Podcast appearances and mentions of richard fontaine

In this episode of Current Account, Clay is joined by Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, to discuss U.S. foreign policy as President Trump wraps up his first official foreign visit this term. Clay and Richard begin with takeaways from President Trump's trip to the Middle East, what the White House may be thinking in relation to Iran and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), where things stand between the U.S. and China outside the realm of tariffs, how the President and his cabinet are approaching the recent and ongoing conflicts between Israel and Gaza, Russia and Ukraine, and India and Pakistan, what the reaction of the United States's major trade partners has been to its foreign policy approach and much more. This IIF Podcast was hosted by Clay Lowery, Executive Vice President, Research and Policy, with production and research contributions from Christian Klein, Digital Graphics and Production Associate and Miranda Silverman, Senior Program Assistant.

Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and co-author of No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy, joins the show to discuss Beijing-Moscow cooperation and the prospects of the U.S. driving a wedge between them. ▪️ Times      •      02:05 Introduction     •      02:21 Sino-Soviet split      •     06:20 Spheres of influence      •      09:17 Domination       •     13:20 Stabilizing effect        •      22:15 Xi & Putin      •      28:19 Pacific expansion         •      35:20 More resources       •      41:06 America in, Russians out, Germans down Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

To kick off 2025, Kelly talks with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for New American Security, about his new report with the Council on Foreign Relations: No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy.  Richard is the chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security. Prior to CNAS, Richard was a foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and served in the State Department and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also served as associate director for Near Eastern affairs at the National Security Council and worked on Southeast Asian issues in the NSC's Asian Affairs directorate. In 2024, Richard co-authored the Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power, with Ambassador Robert Blackwill. Please find the book in our show notes, as well as a link to Robert and Richard's recent report. CFR | No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy: https://www.cfr.org/report/no-limits-china-russia-relationship-and-us-foreign-policy  The Lost Decade: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Decade-Pivot-Chinese-Power/dp/0197677940 The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on January 10, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown  

The relationship between Russia and the People's Republic of China continues to dominate headlines, news stories, and conversations in the American foreign policy community. Analysts continue to discuss the quality and depth of the relationship, how it's perceived around the world, and what, if anything, the United States can do about it. The CFR China Strategy Initiative is pleased to invite members to the inaugural meeting of its China 360 program: a two-part event on China-Russia Relations. Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine, in a keynote session, discuss their new Council Special Report, No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy. Following their insights, CFR experts discuss the view and implications of Beijing and Moscow's relationship for the rest of the world.

Free Expression's final episode of 2024 features some of Wall Street Journal editor at large Gerry Baker's best interviews of the year, including conversations with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Trump National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, Republican Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise and Richard Fontaine and Robert Blackwill, foreign policy commentators and co-authors of “Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we continue to assess the threat FROM Iran and the threat TO Iran, we sat down today with two analysts and former national security officials with different perspectives on what we've learned so far and next steps.Richard Fontaine is CEO of the Center for American Security. He was formerly the top foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain, deputy staff director on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and an official of the U.S. State Department and National Security Council. He currently serves as a member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.Rich Goldberg is a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. From 2019-2020, he served as a Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction for the White House National Security Council. He previously served as a national security staffer in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Rich is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve with military experience on the Joint Staff and in Afghanistan. 

As we continue to assess the threat FROM Iran and the threat TO Iran, we sat down today with two analysts and former national security officials with different perspectives on what we've learned so far and next steps. Richard Fontaine is CEO of the Center for American Security. He was formerly the top foreign policy […]

Frank Lavin talks with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for New American Security, to discuss why the U.S. should shift from a Europe-oriented foreign policy to an Asia-oriented one. We review recent developments in U.S.-Asia policy in a discussion of Richard's book, “The Lost Decade,” written with Robert Blackwill. Richard also recommends David Fromkin's, “A Peace to End All Peace,” a look at the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, with implications for the Mideast of today.

