The ‘Liberal International Order’ Is Neither Universal nor Exceptional
If the international order is “rules-based,” it is because Washington has set the rules.
Bill Gates and Ersatz Virtue
Why help people near you when you can help people far, far away? Be kind to your wife who is standing right in front of you? No, that is too hard. Instead, write a check and send it to sub-Saharan Africa.
Afghanistan: The U.S. Can Always Go Back
Punitive expeditions offer a middle course: brief, high-intensity campaigns to punish sponsors of terrorism and deter others.
The American Mess in the Ukraine
There is great irony in Biden administration officials trying to get ahead of a potential crisis that was largely caused by Biden’s nominee for undersecretary of state for political affairs, Victoria Nuland.
Why Diplomacy Has Not Returned
American elites have come to believe themselves as humanitarians without peer on the world stage. Pushy hectoring of other nations is a common feature of American “diplomacy.”
Aristotle and Our American Oligarchy
Oligarchy brings great dangers. In Book V of Politics, Aristotle warns that oligarchies are very unstable forms of government.
Congress’ Principled Institutionalist
Author and editor Bill Kauffman discusses his work on "The Congressional Journal of Barber B. Conable, Jr., 1968-1984" (University Press of Kansas, 2021).
Life as a Practitioner
Charles McLaughlin, a lifelong practitioner of foreign policy, talks about his own career path, what he has learned over the years, and his thoughts on some of the largest challenges facing the United States.
Democracy and Democratism
We're joined by Emily Finley of Stanford University and Arta Moeini of the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy for an "upstream" discussion on the deeper philosophical sources of our foreign policy problems, with a particular focus on the problem of democracy and elite leadership.
The Russia Puzzle
Matthew Dal Santo looks at Russia through the lenses of culture, history, and society, and at how such a broader perspective might help us better understand its foreign policy. Managing Director William S. Smith joins.
Supremacy, Neutrality, Isolationism
American foreign policy shifted dramatically in the middle of the twentieth century. What happened, and why? Stephen Wertheim, author of Tomorrow the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy explains. We're joined by Jonathan Askonas, Assistant Professor of Politics at CUA.
A Middle East Primed for New Thinking
In this episode, we speak with Andrew Gilmour, a retired 32-year veteran of the CIA and author of "A Middle East Primed for New Thinking: Insights and Policy Options from the Ancient World." We're joined by CSS' own Gil Barndollar.
Welcome to
of Statesmanship
Center for the Study
Promoting research, teaching, and public discussion about how statesmanship can defuse conflict and foster respectful foreign and domestic relations.
HUMANITAS JOURNAL
The Great Illusion: Foreign Policy Advocacy and the Problem of Knowledge
Look—look at all this empirical proof that interventionist policy has disastrous results! The anti-interventionist persuasion business kicks into overdrive, but with little long-term effect.
Church of Woke: Next American Religion?
The Church of Woke is not just another righteous uprising in American Reform. Its mission, like fourth-century Christianity, is existential change.
A Covenant with all Mankind: Ronald Reagan’s Idyllic Vision of America in the World
Many who have heard Reagan's words have not really listened to them. They have taken away vague impressions of his rhetoric and have not fully understood the meaning and significance of what he actually said.
“The Same Procedure as Every Year”: U.S. Counterterrorism Policy since 9/11
Even though Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump could not be more different, there has been a remarkable continuity in their approaches.
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COUNCIL OF ADVISORS
Monica Duffy Toft
Senior Visiting Fellow
Professor of International Politics, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy | Tufts University
Andrew J. Bacevich
Senior Visiting Fellow
Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History, Boston University
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, JCD
Archbishop for the Military Services, USA
Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
The Honorable Chas Freeman
Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs
The Watson Center, Brown University
Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Representing the 2nd District of Hawaii
Patrick Kelly
Deputy Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
Former House Intelligence Committee Counsel
The Honorable Dennis Kucinich
Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
Internationally renowned champion of diplomacy and peace.
Walter McDougall
Professor of History, Alloy-Ansin Professor of International Relations
University of Pennsylvania
