Podcast appearances and mentions of van jackson

In this episode, Dr. Van Jackson appears as a guest on A Public Affair, a radio show with a live call-in segment. The conversation ended up being deliciously wide-ranging, including: Why the oligarchs who back Trump want an economic recession; What tariffs are good for, and how Trump's tariffs impact both global trade and domestic labor; What separates Biden's economic nationalism from Trump's “zombie economic nationalism,” and why both are bad but Trump's is much worse; The value of the #TakeDownTesla movement; What Arundhati Roy teaches us about civil disobedience; Why the general strike is civil society's ultimate weapon against fascism; and Why the trillion-dollar military budget is not possible without inflating the China threat.Visit A Public Affair radio show: https://www.wortfm.org/van-jackson-on-zombie-economic-nationalism/Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comWatch The Un-Diplomatic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcast

The tech billionaires who are part of the Trump-MAGA coalition have repeatedly boosted the same collection of books that they think explain international relations. Dr. Van Jackson--a professor of international relations--explains why these books are not only bad books, but also books with a pessimistic, zero-sum, ethnonationalist, and militarist outlook on the world. Watch The Un-Diplomatic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcast Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/ Catch Un-Diplomatic on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/undiplomaticpodcast Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the individuals and not of any institutions.

Live on location from Wellington Harbor (outdoors)! How did tariffs in the 1930s lead to World War II in Asia? How big of a deal is the China-Japan-South Korea coordinated response to Trump's tariffs? Why are tariffs part of economic nationalism, and why is economic nationalism a gift to to the far right? Why has China become the primary scapegoat of Trump's global tariff project? And what's Singapore's prime minister got to say about the way the world is changing? Dr. Van Jackson explores the many facets of our economic crisis and the emerging post-American world.Watch The Un-Diplomatic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcast Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/ Catch Un-Diplomatic on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/undiplomaticpodcast Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the individuals and not of any institutions.

Why did the US lose manufacturing jobs? What's the problem with Donald Trump's global tariff plan? Why is housing unaffordable in the US? Why are most of us economically insecure? And why is wage work so precarious? Dr. Van Jackson explains everything that's wrong with capitalism today in three charts, and offers some simple solutions to the problem of class war. For the charts referenced in this episode, check out the YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpOJU4qdS5cWatch The Un-Diplomatic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcastSubscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/Catch Un-Diplomatic on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/undiplomaticpodcast Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the individuals and not of any institutions.

Dr. Van Jackson appeared in a guest lecture at the Catholic University of America with Prof. Andrew Yeo. They talk about progressivism and the restraint movement, Dr. Jackson's working-class origins, what's wrong with Washington, what to make of the Biden administration's “foreign policy for the middle class,” and what progressives really think about Donald Trump's foreign policy.  Watch Un-Diplomatic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcastSubscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/ Catch Un-Diplomatic on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/undiplomaticpodcast Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the individuals and not of any institutions.

On today's episode, Van Jackson, Professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, and Michael Brenes, Associate Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Lecturer in History at Yale University, join Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien to talk about their new book, “The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy,” in which they make the case for the United States to take a less aggressive approach to China. They discussed the pitfalls of great power competition, the origins of the China threat, and why a destructive U.S.-China rivalry is our choice, rather than our destiny.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and writer of the Un-Diplomatic newsletter on SubStack, to discuss his recent book The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy, co-authored with Michael Brenes. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada, fallout from the Trump/Vance confrontation with Zelenskyy, Trump's attempt to cook the books on the US GDP, Trump's newest crypto scam, US-based money laundering, RFK's measles dance, Marco Rubio's billions for Israel, Trump assault on Social Security, the DHS' IRS scheme, and the Mayoral Campaign of noted sex pest Andrew Cuomo, also admiring the full-throated spinelessness of GOP representatives Kieth Self and Roger Marshall when faced with constituent backlash at Town Halls. Van Jackson then joins, diving right into the effective myth the US has built up around the Cold War as a beneficial struggle between two great powers, a belief central to the evolution of the US' counter-insurgency-focused regime of primacy that has developed in the power vacuum left by the Soviet Union, and why the US Foreign policy apparatus has been so resolute, from the Cheneys to the Biden Administration, in pivoting to a new great power struggle with China. Expanding on this, Jackson walks through the last couple of decades of US-China hawkery, with the shrinking dividends of Neoliberal globalization pushing both the US and Chinese economies toward economic nationalism, with the US establishment frantically attempting to cling to a dying world order of complete US primacy, as it corrupts and reshapes our politics domestically while contributing to death and destruction globally. After tackling how the Trump to Biden to Trump 2.0 pipeline effectively streamlined the US' commitment to an anti-China pivot, and why Trump's buddies in Silicon Valley are set to benefit greatly from this tension, Van, Sam, and Emma wrap up by touching on the greater imperialist nature of Trump's foreign policy, and why US-Chinese relations have trapped much of the developing world into choosing between Chinese lending power and American hegemony. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma watch the new state-backed-media (the Joe Rogan Experience) clear the stage to let Elon Musk lie to the American public about what the Trump/Musk regime is up to (and why), and listen to Marjorie Taylor Greene's boytoy attempt to confront Zelenskyy about his fashion sense. They also parse through the ongoing crypto fraud of the Trump/Musk regime, and the insanity of Trump's push to use Crypto as a strategic reserve, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Van on Twitter here: https://x.com/realvanjackson Check out Van's book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272895/the-rivalry-peril/ Check out the Un-Diplomatic newsletter here: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase! Check out today's sponsors: Cozy Earth: Luxury Shouldn't Be Out of Reach. Visit https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT and use my exclusive code MAJORITYREPORT for up to 40% off Cozy Earth's  best-selling sheets, towels, pajamas, and more.  That's https://CozyEarth.com/MAJORITYREPORT.  And if you get a post-purchase survey, tell them you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Sanctuary awaits at Cozy Earth. Sunset Lake CBD: Don't let Daylight Savings Time screw up your sleep schedule. Head over to https://SunsetLakeCBD.com and use coupon code Daylight35 to save 35% on all participating sleep products. But hurry— this sale ends March 9th at midnight Eastern time. Beautiful Day Granola: Beautiful Day is offering Free Shipping for all Majority Report listeners when you go to https://beautifuldayri.org and USE code MAJORITY (all caps) at Checkout until March 7. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Van's new book, The Rivalry Peril ... What policymakers forget about the first Cold War ... The roots of the US-China cold war ... The end of globalization and the rise of economic nationalism ... How rivalry deepens inequality in both the US and China ...

Van's new book, The Rivalry Peril ... What policymakers forget about the first Cold War ... The roots of the US-China cold war ... The end of globalization and the rise of economic nationalism ... How rivalry deepens inequality in both the US and China ...

