Statecraft

Today's interviewee has been my white whale for a while. Edward Luttwak was born in 1942, and since then he's lived a wilder life than anyone I know. From Chairman Mao's funeral to late nights drinking with Putin, Luttwak's seen it all.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(1:30) How to stage a coup in the 21st century(8:21) Why Luttwak is responsible for a global decline in coups(16:57) Iran’s real goals in the Middle East(27:30) Why the CIA can’t go undercover or recruit talent(41:11) Staffing Reagan’s presidential transition team(44:03) Why we need more waste at the Pentagon(57:31) How the war in Ukraine will end(1:03:47) China’s great military challenge(1:07:46) Snorkeling in French Polynesia(1:09:48) Working for a Kazakh dictatorFor the full transcript, visit www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Brief intros: Nicholas Bagley was General Counsel to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Kathy Stack served almost three decades at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Jenny Mattingley also served at the OMB, focusing on hiring reform and workforce efforts.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(04:42) “I think all three of you have something to say about the Paperwork Reduction Act.”(12:38) A one-way ratchet(22:16) How to get a new form approved(32:04) Why is there no natural constituency to improve this?(42:14) Inheriting judicial review from the Civil Rights era(59:13) What should be on the new administration’s agenda? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

I’ve been trying to get a conversation with today’s interviewee, Eric Van Gieson, PhD, since March. Van Gieson is a remarkable character, with a crazy CV: more than 25 years of experience in developing medical technology, and stints at multiple federal agencies including DARPA.A lot of people have spilled a lot of ink discussing what went wrong during COVID, but I think what Van Gieson lays out here is close to a comprehensive account of the reasons we blew it, and how not to blow it in the future.We discuss:* Why is the federal “pandemic preparedness” apparatus so sprawling?* Why haven’t we learned from COVID mistakes, or even run reviews on what went wrong?* How would you revamp the federal apparatus to be ready for the next pandemic?* We don’t test whether generic drugs can fight pathogens. Why not??* How did Van Gieson and colleagues ship a flying Ebola hospital in 6 weeks?* How can we make sure DARPA-developed biotech doesn’t end up in the hands of adversaries? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Today’s interviewee is Chris Anderson. Anderson’s a former DoD program manager who served in a unique organization called the US Army Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG). Anderson is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Troika Solutions, a defense consulting firm based in Virginia.  We discussed:The birth of the Asymmetric Warfare GroupWhy American troops in Afghanistan couldn’t strike Taliban operativesWhy the military avoids risky technology, even when it would save livesWhat we’ve learned about drones from UkraineThe difference between drone use in Ukraine and in the Indo-PacificYou can read the full interview transcript and find sources at www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub