” Lawfare Blog, December 18, 2020.

3.  Erica D. Borghard, “The SolarWinds Compromise and the Strategic Challenge of Information and Communications Technology Supply Chain,” Council on Foreign Relations, December 22, 2020.

Erica Borghard and Jacquelyn Schneider, “Russia’s Hack Wasn’t Cyberwarfare. That Complicates US Strategy,” Wired, December 17, 2020.

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Peter Beinart and host John Glaser discuss the problems of "global leadership" in U.S. foreign policy, why Washington over-spends on the wrong threats, the implications of President-elect Biden's incoming national security team, and how America should approach an increasingly influential China. 

1. Peter Beinart bio: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/Page-Elements/Academics-Research-Centers-Initiatives/Doctoral-Programs/Political-Science/Faculty-Bios/Peter-Beinart  

2. Peter Beinart, Biden Wants America to Leader the World. It Shouldn’t., New York Times, December 2, 2020.

3. Peter Beinart, How I Changed My Mind, The Beinart Notebook, December 7, 2020.

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After four years of an unpredictable commander-in-chief, it’s time to think about the future of U.S. foreign policy. John and David Hendrickson discuss the Trump to Biden transition, the illiberal nature of the "liberal order," and the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy, among other issues.

1.       David C. Hendrickson bio: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/academics/dept/politicalscience/people/profile.html?person=hendrickson_david

2. David C. Hendrickson, Republic in Peril: American Empire and the Liberal Tradition, (New York City: Oxford University Press, 2017).

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President Donald Trump has shown excitement about the newly created Space Force division of the military. Is it worth the hype? According to Robert Farley, there is still too much unknown to make that call.

1.Robert M. Farley bio: https://www.uky.edu/~rmfarl2/

2. There is no link yet to his Cato paper referenced as it has yet to be published. It’s a PA titled: Space Force: Ahead of Its Time, or Dreadfully Premature?

Also mentioned:

Robert M. Farley and Davida H. Issacs, Patents for Power: Intellectual Property Law and the Diffusion of Military Technology (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2020).

Robert M. Farley, Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force (Louisville, KY: University of Kentucky Press, 2014).

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How will President-elect Biden change US foreign policy? John Glaser talks to Emma Ashford of the Atlantic Council about the transition from Trump to Biden, and from host Emma to host John. 

1. Emma Ashford Bio https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/emma-ashford/
2. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/joe-biden-just-won-the-presidency-what-does-that-mean-for-americas-role-in-the-world/ 

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Power transitions are a hot topic in international relations! David Kang and Xinru Ma join Emma Ashford to discuss why we should look outside Europe for insight.

1. David Kang Bio: https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/faculty-and-staff/faculty.cfm?pid=1024445  
2. Xinru Ma Bio: https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/people/xinru-ma#:~:text=She%20uses%20game%20theoretical%20models,processing%20methods%20to%20large%2Dscale  
3. David Kang and Xinru Ma, “Power Transitions: Thucydides Didn’t Live in East Asia,” Washington Quarterly.  

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Is American influence declining? Emma Ashford talks to Ali Wyne and Gabby Tarini of the Rand Corporation about their new report on America in the world.   

1. Ali Wyne Bio: https://www.ducoexperts.com/users/ali-wyne  
2. Gabrielle Tarini Bio: https://www.rand.org/about/people/t/tarini_gabrielle.html  
3. James Dobbins, Gabrielle Tarini, and Ali Wyne, “The Lost Generation in American Foreign Policy,” RAND Corporation.  

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Emma Ashford talks with MIT’s Taylor Fravel about ongoing China-India tensions and what China wants from the world.

1.     Taylor Fravel bio: https://polisci.mit.edu/people/m-taylor-fravel

2.     Taylor Fravel, “Why are India and China Skirmishing at their Border?” Washington Post.

3.     Taylor Fravel, “China’s Sovereignty Obsession,” Foreign Affairs. 

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Paul Staniland of the University of Chicago joins Emma Ashford to discuss current events in India, Pakistan, and South Asia. 

Show Notes 

1. Paul Staniland bio: https://paulstaniland.com/
2. Paul Staniland, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “Political Violence in South Asia: The Triumph of the State?”

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Donald Trump has taken America’s relationship with Europe from bad to worse. Emma Ashford chats with Rachel Rizzo of the Truman Project about the prospects for transatlantic relations.

1. Rachel Rizzo Bio. 

2. Tom McTague, "Remember the 90s, Don't Long for a Return," The Atlantic. 

3. Emma Ashford, "Biden Wants to Go Back to a Normal Foreign Policy. That's the Problem," The New York Times. 

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