Shows / Net Assessment
Net Assessment
Hosts Melanie Marlowe, Christopher Preble, and Zack Cooper, debate their way through some of the toughest and most contentious topics related to strategy, international relations, and the use of force. This podcast is brought to you by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
Episodes
- Net Assessment
Can Europe be Trump-Proofed? And Should It Be?
Melanie, Chris, and Zack discuss the steps that European countries can and should take to prepare for possible U.S. retrenchment from the continent. Can NATO…
- Net Assessment
Election Time: France and the United Kingdom Go to the Polls
Upcoming elections could pull France to the right and the United Kingdom to the left, so the Net Assessment team discusses how this might alter policies in…
- Net Assessment
A Live Turkey
In the first Net Assessment recorded before a live audience, Chris, Zack, and Melanie discuss the U.S.-Turkish relationship. Has America "lost" Turkey? What…
- Net Assessment
Unraveling China's Plans for the Middle East
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the nature and extent of China's engagement in the Middle East. Should the United States be concerned about China's growing…
- Net Assessment
On China: To Win or Not To Win
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate Matt Pottinger and Mike Gallagher's recent article about U.S. strategy toward China. They disagree about the Biden…
- Net Assessment
Debating the Future of the Russo-Ukrainian War
With American military and economic help on the way to Kyiv, Chris, Zack and Melanie discuss the Russo-Ukrainian war. Will the new American aid package make a…
- Net Assessment
Countering Foreign Media Manipulation. Or Not.
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss Gavin Wilde's recent article in the Texas National Security Review on foreign media manipulation. How vulnerable are citizens…
- Net Assessment
America's Report Card in Southeast Asia
Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the 2024 ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute State of Southeast Asia Survey, in which regional experts assess power trends and…
- Net Assessment
The 2024 Annual Threat Assessment
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment, created by the U.S. intelligence agencies. The report focuses on state…
- Net Assessment
Competing for Influence in Latin America
Chris, Melanie and Zack take a close look at the United States' relationship with countries in Latin America. Why has the United States neglected Latin America…
- Net Assessment
Are the U.S. and Europe Never Ever Getting Back Together?
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss an article on the concept of unbalanced multipolarity by Emma Ashford and Evan Cooper. They debate what might happen if the…
- Net Assessment
Debating the New National Defense Industrial Strategy
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sat down to talk about the new National Defense Industrial Strategy. Is this document really a strategy? What are the biggest problems…
- Net Assessment
Rating the Top Threats to U.S. National Security
Chris, Melanie and Zack review the Council on Foreign Relations' annual Preventive Priorities Survey, which asked foreign policy experts to rank 30 current and…
- Net Assessment
Global Disorder and Houthi Strikes
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate whether the international order is fraying and if so, what to do about it. They focus in particular on the recent Houthi…
- Net Assessment
Entrapment, Entanglement, and the Debate about U.S. Alliances
Chris, Zack, and Melanie ring in the new year with a discussion on whether or not "The U.S. Needs More Foreign Entanglements," as writer Andreas Kluth argues…
- Net Assessment
The New Washington Consensus
On this show, Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the so-called "new Washington Consensus" – a reaction to decades of trade liberalization and free market…
- Net Assessment
Dysfunction in Washington
Net Assessment is back! Chris, Melanie, and Zack return after a hiatus and start by debating a recent article entitled "The Dysfunctional Superpower" by Robert…
- Net Assessment
Is Washington Making a Bad Bet on India?
Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to discuss Ashley Tellis's newest article, "America's Bad Bet on India." Tellis argues that if America thinks India will…
- Net Assessment
Is Washington Making a Bad Bet on India?
Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to discuss Ashley Tellis's newest article, "America's Bad Bet on India." Tellis argues that if America thinks India will…
- Net Assessment
Paying the Costs of Competition
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss a recent article by Rosella Cappella Zielinski and Samuel Gerstle in the Texas National Security Review. Zielinski and Gerstle…
- Net Assessment
Multipolarity: What Is It Good For?
Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate whether the world is multipolar and discuss what the United States can do to win support for its preferred policies…
- Net Assessment
Technology, Defense, and American-Chinese Competition
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about a new article by Eric Schmidt on whether the United States can win an innovation race with China. Where is the…
- Net Assessment
Better Burden Sharing With Allies
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss several recent articles focused on alliance burden sharing. Should America want Europe to be dependent on it for Europe's…
- Net Assessment
Is AUKUS Flawed By Design?
