Vandenberg Flash Focus

President Trump is slated to speak at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week. Though many say it is unlikely that UNGA will reap anything substantial and positive for the United States, the conference will serve as one of the first opportunities for President Trump to outline to the rest of the world his foreign policy vision and approach for the next four years. Amanda Rothschild, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior National Security Speechwriter at the White House and former Senior Policy Director at The Vandenberg Coalition, joins to share what she expects from the president’s speech, why the speech is important, and how we should think about it within the context of the president’s foreign policy agenda.

“From Reagan to Trump, a Speechwriter’s Legacy Lives On in Washington”

President Trump’s 2017 Speech to the UN

President Trump’s 2018 Speech to the UN

You can also watch this podcast as a video on YouTube.

(1:54) Why Does This Speech Matter?

(3:46) What President Trump May Highlight 

(5:20) Palestinian Statehood

(6:32) The Interplay Between Domestic and Foreign Policy

(8:08) The Speechwriting Process

(12:29) Legacy of Past Speechwriters

(14:33) The UNGA Experience

(17:30) The President’s Interactions at UNGA

After the Reagan administration, the issue of human rights has come to be captured and dominated by the left, with it now being seen as largely synonymous with progressive policy preferences rather than the fundamental rights that align with our founding principles. Some on the right are now highly skeptical of whether human rights as an issue can be salvaged. Yet this month marks the fifth anniversary of an important document that thoughtfully regrounds human rights within our nation’s founding principles and national interests: The Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights. Peter Berkowitz, Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Vandenberg Advisory Board member, joins to discuss the legacy of this critical report at this milestone anniversary, as well as the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy today more broadly.

(3:19) The Creation of the Commission on Unalienable Rights

(6:57) Tension Between Universal Principles and National Sovereignty

(15:05) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and U.S. Engagement With Multilateral Bodies

(21:30) Critics of Human Rights Policy

(26:39) Nahdlatul Ulama

(32:31) The Report’s Long-Term Legacy

While many are familiar with the national security case for forcing ByteDance to divest or banning TikTok altogether, its assault on America’s children is just as alarming. TikTok holds unprecedented control over the content consumed by our children, exposing them to dangerous or even illegal content, including anti-American propaganda, antisemitism, pornography, and drugs. TikTok is not just a national security issue; it is a question about how technology will impact the future of our society. Clare Morell, Fellow and Director of the Technology and Human Flourish Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and author of The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, and Bethany Mandel, co-host of the Mom Wars podcast and newsletter and co-author of Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation, join Flash Focus to discuss the risks that TikTok pose to America’s children and how to fight back. 

Watch episode live on YouTube.

(2:11) When Did You Realize How Bad TikTok Is for America’s Children? 

(5:44) TikTok vs. Instagram

(6:48) TikTok and Digital Fentanyl

(8:22) TikTok’s Harmful Content

(10:50) Antisemitism on TikTok

(12:25) Policy Considerations

(16:00) Would a TikTok Sale Mitigate Its Harm on Children? 

(18:58) Managing Children’s Relationships With TikTok and Social Media

(25:50) How to Push Back Against TikTok’s Grip on America’s Children

With the future of the global order hinging on the outcome of today’s great power competition, a group of multi-aligned states has emerged with a growing ability to influence the outcome of this competition. Effectively engaging these 'global swing states' will be essential if the United States is to succeed in preserving an international order that favors American interests and principles. Richard Fontaine, Vandenberg Advisory Board member, CEO of Center for a New American Security (CNAS), and co-author of the new report “Global Swing States and the New Great Power Competition,” joins Flash Focus to explore how the United States can engage with these swing states to sustain a U.S.-centric global order and push back against the “Axis of Upheaval.”

(2:13) What Is a “Global Swing State?”

(4:47) The “Axis of Upheaval,” Global Swing States, and the Dynamics of Great Power Competition 

(9:20) How Do the Swing States Think of Themselves?

(11:38) The Case for the Current International Order

(20:23) Does the International Order Resonate with the Swing States?

(22:29) Global Swing States in 2012 vs. 2025 

(25:40) Easiest and Hardest Swing States to Engage

(29:04) The Case Against Foreign Policy Solutionism and the Swing States

A small but loud faction of the New Right has attempted to hijack the conservative movement to normalize age-old hatreds, conspiracies about U.S. national security, and historical revisionism. Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns felt by many Americans who serve as their audience and lead to us to embrace the better angels of our nature, this faction seeks to shackle Americans to their current lot in life and fill them with rage, a sense of victimhood, and a target for their blame: the globalists, the elites, the Jews, and the United States. Rebeccah Heinrichs, Vandenberg Advisory Board member, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, and author of the landmark article The Right’s 1939 Project, joins Flash Focus to discuss the concerning growth of this movement, its origins, and how we can push back against these narratives. 

