Podcast appearances and mentions of michael desch

This week, we have a live recording of one of our JQAS summer conference sessions - "Redteaming Restraint with Dr. Eugene Gholz and Dr. Michael Desch". In it, John Allen Gay and our conference participants asked some of the most challenging questions they had about restraint in U.S. foreign policy and Dr. Gholz and Dr. Desch answered them. Note: This is our first live recording, so there are a few audio issues. Additionally, to preserve the anonymity of conference participants and their questions, we're dubbing their question with Patrick's voice but trying to ask the question verbatim. Dr. Michael C. Desch is Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of the Notre Dame International Security Center. Dr. Eugene Gholz is an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. He co-wrote a well-known International Security article that coined the term “restraint” as a proposed grand strategy for the United States. From 2010-2012, he served in the Pentagon as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy.

In this episode of "Outside the Box, "hosts Michael Desch and Jim Webb are joined by guest Doug Bandow to discuss the parallels between today's conflict in Ukraine and the tumultuous year of 1968. The discussion unpacks President Biden's strategies in Ukraine, highlighting a lack of clear victory definition and the echoes of past U.S. foreign policy dilemmas. The panel explores how historical lessons apply to current geopolitical challenges, the initial moralizing of the conflict, and the broader implications of prolonged military engagements without clear objectives. Tune in to this episode as the trio navigates through the intricate mix of history and policy, prompting a deep reflection on America's role on the global stage and the possible paths forward in the Ukraine conflict. Visit NDISC: www.ndisc.nd.edu

In this episode of the Outside the Box podcast, host Dr. Michael Desch is joined by guests Dr. John Mearsheimer and Dr. Stephen Walt to discuss the taboo surrounding the Israel lobby. They highlight the historical backdrop of anti-Semitism in the West, conspiracy theories, and the tragic events of the Holocaust that make it challenging to discuss the lobby without triggering accusations of anti-Semitism. The guests also acknowledge that the lobby itself has used accusations of anti-Semitism to marginalize and silence critics. Overall, this episode delves into the intricate dynamics of interest group politics and criticizes not only the lobby but also Israel and the U.S.-Israeli relationship. Visit NDISC: www.ndisc.nd.edu

On this edition of the Parallax, we go over the life and career of controversial diplomat Henry Kissinger, who passed away at the age of 100 on November 29th, 2023. Although hailed by many in the U.S. Establishment as one of the most important minds in international relations and diplomacy through the 20th century, many on the Left (and even, as we shall see, some on the Right) take a more critical view of Kissinger. Namely, many left-wing activist and commentators, including, most famously, the late Christopher Hitchens, have argued Kissinger was a war criminal. In the first segment of the show, Michael C. Desch, Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre and founding director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, discusses Kissinger from an realist perspective. Kissinger, as anyone familiar with him will know, is often considered one of the prememinet realist school of international relations figures of the 20th century. Desch, however, argues otherwise making the case that Kissinger was only an "occassional realist". In this conversation we delve into what realism is, the rift between Kissinger and his realist mentor Hans Morgenthau over Vietnam, why Desch thinks realist's should look towards Morgenthau more than Kissinger for foreign policy realism, the accusation that realism is social darwinism applied to nation-states, conservatism and realist thought, a realist perspective on the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende, the conflict between big L Liberalism and realism, the Thucydides quote "the strong do what they cand and the weak suffer what they must", balance of powers and realism as a theory of peace rather than war, and much, much more.  In the second segment, journalist Tim Shorrock, Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing, returns to discuss Henry Kissinger and his bloodstained legacy in international relations and foreign policy from an anti-imperialist perspective, Tim offers a scathing critique of Kissinger's life and career from Kissinger's involvement in Vietnam, the bombing of Cambodia, the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende, the East Timor massacre, and more. We'll also delve into Kissinger and President Richard Nixon opening up the U.S.-China relationship in the 1970s, which many assess as one of the more positive moments in Kissinger's career. We also delve into why Kissinger is so well-regarded in the U.S. Establishment. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views.

In this episode of "Outside the Box," co-hosts Dr. Michael Desch and Sen. Jim Webb welcome Christopher Layne to discuss his recent co-authored article "Why Are We in Ukraine?" published in "Harper's Magazine" in June 2023. Christopher Layne is University Distinguished Professor of International Affairs and the Robert M. Gates Chair in National Security at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. His fields of interest are international relations theory, great power politics, U.S. foreign policy, and grand strategy. Read Chris Layne's and Ben Schwarz' piece in "Harper's Magazine": https://harpers.org/archive/2023/06/why-are-we-in-ukraine/ Visit the Notre Dame International Security Center: https://ndisc.nd.edu/

