Mike joins Ely Ratner, Principal at The Marathon Initiative and Senior Adviser at Clarion Strategies. Previously he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs during the Biden administration, and before that he was Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). They discuss the strategic competition with China, the difficulties and opportunities around the China challenge, what the most significant things the U.S. did relating to allies and partners during the Biden Administration, and the case for a Pacific defense pact.

In this episode, Mike speaks with Christopher Johnstone, Partner and Chair of the Defense & National Security Practice at The Asia Group. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and before that as National Security Council Director for Asia under President Biden and Director for Japan and Oceanian Affairs under President Obama. They discuss the arc of U.S.–Japan relations, the recent summit between U.S. President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi, Japan’s rapidly evolving defense policies, and much more.

In this episode, Mike speaks with three leading experts on international security: Elizabeth Saunders, Director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University; Luis Simón, Director of the Research Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy and Research Professor in International Security at the Brussels School of Governance; and Chung Min Lee, Senior Fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Together, they discuss the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) NATO partner nations—Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand—and examine where the IP4 and the broader Euro-Atlantic–Indo-Pacific security relationship are heading in light of shifting U.S. policy priorities.

Mike speaks with Barbara Weisel, nonresident scholar in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She built a career serving in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for 23 years, departing as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia in October 2017. They discuss U.S. trade policy past and present, the mechanics of trade negotiations, how trade agreements impact national security and geopolitical strategy, how allies and partners should approach economic relations with the United States in the coming years, and more.

Mike speaks with Nicholas Burns, Managing Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Burns previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from

This week Mike speaks with Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and President Biden’s “Asia Czar.” He is currently Chairman of The Asia Group and Distinguished Fellow in Diplomacy with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. They discuss the U.S. strategic approach to the Indo-Pacific, the buildup of international security architecture, working in the Biden administration, and the role of technology in geopolitical competition. 

This week Mike speaks with Ja Ian Chong, Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. They discuss the lessons and parallels of WWI and WWII for the contemporary Indo-Pacific, the potential for an outbreak of crisis and conflict in the region, the need for Singapore to review its geopolitical strategy, and much more.  

This week Mike speaks with Michael Schiffer, former Assistant Administrator of the USAID Bureau for Asia from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that he was Senior Advisor and Counselor to the U.S. Senate Committee of Foreign Relations. They discuss foreign aid and its role in supporting U.S. interests abroad.  

This week Mike speaks with Richard Rossow, an esteemed expert who has focused on U.S.-India Relations for over 25 years. He is currently Senior Adviser and Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They discuss the activities of the Quad, U.S.-India relations, how India could grow its trade partnership with the United States, and more. 

This week Mike speaks with Ian Storey, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and Editor of the Contemporary Southeast Asia journal. His new book is Putin's Russia and Southeast Asia: The Kremlin's Pivot to Asia and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War and is the first single-authored book on Russia and Southeast Asia to be published since the end of the cold war. It can be found using this link.