SSI Live Podcast

Satellites and anti-satellite capabilities have come to play a major role in modern warfare and strategic competition. How are they being used today in the context of the Russia-Ukraine War? What role are government-owned systems and commercial systems playing, and how are Russia and Ukraine leveraging each? How has the war reinforced or created new norms regarding escalation? SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni spoke with Dr. Ron Gurantz regarding his insightful new monograph Satellites in the Russia-Ukraine War. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

Reconceptualizing Homeland Defense in the Indo-Pacific – Homeland defense does not begin at the water’s edge, at least not on the east and west coasts of the United States. How do we think about, plan for, and operationalize defense of far-flung American territories? In their latest publication, Dr. Mike Lynch and Major Brennan Deveraux argue the definition of homeland defense must now extend well beyond North American shores. In this episode of SSI Live, they discuss how exercises, presence, and other tools build and strengthen partnerships with countries across the region, reinforcing homeland defense. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

Paraguay as a Linchpin Both Literally and Figuratively – Paraguay sits at the crossroads of both illicit and licit activities in South America, with implications stretching from arms trafficking to the drug trade to Hezbollah’s fundraising to China-Taiwan issues. How is the relatively new government of President Santiago Peña dealing with Paraguay’s many challenges, including significant corruption? What are the promises and perils it faces politically, economically, and militarily? Dr. Evan Ellis joined SSI Live host John R. Deni for a deep dive on Paraguay, including a readout of Evan’s meeting with President Peña. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 110 – Proxy War Ethics: The Norms of Partnering in Great Power Competition – Given the unfolding wars in Ukraine and Gaza – both of which have seen proxy activity or something that looks a lot like proxy activity – what kind of ethical concerns should policymakers focus on? Have proxy wars become more common over time, and are ethical challenges inherent in them? How can we strengthen the norms that govern proxy war activity? SSI Live host John R. Deni invited Dr. Tony Pfaff to discuss his latest book. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 109 – Putin’s Reelection, Russia’s Trajectory, and the War in Ukraine – Vladimir Putin was recently reelected to an unprecedented fifth term. He faced no serious challenges, thanks to a strict crackdown on opposition and free speech. Relatedly, last month marked two years since Russia began its second and far more brutal invasion of Ukraine. As that war enters its third year, and as Putin basks in his reelection, how do we assess his place in Russian history and culture, what does the election tell us about Russia’s trajectory, and what are the implications for the war and the West? SSI Live host John R. Deni invited Bob Hamilton, Steve Blank, and Craig Nation to discuss Russia, Putin, and the West. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 108 – Latin America and Caribbean Outlook for 2024 – What is the outlook for security, defense, politics, and economics across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024? How do far-away conflicts in Ukraine or Gaza impact the region? And what’s on the agenda(s) of extraterritorial actors like China, Russia, and Iran in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America? SSI Live host John R. Deni invited Evan Ellis to discuss what we might expect to see in 2024 and the related implications for the United States. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 107 – SSI Launches China Landpower Studies Center – The Strategic Studies Institute has just launched a new initiative, the China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC). SSI Live host John Deni invited its Research Director, Josh Arostegui, to discuss the new Center, its research priorities, and how China’s actions across the Indo-Pacific make this an ideal – even vital – time to launch this important effort. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

Clear, Hold, [and don’t] Build? The Study of Internal Conflict – Although strategic competition has placed China and Russia at the center of American security policy, internal conflicts in places like Iraq, Kosovo, Syria, and Yemen continue to demand the attention of policymakers. SSI’s Dr. Chris Mason has examined these and dozens of others through his multi-year Study of Internal Conflict. What do the many case studies he and his team have examined tell us about the Western approach – including the Clear, Hold, Build strategy – to internal conflict? Is there a clear path ahead for policy-makers wrestling with how to solve these complex challenges? Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 105 – The Dragon and the Bear in Africa – Much is made of the ‘axis of authoritarianism’ emerging between Moscow and Beijing, and it’s clear the PRC is playing an important if only implicit role in supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. But how do these two strategic actors collaborate in other regions? SSI’s Dr. Bob Hamilton spoke to SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss his latest research on whether and how China and Russia interact – or not – in Africa, and what implications this might hold for the United States. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

SSI Live 104 – Implications of Milei’s Election in Argentina – Libertarian Javier Milei recently won a landslide victory in Argentina’s presidential election on a platform of radical reform designed to solve the country’s major economic challenges. How did Milei pull it off? What came out of his post-election trip to the United States? How likely is he to achieve his policy aims at home and abroad? And what are the implications for the U.S.-Argentinian security relationship? SSI’s Dr. Evan Ellis joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss these questions and more. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

Terrestrial Responses to Space Aggression – Russia and China have both tested ground-based anti-satellite missiles as well as on-orbit anti-satellite weapons. The latter include projectiles launched from one satellite to another and satellites that can grapple and move other satellites. How should or can the United States respond to an attack on its own satellites? Why does attacking an adversary’s satellite in retaliation make for an unappealing option? SSI research professor Dr. Ron Gurantz joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss the complex issues surrounding deterrence and aggression in space. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below.