Is AUKUS flawed by design? Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the AUKUS deal, particularly the newly announced plan for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered…
- Net Assessment
Turkey's More Independent Foreign Policy
Chris and Melanie sit down with Aaron Stein, chief content officer at War on the Rocks and co-author of a new report on Turkey's new, more independent foreign…
- Net Assessment
One Year of War in Ukraine
Melanie, Zack, and Chris, survey the course of Russia's brutal war of aggression in Ukraine at the one-year point, with a focus on a recent paper by RAND's…
- Net Assessment
Learning Lessons from Ukraine: Is Defense Dominant?
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate Frank Hoffman's recent article in War on the Rocks about the broader implications of Russia's war in Ukraine. They discuss…
- Net Assessment
Looking Back at President Biden's Foreign Policy
Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to talk about a new assessment of President Biden's foreign policy two years into his administration. Using "A Better…
- Net Assessment
Debating the Defense of Taiwan
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss whether it is possible, and wise, to try to stave off a conflict with China over Taiwan — possibly for a very long time. A…
- Net Assessment
The Risks of Nuclear Proliferation in Asia
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate nuclear proliferation in Northeast Asia. Are Russia's nuclear saber-rattling, North Korea's advancing capabilities, and China's…
- Net Assessment
Making Hard National Security Choices
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to discuss Richard Fontaine's recent Foreign Affairs article on prioritizing national security threats. Why is it so hard for…
- Net Assessment
Why The United States No Longer Leads on Free Trade
Chris, Melanie, and Zack try to understand the U.S. government's approach to global trade. Two successive presidential administrations have turned their backs…
- Net Assessment
Debating the National Defense Strategy
Is the National Defense Strategy actually a strategy? Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate the Biden administration's recently released National Defense Strategy…
- Net Assessment
Assessing the National Security Strategy
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about the recently-released Biden-Harris National Security Strategy. Several months delayed, the document recognizes…
- Net Assessment
Searching for the Elusive Rules-Based Order
Chris, Zack, and special guest host Rachel Hoff of the Ronald Reagan Institute, explore the recent article by Dani Rodrik and Stephen Walt "How to Build a…
- Net Assessment
Military Lessons from the War in Ukraine
The Net Assessment crew discusses possible military lessons from the war in Ukraine. It is too early to take away any definitive lessons from the war, but it…
- Net Assessment
Galvanizing America's Defense Industrial Policy
This week, Chris, Zack, and Melanie talk about a new report, "Rebuild: Toolkit for a New American Industrial Policy," from the Center for a New American…
- Net Assessment
Not Their Plane to Land: Generals Thwarting the Chain of Command?
Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss Doyle Hodges' recent article scrutinizing Gen. Mark Milley's behavior in the waning months of the Trump administration…
- Net Assessment
Is U.S. Support to Taiwan Substantive or Symbolic?
Melanie and Zack are joined by the RAND Corporation's Mike Mazarr for a discussion about Taiwan. They examine an article by Matt Turpin for the Aspen Institute…
- Net Assessment
Is NATO's Vision for Its Future Right?
Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about the NATO's new 2022 Strategic Concept, the first update since 2010. A lot has changed since then. What does the…
- Net Assessment
Active Denial or In Denial?
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate the Quincy Institute's new report on U.S. defense strategy in Asia. They applaud the report for presenting a detailed plan and…
- Net Assessment
An Energy Strategy to Defeat Russia?
Chris, Melanie, and Zack consider the economic measures taken by the United States and Europe to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, especially those…
- Net Assessment
Is Biden's Approach to Latin America a Problem?
Chris, Melanie, and Zack take a look at the Summit of the Americas, which was held in Los Angeles at the beginning of June. By all accounts, the summit was…
- Net Assessment
Musings on Competition in the Pacific
On the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the crew discussed the Pacific Islands. Beijing has sought, but thus far failed, to strike a deal with 10 of…
- Net Assessment
Debating Sweden and Finland's Entry into NATO
Chris, Melanie, and Zack consider Finland and Sweden's applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Is a larger NATO necessarily a more…
- Net Assessment
Threats From Out of This World
Zack, Chris, and Melanie get together to discuss the latest Space Threat Assessment report from the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS. People all over the…
- Net Assessment
A Strategy-Budget Mismatch?
Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate the National Defense Strategy — at least the unclassified details that are currently available. Does the professed strategy…
- Net Assessment
Keeping the Right Secrets Secret
Chris and Zack are joined by special guest co-host, Emily Harding of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The three review the Biden…