Dr. Van Jackson gave a public lecture at the Havens Wright Center for Social Justice in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin on February 4, 2025. This episode is the full set of remarks plus Q&A from that lecture. About the lecture: The concept of the “national interest,” Van Jackson argues, has become an under-appreciated source of global insecurity. Not because there is anything intrinsically wrong with people having interests that must be preserved, promoted, or protected. Rather, the “national interest” as such obscures whose interests are served (and harmed) by the efforts of policy elites to secure the state. Governments routinely use the language of the national interest to justify a politics of violence, secrecy, and exclusion while bracketing off explicit questions of morality and justice. And national frameworks for mobilizing resources and collective action are logically mismatched against global threats like climate change. But rather than wishing away the modern nation-state or simply suggesting changes to the words that governing elites use, this lecture argues that addressing the contradictions in the national interest—as well as some of international security studies' most cherished strategic constructs—is a start point for constructing more durable forms of security.The full video lecture: https://youtu.be/6uEGvZQTjNA?si=LvOqClXur72a7v7TSubscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comUn-Diplomatic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@un-diplomaticpodcast

Trump’s proposal for the US to “own” Gaza and force out the Palestinian population would make it American policy to support “a crime against humanity”, says US foreign policy expert, Matt Duss. On this episode of After America, Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President at the Washington DC-based Center for International Policy, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Trump’s Gaza announcement, the freeze on US development funding, and the new Cabinet’s approach to China. This discussion was recorded on Friday 7 February 2025 and things may have changed since recording. Order What's the Big Idea? 32 Big Ideas for a Better Australia now, via the Australia Institute website. Guest: Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President, Centre for International Policy // @mattduss Host: Emma Shortis, Director, International & Security Affairs, the Australia Institute // @EmmaShortis Show notes: ‘Trump’s Gaza Proposal is Less Original Than He Thinks’ by Matthew Duss, Foreign Policy (February 2025) ‘America Is Cursed by a Foreign Policy of Nostalgia’ by Nancy Okail and Matthew Duss, Foreign Affairs (December 2024) ‘Democrats have become the party of war. Americans are tired of it’ by Matthew Duss, The Guardian (January 2025) The Un-Diplomatic Podcast hosted by Van Jackson, Julia Gledhill and Matthew Duss Theme music: Blue Dot Sessions We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@australiainstitute.org.au.Support After America: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fatal Combination of a Mentally Ill President and a Mentally Deranged Billionaire Out to Destroy Our Government and Democracy | Stopping the Deadly Fentanyl Trade in Mexico, China and Now India | The Folly of a Trade War With China and a Saner Way To Ease Tensions backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

What is the role of crypto and AI in the new American oligarchy? What does it mean that Mark Zuckerberg has declared a re-embrace of "politics?" And what do Palantir, Anduril, and the new defense-industrial cartel have to do with everything from domestic governance to World War III and the "future of war?" All that and more in Van Jackson's chat with Max Read. Subscribe to Max's ReadMax newsletter: https://maxread.substack.com Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/ Catch Un-Diplomatic on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/undiplomaticpodcast

Danny welcomes back to the program Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, to explore grand strategy and a progressive foreign policy to make a more just and stable world. They discuss where grand strategy falls in the fields of political science and international relations, dominant grand strategies like offshore balancing, neoliberal institutionalism, and anti-hegemonism, how these strategies relate to what's happening in DC, and more. Grab a copy of Van's book Grand Strategies of the Left: The Foreign Policy of Progressive Worldmaking. Subscribe now and support the pod!

It's Hump Day! Emma speaks with Cole Stangler, France-based journalist covering politics, housing, and labor, author of the book Paris Is Not Dead: Surviving Hypergentrification In The City Of Light, to discuss the recent developments after the French elections, and the government's efforts to form a coalition. Then, she speaks with Michael Brenes, historian at Yale, author of the Warfare and Welfare newsletter on SubStack, author of the upcoming book The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace And Weakens Democracy, co-authored with Van Jackson, to discuss his recent piece in the Boston Review entitled "The Harris Doctrine." First, Emma runs through updates on Jack Smith's newest indictment, Harris' first sitdown interview as Democratic candidate for President, GOP struggles in Georgia and North Carolina, Larry Hogan's gains in Maryland, the Trump campaign, polling, the RFK campaign, Israel's expansion of their genocidal offensive to the West Bank, Biden's heavy-handed pier mishap, Meta, and Nassau County's mask ban, before expanding on Jack Smith's updated Jan 6 indictment and the response from the Trump campaign. Cole Stangler then dives right into a background on France's recent snap elections, called by Emmanuel Macron in the face of the rising popularity of the far-right, resulting in a left-wing plurality in parliament unified by their anti-fascist aims, with the Macronist center-right coalition finishing in second and the far-right in third. From here, Stangler walks through Macron's astonishing decision over the weeks since to take a hardline stance on refusing to name a left-wing prime minister or allowing the establishment of a left-wing government, taking advantage of a lack of constitutional clarity in the period he is allowed to take in naming a successor. After expanding on how this maneuver is ideologically consistent with Macron's politics, Cole explores the overwhelmingly (and unsurprisingly) negative – but productive – response from the French left, unpacking their plan for pushing Macron to fulfill his constitutional duties, before wrapping up with an assessment of what Macron's failure to name a new PM means for the immediate-future of French governance. Emma is then joined by Michael Brenes, who jumps right into the central parallels in his comparison between the infamous Henry Kissinger and Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, touching on their expansive roles in administrations pushing foreign policy projects to maintain and strengthen American primacy with little-to-no moral limit, and walking through the particular role Sullivan has played in advancing Joe Biden's hyper-Zionist agenda despite overwhelming public disapproval. Shifting focus, Brenes then looks to Harris' recently named National Security Advisory, Philip Gordon, unpacking his record as Middle East coordinator in Obama's second administration, including his objections to US interventionism and regime change, stance on Israeli apartheid and Palestinian self-determination, and role in advancing the Iran deal, despite Israel's objections. After expanding on some more problematic (if predictable) elements of Gordon's background, Michael parses through the lines between Harris' critique of Biden's approach to Israel's genocide and real signs of a differing agenda, and why Biden's failures offer important lessons in the contradictions of US primacy and imperialism. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by RM Brown as they watch Trump call on the Lord to come down and count ballots in California, parse through Tulsi Gabbard's not-so-shocking endorsement of Donald Trump, and listen to Glenn Beck unpack the American Oligarchy. PBD gets some valuable ‘tainment out of Brett Weinstein's cuckoldry at the hands of Elon Musk, and a West Bank settler unpacks colonialism's bad rap, plus, your IMs! Follow Cole on Twitter here: https://x.com/ColeStangler Find Cole's book "Paris Is Not Dead" here: https://thenewpress.com/books/paris-not-dead Check out Cole's most recent piece in Novara Media here!: https://novaramedia.com/2024/08/28/macron-is-making-a-joke-of-frances-electorate/ Follow Michael on Twitter here: https://x.com/mbrenes1 Check out "Warfare and Welfare" here: https://michaelbrenes.substack.com/ Check out Michael's piece in the Boston Review here: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/the-harris-doctrine/ Find out more about "The Rivalry Peril" here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272895/the-rivalry-peril/ Donate IF YOU CAN to friend of the show Mohamed Aldaghma's Gaza Bakery project to help displaced families: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gaza-bakery-feeding-displaced-families Check out the LIMITED EDITION Vergogna shirt on the MR shop!: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/collections/all-items/products/the-majority-report-vergogna-t-shirt Check out Tony Y, who designed the Vergogna shirt's website!: https://linktr.ee/tonyyanick AND! Check out Anne from Portland's website for HER Vergogna t-shirt! INQUIRE MORE HERE FOR DETAILS!: https://www.bonfire.com/store/pictrix-design/ Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Join Sam on the Nation Magazine Cruise! 7 days in December 2024!!: https://nationcruise.com/mr/ Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Aura Frames: Right now, Aura is having their very first Friends and Family sale, and we've got an exclusive offer just for our listeners. For a limited time only, you can get $35 off their best-selling frame by visiting https://AuraFrames.com and using the promo code MAJORITY at checkout. That's https://AuraFrames.com, promo code MAJORITY. This is the best offer of the season, so don't miss out! Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/  

