Jul 16, 2026
Chris, Zack, and Melanie have a look at the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment. Does the document get the threats, and their prioritiztion, right? How does Trump administration policy align with what the intelligence community determines to be the most critical threats facing the US in the next year? Has the two-decades-old...
Jul 2, 2026
With Chris galavanting across Europe, Stimson’s Emma Ashford joins Melanie and Zack to debate whether the United States is undermining deterrence in Europe. What does a decreased U.S. conventional commitment mean for the risk of nuclear escalation? And might Vladimir Putin see this as an opportunity to test...
Jun 18, 2026
In this show, Chris, Melanie, and Zack consider the benefits and costs for U.S. allies and partners who host U.S. bases on their territory. As traditional allies have limited air space and basing access to the United States during the Iran war, has a major fault line in American strategy been publicly exposed? And...
Jun 4, 2026
Chris, Zack, and Melanie have a chat about how Mexico is handling the drug cartels, which continue to perpetrate terrible violence and facilitate massive corruption in the country. Can President Claudia Sheinbaum enact an anti-cartel strategy that will reduce the violence? Are institutions in government and the...
May 21, 2026
Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate Wess Mitchell’s proposed U.S. strategy of consolidation. They discuss whether this strategy would finally realign America’s objectives with its resources. They also question the Trump administration’s ability or willingness to execute such an approach. Chris commends...