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Is Arms Control Dead?

Net Assessment

Release Date: 05/02/2025

Implementing a Hellscape Strategy for Taiwan show art Implementing a Hellscape Strategy for Taiwan

Net Assessment

On this show, Melanie, Chris, and Zack consider whether the porcupine strategy that Taiwan is currently implementing is the best plan to deter or defend against China. What could Taiwan be doing better, and how can the United States and other friendly countries help? And have we learned any lessons from the situation in the Strait of Hormuz that are relevant to a Taiwan conflict? Chris laments the administration’s proposed defense budget, and Melanie pans VP JD Vance for going to Hungary to campaign for Victor Orban. Zack gives a shout out to the astronauts and engineers behind Artemis II,...

info_outline Is There an End in Sight for the US War in Iran? show art Is There an End in Sight for the US War in Iran?

Net Assessment

What are the goals in the US war in Iran? Is the situation in the Strait of Hormuz manageable, or is the Iranian threat to shipping a challenge that must be confronted? And can it be resolved at an acceptable cost? Melanie, Chris, and Zack, discuss the latest from the war, with a particular focus on the threat posed to international shipping in the vital waterway. Grievances for Jeremy Corbyn, and for the Trump administration’s decision to remove sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil. Attas to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichii Sanae for navigating her meeting with President Trump, to a...

info_outline Will U.S. Allies Hedge? Should They? show art Will U.S. Allies Hedge? Should They?

Net Assessment

Chris, Zack, and Melanie have a discussion about how America’s allies and partners, after decades of relying on the US for security, are derisking from what they view as an increasingly unpredictable and unfriendly power. How much of their hedging is about President Trump, and how much is due to the growing clout of middle powers, world events, or other factors? What should our allies be doing to constructively protect themselves in terms of their economic and national security? And what do the reactions of world leaders to the conflict in Iran tell us about how they view their relationships...

info_outline A Broadside Against Battleships show art A Broadside Against Battleships

Net Assessment

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the wisdom of President Trump’s proposal for a Golden Fleet of new American “battleships.” They question the strategic logic, timelines, cost estimates, and political dynamics behind the proposal. Chris commends USA Hockey for its gold medal performance at the Olympics while Melanie questions Eileen Gu’s comments there and Zack expresses appreciation for the Supreme Court’s tariff decision.   Show Links:   Eli Rosenberg, “,” NBC Connecticut, February 19, 2026. Christopher A. Preble and Celia Clark, “T,” 2016. Sam Mercoliagno, ,...

info_outline Is Resolute Global Leadership the Right Grand Strategy for the United States? show art Is Resolute Global Leadership the Right Grand Strategy for the United States?

Net Assessment

In this episode, Chris, Melanie, and Zack, discuss a recent Council on Foreign Relations special report which explores varies grand strategies, and proposes an alternative known as “Resolute Global Leadership.” Is this strategy realistic? Does it accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives? And what did the report leave out, or fail to develop adequately, to ensure that it will succeed where others failed? Grievances for what Jeff Bezos has done to the Washington Post, to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists for their doomsday clock, and to Donald Trump for weighing in...

info_outline New Denial Strategy? Assessing the 2026 NDS show art New Denial Strategy? Assessing the 2026 NDS

Net Assessment

Zack, Melanie, and special guest Kelly Grieco take a look at the Department of War’s 2026 National Defense Strategy. What does a “decent peace” with China look like? Is that what China wants? What does the document get right and wrong about burden-sharing among allies and partners? Will this strategy actually help deliver the “peace through strength” that is so important to this administration? Zack has an atta for the foreign affairs reporters at the Washington Post, Kelly has an atta for the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots, and Melanie has even more grievances for the...

info_outline Crude Awakening: Maduro’s Seizure and Venezuela’s Future show art Crude Awakening: Maduro’s Seizure and Venezuela’s Future

Net Assessment

Fresh off the shock of the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, the Net Assessment team debates the merits of the operation and what it means for Venezuela’s future. They also discuss why it caught (some of) them off guard, and what it implies about the Trump administration’s decision-making going forward. Chris also questions Trump’s proposed defense budget increase, Melanie gives Denmark a badly needed attaboy, and Zack critiques Pete Hegseth’s punishment of Mark Kelly. *The Net Assessment Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM. Show Links: Emma...

info_outline Farewell 2025, Hello 2026 show art Farewell 2025, Hello 2026

Net Assessment

In this special bonus episode, the Net Assessment crew – Chris, Melanie, and Zack - looks back on the highs (and lows) of 2025, and makes a few predictions for 2026. Thanks all around to our listeners, the Stimson Center, and University FM for their fantastic production.   Show Links:   Hadeel al-Salchi, “,” NPR, December 16, 2025. “,” Last Days in Vietnam, PBS. Justin Bronk, “,” Foreign Affairs, December 15, 2025. Christopher Clary, “,” Stimson Center May 28, 2025. Zack Cooper, “,” The American Enterprise, March 5, 2025. The Daily, "", March 20,...

info_outline What Does the United States Want From China and Why Can’t We Get It? show art What Does the United States Want From China and Why Can’t We Get It?

Net Assessment

In this episode, Chris, Melanie, and Zack look at U.S. policy toward China. What does the United States, that is Donald Trump, want from China? What should the Trump administration be willing to compromise on to get it? And what does Trump need that China would be willing to give up? Grievances for President Trump’s tasteless social media post following the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner; for those who bet on war (and rig the maps to win); and for the Pentagon’s attacks on Sen. (and retired Navy Captain) Mark Kelly for daring to suggest that people in the military shouldn’t follow...

info_outline 'Safer, Richer, Freer, Greater'? Trump's New Strategy for American Power show art 'Safer, Richer, Freer, Greater'? Trump's New Strategy for American Power

Net Assessment

Chris, Zack, and Melanie take a look at the Trump administration’s newly-released US National Security Strategy. Is it a coherent strategy? How will diplomacy, military might, and economic power be developed and deployed to advance American interests? Will the strategy usher in a new Golden Age, and “make America safer, richer, freer, greater, and more powerful than ever before,” as the President claims in the preface?   Chris has a grievance for the inability of the Navy to design and produce small surface combatants, Zack is pleased with Congress asserting itself in the new NDAA,...

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More Episodes

Chris, Melanie, and Zack consider Rose Gottemoeller’s claim that arms control is not yet dead, but essential. Are there realistic prospects for a new arms control deal? If the Trump administration seriously seeks agreements with Russia and China, what should we demand? And what concessions might we offer? And what should be the objective of any new arms control agreements? Grievances for the Pentagon’s slow-motion train wreck, to worrisome reports of deep cuts at the State Department, and for the Trump administration’s reported minerals deal in Ukraine. Zack offers a heartfelt attaboy to his mentor Richard Armitage, who passed away earlier this month after a lifetime of service. Attas also to Secretary of State Marco Rubio for not cutting State more, and to the Carnegie Endowment for a new report on the foreign policy attitudes of Generation Z.

 

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