Released 6 April 2022. This podcast is based on a compendium that resulted from a conference on “Military Operations in an Urban Environment” cosponsored by the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce in conjunction with the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs, the U.S. Army War College, and the Association of the United States Army. At the time of the conference, the concept of homeland defense was emerging as an increasingly important mission for the U.S. military. Click here to read the compendium. Episode Transcript: Soldiers In Cities  Stephanie Crider (Host) Decisive Point introduces Conversations on Strategy, a US Army War College Press production featuring distinguished authors and contributors who explore timely issues in national security affairs. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the podcast guests and are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government. The guests in speaking order on this episode are: (Guest 1: Michael C. Desch) (Host) Conversations on Strategy welcomes Dr. Michael Desch, editor of Soldiers in Cities: Military Operations on Urban Terrain, published by the US Army War College in 2001. A graduate of Marquette University, he holds master's and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago. I'm so glad you're here, Michael. Thank you so much for taking time to go through this with me today. (Desch) My pleasure. (Host) Military Operations on Urban Terrain: Please briefly walk us through the basic concepts of this monograph. (Desch) Military operations in cities is not a new topic. But the period of time in which we put together this collection of papers saw a renaissance of interest in the topic. It really was connected with a series of high-profile, urban operations that sort of reminded us all that operating in urban areas presented great challenges—challenges much greater and unique to those of military operations on other sorts of terrain. You know, the big thing on the American side, of course, was the famous Battle of the Bakaara marketplace (Battle of Mogadishu), chronicled in Mark Bowden's book Black Hawk Down: (A Story of Modern War). But there was also the First Battle of Grozny, in which the Russian military tried to suppress the Chechen uprising and felt that they had to do so, in part, by assaulting the capital of Chechnya, Grozny. Neither of these operations was pretty. And neither of them, I think it's safe to say, was fully satisfactory to the respective militaries involved. And so military operations on urban terrain became a hot topic. There was a lot of doctrinal attention to it. But also, at least in the United States, there was an effort to build or improve the infrastructure for (military operations on urban terrain or) MOUT training at various Army combat training centers and other Army facilities. I was at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington, Kentucky, at the time, and one of the US Army facilities that was investing in a significant upgrade of its MOUT training facilities was the (US Army) Armor School at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Why Kentucky and why MOUT? That was the reason that we undertook this study. (Host) Let's talk about military operations on urban terrain today. What did the monograph get right? (Desch) Well, military operations on urban terrain have been a pretty much consistent part of military operations in recent conflicts. So, most famous, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, were the operations in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Today, we're seeing military operations in conjunction with the Russian special military operation in eastern Ukraine. And the Russian case is interesting both for instances in which the battle is taking place in urban areas, particularly in the southeast, in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, but also where, at least so far, they're not being undertaken,

The End of the Pax Americana?The changing role of the U.S. in global affairs and its impact on world peace and stability, with https://www.newyorkencounter.org/andrew-bacevich (Andrew Bacevich), Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History, Boston University, and https://www.newyorkencounter.org/michael-c-desch (Michael Desch), Founding Director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, moderated by https://www.newyorkencounter.org/paolo-carozza (Paolo Carozza), Professor of Law and Director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the University of Notre DameSince World War II, the U.S. has played a key role in the global defense of freedom, stability, and peace. Several events in the past few years indicate that this role is rapidly changing. Getting to the real truth of things is more necessary than ever, especially in light of convenient falsehoods that have been sometimes used in the past to bolster support for misguided foreign policies. Are we at the end of the Pax Americana? What is the status of U.S. foreign policy, its priorities, and future direction? How can American families' everyday lives be affected by these changes? These are some questions that will be addressed during the event.

Does the recent formation of security alliance AUKUS really herald peace and stability in Asia, as declared by leaders of the U.S., UK and Australia? Our host Liu Kun is joined by Michael Desch, Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame; Klaus Larres, Professor of History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Xu Qinduo, Political Analyst and Senior Fellow with Pangoal Institution.

The Fall of Afghanistan: What Does it Mean for America and the World? A virtual flash panel discussion on the fall of Afghanistan featuring Michael Desch, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Dina Smeltz, and Eugene Gholz. Recorded: August 24, 2021

Biden has made it his mission to reinvigorate America's alliances to compete with China. How should China respond? Host Zhao Ying is joined by Michael Desch, Director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, Xia Yafeng, Professor of History at Long Island University, Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics and American Studies at Birmingham University, and Professor Zha Daojiong from School of International Studies, Peking University.

Paul and Michael Desch of Notre Dame debate Christian Ethics and Foreign Policy.

David Priess sat down with Michael Desch, Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and the director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, to discuss Michael's new book, "Cult of the Irrelevant: The Waning Influence of Social Science on National Security." They discussed the different roles of social science in the policymaking process and the value of academic scholarship for policymakers. They also talked about the history of the relationship between the national security community and academia and about how to bridge the gap between these two worlds.

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more can be done? Notre Dame's Michael Desch, founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, and George Washington's Henry Farrell, an editor and writer at the "Washington Post"-affiliated "Monkey Cage" blog, engage in a thoughtful and spirited debate on the relevance of political science today.

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more can be done? Notre Dame's Michael Desch, founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, and George Washington's Henry Farrell, an editor and writer at the "Washington Post"-affiliated "Monkey Cage" blog, engage in a thoughtful debate on the relevance of political science. 