From November 1, 2022: In recent weeks, the Biden administration has released a trio of long-awaited strategy documents, including the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Nuclear Posture Review. But how should we read these documents, and what do they actually tell us about how the Biden administration intends to approach the world?To answer these questions, Lawfare senior editor Scott R. Anderson sat down with Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security, who is himself also a former National Security Council official and senior congressional adviser. They discussed the role these strategy documents play in U.S. foreign policy, what we can learn from them, and what they say about the state of the world and the United States' role in it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Mike and Jude are joined by joined by Robert D. Blackwill, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Richard Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). They discuss their new book Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power (June 2024, Oxford University Press).

Richard Fontaine is the CEO of the foreign policy think tank The Center for New American Security. Richard is also the co-author with Ambassador Blackwill of a new book entitled Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power. I want to find out from Richard about how to contain Chinese economic and military power. I also want to hear about the trouble China is causing with international organizations and what we can do about it.  Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe

Retired Ambassador Bob Blackwill and Richard Fontaine talk to Jim and Ray about how America failed to complete its "pivot to Asia" during the past decade and across successive administrations. The authors of the recent bestseller, 'The Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power', argue that America's much-celebrated geostrategic rebalance has never fully materialized, resulting in a weaker US position in the face of a rapid rise in Chinese power and aggression. They emphasize the increasing importance of the Indo-Pacific, the area of greatest geopolitical competition and compounding threats to the global order. They call for a belated but properly executed pivot that includes economic, military and diplomatic components. The conversation also touches on the challenges of getting the American people and political class behind a pivot to Asia, the need for increased defense spending and the importance of deterrence in dealing with China.

This event is organised by MEI Political Economy Cluster in collaboration with S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).   Lost Decade is an essential guide for understanding the historic shift to Asia-centric geopolitics and its implications for the United States' present and future. Across the political spectrum, there is wide agreement that Asia should stand at the center of U.S. foreign policy. But this worldview, first represented in the Barack Obama administration's 2011 “Pivot to Asia,” marks a dramatic departure from the entire history of American grand strategy. More than a decade on, we now have the perspective to evaluate it in depth. In Lost Decade, Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine—two eminent figures in American foreign policy—take this long view. They conclude that while the Pivot's strategic logic is strong, there are few successes to speak of, and that we need a far more coherent approach to the Indo-Pacific region. They examine the Pivot through various lenses: situating it historically in the context of U.S. global foreign policy, revealing the inside story of how it came about, assessing the effort thus far, identifying the ramifications in other regions (namely Europe and the Middle East), and proposing a path forward. The authors stress that the United States has far less margin for foreign policy error today than a decade ago. As the international order becomes more unstable, Blackwill and Fontaine argue that it is imperative that policymakers fully understand what the Pivot to Asia aimed to achieve—and where it fell short—in order to muster the resources, alliances, and resolve to preserve an open order in Asia and the world. Crafting an effective policy for the region, they contend, is crucial for preserving American security, prosperity, and democratic values.

Robert D. Blackwill, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at CFR, and Richard Fontaine, the chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the U.S. response to the rise of China.     Enter the CFR book giveaway by July 8, 2024, for the chance to win one of ten free copies of Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power by Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine. You can read the terms and conditions of the offer here.    Mentioned on the Episode    Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine, Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power   Hillary Clinton, “America's Pacific Century,” Foreign Policy   Philip Zelikow, “Confronting Another Axis? History, Humility, and Wishful Thinking,” Texas National Security Review For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/us-pivot-asia-robert-d-blackwill-and-richard-fontaine 

Marshall Kosloff talks with Ambassador Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine about their new book, "Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power."

