New Books Network
National Security
History November 30, 2020

Geopolitics and the Quest for Dominance

Jeremy M. Black

Hosted by Charles Coutinho
History and geography delineate the operation of power, not only its range but also the capacity to plan and the ability to implement. Approaching state strategy and policy from the …

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History November 30, 2020

All Against All

The Long Winter of 1933 and the Origins of the Second World War

Paul Jankowski

Hosted by Steven Rodriguez
In his latest monograph, All Against All: The Long Winter of 1933 and The Origins of the Second World War (Harper, 2020), Professor Paul Jankowski (Brandeis University) provides a wide-angled …
Middle Eastern Studies November 25, 2020

Vision or Mirage

Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads

David Rundell

Hosted by James M. Dorsey
David Rundell brings to his book, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads (I. B. Tauris, 2020), a granular analysis and insider’s understanding of the inner workings of the …
Performing Arts November 24, 2020

Martha Graham's Cold War

The Dance of American Diplomacy

Victoria Phillips

Hosted by Renee Garris
Dr. Victoria Phillips adeptly tells the story of Martha Graham's role as diplomat, arts innovator, and dancer. Her book Martha Graham's Cold War: The Dance of American Diplomacy (Oxford UP …
History November 23, 2020

In the Dragon's Shadow

Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century

Sebastian Strangio

Hosted by Michael Vann
For centuries Southeast Asia has enjoyed a relatively pleasant relationship with China, its massive neighbor to the north. While Chinese merchants and laborers were common throughout the region, with exception …
History November 18, 2020

The Last Brahmin

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War

Luke A. Nichter

Hosted by Charles Coutinho
Few have ever enjoyed the degree of foreign-policy influence and versatility that Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the grand-son of Woodrow Wilson’s senatorial antagonist, did. In the postwar era, perhaps only …
Politics & Polemics November 17, 2020

Mythologies Without End

The US, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1917-2020

Jerome Slater

Hosted by Kirk Meighoo
The history of modern Israel is a fiercely contested subject. From the Balfour declaration to the Six-Day War to the recent assault on Gaza, ideologically-charged narratives and counter-narratives battle for …
History November 13, 2020

The United States of War

A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts, from Columbus to the Islamic State

David Vine

Hosted by Dexter Fergie
Since its founding, the United States has been at peace for only eleven years. Across nearly two-and-a-half centuries, that’s a lot of war. In his new book, The United States …
Science, Technology, and Society November 12, 2020

Dark Skies

Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity

Daniel Deudney

Hosted by John Traphagan
Space is again in the headlines. E-billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are planning to colonize Mars. The Trump Administration has created a "Space Force" to achieve "space dominance" with …
National Security November 11, 2020

The Internet in Everything

Freedom and Security in a World with No Off Switch

Laura DeNardis

Hosted by John Sakellariadis
Most people recognize that the internet is growing at an exponential rate. But few have thought as deeply as Laura DeNardis, a Professor and Interim Dean at the School of …
Middle Eastern Studies November 10, 2020

Oilcraft

The Myths of Scarcity and Security That Haunt U.S. Energy Policy

Robert Vitalis

Hosted by Nancy Ko
We've heard and rehearsed the conventional wisdom about oil: that the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf is what guarantees access to this strategic resource; that the "special" relationship …
American Studies November 4, 2020

The Emergence of American Amphibious Warfare, 1898 to 1945

David S. Nasca

Hosted by Scott Lipkowitz
Amphibious warfare, as outlined by American Rear Admiral James E. Jouett in 1885, was a relatively straightforward affair: to project power from the sea, all one had to do was …
World Affairs November 3, 2020

The Myth of the Nuclear Revolution

Power Politics in the Atomic Age

Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press

Hosted by John Sakellariadis
In The Myth of the Nuclear Revolution: Power Politics in the Atomic Age (Cornell University Press, 2020), Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press tackle the central puzzle of the …
Asian American Studies October 30, 2020

In Camps

Vietnamese Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Repatriates

Jana K. Lipman

Hosted by Jane Richards
In Camps: Vietnamese Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Repatriates (University of California Press, 2020) is an in-depth study of the fate of the nearly 800,000 Vietnamese refugees who left their country …
American Studies October 29, 2020

America in the World

A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Robert Zoellick

Hosted by Charles Coutinho
Ranging from Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson to Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, and James Baker, America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy (Twelve …
American Studies October 28, 2020

Liberty From All Masters

The New American Autocracy vs. the Will of the People

Barry C. Lynn

Hosted by Arya Hariharan
Americans are obsessed with liberty, mad about liberty. On any day, we can tune into arguments about how much liberty we need to buy a gun or get an abortion …
Chinese Studies October 28, 2020

Has China Won?

The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy

Kishore Mahbubani

Hosted by Nicholas Gordon
As China grows into a major regional and global power, there are many questions about what this means for the international system. Does China threaten the United States? Does Washington …
American Studies October 23, 2020

Stars with Stripes

The Essential Partnership between the European Union and the United States

Anthony L. Gardner

Hosted by Tim Jones
If the US is – in the words of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright – the "indispensible nation" then the economic, democratic and institutional alliance between the US and …
American Studies October 22, 2020

The 'Silent Majority' Speech

Richard Nixon, the Vietnam War, and the Origins of the New Right

Scott Laderman

Hosted by Michael Vann
On November 3, 1969 Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation in what would come to be known as “The Silent Majority Speech”. In 32 minutes, the president promoted his plan …
American Studies October 21, 2020

Election Meltdown

Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy

Richard L. Hasen

Hosted by Arya Hariharan
As the 2020 presidential campaign begins to take shape, there is widespread distrust of the fairness and accuracy of American elections. In Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat …