Foreign Policy ProvCast: Recent Episodes
Providence Magazine
Providence is a journal of Christianity and American foreign policy equipping the American mind to engage the real world.
On the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, the Provcrew sits down to review Donald Trump's proposal for ending the war. Although it's a good plan with significant support, many ambiguities and questions remain. Will the Arab states step up? Will the Israeli far-right bring down the Netanyahu government? And will Hamas fighters really put down their weapons? Turning closer to home, the crew then takes up the Trump Pentagon's new national defense strategy which centers on "hemispheric security" in North and South America. Is this just rhetoric for domestic politics? What does it mean for our competition with China?
(…actually, Wesley was a teetotaler so not possible.)Ladies and gentlemen, the Provcrew is at war. “Can you be a Wesleyan Protestant and a Christian realist?”The battle lines are drawn. Providence editor Mark Tooley, a Methodist Christian realist, says yes; editor at large Robert Nicholson, a non-Methodist who knows about John Wesley’s optimistic theology, is skeptical. To break the deadlock, they hosted Methodist theologian and Reinhold Niebuhr scholar Robin Lovin to set the record straight.Sin, grace, anthropology, eschatology, nationalism, fascism—they got to all of it. And the outcome was surprising.
The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk is a wakeup call for Americans of every stripe. What is happening to our society? How can we fix it—and where do we start? In a fascinating conversation with Wilfred McClay and Stuart Halpern, authors of a new book entitled The Jewish Roots of American Liberty: The Impact of Hebraic Ideas on the American Story, the Provcrew discusses the pivotal place of the Judeo-Christian heritage in US history and how we can reclaim it in troubled times. Here’s the link to their book: https://www.encounterbooks.com/books/jewish-roots-american-liberty/
In a weird twist of history, the United States has spent the bulk of its diplomatic energy everywhere but its own backyard: the Western Hemisphere. President Trump has vowed to change that, wisely re-prioritizing Latin America after years of neglect, but may be undermining his chances of success with a counterproductive tariff policy that (ironically) resembles those of many failing/failed Latin American countries—at least, that’s what Providence contributor Eric Farnsworth argues in his recent essay, “Is America Becoming Latin America?”In today’s episode, Mr. Farnsworth defends and explains his argument, fielding questions like: Is America really becoming like Latin America, and if so how? What is the backstory of US-Latin America relations until now? What are the similarities and differences between our two cultural blocs? And why does Latin America matter to the US beyond issues of illegal migration, crime, and area denial (historically, to European empires, the USSR, and now to the Chinese Communist Party)?But Farnsworth goes further, extrapolating from the Latin America case to the world at large, showing how US trade policy can either be the backbone of a successful grand strategy or its soft underbelly, and makes some fascinating proposals for grounding an “Americas first” foreign policy in more than just domestic politics.Articles:"Is America Becoming Latin America?" by Eric Farnsworth in Providence Magazine, published August 9, 2025 - https://providencemag.com/2025/08/is-america-becoming-latin-america/"An Americas First Foreign Policy" by Marco Rubio in The Wall Street Journal, published January 30, 2025 - https://www.wsj.com/opinion/an-americas-first-foreign-policy-secretary-of-state-rubio-writes-western-hemisphere-too-long-neglected-a81707b0?st=3nswYm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink"In an Insecure World, Americans Should Look South" by Eric Farnsworth in Barron's, published June 18, 2024 - https://www.barrons.com/articles/latin-trade-brazil-costa-rica-chips-tech-manufacturing-trade-8769a40f"The U.S. has more in common with South America than Europe" by Sam Goldman, published published September 22, 2021 in The Week - https://theweek.com/politics/1005146/the-us-has-more-in-common-with-south-america-than-europe
In an essay commemorating the end of World War II, Providence editor Dr. Paul Miller argues that increased global anarchy and democratic decline are pushing US towards another global war. “The question is not whether there will be conflict,” Miller writes, “but when, what kind, and how large.”In this episode of the Provcast, editor at large Robert Nicholson asks Miller to unpack his argument and respond to those who might see him as “Chicken Little”—or the Trojan priestess Cassandra, as he describes it in the essay—who warns of disasters that never come. Is the US really doing that badly? Are we really facing the possibility of World War III?Moving from Russia and China to our own backyard, Miller explains his reasoning in light of the last five years with typical verve. He touches on the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Alaska summit, the problem with “spheres of influence” thinking, and the (few) times he feels Trump got it right. Admitting that his warnings may strike some as hollow, he adds: “Don’t forget what happens at the end of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. There is a wolf in that story.”
On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 AM, US forces dropped a new kind of bomb—one which harnessed the very power of the sun—on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The devastation was total and unprecedented: some 70,000 Japanese died in the blast and tens of thousands more by year’s end. The event marked the start of new era in international politics and of a long-running public debate that continues today. Did President Truman make the right decision? Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (and later Nagasaki) moral or immoral?In this episode, Robert Nicholson sits down with McDonald Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life Marc LiVecche to talk through these questions in light of the historical record. Decades of study have led LiVecche to rule Truman’s decision the best moral choice in light of the alternatives—but this conclusion seems more controversial than ever. Walking through arguments and counter-arguments, LiVecche responds to some of the more common objections and makes the case—carefully but confidently—that the use of atomic weapons in 1945 was indeed necessary and just. Stick around for the end for scattered musings on what it all means for American foreign policy today.Send comments and questions to jdiddams@theird.org or snipe directly at: mlivecche@providencemag.com
Taking a break from guest interviews, the Provcrew (Tooley, Diddams, LiVecche, Nicholson) meets up to discuss a few big topics looming above the current news cycle. First, they talk through a recent Washington Post article from George Will arguing the need for more clarity about the nature and purpose of Western civilization. Moving between domestic and international politics (and a fair bit of philosophy and theology), each crew member lays out his understanding of the “West,” its significance in 2025, and the choices that lie before us (including Diddams’ belief that the choice may be, as he puts it, “Bari Weiss or Protestant Franco”).Next, in light of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the crew reflects on the apparent paradox of Western values and weapons of mass destruction. How should we feel about atomic weapons and the events of August 1945? How does the annihilation of two Japanese cities at the end of World War II mess with, or clash with, Judeo-Christian values? What lessons might Hiroshima and Nagasaki impart to current debates about morality and international politics, especially as we contemplate the potential weapons soon available through artificial intelligence? Stay tuned to the end for LiVecche’s preliminary musings on why some Americans on the right are retroactively condemning Truman’s decision and what it might suggest about the inner workings of American culture in 2025.If you have comments or questions, please send a note to jdiddams@theird.org. We want to hear from you!
The end times get a bad rap. Typically associated with Christian fundamentalists, the apocalypse has in fact been an object of human fascination for thousands of years. In this offbeat conversation with Robert Joustra, professor of politics and international studies at Redeemer University, the Provcast crew (James Diddams and Robert Nicholson) unpacks the history of apocalyptic thinking and how it manifests in American society today. Aliens, zombies, dystopias, and armageddons—could these things, so frightening on the surface, flow from a divine longing inside us? And could the apocalypse actually be a prerequisite for hope?Stick around to the end for Joustra's hot take on evangelical polarization and the need for a bit of humility.Texts referenced:Joustra, Robert, and Alissa Wilkinson. How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016.Joustra, Robert. “Punching Blind: Why Grand Theories of Church and Culture Often Fail the Test of Place.” Comment Magazine, February 27, 2025. https://comment.org/punching-blind/.Diddams, James. “The Real Problem at Wheaton College.” First Things, November 30, 2022. https://firstthings.com/the-real-problem-at-wheaton-college/.