Eric welcomes Eliot back from scenic Lake Champlain where Eliot communed with the spirit of Benedict Arnold. They host Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security and Ambassador (ret.) Robert Blackwill, the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss Fontaine and Blackwell's new book Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power (New York: Oxford University Press, 2024). They review the origins and history of "The Pivot" to Asia during the Obama Administration, the reasons that this rebalancing of U.S. power and policy to the East was not implemented, the various efforts to do so subsequently and the reasons that they too did not succeed, the trade-offs among U.S. responsibilities for security in Europe and the Middle East and re-orienting to the Indo-Pacific, the need for a substantial increase in defense spending, the lack of a real trade policy for East Asia, the balance between diplomacy and deterrence and whether or not productive diplomacy with an autocratic regime and leader like Xi Jinping is even possible. https://a.co/d/3VvFaeh Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

On this episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Strategy Series, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Amb. Bob Blackwill, a retired American diplomat and former ambassador to India who is now the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Richard Fontaine, the president and CEO of the Center for a New American Security discuss their new book — Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power — that dissects the Obama administration's Asia Pivot that wasn't and the gains that China has made over the past decade as a case for a more holistic US grand strategy toward Beijing and the world with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Robert Blackwill & Richard Fontaine, authors of Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power, join the show to talk about America's failed pivot to Asia and why they think it still needs to happen. ▪️ Times      •      01:59 Introduction      •      03:10 Was the pivot serious?     •      07:40 Absent compulsion     •      13:25 War in Europe?     •      22:46 Changes to the plan       •      28:28 A bigger budget      •      32:23 Domestic resistance to TPP         •      38:25 The ultimate goal         •      44:36 Why not regime change in China?     •      51:08 Henry Kissinger Follow along  on Instagram Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack Follow the link to buy the book - Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power

On this episode of Reaganism, Reagan Institute Director Roger Zakheim sits down with Ambassador Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine. They are the co-authors of the new book, “Lost Decade: The US Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power.” Roger, Robert, and Richard discuss the themes of the book, including if it is correct to characterize the pivot as a failure, the future of America in Asia, the military balance in the Indo-Pacific, and more.

There is wide bipartisan agreement that Asia belongs at the center of U.S. foreign policy. What has been achieved since the Obama administration announced its “Pivot to Asia” in 2011?  Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine argue in Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power that although the pivot made strategic sense, there have been few successes; furthermore, we need a far more coherent approach to the Indo-Pacific region.  The authors stress that American policymakers must fully understand what the pivot to Asia aimed to achieve – and where it fell short – to gather the resources and forge the alliances and resolve necessary to preserve an open order in Asia and the world. Crafting an effective policy for the region is critical to preserving American security, prosperity, and democratic values. In an interview conducted on May 14, 2024, Ambassador Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine discuss the recent shift to Asia-centric geopolitics and its implications for America's present and future. About the speakers Follow Richard Fontaine on X: @RHFontaine Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr).