Cross-promotion! Van Jackson joined the Hegemonicon podcast and is sharing the experience here with Un-Diplomatic listeners. Van and show host William Lawrence discuss the dangerous strategy of global primacy that drives US foreign policy from many angles. What are the contradictions in US industrial policy? How does primacy relate to China and great-power competition? What kind of international order is emerging? What is the political coalition that can keep us out of catastrophe?Become a subscribing member of Convergence at convergencemag.com/donateThe Hegemonicon PodcastConvergence Magazine

To learn more, please go to: https://www.vanjackson.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Out of the maybe 20 live events I spoke at in the US recently, only one—one!—was actually recorded and you're about to hear it. About this Event: From the War on Terror to the militarization of the Pacific, and from imperial competition with China to US support for Israeli atrocities in Palestine, the US quest for primacy has devastating consequences globally, and a corrosive impact domestically. Join us for a free flowing conversation about the consequences of endless wars and militarism, rethinking US foreign policy and the implications for the upcoming 2024 elections.Speaker Bios:Spencer Ackerman, the foreign policy columnist for The Nation magazine, is a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award-winning reporter. Focusing on the War on Terror, Ackerman has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and numerous U.S. bases, ships and submarines as a senior correspondent for outlets like Wired, The Guardian and the Daily Beast. His 2021 book, REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP, was named a book of the year by the New York Times Critics, the Washington Post and the PBS NewsHour, and won a 2022 American Book Award. Ackerman writes the popular FOREVER WARS newsletter on Ghost (foreverwars.ghost.io) and recently released the spy thriller graphic novel WALLER VS WILDSTORM for DC Comics.Amel Ahmad is Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her main areas of specialization are democratic studies, with a special interest in elections, voting systems, legislative politics, party development, and voting rights. She is author of Democracy and the Politics of Electoral System Choice: Engineering Electoral Dominance (Cambridge University Press, 2013). Her new book entitled When Democracy Divides: The Regime Question in European and American Political Development, examines the impact of regime contention on political development in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States in the 19th and early 20th Centuries.Van Jackson is a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington, host of The Un-Diplomatic Podcast, and author of The Un-Diplomatic Newsletter. Van's research broadly concerns East Asian and Pacific security, critical analysis of defense issues, and the intersection of working-class interests with foreign policy. He is the author of scores of journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports, as well as four books, including Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace, with Yale University Press (2023) and Grand Strategies of the Left: The Foreign Policy of Progressive Worldmaking, with Cambridge University Press (2023). His fifth book, forthcoming with Yale University Press, is The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy (with Michael Brenes). Van is a senior researcher at Security in Context and co-director of the Multipolarity, Great Power Competition and the Global South research track.Omar Dahi is a professor of economics at Hampshire College and director of the Security in Context research network.Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comVisit Security in Context: https://www.securityincontext.com

This interview with the Review of Democracy podcast is the deepest dive to date on Van Jackson's book, Grand Strategies of the Left: The Foreign Policy of Progressive Worldmaking. Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic NewsletterReview of Democracy Podcast

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Van Jackson – author of the new book Grand Strategies of the Left. The Foreign Policy of Progressive Worldmaking – explains what distinguishes progressives from liberal internationalists; clarifies why he thinks that the tradition of grand strategy might be worth rescuing by and for progressives; discusses the three main progressive grand strategies that are recurrently articulated in the US these days, what they priorities are, and what risks they respectively contain; distils the main consensual points of progressive worldmaking; and reflects on what a global starting point for agendas comparable to his own might lead to. Van Jackson is a political scientist and a scholar of international relations who specializes in East Asian and Pacific security, critical analysis of defense issues, and the intersection of working-class interests with foreign policy. He is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington. He also acts as a Senior Research Scholar at Security in Context where he co-directs the “Multipolarity, Great-power Competition, and the Global South” project. He is the author of four books, has made contributions to a wide range of international media, and runs The Undiplomatic Podcast. Grand Strategies of the Left. The Foreign Policy of Progressive Worldmaking has been published by Cambridge University Press. In collaboration with Lucie Hunter.

DescriptionWe talk with Van Jackson about his new book Grand Strategies of the Left and the crisis in International Relations. What are the current challenges in IR frameworks, what progressive principles can be applied and how can we move forward?This episode's co-hostsJosephine, Kyle, VanTimestamps0:00 Introductions3:27 The Dominance of the West7:03 Campaign Trail 10:26 Progressive Conversations20:15 Falsified Productive Manufacturing27:57 The Nightmare of US Foreign Policy32:59 Misplaced Hope36:10 Principles of Finding Power38:59 Electoral Politics46:08 Progressive Pragmatism49:41 Breaking Neoliberal Globalism51:45 Anti Hegemonism1:06:30 Alternatives to Liberal Internationalism1:10:10 Peacemaking1:18:05 Creating Space1:25:31 Closing Intro/Outro by The Prophet MotiveSupport us here: https://www.patreon.com/1of200

It took the Ukraine war to show how broken the U.S. war machine really is. President Eisenhower warned about the military-industrial complex in 1961 and we know that it is ten times as worse as he even imagined. But after almost two years of war in Ukraine and tens of billions of American weapons transfers, we now know how limited -- if not dysfunctional -- the MIC really is. Yale scholar and lecturer Michael Brenes joins us to discuss how this happened historically, and what Washington might do to claw the industry back from the five mega-corporations that now dominate and control U.S. defense manufacturing and supply.In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the latest events in Gaza and Israel and bemoan the exploitation of the conflict by outside warmongers who want to drag the U.S. into a wider conflict with Iran.More from Michael Brenes:How America Broke its War Machine, Foreign Affairs, 7/3/23The future of restraint after Ukraine, Foreign Exchanges, 12/19/22Great-Power Competition Is Bad for Democracy, with Van Jackson, 7/14/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Join dissident foreign policy academic Dr. Van Jackson for a conversation about the Indo-Pacific, nuclear policy and progressive foreign policy. Dr. Jackson is a Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, the host of the Un-Diplomatic Podcast and the author of Pacific Power Paradox.