On June 30th, Providence and Tikvah partnered to convene a panel titled "What We Mean by 'Judeo-Christian'" to discuss the role of the Hebrew Bible as a shared point of reference in the American traditions of liberal democracy and constitutional republicanism. This panel was inspired by the Providence article "The Judeo-Christian Nation" by Pete Peterson and Jack Miller, published in Providence on March 26, 2025.In the face of heightened political and social divisions, the Hebrew Bible holds the possibility of civic renewal rooted in biblical principles which, though having originated with Israel, are accessible to all Americans. Throughout American history, from the Pilgrims to the Founders and from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, the Hebrew Bible in particular has served as a moral touchstone for disparate Christian denominations, Jewish people, and nonbelievers alike. The panelists included:Tamara Berens, Director of Young Professional Programs, TikvahJonathan Silver, Chief Programming Officer of Tikvah and editor of MosaicMarc LiVecche, McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at ProvidenceRobert Nicholson, Editor-at-Large of ProvidenceAnne Lord, Director of Government Affairs, Vandenberg CoalitionThank you to Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and the Jack Miller Center for sponsoring this event.
In July 2023, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser saw something catastrophic on the horizon: a Hamas invasion of Israel. A year later, in a conversation with Providence, he predicted an aggressive IDF military campaign to proactively degrade Hezbollah, the Assad regime, and Iran itself -- another bold prediction which also came true. One year later, Kuperwasser's reputation as a prophet has been firmly established. Now the president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Kuperwasser joins the Provcast to discuss his past predictions, the current state of Israel's multi-front war against its enemies, the IDF's changing military doctrine, US-Israel relations, and the recent Israeli-American strike on Iran. This time Kuperwasser predicts the emergence of a new regional security architecture -- and, possibly, a wider peace -- that could bring about dramatic changes in the Near East.
Responding to two recent essays, the Provcast team interview Rich Ghazal, Executive Director of In Defense of Christians, to discuss the question of Christian persecution as it relates to US foreign policy past and present—and particularly to the well being of Christians now under threat in Syria. What is America’s obligation to these Christians and where does it come from? Should helping them be a priority of American power, and if so, how? What about other persecuted non-Christian communities? And how do we rank our foreign policy priorities when confronted with multiple moral “goods”?Articles referenced:https://mereorthodoxy.com/how-america-betrayed-middle-eastern-christianshttps://mereorthodoxy.com/america-and-christians-in-the-middle-east-a-response
Talking with Iranian scholar and policy expert Dr. Farhad Rezaei, the Provcast crew get caught up on the latest developments related to the Iran-Israel war before talking through a number of hard questions: the nature of America's involvement, the potential for escalation and unexpected outcomes, and the controversial question of regime change. How should a Christian realist think about this war? What's at stake? And how should President Trump be assessing what to do next?Articles referenced:"Iran’s Enduring Apocalyptic Political Mythology" by Jozef Kosc on Sept. 17, 2024 in Providence Magazine."Thousands of Paper Cuts, Then a Nuclear Bomb: Georges Sorel, French Anarchism, and Iran’s Revolutionary Warfighting Doctrine" by Jozef Kosc on Oct. 21, 2024 in Providence Magazine.
In this two-part conversation, the Provcast crew unpacks Ukraine’s surprise drone attack on Russia and what it means for the war (and the future of war in general), America’s involvement, and whether the attack risks escalation with Russia.The crew then shifts to President Trump’s recent speech in Riyadh, which lays out the preliminary principles of a “Trump doctrine”—but are they really principles? Is there any method to Trump’s approach? Is he an isolationist, a realist, a mercantilist, or something else? Do nations just want to be rich? And if so, where do “irrational” things like religion fit? Is US foreign policy amoral?Text:https://providencemag.com/2025/06/ukraines-operation-spiderweb-was-smart-not-reckless/https://www.amazon.com/Seconds-Die-Military-Nagorno-Karabakh-Warfighting/dp/1636241239https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-trumps-speech-in-riyadh-dawn-of-the-bright-new-day-for-the-great-people-of-the-middle-east/
Providence Managing Editor James Diddams is joined by Jozef Kosc, Hamilton Center Fellow at the University of Florida, to discuss the varied ideological parentage of Iran's official state ideology, which includes not only Islamic sources but also European philosophers such as Martin Heidegger, Georges Sorel, Vladimir Lenin, Ernst Cassirer, and GWF Hegel. Jozef's two articles on this subject, "Iran’s Enduring Apocalyptic Political Mythology" and "Thousands of Paper Cuts, Then a Nuclear Bomb: Georges Sorel, French Anarchism, and Iran’s Revolutionary Warfighting Doctrine" appeared in Providence in September and October of 2024.https://providencemag.com/2024/09/irans-enduring-apocalyptic-political-mythology/https://providencemag.com/2024/10/thousands-of-paper-cuts-then-a-nuclear-bomb-georges-sorel-french-anarchism-and-irans-revolutionary-warfighting-doctrine/
Providence Editor James Diddams is joined by Bill Drexel, Fellow at Hudson Institute in US-India relations and geopolitical competition with China, to discuss his April 4th article "How Competing Hindu Theologies Drove India’s Nuclear Decision Making—In Opposite Directions." The story of India's acquisition of nuclear weapons is a compelling counterexample to the idea that foreign policy/national security decisions, and nuclear proliferation in particular, are only driven by the narrowly defined logic of economic self-interest and abstract methods of analysis like game theory. According to the "realist" security analysis of Westerners, India's security situation in the 1960s was such that it should have been compelled to acquire nuclear weapons, and yet chose not to. Then, in 1998, when nuclear proliferation seemed far from necessary, India shocked the world by conducting tests that revealed to the world its possession of nuclear weapons. What could explain the thought process behind India's circuitous path to becoming a nuclear-armed state? Bill Drexel's article: https://providencemag.com/2025/04/how-competing-hindu-theologies-drove-indias-nuclear-decision-making-in-opposite-directions/
Pondering recent events in the Vatican, the Provcast crew talks through the legacy of Pope Francis and the rise of "Pope Bob from Chicago" (the first Bishop of Rome to laugh at the Blues Brothers?) against the backdrop of a more important question: What role should the Roman Pontiff play in global affairs, if any? They then pick up questions surrounding the emerging, and likely unsatisfying, peace deal in Ukraine, Trump's visit to the Middle East, and the role of allies and "spheres of influence" in US grand strategy. Towards the end, they turn to the topic of national memory in light of America's retreat from Vietnam 50 years ago and its victory over Nazism 30 years before that, exploring America's unique capacity for renewal despite major setbacks. Articles mentioned:https://providencemag.com/2025/05/the-power-of-the-papacy-in-international-affairs/https://providencemag.com/2025/05/the-world-needs-a-cold-warrior-pope/https://providencemag.com/2025/04/americas-defeat-50-years-ago/https://providencemag.com/2025/05/ignoring-americas-greatest-victory/https://www.kyivpost.com/post/50219
As Providence Magazine approaches 10 years since its launch, editors Mark Tooley, Marc LiVecche, Robert Nicholson, and James Diddams discuss the founding vision of Providence and how the magazine has functioned as a forum for Christian realism since its inception.
In his recent book "Religion and Republic: Christian America from the Founding to the Civil War" (Davenant, 2024), Miles Smith IV, Assistant Professor of History at Hillsdale College, explores the interplay between faith and politics in early America, revealing a more complex picture than current polemics might have us believe. Breaking down his thesis with Providence editor-at-large Robert Nicholson, Dr. Smith talks liberalism and conservatism in US history, nations vs. empires, the Protestant/evangelical divide, the role of “Christian institutionalism,” and the great American golden age—or lack thereof.
Marc LiVecche joins Providence contributor Keith Pavlischek and the Hoover Institution's Peter Berkowitz on a wide-ranging exploration of Israel's war against Hamas and adjacent themes. Taking place on the leeward side of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, they discuss ongoing antisemitism as it exploded on American college campuses in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks, the decimating effect of progressive ideology on liberal arts education, the IDF's record in its fight in Gaza, and the recent negotiations and ceasefire agreements. They take on question of whether Israel is committing genocide, they discuss American and Israeli successes and failures in the wake of 10/7, and they laud the IDF's extraordinary battlefield successes, including the IDF's extraordinary commitment to necessary, proportionate, and discriminate force.Essays discussed:Peter Berkowitz, David Brooks Misunderstands the Miseducation of ElitesPeter Berkowitz, Disregarding Military Necessity to Accuse Israel of War CrimesMarc LiVecche, The End of Auschwitz and Auschwitz and the Duty of MemoryPeter Berkowitz ( peterberkowitz.com) the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and a columnist for Real Clear Politics. He is the author of many books, including Constitutional Conservatism: Liberty, Self-Government, and Political Moderation (Hoover Institution Press, 2013); Israel and the Struggle over the International Laws of War (Hoover Institution Press, 2012); Virtue and the Making of Modern Liberalism (Princeton University Press, 1999); and Nietzsche: The Ethics of an Immoralist (Harvard University Press, 1995). Keith Pavlischek Keith Pavlischek, contributing editor, is a military affairs expert with a focus on just war theory and the ethics of war. He retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007 after thirty years of active and reserve service having served in Desert Storm, Bosnia, Iraq, with the U.S. Central Command, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He is the author of John Courtney Murray and the Dilemma of Religious Toleration (1994) and numerous articles, including a chapter on the ethics of asymmetric warfare in the Ashgate Research Companion to Military Ethics (2015).Marc LiVecche is the McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence, and a non-resident research scholar at the US Naval War College. He is currently an adjunct instructor in ethics at the US Naval Academy. His most recent book is The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury.
The world looks very different a year after the Iran-orchestrated Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023. With Israeli counterstrikes in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran itself—and with hatred for Israel reaching an all-time high around the world—it’s worth asking what it all means. In this episode, Marc LiVecche talks with Providence’s co-founder and Editor-at-Large Robert Nicholson about the various dynamics shaping the conflict and how people of conscience can reckon with the paradoxes of war. What's this war all about? What is the relationship between power and peace? Why do so many people hate Israel? And what about those Abraham Accords anyway?
In the midst of ongoing debate regarding the military service record of Democratic party vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Providence's Marc LiVecche spoke with Marine Corps veterans Mac Owens and Keith Pavlischek to clarify the real issues. Focusing on the charge that Walz placed his own interests over his duty to his men by retiring rather than deploying to Iraq, this conversation attempts to avoid partisan bickering in order to discuss the effect of Walz's decision on unit morale, cohesion, mission effectiveness, loyalty, and, ultimately, honor. Notes: "Tim Walz's Military Service Controversy" Mackubin Ownes, GOLOCALProv.comMackubin Owens is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He previously served as editor of Orbis: FPRI’s Journal of World Affairs (2008-2020). From 2015 until March of 2018, he was Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. From 1987 until 2014, he was Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is also a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, where as an infantry platoon and company commander in 1968-1969, he was wounded twice and awarded the Silver Star medal. He is also a contributor to Providence Magazine.Keith Pavlischek, contributing editor, is a military affairs expert with a focus on just war theory and the ethics of war. He retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007 after thirty years of active and reserve service having served in Desert Storm, Bosnia, Iraq, with the U.S. Central Command, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He is the author of John Courtney Murray and the Dilemma of Religious Toleration (1994) and numerous articles, including a chapter on the ethics of asymmetric warfare in the Ashgate Research Companion to Military Ethics (2015). He is also a contributor to Providence Magazine.
Marc LiVecche hosts COL Keith Pavlischek, USMC (RET), long-time Providence contributor for a long-form discussion about the Israel-Hamas War. Points of focus include getting the meaning of proportionality right, the criticality of making basic distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong, causal and moral responsibility, and much else.Among the highlights is their imagined scenario in which they are talking with an honest college student who wants to know how the goal of eliminating Hamas–and the known if undesired cost in innocent lives that will go along with that–is compatible with Christian moral commitments guiding the moral prosecution of war.PROGRAM NOTES:* Photo: LiVecche and Pavlischek at the Israeli Knesset, Jerusalem, in 2017 celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War. With colleagues from the Philos Project, they had a private audience with Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and then Deputy Minister within the Prime Minister’s office. Check out an LiVecche’s discussion with him on Israeli history, focusing on the 6 Day War: “One-Hundred-Thirty-Two Hours and Fifty Years“Michael Brendan Dougherty, “On Proportionality in War” National Review, October 10, 2023Keith Pavlischek, “Proportionality in Warfare,” from The New Atlantis, No. 27 (Spring 2010), pp. 21-34 Marc LiVecche, “Just War 101,” from providencemag.comMattias Küntzel, Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism, and the Roots of 9/11Bob Dylan, “Man of Peace” and “Neighborhood Bully”
Rebecca Munson—department chair for government and public policy at Liberty University’s Helms School of Government—talks with Mark Melton about how the United States has combatted human trafficking globally. She explains how big of a problem human trafficking is and assesses America’s role in combatting this crime while comparing it to the European approach. Munson then compares and contrasts the crisis in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Mexico and discusses how foreign governments often choose to combat human trafficking only after the US threatens sanctions. Traditionally, this issue as received bipartisan support, and Munson looks at how the Trump and Biden administrations have addressed the problem.
For Further Reading:
“The World Confronts Modern Slavery, Offering Hope,” by Rebecca Munson: https://providencemag.com/2021/12/world-confronts-modern-slavery-offering-hope/ “Hope for Human Rights despite China’s Threats,” by Rebecca Munson: https://providencemag.com/2021/12/hope-human-rights-despite-china-threats/ “Biden Should Follow Trump’s Example on Combating Human Trafficking,” by Rebecca Munson: https://providencemag.com/2020/12/joe-biden-donald-trump-combating-human-trafficking/ “Cold War with China Hits Fashion Industry during H&M Boycott,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2021/04/geopolitical-conflict-china-hits-fashion-industry-xinjiang-cotton-hm-boycott-uighurs-forced-labor/
Olivia Enos of the Heritage Foundation speaks with Mark Melton about how the Chinese government has been snuffing out liberty in Hong Kong. She discusses the recent arrests of Cardinal Zen and pro-democracy advocates and explains what they mean for religious liberty in the city-state. She also analyzes the Vatican’s deal with the Chinese Communist Party and warns the Catholic Church against improving relations with the Beijing regime. Enos wrote an article for Providence making the case that the United States government should give Hong Kong refugees “Priority-2 Status,” so she explains what this means, why it is necessary, and how the Biden administration could make this change immediately. After traveling to Europe, Enos noticed how European governments were not taking the China threat seriously as both Republicans and Democrats in America do. So she discussed the dangers of Europe being too lax on the CCP and does not take the US warnings seriously. Even though there is bipartisan consensus that China is a threat to US foreign policy interests, she explains how the Biden administration's approach to Beijing has been mixed. Uighurs still face unprecedented persecution in China, and last fall Congress passed the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act—which Christine McDaniel and Weifeng Zhong discussed on the Foreign Policy ProvCast in February. As part of the process to implement that Act, Congress has been listening to public comments, including from Enos. She explains where this Act stands today and other developments with the Uighur genocide.