The emergence of communist China may be the biggest threat to U.S. global supremacy in the nation's history. Policymakers have known that for a decade or longer and yet have failed to adequately prepare the U.S. to meet that challenge. So what can the next President learn from the mistakes of the past and begin to remedy them? On this episode of the Free Expression podcast, foreign policy experts and co-authors of a new book, “Lost Decade: The Pivot to Asia and the Rise of a Powerful China,” Richard Fontaine and Robert Blackwill examine how successive administrations have left us in a perilous position and offer ideas on how to strengthen it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: This episode was recorded during NSC's Securing our Future conference on 9 April 2024. How can deterrence and diplomacy be integrated to preserve peace, stability, and the conditions for prosperity in the Indo Pacific? Is development assistance a tool of strategic competition, or is it a tool for deterrence? What does effective deterrence look like for Australia and its allies in the Indo-Pacific? In this episode, Richard Maude, Greg Moriarty, Huong Le Thu, and Richard Fontaine join Rory Medcalf to discuss the integration of deterrence and diplomacy in the practice of statecraft in the Indo-Pacific. Richard Maude is Executive Director of Asia Society Australia. Greg Moriarty is Secretary of the Department of Defence. Dr Huong Le Thu is Asia Deputy Director for the International Crisis Group. Richard Fontaine is Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security. Professor Rory Medcalf AM is Head of the ANU National Security College. Show notes: Full version with Q&A – Indo-Pacific statecraft: deterrence and diplomacy 2024 National Defence Strategy We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Years before anyone else in DC was concerned about the threat of Vladimir Putin and an aggressive Russia, one Senator was sounding the alarms: The late Senator John McCain. Richard Fontaine from the Center for a New American Security and McCain's former national security advisor breaks down the late Senator's warning and the US' crucial role on the world stage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a near consensus today that U.S. foreign policy has entered a new era. But how to define and navigate this new era is much less clear.  Richard Fontaine, the CEO of the Center for a New American Security, has held senior positions across the U.S. government—in the Senate, at the State Department and National Security Council, and as an adviser to John McCain, the Republican senator and presidential candidate. There are few people who can offer as informed and comprehensive a view of U.S. foreign policy, especially at a moment when the United States is rethinking its own strategic objectives and sometimes struggling to find new ways of pursuing them. We discuss the objectives behind the United States' China policy, democratic backsliding in India, and a potential Republican foreign policy platform.  Sources: “Election Interference Demands a Collective Defense” by Richard Fontaine “The Myth of Neutrality” by Richard Fontaine  “Washington's Missing China Strategy” by Richard Fontaine “The Case Against Foreign Policy Solutionism” by Richard Fontaine   If you have feedback, email us at podcast@foreignaffairs.com.    The Foreign Affairs Interview is produced by Kate Brannen, Julia Fleming-Dresser, and Molly McAnany; original music by Robin Hilton. Special thanks to Grace Finlayson, Nora Revenaugh, Caitlin Joseph, Asher Ross, Gabrielle Sierra, and Markus Zakaria. 

Last weekend, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, launched a rebellion, coup or putsch against Moscow. It’s still hard to discern what it was. As of now, It seems Prigozhin has halted the Wagner operation. The situation is fluid, and we aren't going to leap to conclusions on this podcast. But our […]

Last weekend, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, launched a rebellion, coup or putsch against Moscow. It's still hard to discern what it was. As of now, It seems Prigozhin has halted the Wagner operation. The situation is fluid, and we aren't going to leap to conclusions on this podcast. But our guest today, Richard Fontaine, told me he is skeptical that these events so far reflect real cracks in President Putin's rule. So I asked Richard to hop on our podcast to unpack where he think events are headed. Richard is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), bi-partisan foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He serves on the Biden administration's Defense Policy Board – which advises the Pentagon.

In this episode Garrison speaks with Rory Truex of Princeton about China's domestic politics, the political nature of Xi Jinping, the domestic perceptions of the CCP, the threat of a Taiwan invasion, and the appropriate response from U.S. policy makers in this new Great Power era. Rory Truex is an Assistant Professor in Princeton's Department of Politics and Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. His research focuses on Chinese politics and theories of authoritarian rule. His book Making Autocracy Work: Representation and Responsiveness in Modern China investigates the nature of representation in authoritarian systems, specifically the politics surrounding China's National People's Congress (NPC). He argues that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engineering a system of “representation within bounds” in the NPC, fostering information revelation but silencing political activism. Original data on deputy backgrounds and behaviors is used to explore the nature of representation, policymaking, and incentives in this constrained system. He is currently working on a new set of projects on repression, human rights, and dissent in contemporary China. His research has been published in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Comparative Political Studies, China Quarterly, among other journals. You can watch Rory Truex's "Talks at Google" lecture from 2018: here. More information on his publications and research can be found: here. Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast; he earned a M.S. of International Relations, as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) at Liberty University in the United States. He has had the privilege of interviewing some of the leading policymakers, thinkers, and experts of our time, including Robert B. Zoellick, Elbridge Colby, Richard Fontaine, Andrew Roberts, Ivan Briscoe, Vishnu Prakash, Rajiv Bhatia, Aparne Pande, Mohammed Soliman, Rory Truex and others. Guest opinions are their own. Originally recorded March 15th, 2023.

