Counterbalance

What do classical authors have to teach us about the global brawl that is international affairs? Catholic University professor, Jakub Grygiel, joins hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough to provide the historical context behind the show's new exploration into "real-realism."

After internal dialogues revealed that the team was feeling a bit "strategically rudderless," hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough sit together to launch a new thesis for Counterbalance. Together they explain what's wrong with foreign policy "experts" today and why an interest-based foreign policy is needed over the dominant, but flawed, values-based outlook of today's elites. They're calling this new school of thought "real-realism." 

Hudson Senior Fellow Jonathan Ward joins co-host Peter Rough to discuss his new book The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China. In his book, and during the episode, Ward lays out how the US gave up many of its economic advantages while allowing China's rise. Thankfully, according to Ward, it's not too late to reverse course, but America has to start by winning one decade at a time.

Is Ukraine losing? Can it still win? Where does international support stand now, and where will it be going forward? Host Peter Rough addresses these questions and more having just returned from an overseas study trip to Moldova and Ukraine. Mike Doran joins him to discover what Peter saw, heard, and learned from his travels.

On this special edition of Counterbalance, co-hosts Mike and Peter are joined by Israeli intellectual Gadi Taub. Mike and Gadi recently started the Israel Update Podcast with Tablet magazine. This week on Counterbalance, the trio discuss the Biden administration's attitude towards the war in Gaza, including the president calling Israel's response in Gaza “over the top.” They also float the possibility of the Biden administration recognizing a Palestinian state as early as the summer.

This week, host Michael Doran is joined by co-host Peter Rough, senior fellow and director of the Center for Europe and Eurasia at Hudson Institute. Peter offers an overview of his recent visit to Taiwan and discusses with Mike his thoughts on Beijing's increasing economic and military pressure on Taipei. The duo also talks about the current state of Taiwanese domestic politics and how it affects U.S. foreign policy. 

Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel was a clear intelligence failure, but for whom and in what ways? Counterbalance co-hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough are joined by Hudson colleague Ezra Cohen, who, fresh off a trip to Israel, provides his view on what led to the failure of intelligence we now know as October 7. A former Pentagon official, Ezra also outlines how each US administration sets intelligence priorities for the entire intelligence community and how the Biden administration may have changed course from its predecessor's priorities.

This week, host Peter Rough is joined by co-host Michael Doran, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute. They recap Mike's recent trip to Israel, and why he thinks the war that sparked by the October 7th atrocities is actually a war for the future of Western civilization. Additionally, they discuss his observations on Israel's current political climate, and the Biden administration's Iran policy. 

This week, co-hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough are joined by Allison Hooker, seasoned Asia hand with extensive experience working on issues relating to the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan. The trio discuss key developments to watch out for in the year to come, beginning with Taiwan's presidential election that gave the ruling DPP a historic third straight term.

Peter Rough talks this week with Ken Weinstein, Hudson's Japan Chair and former president and CEO of Hudson. Peter and Ken talk about Hudson's founding and the instrumental role Herman Kahn, Max Singer, and Wally Stern played in making it what it is today. The two also delve into the role Shinzo Abe played in transforming Japan's foreign and security policy.

For decades after its accession to the WTO, China got rich, and the average Chinese citizen became accustomed to a certain rise in living standards. Now, with Xi Jinping undermining the most innovative parts of China's private economy and further centralizing power, China's economy is stalling.  Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Thomas Duesterberg joins host Peter Rough to discuss his new report on China's economic weakness and how the U.S. should respond.

Host Mike Doran is joined this week by Izabella Tabarovsky, the Kennan Institute Senior Advisor on Regional Partnerships and Programming at the Wilson Center. They explore the origins of anti-Zionism by examining the evolution of Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda and its effects on Israel and the Middle East. How did Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda target American institutions? How did it infiltrate political movements on the Left? To what extent does it influence the current experiences of American Jews?

Veteran reporter Matt Karnitschnig, POLITICO's Chief Europe Correspondent, joins the podcast to discuss the differences and similarities between European and America media. Matt, Peter, and Mike also delve into Germany's approach to foreign affairs and view of the world, with special attention on Berlin's approach to relations Russia and Iran.

This week, Peter and Mike are joined by one of Washington's foremost experts on US policy and strategy towards Ukraine, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Luke Coffey. The trio take a wider view of this year's Ukrainian counteroffensive, discuss the Biden administration's fears of escalation, and talk about how to enable Kyiv to prevail on the battlefield. (And for the first time, a video recording of this episode will air on the Hudson Institute YouTube page.)