Description1/200 is joined by International Relations expert Van Jackson to discuss NZ's Foreign Policy paradigm, what it means to defer to a “rules based order” and the issues with global hegemony.This episode's co-hosts:Branko, Kyle, VanTimestamps1:38 Van Introduction 3:16 Adopting Trump Politics6:47 Liberal Primacy10:10 the shift of asia pacific to indo pacific28:00 global hegemony32:45 NZs position and foreign policy46:58 NZ interest in security50:36 Chippy expectations on China visitIntro/Outro by The Prophet MotiveSupport us here: https://www.patreon.com/1of200

The award-winning, New York Times best-selling author, Nick Turse, has done some deep investigations at the intersection of Southeast Asia; the intellectual bankruptcy of US geopoliticking; and Henry Kissinger's direct role in the slaughter of 150,000 civilians in Cambodia.  A wild story and some great journalism. Van Jackson sat down with Nick to talk about it all. They also swap anecdotes about their personal run-ins with Kissinger. A must-listen.Nick's story in The Intercept: https://theintercept.com/2023/05/23/kissinger-phone-call-transcripts/Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com

How does the narrative of a Blue Pacific complicate strategic narratives about the "Indo-Pacific?" How do the nations of the Pacific Islands region think about security? What role does the Pacific Islands Forum play in regional security? Why do most Pacific states try so hard to avoid "choosing" between the United States and China? And what would Pacific governments do if Guam determined it wanted to be its own independent nation? Van Jackson sits down with Sandra Tarte (University of the South Pacific) to discuss all that and more."Bringing the Blue Pacific and Indo-Pacific Narratives Together: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/bringing-blue-pacific-indo-pacific-narratives-togetherSubscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com

Why is it that we're spending more money and resources than ever on this thing we call “national security,” and yet not only does the world feel perpetually insecure; it feels like insecurity is getting worse for most of us? That's what the new organization Security in Context sets out to address. Van Jackson is part of bridging the gap between policy and critical scholars, and will be co-directing Security in Context's project on Multipolarity, Great-Power Competition, and the Global South. This is his short interview with their podcast host, Anita Fuentes, talking about his background, how his view of security evolved, and why he's part of Security in Context.Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comSecurity in Context site: https://www.securityincontext.comSecurity in Context video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNpHI4kD_qM

What is multipolarity?  Is the unipolar moment totally over? What is a great power?How do nukes fit into these questions? And how do the left, the right, and the restrainers metabolise these questions? Dr. Benjamin Zala and Dr. Van Jackson talk about all this and more in Part II of their conversation.Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comThird Nuclear Age article by Andrew Futter and Ben Zala: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-international-security/article/strategic-nonnuclear-weapons-and-the-onset-of-a-third-nuclear-age/91EEB3B77D348252815F9F7B59DB8A32Thinking clearly about China's nuclear expansion: https://www.duckofminerva.com/2021/11/whos-afraid-of-chinas-nukes.htmlThe limits of strategy under multipolarity: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/p/what-happens-when-you-do-primacyThird Nuclear Age project site: https://thethirdnuclearage.comBen Zala's book, National Perspectives on a Multipolar Order: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526159373/

What is the nuclear revolution and why can't we agree on it? What is the Third Nuclear Age, why is it problematic as a concept, and what special dangers or opportunities might it hold? How important is multipolarity, and what counts as a pole? What counts as "emerging technologies" and how do they affect the risks of nuclear war? Is arms control possible in advanced conventional (non-nuclear) weaponry? And why is China expanding its nuclear arsenal? Dr. Benjamin Zala and Dr. Van Jackson talk about all this and more in the first of two episodes on the topic.Third Nuclear Age article by Andrew Futter and Ben Zala: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-international-security/article/strategic-nonnuclear-weapons-and-the-onset-of-a-third-nuclear-age/91EEB3B77D348252815F9F7B59DB8A32Thinking clearly about China's nuclear expansion: https://www.duckofminerva.com/2021/11/whos-afraid-of-chinas-nukes.htmlThe limits of strategy under multipolarity: https://www.un-diplomatic.com/p/what-happens-when-you-do-primacyThird Nuclear Age project site: https://thethirdnuclearage.comBen Zala's book, National Perspectives on a Multipolar Order: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526159373/Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com  

It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! Emma hosts Van Jackson, professor of international relations at Wellington College in New Zealand, to discuss his recent book Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace. Then, Emma is joined by Murtaza Hussain, reporter at The Intercept, to discuss his recent piece co-authored with Ryan Grim entitled "ELON MUSK'S TWITTER WIDENS ITS CENSORSHIP OF MODI'S CRITICS". Check out Van's book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257281/pacific-power-paradox/ Check out Murtaza's piece here: https://theintercept.com/2023/03/28/twitter-modi-india-punjab-amritpal-singh/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

American statesmen often argue that the U.S. role in Asia is indispensable to maintaining peace on the continent. Van Jackson, author of Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257281/pacific-power-paradox/), counters that America has just as often been Asia's arsonist as its savior. He joins host Richard Aldous to discuss the complex role America plays on both sides of Asian stability.

Subscribe to The Realignment to access our exclusive Q&A episodes and support the show: https://realignment.supercast.com/.REALIGNMENT NEWSLETTER: https://therealignment.substack.com/PURCHASE BOOKS AT OUR BOOKSHOP: https://bookshop.org/shop/therealignmentEmail us at: realignmentpod@gmail.comVan Jackson, author of Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of Asian Peace, joins The Realignment to discuss why he believes the U.S. is often the source of threats to peace in the Asia-Pacific, rather than the bulwark against instability, alternate security arrangements that aren't reliant on American primacy,  the cost of the foreign policy "blob's" lack of focus on political economy, and the future of progressive foreign policy

What is neoliberalism and why did developing democracies embrace labor repression? Why is military Keynesianism both dangerous and unsustainable? What are the causes of inflation right now, and how does monetary policy undermine the Biden presidency? And what happened to the "East Asian model" of economic development? In this political economy episode, Van Jackson sits down with Adam Dean and Tim Barker to talk about all that and more. 

In this special one-off episode of the pod, Van Jackson joins a panel hosted at Australian National University's Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, alongside Greg Raymond, Ian Hall, and Yun Jiang. The topic: "Whataboutism" and the China debate.The great American political scientist Seymour Lipset once said, “they that know only one country, know no countries”. This panel addresses the issue of comparisons in our political discourse, and in particular “whataboutism” - the response China critics often make when it is pointed out that other countries have committed egregious actions similar in kind, if not scale, to China. By this, they mean that the comparison raised is a distraction from dealing with China's actions. But this approach arguably sits uneasily with our desires to avoid double standards. This panel of experts will discuss the ethical and political aspects of “whataboutism”, with a focus on China. Speakers: Ian Hall is a Professor in International Relations and the acting Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University. He is also an Academic Fellow of the Australia India Institute and a co-editor (with Sara Davies) of the Australian Journal of International Affairs. Van Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies in Wellington, New Zealand. Yun Jiang is the inaugural AIIA China Matters Fellow. Prior to this, she was the co-founder and editor of China Neican, and a managing editor of the China Story blog at the Australian Centre on China in the World. Moderator Gregory Raymond is a lecturer in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs researching Southeast Asian politics and foreign relations. He is the author of Thai Military Power: A Culture of Strategic Accommodation (NIAS Press 2018) and the lead author of The United States-Thai Alliance: History, Memory and Current Developments (Routledge, 2021).