Implications of Elections in Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela – It’s election season in South America, and the outcomes in three key countries have somewhat surprised observers. The implications for Argentina’s flailing economy, the narcotics-fueled violence in Ecuador, and the flow of oil from Venezuela are numerous, but what do they mean for the United States and the Pentagon? Dr. Evan Ellis joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss election results from Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Listen here, download to your device, or subscribe below. John R. Deni: http://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/Who-We-Are/Faculty-Staff/Article/3356752/dr-john-r-deni/ R. Evan Ellis: http://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/Who-We-Are/Faculty-Staff/Article/3356767/dr-r-evan-ellis/

The Helsinki summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin may be the first step in a rapprochement between the United States and Russia. If so, what are the strategic and policy implications in Europe, with specific regard to the security of U.S. allies in Eastern Europe, with regard to the conflict in Syria, vis-à-vis U.S. partners in the Middle East, or in other regards? SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni invited his SSI colleagues Prof. Nate Freier and Dr. Chris Bolan to think about and discuss the potential implications of a reset with Russia.

SSI Live 101 – What’s the Real State of the Russia-China Relationship? – The debate over the nature of the Russia-China relationship remains unsettled. One side believes the two are strategic partners, while the other believes their ties are merely an “axis of convenience”. Understanding the nature of their relationship is of vital importance to U.S. national security, so how can we gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Russian-Chinese relations? Dr. Bob Hamilton, SSI Research Professor of Eurasian Studies, recently published an essay on this topic with the Foreign Policy Research Institute – in this podcast, he joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss the relationship between Moscow and Beijing. Read Hamilton's article here: https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/05/stress-testing-chinese-russian-relations/

SSI Live 100 – Panama’s Evolving Relationship with China – Panama is a relatively small country but one of pivotal strategic importance in our hemisphere, especially given the role of the Panama canal and the related financial services industry. Dr. Evan Ellis had the opportunity to travel there recently to engage Panamanian officials and academics, to get a sense of what’s ahead as the country faces national elections next year, to gauge the country’s evolving relationship with China, and to assess the implications for the United States.

SSI Live 099 – AI in Today’s (and Tomorrow’s) Military – What are the implications of the U.S. military incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into what it does during peacetime, in conflict, and everything in between? How does trust figure into the use of AI, both up and down the chain of command? To employ AI successfully, will we need all troops to be AI experts, and if so, what are the implications for DoD? SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni invited his colleague Dr. Tony Pfaff to discuss the recently published monograph Trusting AI: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into the Army’s Professional Expert Knowledge (read here: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/959/).

SSI Live 098 – One Year On: Russia’s War on Ukraine – With the Russian war in Ukraine having just reached its one-year mark, how can we assess outlook for Ukraine? Is there reason for Kyiv – or Moscow – to be optimistic, given the current trajectory? And what can we make of potential Chinese involvement? In this third (of three) SSI Live podcast marking one year of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Dr. Bob Hamilton, Dr. Craig Nation, and Dr. Steve Blank once again joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni for a discussion on the state of the war and the likely direction of things.

SSI Live 097 – One Year On: Russia’s War on Ukraine and the Role of the EU – With the Russian war in Ukraine having just reached its one-year mark, how can we assess the role of the European Union (EU)? Have its diplomatic, political, economic, and military responses to the war met expectations? What remains to be done and what impediments stand in the way? What can be expected of Europe in the event China becomes more clearly involved in providing weapons to Russia? Dr. Sven Biscop of the Brussels-based Egmont Institute joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni for a discussion of the EU’s role in responding to Russia’s war.

SSI Live 096 – One Year On: Russia’s War on Ukraine and the Role of Latin America – With the Russian war in Ukraine having just reached its one-year mark, it’s clear that economic sanctions against Russia as well as the provision of military equipment and other materiel have formed the centerpieces of the Western response to Russia’s unprovoked, illegal invasion. Yet the global south, including Latin America, remains conspicuously unwilling to join in either effort. Could Latin America play a role here also? If not, what explains their unwillingness to join the West? SSI’s Dr. Evan Ellis sat down with host John Deni to discuss the role Latin America has played – or not – and what prospects exist for the future.

SSI Live 095 – Putin Mobilizes as Ukraine Advances – Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes, Putin’s partial mobilization, Moscow’s annexation announcement, and the Kremlin’s nuclear saber rattling all add up to a shifting outlook for Russia’s war of aggression. What do these events tell us about Russia’s strategy and the trajectory of the conflict? Do they signal instability within Russia? SSI’s own Dr. Bob Hamilton, former SSI research professor Dr. Steve Blank, and former USAWC professor Dr. Craig Nation again joined SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss these and related issues in the unfolding conflict.