Here are some of the mentioned articles, reports, and podcasts:
“The Latest Arrests of Pro-Democracy Leaders in Hong Kong Lend Urgency to Extending Refugee Status to Persecuted Hong Kongers,” by Olivia Enos in Providence: https://providencemag.com/2022/05/latest-arrests-pro-democracy-leaders-hong-kong-lend-urgency-extending-refugee-status-to-persecuted-hong-kongers-cardinal-joseph-zen/
“Will Europe Ignore U.S. Warnings About China Like They Ignored Warnings of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine?” by Olivia Enos in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/windriver/2022/05/06/the-art-of-defense-mitigating-cyber-exposure-with-threat-modeling/?sh=48be56cc4b15
Foreign Policy ProvCast, Ep. 74 | America’s New Law on Forced Labor in Xinjiang, featuring Christine McDaniel and Weifeng Zhong in Providence: https://providencemag.com/podcast/foreign-policy-provcast-ep-74-americas-new-law-on-forced-labor-in-xinjiang/
“The Battle for China’s Spirit,” by Sarah Cook in FreedomHouse: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/FH_ChinasSprit2016_FULL_FINAL_140pages.pdf
“Uyghur County in China Has Highest Prison Rate in World,” by Huizhong Wu and Dake Kang in Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/china-prisons-uyghurs-religion-0dd1a31f9be29d32c584543af4698955
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Paul Miller about what may happen in Ukraine now that the Battle of Kyiv appears to be over and the war is moving into a new, probably longer phase. In addition to discussing the current situation in the country, Miller covers what Russia’s relations with the United States may look like in the medium to long term, what the war should teach us about US-China relations, the possibility that Russia may recover and rearm from this war, how a new cold war is forming, and lessons from the old Cold War for today.
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Tyson K. Wetzel (US Air Force) about how the United States can help Ukraine fight Russia effectively without NATO and Russia getting into a war. Wetzel helped conduct a survey and write a report for the Atlantic Council that created a “strategic risk calculator.” The survey asked foreign policy experts to consider various ways NATO allies could help Ukraine and ranked both how effective that assistance would be and how much it risked escalation. Wetzel covers the findings of that survey and lists some of the different weapons the US could still give. He also talks about how previous US aid helped Ukraine fight the war to its current stalemate, why Russia used a hypersonic missile in the war, how China could help keep Russia in the fight, and the probability of a wider war.
This podcast was recorded on March 21, 2022.
Lieutenant Colonel Tyson K. Wetzel is the 2021-22 senior US Air Force fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. His comments are his own views and do not reflect the official position of the US Air Force or the Department of Defense.
To read the Atlantic Council survey and report, click here: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/the-big-story/what-are-the-risks-and-benefits-of-us-nato-military-options-in-ukraine-our-strategic-risk-calculator-has-answers/
In this wide-ranging and impassioned conversation about the war in Ukraine, Providence editors Marc LiVecche and Rebeccah Heinrichs, also of the Hudson Institute, discuss the latest developments, the intersection of just war reasoning and the facts on the ground, future options against Putin, how best to assist President Zelensky and his brave compatriots, and the delicate but critical question of regaining escalatory dominance against the Russian regime.
In this episode, Mariam Wahba and Adela Cojab talk about their new show "American-ish: Daughters of Diaspora", which covers the topics of faith, culture, religion, and more. Wahba is a Coptic Christian who was born in Menya, Egypt, and Cojab is a Syrian-Lebanese Jew born in Mexico City. They both now live in New York City.
While talking with Mark Melton, Cojab and Wahba explain how the show started, how their families came to America, and how they adjusted to living here. They also address the meaning of cultural heritage, their views of national identity, interactions with different parts of America, and how their backgrounds affect their views on foreign policy.
Adela Cojab is a law student and activist, and Mariam Wahba is the associate director of advocacy with the Philos Project.
To watch their show, click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFYNTY_noT1tUL3EchHUy2w
They are also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanishshow/
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanishshow
Weifeng Zhong and Christine McDaniel of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University talk with Mark Melton about the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. They cover how forced labor in China works and how the world knows this is happening. Zhong and McDaniel also discuss potential difficulties with how the law might be implemented and the dilemmas the US government and various businesses will face. For example, there may be potential issues with the evidentiary process and interim products. Finally, Zhong describes how people in China view the problem of forced labor in their country.
Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute speaks with Mark Melton about the Russian threat to Ukraine. She gives an update of the latest situation in Ukraine at the time of recording (the morning of February 7) and explains why Americans should be concerned about a Russian invasion of the country.
Heinrichs details how the United States has responded to the situation—including what the government has done right—and what America might do if Russia invades. She talks about Germany’s problematic response and why it is the weakest link in the NATO alliance.
They also discuss how a Russian takeover of Ukraine would affect the US-China rivalry, as well as how Beijing and Moscow are becoming stronger partners in a “de facto alliance.”
Reports have indicated that the Biden administration offered concessions to Vladimir Putin about placing certain missiles in Europe and allowing inspections of missile defense sites in NATO countries. Heinrichs explains the problems with these concessions, as well as problems with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty to which Moscow was not adhering, and why concessions from the US have not stopped the Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border. Some have suggested that the US should promise that Ukraine would never be allowed to join NATO, and even though she does not support expanding the alliance for now, Heinrichs rejects promising to close the door on NATO expansion forever.
She concludes by covering how the Russian military may test nuclear-capable systems that could reach the United States while invading Ukraine.
Before the podcast ends, she says, Russia “is for undermining the US-led order in Europe and in cooperating with China to make sure that China gets what it wants in the Pacific and beyond… The stakes are so incredibly high, and we just need strong leadership, smart statecraft.”
In this special Dark Ops episode of the podcast, Mark Melton and Marc LiVecche discuss the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life and the short story that inspired it, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film premiered in New York City 75 years ago on December 20, 1946.
During the episode, Melton and LiVecche cover how the movie depicts the morality of banking and business, the importance of individuals, the value of a person’s work that may seem insignificant, Italian and Catholic immigrants when they were outsiders, hope, and more. They also explain why people should watch the movie at Christmas.
In this episode Mark Melton speaks with Igor Sabino about the political situation in Brazil and that country’s role in global affairs. They focus on the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, and Sabino explains the reasons why Brazilian evangelicals supported him. While courting the evangelical vote, Bolsonaro promised to improve relations with Israel, so Sabino recaps what the president has been able to achieve while balancing its relations with Arab countries. Brazilian politicians have a history of corruption, so Melton and Sabino discuss how Bolsonaro was able to present himself as a clean candidate while running for office as others were caught in the “Operation Car Wash” scandal. But Sabino addresses how Brazilians feel about the president now after some recent revelations about the corruption trials and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Donald Trump had a good relationship with Bolsonaro, but some have warned that aligning too closely with him could put Americans, especially Republicans, in a bind in Brazil if the political tide turned. With this in mind, Sabino reviews how Brazilians view the US now. As the US and China move toward a rivalry that looks like a cold war, Brazil can get caught in the middle. Sabino reviews Brazil’s place in this new global conflict. Finally, Brazilians will vote in October 2022, and Sabino reviews what may happen and which actors Americans should watch for.