Central banks are using inflation to fight a class war. America's Pacific sphere of influence is making it paranoid--what ham-fisted skullduggery in the Marshall Islands reveals. Was George W. Bush more fascist than Trump? Taiwan policy is on militarist auto-pilot--why Chris Murphy is worried. Why red-scare propaganda is bad for democracy.  What about an Un-Diplomatic newsletter (note: this episode was recorded just a few days before Van Jackson launched the Un-Diplomatic newsletter).Subscribe to our new newsletter! https://www.un-diplomatic.comMurtaza Hussain's Tweet: https://twitter.com/MazMHussain/status/1566465216275259392Seva Gunitsky's Tweet: https://twitter.com/SevaUT/status/1555655359683084293Senator Chris Murphy's Tweet: https://twitter.com/chrismurphyct/status/1565107656284684289?s=21&t=bF1yJ8IZr8wNAJRte2lRxwAlexander McCoy's YouGov Poll Tweet: https://twitter.com/AlexanderMcCoy4/status/1569343414432407554Contributors: Hunter Marston, Tejas Menon, Jake Dellow

This episode is from an original release in January 2022. Dr. Van Jackson sits down with John Feffer, co-director of the Foreign Policy in Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies.  They talk about John's new book, Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far-Right and the Left Response.  They also talk about writing novels and plays as a foreign policy analyst, or doing foreign policy analysis as a playwright.  Remembering the way arms control used to be a reactionary arguments against disarmament.  Institute for Policy Studies: https://ips-dc.orgSplinterlands Trilogy of Novels: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1039-splinterlandsFoamers Novel: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Foamers-Berson-Jon-Scribner-New-York/231272502/bdRight Across the World Book: https://www.amazon.com/Right-Across-World-Networking-Far-Right/dp/0745341896

In this deliciously radical episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials, and the forthcoming Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World.  Malcolm explains how political economy made Millennials, what's wrong with thinking of yourself as human capital, the crisis of student debt, and how he moved from anti-war protests to the Occupy Movement.  Malcolm also makes the case the Millennials will either be the first genuine to push American oligarchy off its ledge, or the first generation of true American fascists. Van and Malcolm also talk leftist strategy and revolution.Readings Mentioned During the Episode:Malcolm Harris, Kids These Days: The Making of MillennialsMalcolm Harris, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the WorldMalcolm Harris, "Bad Education," N+1 magazineHarry Braverman, Labor and Monopoly CapitalPaul Adler, "The Future of Critical Management Studies"Erik Olin-Wright, Envisioning Real UtopiasMelinda Cooper, Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social ConservativsmBarbara Ehrenreich and John Ehrenreich, "Death of a Yuppie Dream"On Monopoly-Finance Capital: https://monthlyreview.org/2006/12/01/monopoly-finance-capital/

In this special episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down as part of a guest lecture/seminar at the Catholic University of America with Dr. Andrew Yeo (CUA, Brookings Institution).  They talk foremost about how we got North Korea policy so wrong and how to fix it, but in so doing they also talk about best practices of strategy, risk realism, and how Van's background shapes his thinking about war and national security generally.

What's the difference between good strategy and bad strategy? Why is understanding strategy as a theory of success so powerful? What is a framework for good strategy? And how grand is grand strategy? Dr. Van Jackson sits down with Dr. Jeff Meiser (University of Portland) to discuss. They also talk about Richard Rumelt's classic book, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy.

In this episode of the Un-Diplomatic Podcast, Dr. Van Jackson interviews Dr. Mark Beeson about his new book, Environmental Anarchy: Security in the 21st Century. They talk about doing international relations in an era of climate crisis, Asian security, the promise and perils of Marxist theory, the problem of neoliberalism, progressive alliances with realists, democracy on the back foot, and much more.Environmental Anarchy: Security in the 21st Century: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/environmental-anarchyOur conversation on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0-TyJ6HJnU&t=2519s

In the first ever reveal of his forthcoming book, Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace, Dr. Van Jackson attempts to untangle the politics, economics, security, and strategic statecraft in an Asia-Pacific region experiencing accelerated change. Jackson focused on how regional change can affect U.S. alliance partners such as South Korea while shedding some light on U.S. strategy-making in the Asia-Pacific region. The conversation was moderated by Asia Society Korea Senior Contributor Dr. Mason Richey. Asia Society on YouTube: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate Asia Society Korea Webpage: https://asiasociety.org/korea/meet-author-whither-asian-peace-future-politics-economics-and-security-asia-pacific

In our first ever roundtable edition of the podcast, Dr. Van Jackson was joined by Korea watchers Dr. John Delury (Yonsei University), Minseon Ku (Ohio State University), and Karl Friedhoff (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) to discuss the closest presidential election in South Korean history, in which conservative Yoon Seok-youl won by a razor-thin margin.  The crew talks about the popular politics of anti-feminism in South Korea, the geopolitics of a conservative victory, and the myths that Beltway Korea watchers had built up about outgoing President Moon Jae-in.Articles mentioned during the episode: https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2022/nwdesk/article/6348703_35744.htmlhttp://www.keaf.org/book/EAF_Policy_Debate_Making_Sense_of_the_Gender_Debate_in_South_Korea?ckattempt=1https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/south-korea/2022-02-08/south-korea-needs-stepContributors: Gaby Magnuson, Alex Auty

In this episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with James Palmer, Deputy Editor at Foreign Policy Magazine, award-winning travel writer, and best-selling author. They talk about James's life reporting in China and getting out just in time.  His best-selling first book about the Russian pro-Nazi monarchist who briefly took over Mongolia.  Anti-Americanism in South Korea.  And advice writing and pitching the big magazines in foreign policy.

In this episode, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with John Feffer, co-director of the Foreign Policy in Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies.  They talk about John's new book, Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far-Right and the Left Response.  They also talk about writing novels and plays as a foreign policy analyst, or doing foreign policy analysis as a playwright.  Remembering the way arms control used to be a reactionary arguments against disarmament.  Institute for Policy Studies: https://ips-dc.orgSplinterlands Trilogy of Novels: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1039-splinterlandsFoamers Novel: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Foamers-Berson-Jon-Scribner-New-York/231272502/bdRight Across the World Book: https://www.amazon.com/Right-Across-World-Networking-Far-Right/dp/0745341896

In this Hustle edition of the show, Dr. Van Jackson sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, author of multiple books including the novel The 2020 Commission, co-host of the Arms Control Wonk podcast, and founder of the Arms Control Wonk blog.  That's a lot of stuff. 

Rather than the normal show, this week's episode is a recording of Dr. Van Jackson's keynote lecture at Ritsumeikan University, addressing the concept of nuclear precarity and what it means for the risks of nuclear war in East Asia.  

In this special event, Dr. Van Jackson discussed AUKUS and Indo-Pacific strategy at the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA).  He's joined by Bryce Wakefield (AIIA), Maria Rost-Rublee (University of Melbourne), Nick Bisley (Latrobe University), and Benjamin Zala (Australian National University).

Since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006, the United States' overarching strategy toward North Korea has been one of pressure through isolation. By imposing strict sanctions and avoiding sustained diplomatic dialogue with North Korea, US policymakers have sought to pressure the country  to unilaterally denuclearize. Dr. Van Jackson argues that this strategy has failed, … Continue reading Engaging North Korea

In this special cross-over episode, Dr. Van Jackson speaks with Future Tense host and director of research for Diplomat Risk Intelligence, Abhijnan Rej.  They talk about scenario-based planning, intelligence failures, the perils of net assessment, and why it all matters in the context of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Future Tense pod: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2jvmc-10bacc2?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_shareDiplomat Risk Intelligence: https://dri.thediplomat.com

In this special crossover episode with the NK News podcast, Dr. Van Jackson has a wide-ranging discussion with its host, Jacco Zwetsloot.  Van and Jacco talk about Van's writing process, how close we got to nuclear war in 2017, what the Biden administration is missing on North Korea, the East Asian peace, and his political evolution.  