In this special episode, Justin Bassi speaks with Richard Fontaine and Lisa Curtis from the Center for a New American Security, and Alessio Patalano from King's College London, about the strategic imperatives and future challenges of AUKUS. With the AUKUS optimal submarine pathway now unveiled, there are big plans, big promises, and a lot of work to do. Why do we need AUKUS? How do we improve information-sharing while reducing barriers to technology cooperation? How do we integrate our defence industries which are more accustomed to competing than cooperating? What are the opportunities for additional partners, including the Quad? And how is all this being explained to the public? To dissect these questions and more, ASPI has been holding a trilateral AUKUS dialogue in Washington DC with CNAS and KCL's Centre for Grand Strategy. Guests (in order of appearance): Justin Bassi, executive director of ASPI - https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi; Richard Fontaine, CEO, CNAS - https://www.cnas.org/people/richard-fontaine; Lisa Curtis, Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program - https://www.cnas.org/people/lisa-curtis; Alessio Patalano, Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia, KCL - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-alessio-patalano Rodeo Drive by Eazy, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

On the topic of geopolitics, international flashpoints and the state of the war, a surprisingly optimistic Richard Fontaine returns to our podcast. Richard is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bi-partisan foriegn policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John […]

On the topic of geopolitics, international flashpoints and the state of the war, a surprisingly optimistic Richard Fontaine returns to our podcast. Richard is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bi-partisan foriegn policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He serves on the Biden administration's Defense Policy Board – which advises the Pentagon. Richard's oped discussed in this episode: https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/of-strategy-and-schnitzel-munich-security-conference-2023/

On this latest episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Strategy Series, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Richard Fontaine, the president and CEO of the Center for a New American Security, discusses key takeaways from the Munich Security Conference, whether allies are committed to Ukraine's victory or enough support for a negotiated settlement, how a Russian victory in Ukraine could encourage China to miscalculate over Taiwan, analyzing the alliance's incremental approach to furnishing Ukraine with steadily more capable weapons, the message President Biden's unprecedented trip to Kyiv sends to friends and enemies alike, the right long-term strategy toward Russia, Vladimir Putin's decision to suspend the New START treaty, whether the United States is sharpening its nuclear-mindedness as quickly as necessary given Russia, Chinese and North Korean atomic weapons programs, lessons from the Ukraine war that can better deter China in Asia. how Washington should respond if Beijing begins to overtly supply Moscow with weapons, deterring an united China and Russia, what a sound US long-term strategy toward China looks like, balancing a foreign policy with human rights at its core with the necessity for realpolitik, former President Carter's legacy, adjusting US security policy and capabilities as new technologies disrupt societies and warfighting alike, examples good and bad strategy, and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

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 those in charge of the nation's security to pick and stick to the most important national security priorities? How should the United States determine where scarce resources are allocated? If China is the nation's main challenge, can the United States continue to expend resources at the current rate in Ukraine? Chris is concerned about people who are hoping a new civil war starts in Afghanistan, Zack is dismayed at those insisting that the United States openly side with those in China protesting the government's lockdown and other policies, and Melanie has an attaboy for Dr. John Hamre, recipient of the Reagan Foundation's Peace Through Strength award. This episode's reading: https://warontherocks.com/2022/12/making-hard-national-security-choices

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 2/2: #PRC: #Russia:  Simultaneous hostile near peer powers & What is to be done? Richard Fontaine, Center for New American Security.https://reader.foreignaffairs.com/2022/11/18/taking-on-china-and-russia/content.html

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 1/2: #PRC: #Russia:  Simultaneous hostile near peer powers & What is to be done? Richard Fontaine, Center for New American Security. https://reader.foreignaffairs.com/2022/11/18/taking-on-china-and-russia/content.html