Note about audio: We had some technical difficulty while recording the podcast remotely so apologize for the quality. But we still wanted listeners to hear this report on Brazil.
Igor Sabino is a PhD candidate in political science at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil. He holds a BA and an MA in international relations from the State University of Paraíba in Brazil and is an alumnus of the Philos Project Leadership Institue. His current research is focused on US foreign policy and religion. You can follow him on Twitter here: @igorhsabino.
Just a few years ago, Ethiopia was a darling of foreign policy observers, with some comparing it to Taiwan and South Korea in decades past. Meanwhile, its prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. But now civil war has changed the country’s trajectory. In this episode, Joshua Meservey discusses the ongoing war between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government. He explains how and why the war started, what Tigrayan forces want, and why the war is such a tragedy. Meservey also reviews the human rights violations that have occurred during the fighting. He analyzes what will likely happen next in the country as well as its role in the region. Finally, he describes how the United States should respond to the tragedy and calls on policymakers to develop new, creative solutions for unique situations, instead of using the same tools for these types of crises.
Joshua Meservey is the Senior Policy Analyst for Africa and the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation.
This podcast was recorded on October 4, 2021.
Paul D. Miller speaks with Mark Melton about the current situation in Afghanistan as well as what might happen in the country next. In particular, they cover the perils that religious minorities and other vulnerable groups face, the possibility of civil war, the collapse of the Afghan economy, and the possibility of the US giving food aid to the country. They also discuss what Christians and churches can do to help the Afghan refugees who came to the United States. Miller explains why the current Taliban is not a better “Taliban 2.0” and recounts reports about atrocities the Taliban is currently committing. Miller and Melton talk about the Biden administration’s plans to conduct counterterrorism operations “over the horizon,” the possibility of al-Qaeda and ISIS resuming operations from the country, and the need for having “eyes and ears” to monitor terrorist threats. He notes, “It may be that we’re not even halfway through the War on Terror yet.” Miller also analyzes how the Afghanistan withdrawal plays into America’s great power competition with Russia and China and how it changes the culture of world order. Finally, he counters the notion that Afghanistan is the “Graveyard of Empires.”
This podcast was recorded on September 30, 2021.
For further reading and listening, see:
“Afghanistan: What Happened and What’s Next?” featuring Paul D. Miller & Jon Askonas: https://providencemag.com/video/afghanistan-what-happened-whats-next-paul-miller-jon-askonas/
“Ep. 66 | The Fall of Afghanistan and Joe Biden’s Withdrawal,” featuring Rebeccah Heinrichs and Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/podcast/foreign-policy-provcast-ep-66-fall-afghanistan-joe-biden-withdrawal-taliban/
“Don’t Assume Russia and China Will Fumble Afghanistan Crisis,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2021/09/dont-assume-russia-china-fumble-afghanistan-crisis/
“The Battle for the History of the Afghan War,” by Paul D. Miller: https://providencemag.com/2020/03/battle-afghan-war-history/
Photo caption: A child’s lost stuffed animal after the departure of Afghan evacuees at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on August 30, 2021. US Air Force courtesy photo by Tech. Sgt. Amber Flanagan.
In this episode, Joel Rosenberg talks about his latest book, "Enemies and Allies: An Unforgettable Journey inside the Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East." He reviews why he considers certain countries enemies and allies in the region, and points to troubling and positive trends. Rosenberg then discusses what he learned from his multiple interviews and meetings with Middle Eastern leaders, including Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), as well as with Donald Trump and various American officials. He responds to questions about what America can do to salvage its relationship with Turkey and what leaders in the US and the region have done right and wrong. Rosenberg also explains why the Abraham Accords are so important.
Listeners can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Enemies-Allies-Unforgettable-Fast-Moving-Immensely/dp/1496453816
Joel Rosenberg is the founder and editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the author of numerous books.
In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir and Aykan Erdemir about religious freedom issues in Turkey. In particular, they cover what reports from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) say about Turkey and how the Turkish government’s restrictions on the Kurdish language affect religious minorities there. The Erdemirs also discuss the status of holy sites for religious minorities in Turkey, how they are sometimes restored, and the role they play in the community. Both also explain how Turkey uses “spectacles of tolerance” to demonstrate its acceptance of religious freedom, but these few benevolent acts cannot solve all of Turkey’s religious freedom problems. Instead, they argue that the country needs to institutionalize equality and pluralism. Finally, Aykan analyzes how the situation in Afghanistan affects Turkey and its minorities.
In this episode, Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute talks with Mark Melton about the fall of Afghanistan. She describes what went wrong in Afghanistan, the problems of nation-building, whether the “forever war” is over, and how the United States military had been conducting counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. They also discuss why Joe Biden’s withdrawal was a debacle and problems with the “over the horizon” strategy to stop terrorism now that the US military is gone. Heinrichs also makes the case that the US should not have abandoned Bagram Air Base near Kabul and explains why this has led to tragedy. She analyzes how the US withdrawal from Afghanistan affects America’s geopolitical strategy, particularly its competition with China. Finally, she offers some lessons Americans should learn from Afghanistan.
For the July 4th weekend, Eric Patterson and Mark Melton discuss what C.S. Lewis teaches Christians about patriotism and “love of home,” particularly in The Four Loves. They review how Lewis served his country in both the First World War and the Second World War, which demonstrates that he writes from experience when he writes about patriotism and sacrifice. And while Lewis argues that the “love of home” is the best type of patriotism, he warns against someone loving his or her country because of its history, as this can lead to a puffed-up vision that is easily debunked unless the study of history is done carefully and seriously. So Patterson and Melton discuss how Christians should understand history by recognizing mankind’s sinfulness and God’s common grace. Melton also argues that, if Christians’ love of home or country is rooted in neighborly love, they should love their neighbors both near and far. This requires understanding local issues and participating in local politics. Patterson adds that this focus on the local community can include volunteering in various organizations.
Suggested Readings:
“For God and Country, Part 1: Christian Patriotism,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2019/01/for-god-country-part-1-christian-patriotism/
“For God and Country, Part 2: Not Necessarily the Nation-State,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2019/01/for-god-country-part-2-not-necessarily-nation-state/
“Immortal Memory: What Scotland’s Robert Burns Can Teach Us about Nationalism,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2019/01/immortal-memory-scotland-robert-burns-nationalism/
“From the Trenches to the Shire and Narnia: Review of Loconte’s A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War,” by Mark Melton: https://providencemag.com/2019/04/trenches-shire-narnia-book-review-joseph-loconte-a-hobbit-a-wardrobe-and-a-great-war-c-s-lewis-j-r-r-tolkien/
“Flawed Historical Narratives about American Figures Color Our Pursuit of Justice,” by Grayson Logue: https://providencemag.com/2020/09/flawed-historical-narratives-american-figures-pursuit-justice-1776-commission-1619-project/
A transcript is forthcoming.
Samuel Goldman (PhD, Harvard) talks about his latest book, After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division, with Mark Melton, who recently reviewed it in National Review.
Even though some on the right have argued that the United States needs to return to a strong common national identity to survive, Goldman argues that America has normally not had this type of cohesion for most of its history. Instead, the Second World War and Cold War created a brief period when creedal nationalism became the dominant vision, but after a couple of decades this vision began to fracture.
During the conversation, Goldman explains the history of America’s national identities by focusing on three that are present today—covenantal, crucible, and creedal—and why all three failed. He and Melton also cover how times of war allowed the government to coerce Americans into adopting a single cohesive identity. For instance, despite being an American born in Missouri, Reinhold Niebuhr’s formal education was fully in German until he began his Master’s degree at Yale Divinity School. But after the First World War this type of culture could not endure. (Niebuhr’s undergraduate college in Illinois did not print a catalog in English until 1917.)