Anti-Semitic incidents in the West have significantly increased since the October 7 massacre in southern Israel by Hamas. Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute, joins co-hosts Peter and Mike this week to discuss the root causes of antisemitism and its manifestations in both Europe and the US.

Why hasn't China named or condemned Hamas? What role does China see for itself in a potential broader Middle East conflict? What is Beijing's preferred outcome in Ukraine? This week, Director of Hudson Institute's China Center Miles Yu joins co-host Peter Rough to discuss Beijing's view of the war in Gaza and how the CCP envisions China's role in Europe and the Middle East during these times of instability.

Ken Pollack, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins host Mike Doran to reflect on the mistakes made and lessons learned from the October 7 attacks and what's holding Israel back from its operations in Gaza. Additionally, Pollack discusses why Hezbollah and Iran may, or may not, open another front in the war against Israel.

Peter Rough and Mike Doran are joined by their Hudson Institute colleague Jonathan Schachter, a former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The trio discuss Israel at war, with an emphasis on relations between the the Biden administration and Israel. What were President Joe Biden's goals in his visit to Jerusalem? Why did the United States let United Nations sanctions on Iran's missile program expire last week? What steps should the US and European allies take going forward?

Jan Havránek, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC, joins the show to discuss the U.S. and NATO postures in Europe, as well as Russia's aims in Ukraine and the larger Eastern European front.

Hosts Peter Rough and Mike Doran are joined by Presidential candidate Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota. Gov. Burgum delivered a key foreign policy speech at Hudson on Wednesday, but joined the show beforehand to discuss a everything from energy security to the southern border to the ongoing war against Israel.

This week, Mario Mancuso, former undersecretary of commerce for industry and security and Hudson Institute visiting senior fellow, joins host Peter Rough for a wide-ranging discussion of economic statecraft and its role in U.S. national security and strategy.

The Biden administration's backroom deals with Iran have made headlines recently, with prisoner swaps and $6 billion payments. This week, Mike Doran hosts Tony Badran, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Badran argues that the administration's Lebanon policy sheds light on Biden's shady Iran deals, showing them to part of a broader "backdoor" policy designed to subordinate US-Israel relations to the Iran realignment.  

On this episode, Peter is joined by Wess Mitchell, co-founder and principal of the Marathon Initiative who previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Europe from 2017-2019. Peter and Wess talk about the challenge of China, the dilemma of multipolarity for U.S. strategists, Russia's war on Ukraine, and the fundamentals of U.S. foreign policy.

With the recent military coup in Gabon, the continent of Africa has seen nine governments overthrown by coups in three years. Hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough talk with Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Josh Meservey to investigate what's behind the trend. They also weigh the shifting international influence from Western powers to a new international oppositional bloc led by Russia and China. 

Host Peter Rough is joined by US Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa to talk about the timely Iowa State Fair, her work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the state of national security policy as we head into election season.

With Mike Doran on leave, host Peter rough sits down this week with Hudson Institute colleague, Rebeccah Heinrichs, as she talks about her career in foreign policy and her primary area of study: nuclear weapons and deterrence theory. Heinrichs illustrates how the U.S. stacks up globally in terms of nuclear capabilities and missile defense innovations. 

The Korean War is often referred to as the “forgotten war” by Americans, happening somewhere between World War II and Vietnam. But the one belligerent who hasn't forgotten about the Korean War is China. Congressman Mike Gallagher and FDD Senior Fellow Aaron MacLean sit down with co-hosts Peter Rough and Mike Doran to talk about their recent Foreign Affairs article, “Why America Forgets—and China Remembers—the Korean War.”  

Co-hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough are joined by Tablet's Liel Leibovitz and Jacob Siegel to discuss their recent article, “End U.S. Aid to Israel,” which contends that this aid has become a tool to hamper Israel and a cudgel for Israel's opponents. The article has caused quite a stir, generating thoughtful responses from prominent figures on the left and the right.  Tune in with Peter and Mike to join the discussion.

This week, Peter and Mike are joined by their Hudson Institute colleague Can Kasapoğlu, who specializes in open-source defense intelligence, geopolitical assessments, and the international arms market, for a discussion on the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive. The trio discuss why the offensive has been slow to take off, the state of the front lines, and the fallout from Yevgeny Prigozhin's June mutiny.

