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Horns of a Dilemma

Politics

Brought to you by the Texas National Security Review, this podcast features lectures, interviews, and panel discussions at The University of Texas at Austin.

Location:

United States

Description:

Brought to you by the Texas National Security Review, this podcast features lectures, interviews, and panel discussions at The University of Texas at Austin.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Balancing AI and Human Control in Nuclear Strategy

7/15/2025
Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Ryan Vest interview Herb Lin, a national security expert from Stanford University. They discuss his article, "Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Weapons: A Commonsense Approach to Understanding Costs and Benefits," and explore the complex interplay between AI, nuclear strategy, and human control. Read the article: https://tnsr.org/2025/06/artificial-intelligence-and-nuclear-weapons-a-commonsense-approach-to-understanding-costs-and-benefits/

Duration:00:35:23

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Rethinking North Korea's Artillery Threat

7/1/2025
In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, host Ryan Vest sits down with Sheena Chestnut Greitens to interview scholars Nicholas Anderson and Daryl Press about their article, "Lost Seoul? Assessing Pyongyang’s Other Deterrent," featured in Volume 8, Issue 3 of the Texas National Security Review. Anderson and Press challenge the conventional wisdom that North Korean artillery could devastate Seoul during a conflict. They discuss the origins of their research, the methodology behind their military campaign analysis, and the important implications for policymakers, including the unexpected resilience of urban areas and the crucial steps South Korea has taken to mitigate potential damage. Tune in for an insightful discussion that reevaluates the artillery threat on the Korean Peninsula and explores broader security implications. Read the article: https://tnsr.org/2025/06/lost-seoul-assessing-pyongyangs-other-deterrent/ For additional information on the model, underlying data, and other supplementary materials, please visit the online appendix at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/86HBGS.

Duration:00:39:55

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Remembering Joseph Nye

5/13/2025
TNSR was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Joseph Nye on May 6. He was a titan in the field of national security, a gifted professor, a dedicated servant of the people, and a great friend. In honor of his life's work, we are re-airing an episode of Horns of a Dilemma from last year when Frank Gavin, Chair of the TNSR editorial board, sat down with Nye to discuss his memoir and a range of other historical and contemporary topics.

Duration:00:46:21

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Dual Use Deception: How Technology Shapes Cooperation in International Relations

1/15/2025
In this special episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Rick Landgraf talks with Jane Vaynman and Tristan Volpe, co-authors of “Dual Use Deception: How Technology Shapes Cooperation in International Relations,” published in the journal International Organization. The study won IO’s 2023 Robert O. Keohane Award for best research article published by an untenured scholar.

Duration:00:25:45

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Machine Failing: The Linkage Between Software Development Flaws and Military Accidents

1/10/2025
Rick Landgraf talks with Jeffrey Ding, author of "Machine Failing: How Systems Acquisition and Software Development Flaws Contribute to Military Accidents," featured in Volume 8, Issue 1 of the Texas National Security Review. They discuss how flaws in the U.S. military's systems acquisitions process can lead to accidents.

Duration:00:27:04

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Davy Crockett and the Boy Scouts: The Korean War and Mismanaging Protracted Conflict

1/3/2025
Rick Landgraf talks with Andrew Forney, author of "Davy Crockett and the Boy Scouts: The Korean War and Mismanaging Protracted Conflict," featured in Volume 8, Issue 1 of the Texas National Security Review. They discuss how a series of strategic force management decisions undermined the ability of the United States to militarily coerce China and North Korea.

Duration:00:26:18

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Soviet-India Relations: Cold War Contest and Cooperation

12/20/2024
Kerry Anderson talks with Gokul Sahni, author of "The Main Drivers of Soviet Foreign Policy Towards India, 1955–1991," published in Volume 8, Issue 1 of the Texas National Security Review. They discuss the historical evolution of Soviet-India relations and what lessons it might provide for current geopolitics.