Goldman responds to critics of the book who say America must revive an Anglo-American or Anglo-Protestant vision (a type of covenantal nationalism) to have a future. Others who want to revive a common national identity also say identity politics is one of the greatest threats to America, which Goldman addresses. Many have also argued that the United States needs to teach history better to prevent disunity, including six former education secretaries who signed a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March 2021. Goldman explains why this type of program will fail just as other similar attempts have failed. According to him, understanding history can only tell Americans who they were, not who they are.
Instead of promoting a common national identity, Goldman supports increased localism and federalism, which he describes further.
Goldman is an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, and Mark Melton is managing editor of Providence.
A rough transcript is forthcoming, which will be available here: https://providencemag.com/podcast/foreign-policy-provcast-ep-64-america-after-nationalism-samuel-goldman-podcast/
To purchase After Nationalism, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Nationalism-Radical-Conservatisms-Samuel-Goldman/dp/0812251644
To read Melton’s review in National Review, click here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/06/book-review-after-nationalism-sympathy-for-nationalists-but-little-hope/
Featured Image: A flag over the Vicksburg Bridge (carrying I-20) and the Old Vicksburg Bridge, which cross the Mississippi River in Mark Melton’s hometown. Source: Unsplash.
Mark Melton speaks with Paul D. Miller about his recent book "Just War and Ordered Liberty" (Cambridge University Press, January 2021, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Ordered-Liberty-Paul-Miller-ebook/dp/B08QD19SB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr). Miller explains how just war thinking has shifted over the centuries—from Augustinian, Westphalian, and now Liberal traditions. They also cover how Miller’s view of just war would allow for the defense of ordered liberty to serve as a just cause for war, whereas proponents of a Westphalian view of sovereignty would say such a war is wrong. Miller also explains how Liberal ideas about sovereignty compare to the notion of responsibility to protect (R2P), which has its roots in the Augustinian just war tradition.
In the book, Miller writes at length about "jus post bellum," or justice after war, so in the podcast he and Melton cover this topic and why this category is helpful, even though some proponents of the just war tradition do not use it.
Finally, Miller talks about foreign policy implications of his ideas—particularly on whether Americans would be willing to do what is necessary to secure ordered liberty in another country after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, what countries must consider if war with North Korea becomes necessary, the problems drones can present for ethicists considering the “Forever War,” and what the just war tradition might say about cyberattacks.
For further reading be sure to see Miller’s articles about Augustinian Liberalism—“Augustinian Liberalism: A Symposium” and “Augustine of Hippo, Christian Democrat” (available here: https://providencemag.com/2019/09/augustinian-liberalism-symposium/ and https://providencemag.com/2019/09/augustine-of-hippo-christian-democrat/). Also, be sure to buy and read his book, which also responds to critics who say this liberal view would lead to imperialism.
Listeners can purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Ordered-Liberty-Paul-Miller-ebook/dp/B08QD19SB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr
Paul D. Miller is a professor in the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, a contributing editor of Providence, a research fellow with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council.
Steven Howard, advocacy director at In Defense of Christians (IDC), speaks with Mark Melton about the 2021 annual report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). In particular, they cover what the IDC thinks USCIRF got right and how they missed the mark. Howard also analyzes the religious freedom situation in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt.
To read the report, click here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf
In Defense of Christians also hosted an event to discuss this report in more detail, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4NLiY8pJok
For the podcast episode with Nadine Maenza, commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, click here: https://providencemag.com/podcast/ep-55-religious-freedom-middle-east-genocide-yazidis/
Providence executive editor Marc LiVecche spoke with contributing editor and Georgetown professor Paul Miller about President Joe Biden's plans to withdraw all remaining US military personnel from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. While opposed to the withdrawal itself, Paul has no illusions about the mistakes made in Afghanistan. At the same time, he is cognizant of the goods that were achieved and laments the risks that a US pullout poses to the ability of those goods to endure. He reflects on the human costs of the war, its impact on US foreign policy, and offers a nuanced vision for how American Christians should think about it.
This podcast originated as a Zoom conversation and has not been edited. Listeners can watch the video and read the transcript here: https://providencemag.com/video/americas-withdrawal-afghanistan-joe-biden/
Here are some of the resources mentioned in the discussion:
"A Christian Declaration on American Foreign Policy" by Paul Miller: https://providencemag.com/2016/09/christian-declaration-american-foreign-policy/
"Fight to Win: A Lesson from the Great War" Marc LiVecche: https://providencemag.com/2020/11/fight-win-lesson-great-war/
On March 5, 1946—75 years ago—Winston Churchill delivered the “Sinews of Peace” at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The terms “special relationship” to describe US-UK relations and “Iron Curtain” both become household terms after the speech, and some, particularly Russian historians, point to this moment as the official start to the Cold War.
At the time, Churchill was serving as leader of the opposition in Parliament after losing the UK general election in 1945. The world was recovering from the Second World War and ready for peace. Many in the United States and elsewhere were optimistic about future relations with the Soviet Union, an American and British ally just a few months before, and the possible peace that might come from the United Nations, whose Security Council started its first session in London in January 1946. Yet the former and future prime minister delivered a startling message to Americans who were largely unprepared to countenance the prospect of a looming, decades-long conflict against communism after winning the war against fascism. Though the American public was not ready for Churchill’s message, at least some in the US government were. “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” (or “The Long Telegram”) by George F. Kennan, the deputy chief of mission of the United States to the Soviet Union, arrived secretly to the State Department in Washington, DC, in February 1946. In July 1947 under the pseudonym “Mr. X,” Foreign Affairs published this memo describing the need to contain the USSR.
Many Americans disliked and criticized the speech. For instance, Christianity and Crisis editor and founder Reinhold Niebuhr called it “ill-timed and ill-advised” in the only reference his journal made to it in 1946. He and others in the publication were discussing the possibility of US-USSR cooperation or alliance, and how the new United Nations might benefit global order with “world government.” Niebuhr blamed Churchill for unwisely heightening tensions and undermining a “creative solution” to the “atomic bomb problem.” Yet Churchill better understood what the Soviets had already done in Eastern Europe. The problem was not the speech, but the Soviet actions the speech exposed. While many Americans dreamed of an alliance with Moscow and “Uncle Joe” (the friendly image of Joseph Stalin in Western media), they forgot that the Soviet Union had a vote on whether they wanted to be an ally or adversary.
In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Joseph Loconte and Mark Melton discuss the “Sinews of Peace,” the post-World War II situation in Eastern Europe, why the American public and media disliked Churchill’s message, what President Harry Truman knew about the speech beforehand, whether or not the future special relationship between the US and UK was obvious in March 1946, and the speech’s legacy.
Loconte also co-wrote an article with Nile Gardiner about the “Sinews of Peace” for National Review, which can be read here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/churchills-prophetic-warning-an-iron-curtain-has-descended/
In this Advent Special of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Mark Melton speaks with Walter Russell Mead about his annual Yule Blog series, which begins on Christmas Eve and runs through Epiphany on January 6. Mead explains that he originally created the Yule Blog several years ago because Americans have forgotten so much about the holiday’s religious grounding and message. While the series covers a range of topics over 14 days, Melton and Mead focus on two: first, Mead analyzes the role of Mary in the New Testament and the early church; then he talks about what Jesus’ Jewish identity and love of his people means for Christians’ love of their country and home, and what it means that Jesus was able to reach out to people from other nations while still loving his own. They conclude by offering a message of what Christmas means in a year that the COVID-19 pandemic has scarred. Particularly, Mead explains that this year, when many are celebrating the holiday away from family, the separation should remind us that the heart of the Christmas holiday isn’t about those gatherings or events, but about the birth of Jesus Christ. “So what we’re going to live through this year, is Christmas stripped down to the basics, and that may be a way to get in touch as never before with this eruption of meaning into a dark history.”