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has released a trio of long-awaited strategy documents, including the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Nuclear Posture Review. But how should we read these documents, and what do they actually tell us about how the Biden administration intends to approach the world?To answer these questions, Lawfare senior editor Scott R. Anderson sat down with Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security, who is himself also a former National Security Council official and senior congressional adviser. They discussed the role these strategy documents play in U.S. foreign policy, what we can learn from them, and what they say about the state of the world and the United States' role in it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vladamir Putin has announced what he called a “partial mobilization” of up to 300,000 reservists. According to reports, these reservists are basically former conscripts that will need training. Meanwhile, commercial flights out of Russia are apparently selling out, fast. The Russian Duma, on the other hand, is passing a law to clamp down on anyone […]

Vladamir Putin has announced what he called a “partial mobilization” of up to 300,000 reservists. According to reports, these reservists are basically former conscripts that will need training. Meanwhile, commercial flights out of Russia are apparently selling out, fast. The Russian Duma, on the other hand, is passing a law to clamp down on anyone evading their military service. And then there was Putin's seeming dangling of the nuclear threat again. All against the backdrop of the Kremlin organizing referenda on whether four occupied regions in Ukraine should fall under Russian sovereignty. And how do we assess US military support for Ukraine? Richard Fontaine is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), bi-partisan foriegn policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He serves on the Biden administration's Defense Policy Board – which advises the Pentagon. Richard is also just back from a trip to the Middle East – so we also talk at the end about the two-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords (a topic we'll be returning to from time to time on this podcast) and also the status of the Iran deal negotiations.

On this episode Garrison interviews David Santoro, President of the Pacific Forum and an expert on strategic deterrence, stability, arms control and more. The two have an in-depth discussion regarding the Pacific Forum's landmark 2022 publication “US-China Mutual Vulnerability: Perspectives on the Debate”. Santoro embarks on a wide-ranging discussion on the varying perspectives between Washington and Beijing on mutual vulnerability, factors influencing the discussions (and lack thereof), and the need for strategic dialogue across the Pacific and beyond (including with fellow nuclear power Russia). The two also discuss the issue of nuclear proliferation in North Korea and Iran and dawn of a multipolar nuclear world of crisis management/diplomacy. The entire Pacific Forum report is available here. David Santoro is President of the Pacific Forum. He specializes in strategic deterrence, arms control, and nonproliferation. Santoro's current interests focus on great-power dynamics and US alliances, particularly the role of China in an era of nuclear multipolarity. His new volume U.S.-China Nuclear Relations – The Impact of Strategic Triangles was published by Lynne Rienner in May 2021. Santoro also leads several of the Forum's track-1.5 and track-2 strategic dialogues. Before joining the Pacific Forum, Santoro worked on nuclear policy issues in France, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the spring of 2010, he was also a Visiting Fellow at New York University's Center on International Cooperation and, in 2010-2011, he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Santoro is co-editor, with Tanya Ogilvie-White, of Slaying the Nuclear Dragon (University of Georgia Press, 2012) and author of Treating Weapons Proliferation (Palgrave, 2010). His essays have been published in several foreign policy monograph series and journals, including The Nonproliferation Review, Proliferation Papers, Survival, and The Washington Quarterly, and his op-eds have appeared in The Bangkok Post, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, The Japan Times, PacNet, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast; he earned a M.S. of International Relations, as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) at Liberty University in the United States. He has had the privilege of interviewing some of the leading policymakers and experts of our time, including Robert B. Zoellick, Elbridge Colby, Richard Fontaine, Andrew Roberts, Ivan Briscoe, Vishnu Prakash, Rajiv Bhatia, Aparne Pande, Mohammed Soliman and others. Guest opinions are their own. Originally recorded Aug. 25th, 2022.

