Horns of a Dilemma

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

The Multiple Collisions Involved in the War in Ukraine 04/26/2024

The Multiple Collisions Involved in the War in Ukraine The Clements Center for National Security, the Center for European Studies and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies hosted Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at Catholic University, for a book talk on his upcoming release Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30970798

Leadership Lessons From Our Top Presidents 04/19/2024

Leadership Lessons From Our Top Presidents The Clements Center for National Security, the LBJ Presidential Library and the UT-Austin History Department hosted Talmage Boston, historian and partner at the Dallas law firm Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, for a book talk on How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons From Our Top Presidents. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30867408

South Korea's Grand Strategy 04/12/2024

South Korea's Grand Strategy On Wednesday, April 10, the Clements-Strauss Asia Policy Program hosted Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Pardo discussed his book, South Korea’s Grand Strategy: Making Its Own Destiny. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30788523

Fighting in Iraq's Triangle of Death 04/05/2024

Fighting in Iraq's Triangle of Death On Tuesday, March 26, the Clements Center for National Security, the Army ROTC and the UT-Austin History Department hosted Kelly Eads and Dan Morgan for a book talk on their recent release: Black Hearts and Painted Guns: A Battalion’s Journey into Iraq’s Triangle of Death. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30686608

Understanding the Defense Department's Industrial Base Problems 03/23/2024

Understanding the Defense Department's Industrial Base Problems Marshall Kosloff, the Clements Center National Security media and journalism fellow, moderated a discussion with Jeff Decker, the managing director of Tech Transfer for Defense at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability, and Noah Sheinbaum, the founder of Frontdoor Defense, about their recent article, "." /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30510763

George Shultz and the End of the Cold War 03/15/2024

George Shultz and the End of the Cold War Philip Taubman, a lecturer at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, discussed his latest book, In the Nation’s Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz. The conversation touched on the legacy of Secretary Shultz, his approach to the Soviet Union, and is filled with anecdotes from Philip's time in Moscow at the end of the Cold War. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30380733

AI and Making the Supply Chain More Robust 03/08/2024

AI and Making the Supply Chain More Robust Dr. Meg Reiss, the founder and CEO of of SolidIntel Inc., sat down with Marshal Kosloff, the national security media and journalism fellow at the Clements Center for National Security, to discuss supply chain risks and how the risks could be mitigated with investments in new technology. The conversation explored the upstream challenges, how to manage China's role in supply chains, and how to minimize risk factors for industry. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30277258

America's Effort to Shield Itself 03/05/2024

America's Effort to Shield Itself Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government, spoke about the history of isolationism in the United States, its role in the formulation of American foreign policy, and how the idea is now resurgent in U.S. domestic politics. The conversation is based on Charlie's most recent book, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30226453

The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion 02/23/2024

The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Aaron O’Connell, associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and director of research for the Clements Center for National Security, hosts a discussion with Rob Rakove, a lecturer in Stanford University's Program in International Relations. They discuss Rakove’s new book, Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/30071823

European Security and the Russo-Ukrainian War 02/09/2024

European Security and the Russo-Ukrainian War Paul Edgar, the associate director of the William P. Clements, Jr. Center for National Security, moderated a discussion with Amb. Kurt Volker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2008-2009, and Gen. Tod Wolters, the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, about the state of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the future of European security, and the impact of the conflict on global security. The conversation explored the evolution of President Putin's approach to relations with the West, the changes in Russian foreign policy, and what this may portend for regional security in the future. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29861333

Foreign Policy In the Johnson Years 01/11/2024

Foreign Policy In the Johnson Years Marc Selverstone, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, co-chair of the Center’s Presidential Recordings Program, and professor of presidential studies, moderated a discussion with Francis Gavin, the Giovanni Agnelli distinguised professor and director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; Sheyda Jahanbani, an associate professor at the University of Kansas; and Fredrik Logevall, the Laurence D. Belfer professor of international affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a professor of history at Harvard University. The conversation focused on President Lyndon Johnson's foreign policy and the recent book, LBJ's America: The Life and Legacies of Lyndon Baines Johnson. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29432023

China's Digital Data Trafficking 01/05/2024

China's Digital Data Trafficking Aynne Kokas, the C.K. Yen Professor at the Miller Center and an associate professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, spoke about her book Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty. Kokas explained how the asymmetry in digital regulations between the United States and China, along with practices of private industry, have helped empower Beijing's broader effort to control digital data. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29354888