To read the Yule Blog over the Twelve Days of Christmas, be sure to visit the website here: https://providencemag.com/category/the-yule-blog/
Walter Russell Mead is a professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College, the Distinguished Scholar in American Strategy and Statesmanship for the Hudson Institute. Global view columnist at the Wall Street Journal.
Mark Melton is the managing editor of Providence.
In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Mark Melton and Marc LiVecche bring back the “Dark Ops,” Providence’s podcast movie reviews. They discuss the Netflix series The Liberator, which came out on Veterans Day last month. It’s an animated series with four episodes and is based on a book by Alex Kershaw. The miniseries tells the story of Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment as they campaign in Italy before landing in Provence, France, and then into Germany. In total, Sparks served 511 days in combat, and after World War II became a brigadier general and the ground commander for the Colorado Army Guard. He also served on the Colorado Supreme Court.
Amongst other topics, Melton and LiVecche cover whether the animation helps or hurts the storytelling, how the miniseries covers racism, the history behind the Battle of Aschaffenburg and the Dachau massacre, and what courage looks like. They conclude by explaining why movies and shows about the Second World War are still important.
Starting on September 27, the war between Azerbaijan and Republic of Artsakh resumed. Also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh is a region within Azerbaijan that is predominately Armenian, and since 1994 has been controlled by Armenians. The war ended on November 10 with the Armenians of Artsakh losing most of the territory it had controlled. In this episode, Robert Nicholson of the Philos Project talks with Mark Melton about why this war happened, how Turkey was involved, what the Armenians are losing, what the US government should do next, why the world didn’t help Artsakh, and what may happen to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan now. Melton and Nicholson also cover how this conflict fits into region’s geopolitics and how this all affects the United States. Finally, they discuss what Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may do next, particularly in Cyprus, and what the Biden administration should do more broadly in the Middle East, especially with the Arab–Israeli peace movement.
In this episode of the ProvCast recorded on September 10, executive editor Marc LiVecche speaks with senior editor Keith Pavlischek about a variety of themes that emerge from an initial discussion of the Kyle Rittenhouse shootings in Kenosha. Topics include vigilantism versus just force, contextual factors—such as provocation—that complicate easy claims about self-defense, and the responsibilities of proper authorities to secure justice. Along the way, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and American Western films in general, makes a germane segue—and preps the way for future episodes.
In this episode, Nadine Maenza talks about religious freedom issues in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria where the Yazidis suffered genocide starting six years ago. First, she explains the role of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), of which she is vice-chairman, and how its operations differ from the US State Department. Then she reviews what the Islamic State (ISIS) did to the Yazidis during the genocide and how this group and other religious minorities, including Iraqi Christians, suffer. Maenza explains how the Iraqi central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil treat these religious minorities differently and how those groups feel about the authorities. She also discusses problems other religious minorities there face and how the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) causes problems. USCIRF recommended the US place Iraq on a special watch list, Maenza reviews what the US government and her organization can do.
Then Nadine Maenza and Mark Melton talk about the situation in northeast Syria and some good news in that region for religious minorities. They close out their conversation by talking about other countries that have problems with religious liberty, but they also talk about success stories, specifically in Uzbekistan, whose government came to USCIRF and tried to improve their laws for religious groups. From this, Maenza and Melton conclude by talking about how some countries, like China, have nefarious motivations for why they persecute religious minorities, whereas other countries are either incompetent or don’t know how to use their laws to improve the situation for those groups.
To continue learning about the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, please visit their website here: https://www.uscirf.gov/ Or follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USCIRF Those who want to learn more about Iraq can read USCIRF’s annual report for the country here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Iraq.pdf And can read about Syria here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Syria.pdf Listeners can read Maenza’s op-ed about Yazidis in Iraq here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/agony-of-yazidis-extends-to-sixth-anniversary-of-their-genocide And can follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadinemaenza
A couple months ago, Providence contributor Paul D. Miller complained on Twitter about people confused liberalism and progressivism. In this episode hosted by Mark Melton, he explains how the two concepts are different. He specifically makes the case that conservatives wrongly blame liberalism for the excesses of progressivism. He then explains what classical liberalism is, and how this idea can be the solution for the problems progressivism creates. Miller also reviews what he calls “Augustinian liberalism,” which uses the ideas of St. Augustine as a grounding for liberalism, instead of Enlightenment ideas. Miller and Melton then talk about how federalism and localism can help alleviate problems America faces—including the fear that, if “our” side loses a national or presidential election, the country’s over. In fact, he says allowing more federalism and letting subcultures flourish would increase national cohesion, whereas enforcing a common national identity, whether a left-wing or right-wing version, would increase national strife. Miller also reviews viewpoint neutrality, cancel culture, participation in local government, and more.
To read Miller’s articles about Augustinian liberalism, see https://providencemag.com/2019/09/augustinian-liberalism-symposium/ and https://providencemag.com/2019/09/augustine-of-hippo-christian-democrat/
His other works for Providence are available here: https://providencemag.com/authors/paul-d-miller/
Other articles and podcasts by Mark Melton are available here: https://providencemag.com/authors/mark-melton/
In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Joshua Walker speaks with Mark Melton about Japan’s global role, especially as the rivalry between the United States and China intensifies.
The last time Walker spoke for Providence, he was in the process of leaving the Eurasia Group to become the president of the Japan Society, so he talks about his new organization’s projects and mission. Then he describes the role Japan has played in East Asia since the end of the Second World War and the role the country can play now as the world moves from a transatlantic century to a transpacific century.
News came out last week that lawmakers in Japan are pushing for the country to have the right to strike missile-launch sites in North Korea and China, but Walker explains why these headlines are misleading. He also discusses Japan’s Self Defense Forces and the prospects of the country changing its constitution so that it can have a more normalized military force and presence.
Then Melton and Walker talk about how America’s alliance with both South Korea and Japan has traditionally provided stability for the region and the current status of those relationships. The two also cover how Japan is caught in the crossfire of the US-China rivalry, along with how the people of Japan view both countries.
Walker finishes with analysis about what might happen with US-Japan relations if Joe Biden becomes president, how Shinzo Abe has been able to manage relations well with Donald Trump, and the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the 2020 Olympics in Japan to happen in 2021 instead.
Providence has recently published a few articles about race and racism after the murder of George Floyd, and in this episode of the ProvCast Trillia Newbell speaks about a Christian perspective on racism, the imago Dei, practical ways Christians can respond to racism, and hope for the future.
Newbell is the director of community outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, an acquisitions editor for Moody Publishers, and the author of multiple books—including "Sacred Endurance: Finding Grace and Strength for a Lasting Faith," "United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity," and "If God Is For Us: The Everlasting Truth of Our Great Salvation."