Duration:00:23:40

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Australian and New Zealand Views on the U.S. Relationship

12/13/2024
Marshall Kosloff talks with Charles Edel about reactions to Trump's election in Australia and New Zealand and the future of the Indo-Pacific region.

Duration:00:24:09

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The War of Words Between FDR and Charles Lindbergh

12/6/2024
Marshall Kosloff talks with Paul Sparrow about his book, "Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War of Words with Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy."

Duration:00:33:08

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Hunting for Submarines in the Warming Ocean

11/29/2024
TNSR Managing Editor Rick Landgraf sits down with Mauro Gilli to discuss the effect of climate change on the detection range of submarines.

Duration:00:24:53

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Drones, AI, and the Changing Nature of Warfare

11/15/2024
Marshall Kosloff talks with Stacie Pettyjohn about the roles of uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence in shaping the future of war.

Duration:00:31:18

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How China Uses Economic Sanctions

11/1/2024
Kerry Anderson, TNSR Production Editor, talks with Ketian Zhang about her article for TNSR, "Just Do It: Explaining the Characteristics and Rationale of Chinese Economic Sanctions." Zhang, an assistant professor of international security in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, highlights that China imposes sanctions differently than Western states tend to do, including taking a more ambiguous approach.

Duration:00:30:18

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Access Denied? Non-Aligned State Decisions to Grant Access During War

10/25/2024
Access decisions play a crucial role in large-scale conflicts and yet the decision-making process of potential host nations has largely been unexplored. Rick talks with TNSR author Emily Ellinger about how leaders consider regime survival, economic repercussions, and potential retaliation when making access decisions.

Duration:00:22:13

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The Political Thought of Xi Jinping

10/18/2024
On Sept. 19, Dr. Olivia Cheung, Research Fellow at the China Institute at SOAS University of London, spoke about her book, The Political Thought of Xi Jinping, co-authored with Steve Tsang.

Duration:00:37:09

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Combatant Command and the Intersection of Policy and Military Execution

10/11/2024
On Sept. 17, at the University of Texas at Austin, General (Ret.) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie Jr. spoke about his book, “The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century.” This discussion, moderated by Joseph Maguire, covers Gen. McKenzie’s military career, with a particular focus on his time as commander of U.S. Central Command – which included the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.

Duration:00:58:23

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Russia, Central Asia, and the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

10/4/2024
TNSR Managing Editor Rick Landgraf talks with Charles Ziegler about his latest article, Filling the Void Left by Great-Power Retrenchment: Russia, Central Asia, and the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan. Charles and Rick discuss how the Central Asian countries have reacted to the withdrawal, how Russia has tried to reassert itself in the region, and why China might eventually supplant Russia as the regional hegemon.

Duration:00:21:27

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Wisdom for a World in Turmoil

9/27/2024
Robert D. Kaplan spoke at the University of Texas at Austin, where he discussed how our leaders can come to grips with a world seemingly in disarray.

Duration:00:49:41

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Placing Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait in the Context of the End of the Cold War

9/20/2024
TNSR Production Editor Kerry Anderson talks with historian Daniel Chardell about his article The Origins of the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait Reconsidered, published in Volume 6, Issue 3 of TNSR. Daniel and Kerry discuss Saddam Hussein's understanding of the shifts in power that followed the Soviet Union's collapse, how U.S. and Iraqi leaders perceived each other, Saddam's concerns about Israel, and historians' use of Iraqi archives.

Duration:00:41:49

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Sport and War: Martin Pengelly on his book "Brotherhood"

9/13/2024
Marshall Kosloff talks with journalist Martin Pengelly about his book, "Brotherhood: When West Point Rugby Went to War." They discuss rugby and Pengelly's story about members of a West Point rugby team in the aftermath of 9/11.

Duration:00:31:51

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The Debate Over Why the United States Invaded Iraq in 2003

9/6/2024
In this episode, TNSR Production Editor Kerry Anderson sits down with Joseph Stieb to discuss his article from Volume 6, Issue 3 of TNSR: "Why Did the United States Invade Iraq? The Debate at 20 Years."

Duration:00:28:25