Government Historians and Engagement with Classified Information 01/02/2024

Government Historians and Engagement with Classified Information Carter Burwell, a Public Interest Declassification Board board member, moderated a discussion with Erin Mahan, Chief Historian at the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Adam Howard, the director of the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State; and John Fox, a historian at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The conversation discussed the role of historians and archivists inside the U.S. government, the role that historians play in preserving institutional knowledge, and how that role intersects with classification/declassification issues. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29313093

The Media, Secrecy and Transparency 12/29/2023

The Media, Secrecy and Transparency Ben Powell, a Public Interest Declassification Board board member, moderated a discussion with Adam Goldman, a reporter at the New York Times; Nomaan Merchant, a reporter at the Associated Press; Dustin Volz, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal; and Josh Gerstein, a journalist with Politico. The conversation talked about the role of the media in holding government accountable, the use of the Freedom of Information Act, and how the classification issue impacts the media business and the job of reporting. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29271083

A Conversation with Sen. John Cornyn 12/22/2023

A Conversation with Sen. John Cornyn Dr. Will Inboden sat down with Sen. John Cornyn to discuss the issues of declassification and transparency, along with the ongoing debate about the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The two also discussed the role of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Congressional oversight, and how Section 702's renewal is important for U.S. national security /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29100078

The Future of Presidential Libraries 12/19/2023

The Future of Presidential Libraries Paul Noel Chretien, a Public Interest Declassification Board Board Member and retired Central Intelligence Agency Officer, moderated a discussion with Tim Naftali, a clinical associate professor of History and Public Policy at New York University; Matthew Connelly, a professor of History at Columbia University; Warren Finch, the former director of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library; and Mark Lawrence, the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. The conversation explored the role of presidential libraries, the issues they face, and the future of these institutions. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29099138

Using Technology to Solve the Declassification Problem 12/15/2023

Using Technology to Solve the Declassification Problem Adam Klein moderated a panel with Jared Abrams, a research associate at Applied Research Laboratories; Ivan Lee, the founder & CEO of Datasaur.ai; Alex Joel, a senior project director and adjunct professor at Washington College of Law, American University; and Ezra Cohen, the former chair of Public Interest Declassification Board and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The conversation touched on the role of technology in helping to manage classified material and the declassification process, along with how technology has increased the amount of classified material. The panel also discussed how AI could help scholars with research. This conversation was part of a multi-panel event on classification and U.S. democracy. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29098213

Classification and Scholarship 12/12/2023

Classification and Scholarship Aaron O'Connell, the director of research at the Clements Center for National Security, moderated a panel with Jim Goldgeier, a visiting scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation; Deborah Pearlstein, co-director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy; Jeremi Suri, the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at UT Austin; and Sheena Greitens, the founding director of the Asia Policy Program at the University of Texas at Austin. The conversation focused on the classification process, scholarship, the need for more transparency, and why it matters for the writing of history. This was the first of a three panels exploring the topic of classification and democracy. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/29027118

Counter-Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities 12/08/2023

Counter-Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities Christy Abizaid, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, spoke about the duties of the center, terrorist threats to the United States and the role of counter-terrorism during an era of strategic competition. She also participated in a moderated question and answer session with Mark Pomar, discussing U.S. foreign policy, the counter-terrorism mission, and what it is like to work with in the intelligence community. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28978323

Russian Opposition to Totalitarianism 12/05/2023

Russian Opposition to Totalitarianism Dr. Mark Pomar, a senior national security fellow at the Clements Center for National Security, moderated a discussion with Alexander Podrabinek, a Soviet and Russian human rights activist, journalist, and writer. The conversation explored the drivers of the return of totalitarian rule in Russia. The two also discussed the role of propaganda in shaping domestic opinion and the ongoing Russian resistance to authoritarianism. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28943313

The Making of the American Hegemon 12/01/2023

The Making of the American Hegemon Sean Mirski, a lawyer and U.S. foreign policy scholar, discussed his recent book, We May Dominate the World, which explores the rise of American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. Mirski discusses how the United States pushed European powers out of the hemisphere while simultaneously expanding its power abroad. The conversation then pivoted to the anxiety great powers often feel about losing power and what that may mean for other reiognal powers and their foreign policy. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28872398