Father John Sawicki joins hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough this week to discuss Catholic teachings and US foreign policy. In this episode, the trio discuss how to reconcile the pursuit of national strategic interests with Christian moral principles, as well as how prudence can guide decision-making and the complex interplay between ethics and power.

Prominent Israeli intellectual Gadi Taub joins hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough for an update on Israel's judicial reform, the uproar it has caused in Israel, and the attacks it is receiving from President Biden and his friends in the American press. The trio discuss whether those attacks are truly over the substance of the judicial reform or whether they are actually a stealthy means of pursuing their disagreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu over his Iran policy. 

This week, Peter Rough and Mike Doran welcome Yuri Sak, senior advisor to Ukraine's minister of defense, to the podcast. Yuri is the brains behind the social media and messaging operation of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, and he tells Peter and Mike about the dynamics of communicating to friendly and hostile audiences alike during a time of war.

Counterbalance is back and welcomes new co-host Peter Rough, Director of Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia. In this episode, Peter interviews returning co-host Mike Doran about his recent trip to Saudi Arabia. A longstanding pillar of American security architecture in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is increasingly demonstrating autonomy in foreign policy. Peter and Michael discuss the reasons for the kingdom's opening to China and its implications for regional security and Great Power competition.

Ahmed Obali, founder of Gunaz TV and human rights activist for the Iranian Azerbaijani people, joins Mike and Marshall to discuss the on-going protests in Iran. The death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini on September 16 provoked unprecedented protests and riots against the Islamic Republic. Obali offers his insights on the current demonstrations, on the ethnic divisions that might lead to the Islamic Republic's demise, and the implications for the United States. Obali discusses the risks of easing the sanctions placed on the Islamic Republic at a time when the Biden administration lacks a comprehensive Iran strategy.

Australian Shadow Defense Minister and Member of Parliament, The Hon. Andrew Hastie, joins Mike to about the West's strategy toward China as well as the importance of the US-Australia alliance. Chinese leader Xi Jinping clearly seeks to dethrone the United States as the leader of the international order, he does not hesitate to threaten Australia in pursuit of that goal. Hastie offers his views on China's ambitions, its intimidation tactics, and how the West should respond.

Michael Doran hosts Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow, Michael Roberts, to investigate the place of the United States in the global commercial maritime industry. Not only does China dominate the production of ships, but also largely controls shipping operations around the world. Doran and Roberts discuss the roots of the imbalance, its significance for American national security and the economic health of the United States, and the kinds of policies that will redress it.

This week's episode features audio from a public event hosted at Hudson Institute where Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead and Senior Fellow Michael Doran discussed Mead's new book on the history of U.S.-Israel relations, "The Arc of a Covenant." Mead and Doran discussed, among other things, the themes of the book, the current trajectory of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the future of U.S. grand strategy globally.

On June 20, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced their intention to dissolve the Knesset, teeing up the fifth round of elections in four years and setting the state on a course for the formation of a new government. Until the elections, Yair Lapid will serve as Interim Prime Minister while parties attempt to cobble together another governing coalition, including, perhaps, one that sees former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reclaim his former post. Jonathan Schachter, a Senior Fellow with Hudson Institute's Peace and Security in the Middle East and a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, joins Mike to discuss what to expect from the upcoming elections, how Israeli foreign policy, especially with respect to Iran, might change, and the significance of President Joe Biden's impending trip to Saudi Arabia.

This week, Amos Hochstein, the Senior Advisor for Energy Security in President Biden's State Department, travelled to Lebanon where he attempted to broker an agreement between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime boundary. If successful, Hochstein's mediation will potentially allow Lebanon and Israel to exploit the offshore gas fields in currently disputed waters. Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the most insightful Lebanon analysts in America, is a sharp critic of Hochstein's initiative, which he sees as the latest iteration of a bipartisan American strategic mistake. Tony joins Marshall and Mike to explain his thinking.

Host Marshall Kosloff is joined by Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson's new China Center, Miles Yu, and Distinguished Fellow, Ken Weinstein to react to the Biden administration's new China strategy and refreshed comments claiming the US would defend Taiwan. China will use all means necessary to gain and maintain regional power, but what is on the table for the US response, and what should be? Yu and Weinstein analyze what the Biden administration's recent comments mean for our relationship with the CCP, and how Xi Jinping is really looking at Taiwan in light of lessons learned in Ukraine and values established from a long line of communist dogma.