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more can be done? Notre Dame's Michael Desch, founding director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, and George Washington's Henry Farrell, an editor and writer at the "Washington Post"-affiliated "Monkey Cage" blog, engage in a thoughtful debate on the relevance of political science. 

To mobilize America’s intellectual resources to meet the security challenges of the post–9/11 world, US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates observed that “we must again embrace eggheads and ideas.” But the gap between national security policymakers and international relations scholars has become a chasm. In Cult of the Irrelevant:...

To mobilize America’s intellectual resources to meet the security challenges of the post–9/11 world, US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates observed that “we must again embrace eggheads and ideas.” But the gap between national security policymakers and international relations scholars has become a chasm. In Cult of the Irrelevant: The Waning Influence of Social Science on National Security (Princeton University Press, 2019), Michael Desch traces the history of the relationship between the Beltway and the Ivory Tower from World War I to the present day. Recounting key Golden Age academic strategists such as Thomas Schelling and Walt Rostow, Desch’s narrative shows that social science research became most oriented toward practical problem-solving during times of war and that scholars returned to less relevant work during peacetime. Social science disciplines like political science rewarded work that was methodologically sophisticated over scholarship that engaged with the messy realities of national security policy, and academic culture increasingly turned away from the job of solving real-world problems In the name of scientific objectivity, academics today frequently engage only in basic research that they hope will somehow trickle down to policymakers. Drawing on the lessons of this history as well as a unique survey of current and former national security policymakers, Desch offers concrete recommendations for scholars who want to shape government work. The result is a rich intellectual history and an essential wake-up call to a field that has lost its way. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mobilize America’s intellectual resources to meet the security challenges of the post–9/11 world, US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates observed that “we must again embrace eggheads and ideas.” But the gap between national security policymakers and international relations scholars has become a chasm. In Cult of the Irrelevant: The Waning Influence of Social Science on National Security (Princeton University Press, 2019), Michael Desch traces the history of the relationship between the Beltway and the Ivory Tower from World War I to the present day. Recounting key Golden Age academic strategists such as Thomas Schelling and Walt Rostow, Desch’s narrative shows that social science research became most oriented toward practical problem-solving during times of war and that scholars returned to less relevant work during peacetime. Social science disciplines like political science rewarded work that was methodologically sophisticated over scholarship that engaged with the messy realities of national security policy, and academic culture increasingly turned away from the job of solving real-world problems In the name of scientific objectivity, academics today frequently engage only in basic research that they hope will somehow trickle down to policymakers. Drawing on the lessons of this history as well as a unique survey of current and former national security policymakers, Desch offers concrete recommendations for scholars who want to shape government work. The result is a rich intellectual history and an essential wake-up call to a field that has lost its way. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mobilize America’s intellectual resources to meet the security challenges of the post–9/11 world, US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates observed that “we must again embrace eggheads and ideas.” But the gap between national security policymakers and international relations scholars has become a chasm. In Cult of the Irrelevant: The Waning Influence of Social Science on National Security (Princeton University Press, 2019), Michael Desch traces the history of the relationship between the Beltway and the Ivory Tower from World War I to the present day. Recounting key Golden Age academic strategists such as Thomas Schelling and Walt Rostow, Desch’s narrative shows that social science research became most oriented toward practical problem-solving during times of war and that scholars returned to less relevant work during peacetime. Social science disciplines like political science rewarded work that was methodologically sophisticated over scholarship that engaged with the messy realities of national security policy, and academic culture increasingly turned away from the job of solving real-world problems In the name of scientific objectivity, academics today frequently engage only in basic research that they hope will somehow trickle down to policymakers. Drawing on the lessons of this history as well as a unique survey of current and former national security policymakers, Desch offers concrete recommendations for scholars who want to shape government work. The result is a rich intellectual history and an essential wake-up call to a field that has lost its way. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Gallagher discusses The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, with Michael Desch, Director of the National Security Center at Notre Dame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Townhall Review – July 14, 2018 Hugh Hewitt is joined by Leonard Leo, head of the Federalist Society, to look at the confirmation process for the newly-nominated U. S. Supreme Court Justice. Mike Gallagher turns to Wendy Long to examine the vicious partisanship expected during the confirmation process. CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins Hugh Hewitt with his analysis of the nominee and the confirmation. Michael Medved speaks with economist Stephen Moore about the latest jobs report. Larry Elder’s guest, Walter Williams, author, columnist, and economics professor at George Mason University, explains why parenting is the number one problem facing education in our African-American urban areas. Mike Gallagher discusses NATO with Michael Desch, Director of the National Security Center at Notre Dame. Dennis Prager asks some questions about the growing “rudeness” phenomenon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 - 13 - 18 An interview with Garret Martin, Daniel Kelemen, Michael Desch on the SiriusXM Business Radio Powered by The Wharton School.

An in-depth interview of the Notre Dame International Security Center director, Michael Desch, by Beth Grisoli.