(2:47) The 1939 Project And Its Members

(6:41) Historical Revisionism On The Right

(11:23) Defending The West Versus Wokism

(14:45) Platforming

(17:40) The Nastiness Of The 1939 Project

(20:30) Co-Opting MAGA

(24:02) Acknowledging Valid Criticisms While Refuting Conspiracies

(29:01) Restoring American Pride

The United Nations has sparked significant debate within the foreign policy community. Though the founding ideals of the UN, as championed nearly 80 years ago by our namesake Senator Arthur Vandenberg, still merit strong support, the organization has increasingly been exploited by America’s adversaries to obstruct its mission and undermine U.S. interests. As former National Security Advisor and member of Congress Mike Waltz testifies in front of Congress to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the time is ripe to revisit how the United Nations can better serve American priorities. Brett Schaefer, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and author of the United Nations Organizations Assessment Project, joins Flash Focus to provide an overview of the UN system and offer recommendations for how it can be reformed.  

(2:42) Overview of the United Nations

(6:12) Top Three Issues for the U.S. Government

(10:22) Curtailing Chinese Influence in the UN System

(15:25) Which UN Organizations Are Most Important?

(18:14) Are There Alternatives To The UN?

(19:55) UN Human Rights Council 

(24:00) Tools To Get UN Reforms Accomplished

(29:50) The Administration’s Approach

(32:30) How Did We Get To This Point?

(36:10) Impact Of Adopting These Reforms

Ukraine through Operation Spiderweb and Israel through Operation Rising Lion surreptitiously smuggled drones behind enemy lines and successfully neutralized critical Russian and Iranian assets. As we continue to watch the aftermath of these operations, Operations Rising Lion and Spiderweb raise urgent questions for the United States; namely, how vulnerable are we to technologically driven attacks here? And how exactly is our leading adversary, China, interpreting some of the more innovative new operations in these conflicts? Jacqueline Deal, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and Co-Founder of the American Academy for Strategic Education, and Michael Sobolik, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, join Flash Focus to explore U.S. vulnerabilities in light of these events and measures we can take to strengthen them.  

The Vandenberg Coalition has published a number of policy products related to CCP domestic influence campaigns, including a February 2025 poll of U.S. attitudes towards TikTok and a podcast episodedissecting it, a primer on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, and a brief of Amici Curiae commissioned in support of the U.S. government in Tiktok Inc., et al. v. Merrick B. Garland (No. 24-656).

The Final Struggle: Inside China's Global Strategy by Ian Easton https://www.amazon.com/Final-Struggle-Inside-Chinas-Strategy/dp/1788692756 

Document 9 https://www.chinafile.com/document-9-chinafile-translation

(2:44) Initial Reactions to Operations Rising Lion and Spiderweb

(9:27) Concerns About Law Enforcement Using CCP-Linked Drones 

(15:10) Securing Supply Chains and Industrial Policy

(18:55) What It Means When the CCP Uses Our Data

(24:36) CCP Farm Land Grabs

(29:22) TikTok and Information Warfare

(38:15) TikTok and Political Sabotage

(39:50) Recommendations for Strengthening Our Vulnerabilities Now

President Trump’s eventful trip to the Middle East marked the first major international visit of his second term, featuring stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Framing the visit as a break from the legacy of the so-called “nation-builders” he has long derided, President Trump returned to Washington boasting flashy investment deals and hinting at policy shifts that have the potential to shake up the region. Elizabeth Dent, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, joins Flash Focus to recap the trip’s events, unpack the deals that were struck, and discuss what Trump’s visit reveals about his strategic vision and motivations for Middle East foreign policy and beyond.

80 years ago today, Nazi forces issued an unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers, marking the official end of World War II in Europe. Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) serves as a great reminder of what happens when Americans, with our full might and allies along side us, stand up to tyrants seeking to revise the world order. How can we best commemorate those who gave everything to secure our cherished freedoms? And how can we live up to their example today? Thomas Spoehr, Executive Director for Operations at American Battle Monuments Commission in Paris and Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to reflect on the enduring legacy of V-E Day at this milestone anniversary. 

As tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait following China’s latest round of large-scale military exercises, questions surrounding Taiwan’s defense readiness and deterrence in the region are once again front and center. Beijing claims these drills are a “severe warning” and a message of "forceful containment against Taiwan independence,” but do they signal serious preparation for conflict, or are they just saber-rattling? And how prepared are Taiwan and the United States for such a conflict? Joe Wang, Senior Advisor at the Special Competitive Studies Project, joins Flash Focus to explain what these maneuvers reveal about China’s strategic intent, assess Taiwan’s current military and non-military preparedness, and explore what steps the United States and allies in the Indo-Pacific can take in the immediate to enhance Taiwan’s deterrence.