Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to talk about former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates’s Foreign Affairs article, “The United States Must Recover the Full Range of Its Power.” Against the backdrop of domestic and worldwide protests spurred by the murder of George Floyd, they ask whether we rely too much on the military to carry out America’s foreign policy goals. If so, why? Are we willing to establish criteria for when force should be used? Is it time to reassess the design of our national security bureaucracies? Do Gates’s calls for stronger American leadership ultimately undermine or enhance his hopes for a more diplomatic foreign policy? The gang also reviews the Netflix original Space Force and Chris gives a shout out to all the high school, college, and other graduates experiencing the big day virtually (including his son!). Finally, Zack congratulates Gen. Charles Brown on his unanimous confirmation as chief of staff of the Air Force and thanks him for sharing his personal experiences with discrimination and challenging us to be better.

 

Links

• Bob Gates, “The United States Must Recover the Full Range of Its Power,” Foreign Affairs, June 2, 2020
• David H. McCormick, Charles E. Luftig, and James M. Cunningham, “Economic Might, National Security, and the Future of American Statecraft,” Texas National Security Review, Summer 2020
• Robert Gates, “Landon Lecture,” Kansas State University, November 26, 2007
• Emma Ashford, “Build a Better Blob,” Foreign Affairs, May 29, 2020
• Edward Fishman, “How to Fix America’s Failing Sanctions Policy,” Lawfare, June 4, 2020
• Kaleth O. Wright, Tweet, June 01, 2020
• Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., "What I'm Thinking About," June 5, 2020
• "CSAF/CMSAF Dialogue on Race," June 4, 2020
• "America's Top Brass Break with Donald Trump," The Economist, June 6, 2020
• Mike Mullen, "I Cannot Remain Silent," The Atlantic, June 2, 2020
• Richard Immerman and Jeffrey Engel, Fourteen Points for the Twenty-First Century: A Renewed Appeal for Cooperative Internationalism, (University Press of Kentucky, 2020)
• Chris Cioffi, “McConnell Sets Vote for Trump Media Agency Pick, Who Has Ties to Steve Bannon,” Roll Call, June 4, 2020           
• Colbert King, “Trump’s attack on the VOA reeks of McCarthyism,” Washington Post, April 18, 2020