Keeping the Nation's Secrets 11/28/2023

Keeping the Nation's Secrets Dr. Michael G. Vickers, former under secretary of defense for intelligence, joined Dr. Stephen Slick for a moderated discussion on his latest book, . The conversation discussed the reasons for writing the book and the reasons why senior leaders should share as much as they can about intelligence. The two also discussed the U.S. response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the war against al-Qaeda, and U.S. operations in Iraq. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28812383

How Will the Russo-Ukrainian War End? 11/24/2023

How Will the Russo-Ukrainian War End? On this episode of Horns of Dilemma, Sheena Greitens moderated a panel discussion about the Russo-Ukrainian war and broader challenges to European security. The conversation featured Gen. Vince Brooks, U.S. Army ( Ret.), former Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea; Susan Colbourn, associate director of the Program in American Grand Strategy, Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University; Simon Miles, assistant professor, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University; and Mark Pomar, Senior National Security Fellow, Clements Center for National Security. The group discussed the challenges the Ukrainian military faces, the risks of nuclear escalation, and the longer-term implications of the war for regional and global security. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28746283

Investigating Russian War Crimes: Ukraine’s Quest for Justice 11/21/2023

Investigating Russian War Crimes: Ukraine’s Quest for Justice Amb. Clint Williamson, Lead Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) for Ukraine, spoke about the Russian military's war crimes in Ukraine and the efforts to investigate and prosecute Russian war criminals. The conversation began with an overview of the war and then shifted to the way in which investigators can collect evidence for international prosecution. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28726368

Seeds of Division Between Russia and China 11/17/2023

Seeds of Division Between Russia and China David A. Merkel, managing director of Summit International Advisors, LLC, spoke about the Sino-Soviet split during the Cold War, the two sides' conflicting interests, and what that means for great power competition. The conversation also explored U.S. policy options in Central Asia and options for further engagement in the region. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28675558

A Conversation with Dr. Paul Edgar and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 11/07/2023

A Conversation with Dr. Paul Edgar and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Dr. Paul Edgar, the executive director of the William P. Clements, Jr. Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, sat down with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson to discuss energy and national security. The conversation focused on energy security, its relevance for U.S. national security, and how a more effective energy policy would allow for a more robust response to global crises. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28528049

A Conversation with Secretary of State Antony Blinken 11/01/2023

A Conversation with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken sat down for a conversation on the state of foreign affairs with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The conversation touched on America's role in the world, the war in Ukraine, and the on-going challenges posed by illegal migration and the fentanyl trade. The two also discussed President Biden's belief that the world is now at an inflection point that requires continued American diplomatic leadership. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28476920

Israel's 9/11 10/20/2023

Israel's 9/11 On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Professor Stephen Slick, Dr. Paul Edgar, and Ms. Simone Ledeen spoke about Hamas' terrorist attack on Oct. 7th in Israel. The conversation began with a discussion about terrorism, human cruelty and Hamas' wanton killing of civilians in the attack. The three panelists then discussed different facets of the expected Israeli response, ranging from the role of the intelligence services to the operational planning for a ground operation. The conversation also explored the potential role of Iran and whether or not the localized conflict could expand and engulf the entire region in conflict. This was recorded at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28369118

China's Law of the Sea 10/03/2023

China's Law of the Sea On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Isaac B. Kardon discussed his book China's Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order. Kardon discussed his research into how the Chinese Communist Party thinks about maritime sovereignty, how it applies this thinking to individual disputes in its surrounding seas, and what that means for the United States and its allies. The discussion focused on how the Chinese Communist Party views international law, the role of The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and maritime dispute resolution. This was recorded at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28202390

Confronting Saddam Hussein 09/29/2023

Confronting Saddam Hussein On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Melvyn Leffler talks about his book, Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq. Leffler discusses why he decided to write a book about the invasion of Iraq and how he went about doing so. He then outlined what he learned about this period of American history and how President Bush helped to shape U.S. policy, as Washington debated whether or not to invade. He then discussed the role of fear and anxiety and how these two emotions contributed to U.S. government thinking about threats, vulnerability, and how best to manage U.S. security concerns. Finally, he touched on how his own views of the war changed while writing the book and some of the larger take-aways from this period, including the need to always challenge one's own assumptions. This was recorded at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin. /episode/index/show/hornsofadilemma/id/28172600

Horns of a Dilemma

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