Richard Fontaine and his team at the Center for a New American Security or CNAS developed war games with retired defense officials and members of congress.  A few days ago, there were war games to see what happens if China were to invade Taiwan. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe

On this episode, Garrison is joined by Mohammed Soliman of the Middle East Institute to discuss his vision for the Middle East.  Or more specifically, why he has argued that the Middle East as an American strategic concept should be replaced with his concept of "West Asia".  The two discuss the intellectual origins and foundations of West Asia as a historically relevant framework built on Indo-Abrahamic transregional order.  Mohammed further explained how this new order is being developed and deployed into the new "I2U2" group of nations, how the Abraham Accords paved the way for these ideas, and what Iran and China, respectively, will do about these developments (and what could happen next). Mohammed's two landmark publications outlining his vision for West Asia and Indo-Abrahamic relations can be found here at the MEI, and in National Interest. Mohammed Soliman is a Non-Resident Scholar with MEI's Cyber Program and Egypt Program, and a Senior Associate at McLarty Associates' Middle East and North Africa Practice. His work focuses on the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Mohammed frequently appears on Arabic- and English-language television to provide commentary on unfolding events in the Middle East. A native of Cairo, Mohammed started his career as an engineer and worked as a consultant, providing strategic advisory services for local and international businesses. In Washington, DC, he has also served as a country analyst for the Peace Tech Lab at the US Institute of Peace, as a Huffington Fellow at Georgetown's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, and as a Junior Centennial Fellow at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. Mohammed is a 2017 recipient of the Open Society Foundation's Civil Society Leadership Award. In 2021, he was selected by the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) as one of their 40 Under 40 Professionals Making a Difference in US-Middle East Relations. That same year, Mohammed was named to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) 2021 U.S. National Security & Foreign Affairs Leadership List, which honors the contributions of diverse practitioners in U.S. national security and foreign policy. Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast; he earned a M.S. of International Relations as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) at Liberty University in the United States.  He has had the privilege of interviewing some of the leading policymakers and experts of our time, including Robert B. Zoellick, Elbridge Colby, Richard Fontaine, Andrew Roberts, Ivan Briscoe, Vishnu Prakash, Rajiv Bhatia, Aparne Pande, and many others. Guest opinions are their own. Originally recorded Aug. 8, 2022.

Why did Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei get such outsized attention? She's not the first US Speaker to travel to Taiwan. Why did the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri get so little attention? After all, he was one of the three most important figures in al-Qaeda’s leadership for decades. And why the dwindling focus on […]

Why did Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei get such outsized attention? She's not the first US Speaker to travel to Taiwan. Why did the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri get so little attention? After all, he was one of the three most important figures in al-Qaeda's leadership for decades. And why the dwindling focus on the Russia-Ukraine war? Where does the war stand right now? Richard Fontaine returns to the conversation. He is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bi-partisan foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He currently serves on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.

In this episode, Garrison is joined by Ali Wyne of the Eurasia Group, to discuss his landmark new book America's Great Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy To Meet The Challenges Of Strategic Competition. The two discuss Wyne's background in the field, how he came to be interested with, at the forefront of, foreign policy discussions. He discusses the meaning of great power opportunity, the benefits and drawbacks of historical analogies in foreign policymaking, and the role of human agency in history. They also talk about the need for democratic revitalization at home, and renewing America's unique strengths abroad (and what those strengths are, in light of Russia and China). They close by discussing key strategies for escaping the reactionary trap of great powers, and implementing the principles outlined in his book for great power relations, particularly "Pursu[ing] cooperative possibilities that can temper the destabilizing effects of great-power competition." Ali Wyne is a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's Global Macro-Geopolitics practice, focusing on US-China relations and great-power competition. He has served as a junior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a research assistant at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Ali has also been a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute. He received dual bachelor's degrees in management science and political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his master in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Ali is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He also serves as a member of Foreign Policy for America's Board of Directors and as a member of the American Pakistan Foundation's Leadership Council. An avid coffee drinker, Ali continues to expand his collection of coffee mugs, cups, and tumblers. Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast; he earned a M.S. of International Relations as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) at Liberty University in the United States. He h as had the privilege of interviewing some of the leading policymakers and experts of our time, including Robert B. Zoellick, Elbridge Colby, Richard Fontaine, Andrew Roberts, Ivan Briscoe, Vishnu Prakash, Rajiv Bhatia, Aparne Pande, and many others. Guest opinions are their own. Originally recorded July 15, 2022

