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1 May 2024

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Foreign Entanglements

Hosted by Robert Farley, Matthew Duss and Natalie Sambhi, Foreign Entanglements brings together people with contrasting views on America’s role in the world.

Dec 13, 2014 — Robert Farley & Kelsey D. Atherton
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Nov 10, 2014 — Robert Farley & Freddie deBoer
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Oct 14, 2014 — Robert Farley & Tom Nichols
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On Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Tom kick give their views of Leon Panetta’s new book on the Obama administration’s decision-making. They debate whether Obama’s unenforced “red line” in Syria hurt America’s international credibility. When it comes to foreign policy, have the labels “left” and “right” lost all meaning? Returning to the question of reputation, they disagree about whether memories of the Cold War are unduly influencing policymakers’ views. Next, they consider whether political science has conquered Washington, DC. Finally, Rob and Tom offer a harsh critique of the modern political science department.
Sep 21, 2014 — Robert Farley & Ed Carpenter
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On Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Ed talk about women in the military. They rebut the argument that women can’t serve in the US Infantry because it’s full of testosterone-fueled brutes. Rob and Ed turn to the the Marine Corps’ efforts to recruit gay people. They then move to a conversation about Ed’s book, which investigates the problem of the “warrior ethos” in the military services. This leads to a discussion of Iraq War III, and the best tactics for fighting ISIS. Finally, they explore what the US Army can learn from Burning Man.
Sep 5, 2014 — Robert Farley & Al Mauroni
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Aug 8, 2014 — Matthew Duss & Amir Tibon
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Jul 18, 2014 — Robert Farley & Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
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On Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Daveed discuss one of the enduring concepts of international politics: credibility. Rob lays out the basics of deterrence theory, prompting Daveed to explain why he thinks reputation is important. Daveed contends that Obama’s unenforced Syrian “red line” will have a tremendous effect on America’s credibility and reputation. They examine whether a reputation for resolve matters with reference to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, and consider the academic-policymaker divide, especially with respect to how we can measure the effectiveness of reputation-building measures. Plus: Debating the value of bluffing as part of the foreign policy toolkit.
Jul 15, 2014 — Robert Farley & Matthew Duss
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Jul 12, 2014 — Robert Farley & Charli Carpenter
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On Foreign Entanglements, Rob talks to Charli about international politics and pop culture. They begin with a discussion of Charli’s new book, Lost Causes, which investigates how some political issues fail to gain public attention. Rob and Charli then talk about killer robots, which leads into a discussion of policy and science fiction. They review the fourth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, and finish by discussing “the most important scene of the whole season.”
May 24, 2014 — Robert Farley & Sam Roggeveen
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On Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Sam discuss developments in Australia and Asia, beginning with the military coup in Thailand. China’s state-owned oil company moved a rig into disputed waters, which Sam says is an “extremely dangerous environment.” Rob turns to the Asia pivot, and they compare John Kerry to Hillary Clinton. What’s going to happen when China’s economy surpasses America’s? And finally, why is Australia buying expensive F-35 fighter jets from the US?

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