Futures studies versus moneyball--the problem with prediction.  A supply-side theory of Obama's drone strike addiction.  Telling lies about a Galactic Federation with aliens.  Should Japan join the Five-Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership?  How to get out of Afghanistan.  Why the Indo-Pacific is too big for a single strategy.  Also this episode: The movies that made Van Jackson and the team.  Jeffrey Lewis's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1334533169547075584?s=19Annette Joseph: https://twitter.com/AnnetteJosephG/status/1336321130303467520?s=19Ankit Panda's Tweet: https://twitter.com/nktpnd/status/1336774686152286210James Palmer's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BeijingPalmer/status/1336722893829443585Contributors: Pete McKenzie, Gaby Magnuson, Jake Dellow, Ciara Mitchell

Things That Go Boom is launching its very first fundraiser! Please consider giving just $5 a month. It’s convenient for you, provides ongoing support for Things That Go Boom and Inkstick Media, and you’ll feel good knowing you’re helping make Things That Go Boom freely available to everyone. Always. If Things That Go Boom is something that you’ve come to rely on over the course of the past two years, please go to inkstickmedia.com/donate and make a donation today. ————————— In 1958, a movie about a man-eating, bloodcurdling mass from outer space introduced the world to "The Blob." But in recent years, that term has taken on a whole new meaning among foreign policy professionals in Washington. What exactly defines this Blob can be as amorphous as the movie monster, so we reached out to three people to explain who exactly belongs in this group. The term, we learned, describes a perspective that transcends party lines and has remained relatively unchallenged for decades. In this episode, we'll explore the moment that all changed, and the Blob came face-to-face with... the anti-Blob. GUESTS: Ben Armbruster, Managing Editor of ResponsibleStatecraft.org at The Quincy Institute; Emma Ashford, Senior Fellow at the New American Engagement Initiative in the Scowcroft Center of the Atlantic Council; Van Jackson, professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington. ADDITIONAL READING: Build a Better Blob, Emma Ashford The Blob Strikes Back, and Misses, Patrick Porter. More, Less, or Different?, Jake Sullivan. Policy Roundtable: The Future of Progressive Foreign Policy, Van Jackson.

Zack, Chris, and Melanie get together to talk about what American foreign policy might look like after Jan. 20, 2021. Would President Joe Biden seek a restoration of Obama administration policies, or will he stake out his own doctrine? What will the economic side of America’s foreign policy look like in a second Trump or first Biden administration? Can America’s relationships with allies survive another Trump term? Would a Biden administration be able to repair partnerships that have suffered damage in the last four years? Where would human rights fit in a Biden agenda? Who might the important players be in each administration?   Chris issues a plea for calm and unity, Zack has some kind thoughts for outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Melanie gives an attaboy to Africa for eradicating wild polio.     Links David A. Wemer, “Adviser on Biden’s Foreign Policy: Start at Home and Repair Alliances,” Elections 2020, Atlantic Council, August 21, 2020 Emma Ashford, “Biden Wants to Return to a ‘Normal’ Foreign Policy. That’s the Problem,” New York Times, August 25, 2020 Mark Johnson, Annysa Johnson, Talis Shelbourne, “Juxtaposition of Two Videos from Kenosha: A Black Man Gets Shot Seven Times from Behind; A White Teen with a Gun Walks Past Police,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 29, 2020 Susan Eisenhower, “My Grandfather Led by Building Trust among Troops and, Later, the Public,” Dallas Morning News, August 30, 2020 “Should Europe Go its Own Way?” Atlantic Council, September 17, 2020 John Sipher, “Trump Creates His Own ‘Deep State’,” New York Times, September 1, 2020 “An Inside Look at the Department of Defense’s China Military Power Report,” American Enterprise Institute, September 1, 2020 Joe Biden, "Joe Biden Answers Our Foreign Policy Questions," Council on Foreign Relations, August 1, 2019 Akbar Shahid Ahmed, "Democrats are Walking a Fine Line on the Election's Main Foreign Policy Issue: China," Huffington Post, August 22, 2020 Alex Ward, "'America First, but on Steroids': What Trump's Second Term Foreign Policy Might Look Like," Vox, August 26, 2020 Emma Ashford, "Biden Wants to Return to a 'Normal' Foreign Policy. That's the Problem," New York Times, August 25, 2020 Van Jackson, "Biden's China Policy Can't Help but be Incoherent," Foreign Policy, August 13, 2020 Kori Schake, "Biden's Bad Foreign Policy Ideas," The Atlantic, June 7, 2020 “The Future of Grand Strategy in A Post-COVID World,” Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, September 9, 2020 Joe Biden, "Why America Must Lead Again," Foreign Affairs, January 23, 2020

In this hustle episode of the pod, Van Jackson sits down with Ankit Panda to talk about writing productivity hacks, how to become a foreign policy pundit, and tips for straddling new media and the think tank world.  They also talk about Ankit's new book, Kim Jong Un and the Bomb. Ankit's book: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/kim-jong-un-and-the-bomb/

Jackson Kemper joins us in the latest episode in our member series to talk about his time at Mizuno rubbing elbows with pros like Brooks Koepka and what it's like to be a tour caddie for 5-time PGA winner, Mark Wilson. NewClub Golf Society https://www.newclub.golf

The "Blob" national security establishment is necessary, often wrong, and loses any argument where it concedes that it's a Blob.  Are nuclear weapons inherently undemocratic and tyrannical?  George Orwell predicted yes.  Are political scientists wrong about diversionary war?  The National Republican Senatorial Committee thinks so in their latest memo that directs candidates to not defend Trump and instead attack China.  Has "the data" really replaced "strategy" as Washington's new favorite empty term?  Why fair trade might be a better way to fight China than the Hayekian wet dream of free trade at all costs.  Also this episode: How did Van Jackson become a North Korea watcher?Matt Duss Tweet: https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1255610412189581314?s=20Anne Marie-Brady Tweet: https://twitter.com/AaronFriedberg/status/1254861734059421700?s=20Robert Kelly Tweet: https://twitter.com/Robert_E_Kelly/status/1256033975568482304Adam Serwer Tweet: https://twitter.com/AdamSerwer/status/1255620408952393729?s=20"In Defense of the Blob" piece: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-04-29/defense-blob 

What's going on in North Korea? Is Kim Jong-Un alive or dead? We don’t actually know—and that's remarkable. The country is in the midst of a situation that could have serious ramifications for the region and for international security. This episode features a conversation with Dr. Van Jackson about just what is happening in the country right now and how prepared—or unprepared—the United States is for a potentially destabilizing event like the death of Kim Jong-Un.

Van Jackson is a senior lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington. He's been taking a look at Jacinda Ardern's leadership style.