Svante Cornell joins the Counterbalance hosts to discuss the recent unrest in Kazakhstan and to argue that it's in the best interest of the U.S. to engage with countries of Central Asia and the Caspian regions. If we are now in an era of competition with Russia and China, we should care about the interests of the countries sandwhiched between these two powers. Too few people look at this region as the economic and security asset that it could be. In light of the war in Ukraine, now might be the time to shift our eyes to new partnerships in Central Asia.

With the world still reeling from the fall of Afghanistan and the invasion of Ukraine, Host Marshall Kosloff talks with Hudson Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs to evaluate the state of American grand strategy. Moscow is acting. Europe is responding. Beijing is watching. But, is the United States leading? Heinrichs explains how the two monumental events are in fact closely linked, and together paint a worrying picture of American commitment to allies and security agreements in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression.

Hosts Marshall Kosloff and Mike Doran are joined by Visiting Fellow, Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, to evaluate how the U.S. strategy has evolved (or devolved) in the Middle East. Malign actors have been on the rise from Russia's involvement in Syria to a resurgent Iranian Regime empowered by the prospect of a new nuclear agreement with the Biden administration. Alyahya explains why U.S. engagement and cooperation with partners like Saudi Arabia and Israel are crucial to establishing order in the divisive region.

Host Marshall Kosloff talks with Hudson Institute Research Fellow, James Barnett, about his recent trip to western & southern Ukraine to discover what life in embattled Ukraine is like amidst the ongoing Russian invasion. Barnett's dispatches from his stay in the country reveal that morale remains high among Ukrainians, and that (contrary to Putin's desire) the war is becoming a nation-defining moment for the Ukrainian people as they unite against the oppressive and brutal actions of their neighbor.

The Counterbalance Podcast returns with hosts Marshall Kosloff and Mike Doran assessing the state of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with Iran in the Middle East. Primarily, Doran dismantles the politically trendy idea that the U.S. doesn't need explicitly military tools to deter global threats anymore. This modern philosophy of deterrence centered around economics and "moral suasion" dominates the Biden administrations foreign policy, but at what cost? Doran argues that we are doomed to think that we will deter Putin from war by embarrassing him. Instead, a more traditional approach of military deterrence paired with strategic ambiguity could have possibly spared us the current war in Europe.

Host Marshall Kosloff talks with Erich Schwartzel, author of a new book titled "Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy." The Chinese film industry has risen to become a lucrative market, but Communist Party control and censorship has Hollywood movie-makers caught between big payouts and blatant infringement on free speech. Schwartzel explains how this tension plays out with your favorite movies, and what American legislators should do to push back on China's attempts to control the Hollywood culture machine.

Estonian Foreign Minister, Eva-Maria Liimets, visited Hudson Institute last week to meet with experts in the midst of the crisis developing with Ukraine and Russia, and sat with host Mike Doran to discuss how the conflict is seen through the eyes of the neighboring Baltic states.

Hudson Senior Fellow, Bryan Clark, joined Marshall and Mike to analyze the military developments surrounding Ukraine. Bryan explains why Putin's Ukraine strategy is an effective example of "decision-centric warfare" and what the U.S. can learn from the Russian military's reformed structure. The episode also examines what the conflict could mean for China-Taiwan tensions, and how the U.S. military needs to adapt to the new-age reality that it could be trading paint with near-peer competitors like Russia & Ukraine on multiple fronts.

Russia is on the doorstep of Ukraine and testing the Transatlantic Alliance more than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Counterbalance returns in 2022 with host Mike Doran explaining in depth why he believes Azerbaijan can help the United States meet the twin imperatives of respecting an electorate that has grown weary of far-flung military adventures and of meeting the responsibilities of global leadership. Thanks to its capable military, abundant energy resources, and nimble diplomacy, Azerbaijan, in return only for diplomatic support, could help the United States perform the hard work on the ground of containing Russia.

Mike talks with Hudson Institute's Rob Greenway to provide a regional diagnosis of the Middle East. Greenway demonstrates how important American leadership in the region is to building partnerships & managing a mixed bag of local interests. The pair show why the embattled region will remain a centerpiece of American interests & resources whether we like it or not. Even in the midst of a global shift of focus to East Asia, emboldened malign actors can (and will) continue to disrupt the Middle East, a region still very much at the center of the global energy & communication markets. Finally, they address how the U.S. can and should influence the region in a global context.