After the 100-day mark of the 2022 Russian war against Ukraine. we assess some grim facts of this war, and try to understand how they should inform what to expect in the next hundred days. Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Centar for a New American Security (CNAS), returns to the conversation. Richard is a member […]

After the 100-day mark of the 2022 Russian war against Ukraine. we assess some grim facts of this war, and try to understand how they should inform what to expect in the next hundred days. Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Centar for a New American Security (CNAS), returns to the conversation. Richard is a member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. CNAS is a bi-partisan foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to CNAS, he was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Is Putin crossing almost every line the West did not anticipate he would cross? What does this tell us about where he might might ultimately escalate to? Richard Fontaine returns to the podcast to answer these questions and others. Richard is CEO of the Center for New American Security. He was recently appointed to the […]

Is Putin crossing almost every line the West did not anticipate he would cross? What does this tell us about where he might might ultimately escalate to? Richard Fontaine returns to the podcast to answer these questions and others. Richard is CEO of the Center for New American Security. He was recently appointed to the Defense Policy Board by the Biden Administration's Pentagon leadership. Prior to working at CNAS, Richard was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked on the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the State Department, at the National Security Council, and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has also been an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. One of the pieces we discuss in this episode: “Why Russia's Cyber Warriors Haven't Crippled Ukraine” - https://tinyurl.com/yx86yv46

Only three months into the new year, the world has already faced a multitude of new challenges. From humanitarian crises to threats to global democracy to the resurgence of Covid-19 and crippled supply chains, there are many obstacles to clear in the months ahead. Furthermore, with the escalating war between Russia and Ukraine and increasing access to lethal autonomous weapons, the stakes are greater than ever. As we enter a novel era of interstate conflict and potential new world order, it becomes crucial to evaluate how the United States might take on these challenges. As part of the Council's 2022 International Perspectives series, Richard Fontaine will walk us through what the future holds for U.S. foreign policy in an era of revolutionary global change. Drawing from his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and a lifetime career on the frontlines of foreign policy, Fontaine is uniquely equipped to forecast how the United States' will navigate this time of great conflict and uncertainty. Richard Fontaine is the chief executive officer of CNAS, executive director of the Trilateral Commission, on the Defense Policy Board, and a Sine Institute Fellow at American University. He has previous experience as president and senior fellow at CNAS and as foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. At the State Department, Fontaine worked for the Deputy Secretary and in the department's South Asia bureau. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tulane University and an M.A. in international Affairs from the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

How could Russia-Ukraine escalate? How could it deescalate? Does Zelensky survive? Does Putin survive? Does China try to bail out Russia? On this episode, we explore five scenarios with Richard Fontaine, who returns to the podcast. Richard Richard Fontaine is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bi-partisan foriegn policy […]

How could Russia-Ukraine escalate? How could it deescalate? Does Zelensky survive? Does Putin survive? Does China try to bail out Russia? On this episode, we explore five scenarios with Richard Fontaine, who returns to the podcast. Richard Richard Fontaine is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a bi-partisan foriegn policy think tank in Washington, DC. Prior to joining CNAS, Richard was foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain and worked at the State Department, the National Security Council, and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Richard Fontaine's essay in The Wall Street Journal: "The World That Putin Made" https://tinyurl.com/5n8fyaze