Horns of a Dilemma

Recorded at the Aspen Security Forum, TNSR Executive Editor Dr. Ryan Vest and Kennan Institute Director Dr. Michael Kimmage sit down with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-elect of Belarus and head of the United Transitional Cabinet. Tsikhanouskaya details her transformation from a political outsider into the leader of the country's democratic forces following the contested 2020 presidential election. The conversation examines the distinction between the Lukashenko regime and the anti-war stance of the Belarusian public, the deepening political and military integration between Belarus and Russia, diplomatic tracks for releasing political prisoners, and why democratic transition in Belarus is critical to NATO's eastern flank and broader European security. Guest: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | President-elect of Belarus, head of the United Transitional Cabinet, and leader of the country's democratic movement Hosts: Dr. Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review (TNSR) Dr. Michael Kimmage | Director of the Kennan Institute and collaborator with TNSR

We examine China's space diplomacy across the Middle East and North Africa with the authors of their recent Texas National Security Review article, "Choosing Orbits: China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East." The discussion analyzes how regional states—specifically Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran—utilize space partnerships with Beijing to serve distinct domestic, economic, and security imperatives . Our guests challenge assumptions that smaller powers are passive subjects in great power rivalry and detail how Middle Eastern states exercise strategic agency through hybrid alignment strategies . Guests Lawrence Rubin | Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, co-director of the GTDC Pathways to Policy program, and associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies . Lincoln Hines | Assistant Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Fellow with the Carnegie China Fellowship at the University of Maryland . Dayana Alagirova | PhD student at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Fulbright Scholar, and space policy researcher . Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning

In this episode, we speak with Paul Slovic, Rose McDermott, and Cmdr. Daniel R. Post about their recent TNSR article "When Our Minds Go Nuclear," arguing that nuclear strategy too often assumes rational, stable decision-making despite decades of psychological research on bounded rationality and bias. Drawing on survey experiments based on the Sagan and Valentino Iran war scenario, they discuss how mechanisms like psychic numbing, affect, hot/cold empathy gaps, social contagion, and comparative framing can increase support for nuclear strikes, including through "virtuous violence" and the "better bomb" (lesser-evil) effect. They warn that modernization and expanded use concepts make non-use a "dangerous illusion," and recommend safeguards such as multi-person authorization, training, protocols, structured dissent, and deliberation—especially as AI increases information pressure. Guests: Paul Slovic | Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon and Senior Scientist at the Oregon Research Institute   Rose McDermott | David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University   Commander Daniel R. Post | Permanent Military Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning

We are joined by Dr. Benjamin R. Young to discuss his TNSR article, "Saving Socialism: What North Korea Learned from the Collapse of the Soviet Union." Dr. Young argues that the fall of the USSR profoundly influenced Pyongyang's grand strategy. Rather than embracing reform, he explains that North Korea interpreted the Soviet collapse as a failure of ideological fervor and leadership. He contends that this historical turning point catalyzed North Korea's shift toward "military first" politics (Songun), stricter information blockades, and the accelerated development of its nuclear weapons program. Join us for a fascinating conversation on regime survival, Stalinism, and the historical drivers of North Korea's modern security posture. Guest: Dr. Benjamin R. Young (Assistant Professor of Intelligence Studies at Fayetteville State University) Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest, PhD Producer: Jordan Morning

This episode, we are joined by Charles Mok, author of the TNSR article "Toward Undersea Cable Resilience: The Case for Global Collaboration." He speaks on the rising pace of attacks on undersea cable infrastructure and why these vulnerabilities remain under-discussed despite carrying about 99% of intercontinental data. Mok explains how growing geopolitical tension, choke points, and greater dependence on internet connectivity (including for AI) increase incentives for disruption, and argues resilience requires attention to supply chains, repair capacity, and cable routing—not just cable defense. He discusses industry concentration, aging repair fleets, the shift of investment to US big tech, legal and attribution challenges in international waters, recent policy responses in Europe and Taiwan, and why Washington must pursue allied cooperation beyond a China-focused, shore-centric approach. Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning