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3 days ago | 
aei.org | Hal Brands |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
Op-Ed Japan’s Biggest Fear Isn’t China or North Korea. It’s the US.
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1 month ago | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe |Ryan Evans
In this joint episode with the Net Assessment crew, recorded last week on “Liberation Day,” Ryan joins Chris, Zack, and Melanie to talk about what’s happening in the world as well as the future of Net Assessment, which is moving on to its forever home with the Stimson Center. If you would like to support Net Assessment, please consider donating to this special fund.
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2 months ago | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe |Ryan Evans
Chris, Melanie, and Zack are joined by a special guest for a big announcement. They also lament the demise of the Office of Net Assessment, debate the merits of DOGE, and discuss Secretary Hegseth’s visit to Asia and the strength of those alliances. If you would like to support Net Assessment, please consider donating to this special fund. Image: Midjourney
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2 months ago | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate whether Israel will strike Iranian nuclear facilities and whether the United States would discourage, encourage, or participate in such an operation. They come to very different conclusions not just about the likelihood of strikes, but also the strategic logic.
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
Chris, Zack, and Melanie have a rather somber discussion about the Trump administration’s efforts to get a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Why is Trump so insistent on getting an immediate deal? What carrots and sticks, if any, are being given to each side? How will Europe respond to the obviously permanent change in the transatlantic relationship?
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Feb 20, 2025 | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
In this show, Melanie, Chris, and Zack discuss Timothy Heath’s recent paper on China’s military capabilities. Heath argues that the People’s Liberation Army mostly focused on preserving the Chinese Communist Party’s rule, and that does not necessarily translate to combat effectiveness. But is Heath right? Do we make a mistake in focusing too much on what is apparent from the outside? And if the People’s Liberation Army is not ready to fight right now, might it be in the future?
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Feb 6, 2025 | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
The Net Assessment team discusses Frank Hoffman’s recent Joint Force Quarterly article about risk. They share concerns about the challenges that U.S. policymakers face in evaluating risk in a structured way. But they also fear that the solutions to these problems will require more fundamental changes to the U.S. bureaucracy than have been contemplated.
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
aei.org | Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe |Chris Preble
Chris, Zack, and Melanie got together to talk about the second Trump administration’s agenda in the Western Hemisphere. What interests does the United States have in Latin America? Should the United States be pushing back on China’s activities in the region? If so, what carrots and sticks can the United States offer countries there? And will the administration officials eager to focus on the region be able to sustain that focus, when so many other parts of the world are competing for U.S. attention?
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
Chris, Zack, and Melanie got together to talk about the second Trump administration’s agenda in the Western Hemisphere. What interests does the United States have in Latin America? Should the United States be pushing back on China’s activities in the region? If so, what carrots and sticks can the United States offer countries there? And will the administration officials eager to focus on the region be able to sustain that focus, when so many other parts of the world are competing for U.S. attention?
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
warontherocks.com | Christopher Preble |Zack Cooper |Melanie Marlowe
Back from their holiday break, Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss Michael Horowitz and Joshua Schwartz’s recent War on the Rocks’ article, which considers whether and how the United States and its allies should incorporate new technologies into their military forces. Is it time for cheap, uncrewed systems to replace larger, manned platforms? What is the optimal mix of high-end, exquisite systems, and low-end, attritable assets?
