Net Assessment

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate Wess Mitchell's proposed U.S. strategy of consolidation. They discuss whether this strategy would finally realign America's objectives with its resources. They also question the Trump administration's ability or willingness to execute such an approach. Chris commends Tom Stevenson's essay on the war in Afghanistan, Melanie questions the lack of American ambassadors worldwide, and Zack expresses frustration with the meager results of the Trump-Xi meeting.
Show Links:
Robbie Gramer, Trump Still Hasn't Appointed More Than 100 Ambassadors, Some to Key Allies, Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2026.

Chao Deng, This Arkansas Town is Humming with the Sound of Missile Making, Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2026.

Zachary Federico, Utah Breaks Down Occupational Licensing Barriers for Veterans, ALEC, May 14, 2026.

Sean Hannity interview with Donald Trump, May 14, 2026. 

Wolfgang Munchau, Boots on the Ground is Trump's Best Option, UnHerd, May 11, 2026

Tom Stevenson, We Were Doing Well When I Left, London Review of Books, May 2026.

Gil Barndollar and Jason Dempsey, Don't Believe the Generals, The Atlantic, September 2, 2022.

A. Wess Mitchell, "A Grand Strategy of Consolidation," Foreign Affairs, May/June 2026.

Sal Mercogliano, "The Great Battleship Debate," What's Going on With Shipping channel, YouTube, May 12, 2026.

Do we live in a world governed only by force, one in which the United States' military and economic power alone will advance U.S. interests? Or are the Trump administration's efforts to intimidate even U.S. allies and partners bound to generate resistance? And what will be the consequences for Americans if Trump's predatory behavior fails? Grievances for Charles Lieber, a former Harvard scientist now building China's i-BRAIN lab, for Beijing's efforts to block U.S. economic sanctions, and to the U.S. State Department for refusing to recognize foreign service officers killed in the service of the country. Attas to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for declining to bail out Spirit Airlines, for King Charles for his flawless visit to the United States, and to those members of Congress finally standing up to Trump's claim that he can wage war wherever he wants, for as long as he wants.
 
Show Links:
 
Stephen Walt, "The Predatory Hegemon" Foreign Affairs, March/April 2026.

Elissa Miolene, "Exiled from State, America's foreign service holds its own memorial," Devex, May 4, 2026.

"China's Commerce Ministry blocks US sanctions against five refineries," Reuters, May 2, 2026.

"Sean Duffy stands up for taxpayers," Washington Post, May 3, 2026.

Alex Bristow, "James Curran is Wrong about Japan's Realist PM and China," Sidney Morning Herald, May 3, 2026.

David Kirton, "Convicted Former Harvard Scientist Rebuilds Brain Computer Lab in China," Reuters, April 30, 2026.

Chris, Zack, and Melanie have a discussion about whether the United Nations can and should continue in its current form. Has it outlived its original purposes? Does it serve the interests of the United States and the world? Should the United States continue to reduce its presence at the UN, or should it work to make the international body more relevant and effective? What should be the focus of the Secretary-General who takes the helm in 2027?
 
Chris is appalled at the unserious leadership at the top of the FBI, Zack has a shoutout for Anthropic, which is working with the US government, financial institutions, and other major entities to understand their vulnerabilities to increasingly sophisticated AI, and Melanie objects to the obvious and growing corruption in Washington. 
 
*The Net Assessment Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.
Show Links:
 
Jeremy Lott, "The president and the pope: Trump tangles with an American pontiff," Washington Examiner, April 17, 2026.

Sarah Fitzpatrict, "The FBI Director Is MIA," The Atlantic, April 17, 2026.

Christopher Preble and Lucas Ruiz, "Why Strategic Superiority (Still) Doesn't Matter: Nuclear Crises and the Failure of Theory," April 16, 2026.

"Untangling the Web of US Alliances," Stimson Center, In-Person and Online Event, May 5, 2026.

Peter Caddick-Adams, Can the United Nations Survive?", Engelsberg Ideas, April 15, 2026.

Impact Exchange: Reimagining Economies Through Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, February 24, 2026.

Volodymyr Zelensky, X post, April 19, 2026.

Saikrishna Prakash, The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History.

On this show, Melanie, Chris, and Zack consider whether the porcupine strategy that Taiwan is currently implementing is the best plan to deter or defend against China. What could Taiwan be doing better, and how can the United States and other friendly countries help? And have we learned any lessons from the situation in the Strait of Hormuz that are relevant to a Taiwan conflict? Chris laments the administration's proposed defense budget, and Melanie pans VP JD Vance for going to Hungary to campaign for Victor Orban. Zack gives a shout out to the astronauts and engineers behind Artemis II, and Melanie commends the U.S. military's successful rescue of downed pilots in Iran. 
 
Show Links:
 
Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell, "Hellscape Taiwan: A Porcupine Defense in the Drone Age," War on the Rocks, March 27, 2026.

Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell, "Hellscape for Taiwan: Rethinking Asymmetric Defense," CNAS, February 26, 2026.

Stephanie Yang, "As Taiwan steels its defenses against China, some are hatching escape plans," CNN, April 3, 2026.

Editorial, "Taiwan's self-defense paradox," Washington Post, April 5, 2026.

Raymond Kuo and Catherine Kish, "Taiwan's Will to Fight Isn't the Problem," War on the Rocks, September 5, 2025.

Alastair Gale, Japan's Tomahawk Missile Order Delayed by US Use in Iran, Bloomberg, April 3, 2026.

Gerry Doyle, "US Deploys Bulk of Stealthy Long-Range Missiles for Iran War," Bloomberg, April 4, 2026.

Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, and Humeyra Pamuk, "How a Perilous US Rescue Mission in Iran Nearly Went Off Course," Reuters, April 7, 2026. 

Supporting Stimson

What are the goals in the US war in Iran? Is the situation in the Strait of Hormuz manageable, or is the Iranian threat to shipping a challenge that must be confronted? And can it be resolved at an acceptable cost? Melanie, Chris, and Zack, discuss the latest from the war, with a particular focus on the threat posed to international shipping in the vital waterway. Grievances for Jeremy Corbyn, and for the Trump administration's decision to remove sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil. Attas to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichii Sanae for navigating her meeting with President Trump, to a federal judge for affirming that the press has First Amendment rights, and to Sean Penn for skipping the Academy Awards ceremony. Melania also acknowledges the incredible life and career of New York Times' war reporter John Burns who passed this month.
 
Show Links:
 
Caitlin Talmadge, "The Hormuz Minefield: In the Strait, Iran Holds the Advantage—and America Has No Good Options," Foreign Affairs, March 13, 2026.

Rosemary Kelanic, "Trump Is Making Jimmy Carter's Mistake on Iran and Oil," New York Times, March 9, 2026.

Charlie Savage, "Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism," New York Times, March 20, 2026.

Michael Cohen and Christopher Preble, "The Perils of Lethality," Stimson Center, June 24, 2026

Phil Klay, "Trump Has Made a Fundamental Miscalculation about Iran," New York Times, March 22, 2026.

Eli Stokols, Ben Johansen, Jack Detsch, and Paul McLeary, "Inside the White House Plan to Sell the Iran War Online," Politico, March 18, 2026.

Alan Cowell, "John F. Burns, Prize-Winning Foreign Correspondent for The Times, Dies at 81," New York Times, March 13, 2026.

Jack Watling, "Iran's Hormuz Blockade is Its Most Powerful Card Against Trump and Israel. It Won't Back Down Easily," The Guardian, March 16, 2026.