Does the novel Coronavirus pandemic count as a Black Swan? Van Jackson goes deep on why it was and why it matters. Is strategic competition within interdependence possible? The neoliberal irony of strategizing to fight China using resources gotten from trading with China. Why the metaphor of Pearl Harbor is not just in appropriate securitization of the pandemic--it's ultimately an un-democratic power grab. Also this episode: Where Van fits in the international relations paradigm wars, why North Korea needs but doesn't want help, and what happened to Van's old podcast.  George Takei tweet: xhttps://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1246904615985188867?s=20Abe Denmark tweet: https://twitter.com/AbeDenmark/status/1247867195859914752?s=20Euan Graham tweet: https://twitter.com/graham_euan/status/1248033806226870273James Laurenson tweet: https://twitter.com/j_laurenceson/status/1247839183646883846

What would a Mayor Bloomberg foreign policy look like (some concerning clues in his past)?  The wisdom of French realpolitik.  Why Trump will sell out Taiwan but the rest of Washington should keep the faith.  Why neoliberalism is the new neoconservatism.  Why Iran policy reveals Trump to be a neocon minus the love of democracy bit.  And why Van Jackson backs a no-first use nuclear policy.  Also this episode: Van reveals the presidential campaign he's been volunteering for as a foreign policy adviser.  Notes and Sources:Mehdi Hasan on Michael Bloomberg: https://theintercept.com/2019/11/25/michael-bloombergs-right-wing-views-on-foreign-policy-make-him-a-perfect-candidate-for-the-republican-nomination/Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1202008446083698689Ilan Goldenberg on the JCPOA: https://mobile.twitter.com/ilangoldenberg/status/1202343502501339136Gérard Araud on realpolitik: https://twitter.com/GerardAraud/status/1201071186626502656Matt Duss on neoliberalism:  https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1201179005912854530

This special episode was recorded live from Seoul, South Korea in late November.  Dr. Van Jackson gave a talk at the East Asia Foundation in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament.  Have a listen to learn the unintended dangers of pursuing North Korean denuclearization, and why a credible arms control process is the only way to stabilize Korea.Center for a New American Security Report: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/risk-realism

Who supports military bases in South Korea? Surprising majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Also this episode, why some neoliberals are hostile to democracy. Why sphere-of-influence diplomacy is gross and destabilizing. Why the left needs to do better on Hong Kong. The State Department's clash-of-civilizations problem. What North Korea means by its end-of-year deadline. Coercion with Chinese characteristics. And mental health in national security.Van's Predictions: 1)   Will Bolivia's interim president (Jeanine Añez Chavez) remain in power until elections can be held in 90 days? | Yes 2)   Will Erdogan fully implement the anti-aircraft system they purchased from Russia (in violation of NATO regulations) by the end of 2020? | Yes3)   Will China/Hong Kong police acknowledge deaths at the hands of police before the end of 2019? | No 4)   Will Presidents Putin and Zelensky meet before the end of 2019? | No           Notes and Sources:·      Karl Friedhoff on JCS: https://twitter.com/KarlFriedhoff/status/1194303256949927937·      Jonathan Allen on impeachment talking points: https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/1194706489438621697·      Kyle Bass on American silence on Hong Kong: https://twitter.com/Jkylebass/status/1194590176078704640·      Van Jackson on progressives and Asia policy: https://thediplomat.com/2019/10/how-american-progressives-think-about-asian-security/·      Quinn Slobodian on economic freedom and democracy: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/11/democracy-defenders-economic-freedom-neoliberalismVan's Recommended IR Reads (Part I):-       James Mann – ‘Rise of the Vulcans' -       James Mann – ‘About Face' -       Fred Kaplan – ‘The Wizards of Armageddon' -       Sagan & Waltz – ‘The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate' -       Yuen Khong – ‘Analogies at War' -       Paul MacDonald – ‘Networks of Domination' -       John Ikenberry – ‘Liberal Leviathan' Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Jared Kushner's North Korea doctrine sucks, and Kim Jong Un's job is way too easy these days. What universities can do to cope with Chinese influence. India tries (and fails) to get a far-right alliance to whitewash Kashmir. Trump continues to channel the Biff Tannen school of imperialism and the Pod has a fever-dream about a smarter, sinister Ted Cruz presidency. Also this episode: An Assistant Secretary of State learns the wrong lesson from Van Jackson's first book - not everything is a bluff.  Van's Predictions1)   Will the RCEP trade deal come into force by 2020? | No2)   Will India lift the state of emergency in Kashmir by the end of 2019? | No3)   Will Russia, China, Europe remain party to the JCPOA through 2020? | Yes4)   Will America fully withdraw from the Paris Agreement in 2020? | Yes, but it won't matter.Notes and Sources:Huffington Post: "What if the World Treated the U.S like a Rogue State?" https://www.huffpost.com/highline/article/sanctions/(Note: Huffington Post, not Buzzfeed)Aaron Stein tweet on Trump & Oil: https://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/1192191364055875584Ryan Evans tweet on Boomers: https://twitter.com/EvansRyan202/status/1192196752318894091Ezra Klein tweet on American Constitutionalism: https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1191857312543064064?s=21ChinaFile – ‘How Should Universities Respond to China's Growing Presence on Their Campuses?' http://www.chinafile.com/conversation/how-should-universities-respond-chinas-growing-presence-their-campusesVan's Recommended Lefty Websites:Dissent - https://www.dissentmagazine.orgThe New Republic - https://newrepublic.com/The Baffler - https://thebaffler.com/n+1 - https://nplusonemag.com/ 

In the latest episode of our "Hustle" series, Van Jackson sits down with Suzanne DiMaggio to discover how she does it all. How did she end up as a foreign policy adviser to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign? What was it like to live in downtown Manhattan on 9/11? What did a jazz musician have to do with her leaving business school?  How did she build herself into one of America's pre-eminent experts in Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy without ever serving in the US government? And how did she find time to become a co-founder and Chairman of the Board for a new think tank, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft?Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.orgSuzanne DiMaggio: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1592Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Should the US isolate countries that isolate Taiwan? The US Senate just passed the TAIPEI Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that authorizes the State Department to take measures against countries who isolate or abandon Taiwan. In this Raw Uncut episode, Van Jackson weighs the pros and cons, arguing that it's great solidarity but questionable strategy.TAIPEI Act of 2019: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/s1678/BILLS-116s1678es.pdf.Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this episode, we get on a soapbox about "greenlanternism." Van and Pete debate what to make of Twitter's Jack Dorsey throwing shade at Facebook. We shine light on a new conservative-progressive consensus: Trump is a cartoon imperialist. We also discuss Extinction Rebellion and why the climate crisis does not warrant white privilege or targeted assassinations. Also this episode: the rules-based order is falling apart, but it may be recoverable. How many kills is Iran responsible for? Why does Obama hate wokeness? And the Van Jackson philosophy on why national security needs more progressive voices.Van's Predictions1) Will John Bolton testify in the impeachment inquiry? | Yes2) Will Benny Gantz be form a government in Israel? | Yes3) Will Iraq's Prime Minister be ousted before the end of 2019? | YesVan's Podcast Recommendations:- Dissent's ‘Know Your Enemy' | https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/know-your-enemy-a-new-podcast-about-the-right- Crooked Media's ‘Pod Save The World' | https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-world/- The Diplomat's ‘Asia Geopolitics' | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-diplomat-asia-geopolitics/id852773346- Insert generic dry but informative think tank podcasts- War on the Rocks' ‘Bombshell' | https://warontherocks.com/category/podcasts/bombshell/Notes and Sources- NY Times on Sea Level Rise | https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/29/climate/coastal-cities-underwater.html- Extinction Rebellion's White Privilege | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/19/extinction-rebellion-white-faces-diversity- Rebecca Davis Gibbons on the World International Order | https://twitter.com/RDavisGibbons/status/1188891448126652419- Jack Dorsey on Twitter Banning Political Ads: | https://twitter.com/jack/status/1189634360472829952?s=21- The American Conservative on Cartoon Imperialism | https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-cartoon-imperialist-president/?wpisrc=nl_todayworld&wpmm=1- Obama on Woke Culture | https://www.victoria.ac.nz/hppi/about/staff/jon-fraenkelMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this Raw Uncut episode, Van Jackson breaks down what it takes to render a bad take on China. Using a recent hot take from Prof. Stephen Walt as the example, Van identifies at least three ways of not only getting China wrong, but getting it wrong badly.One: Mischaracterize Chinese behaviorTwo: Promote China's preferred narrative for its misdeedsThree: Draw false equivalencies with the United States (Or, use China observations to throw shade at the US)Walt's take on China: https://twitter.com/stephenWalt/status/1188911798759645184Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

“How’s it going?” It’s pretty normal to greet someone with a question about how they’re doing. People have different standard responses to that question. Larry Knowles says “about 2 floors shy of wonderful.” Van Jackson says “not good, not bad.” Most of us just say we’re doing pretty well and move on.But that’s not always true. Sometimes we aren’t doing well. Sometimes we’re hurting and sad. Just because we have the joy joy joy joy down in our hearts doesn’t mean we’re always ok. But we sure don’t like to talk about it and what’s more, we don’t expect others to talk about it either.We don’t like to acknowledge our hurt, we don’t put words to it. But the Psalms do. Psalm 42 names the hurt and doubt and distance from God that we all sometimes feel.

Silicon Valley might be turning against China. Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and needs to take a security studies course. There are no more US officials with gravitas. Trump's 5-dimensional chess is going to end with a Kurdish-Iranian alliance. Career advice for an aspiring China hand.  And will Van Jackson ever move back to Washington?  Van's Predictions:Will Pompeo survive until 2020? NoWill China sacrifice Carrie Lam by 2020? YesWill Giuliani be arrested by the end of 2019? NoWill China and the US sign a grand bargain deal by the end of 2020? NoWill US troops withdraw from Syria by 2020? NoShelly Banjo's Bloomberg tweet thread: https://twitter.com/sbanjo/status/1184070619693907968Michael Weiss tweet thread: https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1184139398507585536?s=20Tanisha Fazal and Paul Poast Foreign Affairs article: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-10-15/war-not-overMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Our "Hustle" episodes are interviews with foreign policy and national security experts doing interesting things we can all learn from. We uncover their origin stories and how they found their path in a field with no user's manual. In this Hustle episode, Van Jackson sits down with Dr. Kathleen McInnis, author of the novel The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon. It's The Devil Wears Prada meets Catch-22, and this interview is a must-listen. We talk about the creative process, taking chances, writing on spec, and the importance of storytelling in an analytical world.  Buy The Heart of War: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-War-Misadventures-Pentagon/dp/1682616517Kathleen McInnis website: https://kjmcinnis.comMusic: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Senator Bernie Sanders once again called out Vice President Joe Biden's decision to support the 2003 Iraq War during the democratic primary debate (10/15/2019). How much should it matter if presidential candidates previously supported the Iraq invasion? Is it good politics for the democratic primary? Van Jackson weighs in.Vox Explainer on Biden's Iraq War Support: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/15/20849072/joe-biden-iraq-history-democrats-election-2020Politico Coverage of the October 15, 2019 Democratic Debate: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/15/bernie-sanders-debate-047989Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

Why did US-North Korea working level nuclear talks fall apart...in less than a day? Van Jackson explains why the moral hazard of reality-show summitry is ultimately to blame.Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' HesterVan's prescription for a stabilizing North Korea policy: https://warontherocks.com/2019/09/confronting-reality-the-bitter-medicine-that-north-korea-policy-needs-now/

What would happen if Trump decides to end the Korean War? Why might he do it? And, if you're a peace-loving anti-Trumper, how should you react? Show host Van Jackson cuts to the heart of these questions in this Raw Uncut episode of the Un-Diplomatic podcast.Notes and Sources:New report from the Center for a New American Security on arms control with North Korea: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/risk-realismLatest indication of Trump's willingness to declare an end to the Korean War: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190928000600315Theme Song: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this opening trailer, show host Van Jackson previews his philosophy behind being undiplomatic, and why the next generation of foreign policy wonks in particular should tune in.Want a question featured on future episodes? Hit us up at askmeanything@undiplomaticpodcast.comFor updates: www.undiplomaticpodcast.comShow Twitter: @UnDiplomaticPodVan's Twitter: @WonkVJSupport the Show: buymeacoffee.com/undiplomaticTheme song: Tre' Hester

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW we are joined by Van Jackson, Wilson Center Global Fellow and Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington. He discusses his new book “On the Brink: Trump, Kim and the Threat of Nuclear War,” which analyzes the Trump administration’s response to North Korea's increasing rhetoric and nuclear threat in 2017 and the remarkable about-face leading to the June 2018 summit in Singapore.

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch.

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book On the Brink: Trump, Kim, and The Threat of Nuclear War (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Van Jackson succinctly explains the major issues facing U.S.-North Korea relations since the Korean Armistice Agreement. Jackson argues that the 2017 nuclear crisis was a product of a gradual hardening of U.S. policy towards North Korea, as well as the particular characteristics of the current leadership of both countries. The book provides an excellent overview of U.S. policy towards North Korea and provides new, contemporary scholarship on the Obama and Trump administrations. Beth Windisch is a national security practitioner. You can tweet her @bethwindisch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, WOTR's Ryan Evans interviews John Bew about the state of the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom as the presidency of Donald Trump unfolds. How is Prime Minister Theresa May trying to manage British relations with the United States? Is Parliament making it easier or harder for her? What does Brexit mean for British power? Will Britain start to more seriously commit to a higher defense budget? Is the Winston Churchill bust in the White House a useful symbol of the special relationship (spoiler: no)? John tackles these questions and more, ending on a note of optimism on this most resilient of alliances. But that's not all! There's also a dash of Asia in this episode. Ryan called up Van Jackson, the host of Pacific Pundit, about the grand American presidential tradition of ignoring North Korea. About our guests: John Bew is Professor of History and Foreign Policy at the War Studies Department at King’s College London. He is the author of Realpolitik: A History and, most recently, Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain. John is leading a project on Britain’s place in the world for the think tank Policy Exchange. Van Jackson is a senior editor at War on the Rocks. Van is the author of Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in US-North Korea Relations. He is an associate professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). The views expressed are his own. Please check out his podcast, Pacific Pundit. Produced by Tré Hester Image: White House