Power Problems

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Power Problems episodes

April 22, 2019Insurgent Women
Women play an increasingly important role as insurgents and rebels in civil conflicts all over the world. But most often their story goes untold and their impact has been poorly understood. Jessica Trisko Darden, co‐author of Insurgent Women, joins Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall to discuss her new book to discuss.
Jessica Trisko Darden bio
Jessica Trisko Darden, Alexis Henshaw, and Ora Szekely, Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars (Georgetown University Press 2019).
Jessica Trisko Darden, “https://theconversation.com/how-women-wage-war-a-short-history-of-is-brides-nazi-guards-and-farc-insurgents-113011 The Conversation, March 8, 2019.
Jessica Trisko Darden, “Return from ISIS: American Women Want Out of Extremism,” NPR On Point podcast.
Mia Bloom, Bombshell: Women and Terrorism (University of Pennsylvania, 2011).
Jessica Davis, Women in Modern Terrorism: From Liberation Wars to Global Jihad and the Islamic State (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017).
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41 min
April 09, 2019Back to the Future: China, the U.S. and the “New Cold War”
Pundits seem increasingly undecided whether we’re living in a new Cold War, or simply making a return to the 1930s. Ali Wyne of the RAND corporation joins us to discuss great power competition, the problem of foreign policy by analogy, and what the global order might look like in the future.
Ali Wyne bio
Ali Wyne, America’s Blind Ambition Could Make It a Victim of Global Competition, National Interest, February 11, 2019
Ali Wyne, Questioning the Presumption of a U.S.-China Power Transition, RAND Corporation, January 9, 2019
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41 min
March 26, 2019Enter the Cyber Mercenaries
The cyber era has amplified the impact of non‐state actors on international relations. From election meddling to sabotage to espionage, states are using non‐state actors as proxies to do their dirty work. Tim Maurer from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins Trevor Thrall and John Glaser to talk about the rise, reach, and implications of these cyber mercenaries.
Tim Maurer bio
Tim Maurer, Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and Power
Brandon Valentino and Benjamin Jensen, “The Myth of the Cyber Offense: The Case for Restraint,” Policy Analysis 862, January 15, 2019.
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44 min
March 12, 2019Failure (to Launch?): Donald Trump in Hanoi
Donald Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong Un has come and gone, this time in abject failure. Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall are joined by Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest to discuss where U.S.-North Korean relations go from here.
Harry Kazianis bio
"A Top Trump Official May Have Just Doomed US-North Korea Talks," Vox, March 8, 2019
"Dealing with North and South Korea: Can Washington Square the Circle?" Cato Institute Capitol Hill Briefing
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28 min
February 26, 2019How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maduro?
Controversy is growing over the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela, where the United States has backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in his attempt to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power. Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Venezuela expert Moises Rendon to discuss the situation.
Show Notes:
Guest Bio: Moises Rendond
Moises Rendon, “Food vs. Freedom in Venezuela,” July 9, 2018
Amanda Sakuma, “The Last 48 hours in Venezuela News, Explained,” Vox, February 24, 2019
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38 min
February 12, 2019Great Power Competition, Part II
The Trump administration has emphasized the reemergence of great power competition as the organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. How will international relations change in an era when new actors are challenging the status quo? In Part II of our great power special, Professor Stacie E. Goddard of Wellesley College joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to talk about her recent book, When Might Makes Right, about the relationship between rising powers and existing great powers.
Show Notes:
Guest Bio: Stacie Goddard
Stacie Goddard, “When Right Makes Might: Rising Powers and World Order”
Stacie Goddard, “Uncommon Ground: Indivisible Territory and the Politics of Legitimacy,” International Organizations, vol. 60, no. 1, January 2006
Cato Policy Forum, “The Return of Great Power Competition.” January 15, 2019
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37 min
January 29, 2019Great Power Competition, Part I
Great Power competition is back. How will international relations change in an era when new actors are challenging the status quo. In Part I of our great power special, Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Joshua Shifrinson, author of Rising Titans, Falling Giants, a book on great power rise and decline.
Joshua Shifrinson's bio
Joshua Shifrinson, Rising Titans, Falling Giants
"The Return of Great Power Competition"
David Edelstein, Over the Horizon
Stacie Goddard, When Might Makes Right
Paul MacDonald and Joseph Parent, Twilight of the Titans
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31 min
January 15, 2019Mr. Trump, Tear Down That Wall
From trade to immigration, the Trump administration takes a much broader view of national security than prior administrations. Cato Senior Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to talk about the links between immigration and national security.
Show Notes:
Alex Nowrasteh’s bio
Alex Nowrasteh, “Incarcerated Immigrants in 2016: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of Origin,” Immigration Research and Policy Brief, June 4, 2018
Alex Nowrasteh, “How Trump Is Really Changing Immigration: Making It Harder for People to Come Here Legally,” Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2018

Alex Nowrasteh, “Terrorism and Immigration: A Risk Analysis,” Policy Analysis
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39 min
December 31, 2018Holiday Edition: 2018 in Review
Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford are joined by Cato colleague Eric Gomez for a discussion of the year in review, and a preview of 2019. From nuclear weapons and North Korea to the U.S.-Saudi relationship, it’s been a wild year.
Show Notes:
Eric Gomez’s bio
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38 min
December 18, 2018Nostalgianomics: Trump, Trade, and American Foreign Policy
Attorney and Cato Institute adjunct scholar Scott Lincicome joins Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford to discuss the Trump administration’s trade strategy and the role of international trade in U.S. foreign policy.
Scott Lincicome’s bio
Scott Lincicome, The “Protectionist Moment” That Wasn’t: American Views on Trade and Globalization, Free Trade Bulletin
Scott Lincicome, “Doomed to Repeat It: The Long History of America’s Protectionist Failures, Policy Analysis
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39 min

About Power Problems

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Power Problems is a bi-weekly podcast from the Cato Institute. Host John Glaser offers a skeptical take on U.S. foreign policy, and discusses today’s big questions in international security with…