quincy institute

What made Daniel Ellsberg—the famed Pentagon Papers whistleblower—different from today’s public intellectuals? How has the think tank environment in Washington changed over the decades? Why were the Pentagon Papers such a big deal? Why is foreign policy change so difficult? And how does progressive foreign policy fit into the story of Washington’s intellectual stagnation?

I sat down with Matthew Petti to discuss a new essay he had on the life of Daniel Ellsberg, the death of the old-style think tank, and so much more.

Matthew’s Newsletter: https://www.pettimatthew.com

Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com

Patrick is joined by Kelley Vlahos, Senior Advisor to the Quincy Institute and Editorial Director for Quincy’s online magazine Responsible Statecraft.

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Show Notes:

Kelley Vlahos on twitter

Kelley Vlahos at Responsible Statecraft

In this interview episode, Van sits down with Professor Jeanne Morefield to discuss critiques of liberalism and empire. Why does liberalism seem to always be obsessed with crisis and triumphalism, often at once? What is the shared DNA of Edwardian imperialism, neoconservatism, and liberal internationalism? Why has G. John Ikenberry's theoretical project of liberal hegemony recently pivoted from Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt as the standard bearer? And isn't liberal hegemony just a ruling class ideology? Lots of controversy on the table. 

Jeanne's latest book: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442260283/Unsettling-the-World-Edward-Said-and-Political-Theory 

Empires without Imperialism book: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Empires_Without_Imperialism/869LjwEACAAJ?hl=en 

Ikenberry Readings: 

Survival piece: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00396338.2021.1956187 Foreign Affairs piece: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/why-american-power-endures-us-led-order-isnt-in-decline-g-john-ikenberry 

A World Safe for Democracy book: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300271010/a-world-safe-for-democracy/

Find the link to Michael Swaine's report here: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/threat-inflation-chinese-military/

According to a recent report by Michael D. Swaine, framing the military challenge Beijing poses in alarmist, worst-case ways weakens the U.S. ability to determine the limits of Chinese threats. It also undermines voices within China that favor moderation, raises the danger of Sino-American crises and military conflict, and diverts U.S. resources away from desperately needed nonmilitary uses at home and abroad.

The United States cannot build its way out of the deepening military competition with China, nor develop a successful long-term China strategy based on inflated threats. It must accept the logic of balance over dominance in many areas, fashion credible strategies designed both to deter and reassure Beijing in both the regional and global arenas, and strengthen its capacities at home.

Michael Swaine discusses more effective approaches than threat inflation to facing China’s increasingly powerful military in an interview conducted on July 8, 2022.

About the speaker: https://ncuscr.org/events/threat-inflation-chinese-military

Subscribe to the National Committee on YouTube for video of this interview. Follow us on Twitter (@ncuscr) and Instagram (@ncuscr)

What's going on with the Quincy Institute v. liberal internationalism debate?  How neoliberalism gave us the far right.   What's a master's in IR really worth?  Can you have too many national security experts (yes)?  How anti-hegemonist politics gives rise to campism within the left. Also this episode: China's empire-building in Tibet and Bhutan. 

Nathan Robinson Tweet: https://twitter.com/NathanJRobinson/status/1418357218450214921

Peter Dombrowski Tweet: https://twitter.com/PeterDombrowsk6/status/1419074040673804288

Blake Herzinger Tweet: https://twitter.com/BDHerzinger/status/1422740269057798145?s=20

Paul Musgrave on the master's in IR problem: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/29/international-relations-ir-masters-cost-pay/

Contributors: Hunter Marston, Alex Auty, Ciara Mitchell, Jake Dellow

Why does Judd Apatow have a better grasp on the China problem than Washington does?  How should we understand the Indo-Pacific Quad, and what's a "speech-act institution?"  Does Turkey have an imperial foreign policy?  And why is nobody paying attention to India's sphere of influence?  Also this episode: What principles should guide East Asia policy?  The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft takes a decent crack at answering.  

Dan Nexon Tweet: https://twitter.com/dhnexon/status/1312922875574341633

Robert Kelly Tweet: https://twitter.com/robert_e_kelly/status/1313085718864904192?s=21

Zack Beauchamp Tweet: https://twitter.com/zackbeauchamp/status/1314009093250654208

Josh Lederman Tweet: https://twitter.com/JoshNBCNews/status/1313259283560177671?s=19

Edward Alden on Biden and Trade Wars: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/02/biden-trump-trade-wars-election-2020/

Contributors: Pete McKenzie, Jake Dellow, Gaby Magnuson

HR McMaster proves that in Washington, hawks only fail up.  Are Republicans against international order?  Chinese Netizens wants Trump to win the election because they think he's a racist joke who helps rally nationalism in China.  What conspiracy theory is leading to cell phone towers being set ablaze in New Zealand?  Only one country thinks arms-racing is the path to security--America, baby.  

Corey Pein Tweet: https://twitter.com/coreypein/status/1261166298043527168

Waleed Shahid Tweet: https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1262492507868463107?s=19

Mitt Romney Tweet:https://twitter.com/SenatorRomney/status/1261799211760222210?s=19

Vipin Narang Tweet: https://twitter.com/NarangVipin/status/1263258794211098633

Timothy McLaughlin in The Atlantic on Taiwan: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/05/taiwan-china-who-coronavirus-pandemic/611737/

In the latest episode of our "Hustle" series, Van Jackson sits down with Suzanne DiMaggio to discover how she does it all. How did she end up as a foreign policy adviser to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign? What was it like to live in downtown Manhattan on 9/11? What did a jazz musician have to do with her leaving business school?  How did she build herself into one of America's pre-eminent experts in Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy without ever serving in the US government? And how did she find time to become a co-founder and Chairman of the Board for a new think tank, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft?

Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.org

Suzanne DiMaggio: https://carnegieendowment.org/experts/1592

Music: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester

In this episode, Van digs into the varieties of progressive foreign policy thought, and confesses to evolutions about his own thinking. Why Joe and Hunter Biden--who did no wrong here--remind us that foreign money corrupts the politics of democracies everywhere. What is the "Washington Post test?" And how is journalism itself complicit in empowering Trump? Also in this episode, why government memos are sanitized versions of history. Ask Me Anything: Which democratic presidential candidates does Van like? Is China neo-fascist (or neo-racist)? Non-Sequitur: Van's recurring dream about Ted Cruz.

Notes and Sources:

Uri Friedman's Atlantic piece on GOP civil war: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/09/will-gop-split-trump-over-foreign-policy/598438/

Jim Goldgeier's Washington Post piece on how to read government phone call "transcripts": https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/09/25/what-expect-when-you-are-expecting-trump-transcript/

Liz Cheney v. Rand Paul feud: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/22/rand-paul-liz-cheney-senate-wyoming-1506603

William Gallo Tweet: https://twitter.com/GalloVOA/status/1175420934108266501

John Glaser, Trevor Thrall, and Christopher Preble's New Book: https://www.cato.org/events/fuel-to-the-fire

In The Loop Movie: https://www.amazon.com/Loop-Peter-Capaldi/dp/B0093SSPGG

Show Producers: Pete McKenzie and Gaby Magnuson

Theme Song: "Van is Meta" by Tre' Hester