CNN recently interviewed her for an article about racism and the church, which can be found here: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/us/white-black-christians-racism-burke/index.html
Michael Sobolik, a fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC, speaks with Mark Melton about recent developments in China. In particular, Sobolik explains new revelations that the Chinese Communist Party is forcing Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang to have sterilizations and abortions, which he wrote about in Newsweek. They also talk about the United Kingdom banning Huawei from building Britain’s 5G network. Sobolik lays out why the United States opposes Huawei on this and what other countries may ban the company from their networks. He wrote about this issue in a report for the American Foreign Policy Council. The two also discuss the importance of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and how this affects geopolitics and US foreign policy. Sobolik also describes what China did to cover up the COVID-19 pandemic and the Chinese Communist Party’s misinformation campaign, which he also covered in The Diplomat and The Hill. Sobolik and Melton also talk about developments in Hong Kong, including the possibility the US and UK will accept refugees from there, and why the US declared this week that it does not recognize China’s claims to offshore resources in the South China Sea.
Sobolik’s articles on these topics can be found here: https://www.afpc.org/uploads/documents/Defense_Technology_Briefing_-_Issue_19.pdf https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/to-hold-china-accountable-for-delayed-covid-19-action-target-the-great-firewall/ https://www.newsweek.com/what-china-hong-kong-opinion-1511063 https://thehill.com/opinion/international/502875-pompeo-bet-against-china-and-covid-19-may-prove-him-right
This week the Chinese Communist Party approved a decision to “establish and enhance the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for national security” in Hong Kong. In response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China so no longer warrants special treatment from the US. Olivia Enos, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, spoke with Mark Melton about what this development means for Hong Kong’s democracy. She also analyzes how this will affect US-China relations, what Hong Kongers will likely do next, what this means for Taiwan, how the US should respond, and more. She also explains why she and others have called this predicament Hong Kong’s “worst case scenario.”
Tobias Cremer, a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, speaks with Mark Melton about the role religion plays in populist movements in Germany, France, and the United States. They discuss how populists on the streets of Dresden carried oversized crosses, but when asked the vast majority of protestors self-identified as agnostic or atheist. Instead of believing in the basic Christian tenets as American evangelicals would understand them, most European populists cling to a cultural Christian identity without believing the theology. According to Cremer’s research based on numerous interviews, the populists claim they and their society are Christian because they have a church in their town instead of a mosque, not because they attend church; they are Christian because they are not Muslim. In contrast, he found most Christians in Germany and France who practice the faith regularly shun the populist parties, and attending church was a strong indicator against supporting parties like the Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, or AFD) or Rassemblement national (National Rally, formally known as the National Front). Cremer and Melton further discuss how evangelicals’ support for Donald Trump is different, how the two-party system in the United States creates a different outcome when religion and populism mix, what happens to believing Christians in European populist movements, why and how those European movements support Israel and left-wing causes, how the movements react to Islam, and why American and European churches are different.
Earlier this year David Curry, CEO and president of Open Doors USA, spoke about persecution against Christians globally and his organization's annual report, the World Watch List. For more information about the report, visit https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/
And for more information about Providence, please visit https://providencemag.com/
Assistant Editor Grayson Logue interviews Rich Lowry, Editor in Chief of National Review and author of "The Case for Nationalism." They discuss the history of nationalism and its resurgence in the modern-day as well as President Trump's strike against Iran.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Travis Wussow (VP of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) from the front lines of the democracy protests in Hong Kong. They discuss the stand-off at Polytechnic University and role of Christians amidst the political chaos in China.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Emily de La Bruyere and Nate Picarsic, Founders of Radar Lock Research, as they discuss their recent article on the growing threat of Chinese power and the strategy behind China’s economic and political drive for cultural influence.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin interviews Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council on the US withdrawal from Syria, the identity of the Kurds, the prospects for ISIS and the religious minorities in the region.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with Prof. Paul Miller to discuss the lack of civility in American politics, the rise of nationalism, and his recently published report on Faith and Healthy Democracy.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with David French of the National Review to discuss his debate with Sohrab Ahmari, the future of American conservatism, and America’s proposed withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Managing editor Drew Griffin sits down with Olivia Enos of the Heritage Foundation to discuss the ongoing crisis in Hong Kong, human rights, and the plight of Christians and Communist China.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with GWU Professor Samuel Goldman to discuss his piece in Modern Age on Finis Germania, Rolf Peter Seiferle, and the particular difficulty that the Holocaust poses for modern German Identity.
Deputy Editor Mark Melton speaks with Niall Walsh, the Western Europe analyst at Oxford Analytica. They cover how and whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson will deliver Brexit by October 31, rising populism and nationalism in the UK, the possibility of Scotland becoming an independent country, problems with the UK Royal Navy, what a US-UK free trade deal might entail, how the UK is responding to the Iran crisis, and more.
Since recording this podcast, the UK announced it would join US-led naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Photo credit: Flickr/Boris Johnson Twitter
Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council talks with Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin about the continuing crisis in Syria, and its ramifications throughout the broader middle east.
Author Shadi Hamid sits down with Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss the rise of Islam in the West and the role of religion in Foreign Policy.
Managing editor Drew Griffin sits down with Eric Farnsworth, VP of the Council of the Americas, to discuss the growing influence and threat of Chinese involvement in Latin America.
Writer and author Lela Gilbert joins Drew Griffin to discuss the latest reports of global anti-Semitism.
Professor and contributing editor Paul Coyer joins Providence managing editor Drew Griffin for a discussion about the ongoing tragedy in Venezuela.
In this episode, Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback to discuss the changing face of religious persecution and new global threats to international religious liberty.
In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Eric Patterson speaks about his book Just American Wars: Ethical Dilemmas in US Military History. Specifically, he addresses whether the colonies were right to fight the British Empire in the American War for Independence, national honor and ego were good reasons for US presidents to continue the Vietnam War, and more.
In this episode of the Foreign Policy ProvCast, Aaron Rhodes speaks on his article about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the Winter 2019 issue of Providence’s print edition. He also addresses the differences between human rights and political questions, the human rights situation in various countries, how China violates these rights with its reeducation camps for Uighur Muslims, why he’s pessimistic about the future, and what the global community can do to reform and promote human rights.
Scholar and ethicist Marc Livecche talks with Managing Editor Drew Griffin about Jean Bethke Elshtain, moral injury, and how Christian ethics can save lives.
Jason Thacker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission discusses the recent Evangelical Statement on AI with Managing Editor Drew Griffin.
Read Jason's article in Christianity Today on artificial intelligence: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/april-web-only/artificial-intelligence-facial-recognition-muslims-china.html
Read The ERLC's statement on artificial intelligence: https://erlc.com/resource-library/statements/artificial-intelligence-an-evangelical-statement-of-principles
Professor Paul Miller of Georgetown University sits down with Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss America’s Global Role under Trump’s leadership.
Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with New York Times Contributor and Pastor Alan Cross to discuss the current crisis at the border and the morality of America’s Response.
Episode #26: America’s Global Role in the Age of Trump (Rebeccah Heinrichs) by Providence Magazine
Providence Editor Robert Nicholson discusses the roots and the recent rise of antisemitism, and why this should concern Christians and Jews alike.
Part Two of our conversation with Joe Loconte, Professor of History at The King's College.
Professor Joe Loconte sits down with Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss the role of Christian Realism in American Politics.
Olivia Enos—a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation who traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, for President Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong-un—reviews the current economic and human rights situation in North Korea, what happened at the summit, Trump canceling military exercises, and Kim continuing his missile program. She also gives her advice for what the US should do next.
Eric Farnsworth Vice President of the Council of Americas sits down with Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss Juan Guaido, Maduro, and the Future of Venezuela (Link here to Senate Testimony https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4784991/eric-farnsworth-senate-testimony-venezuela)
Providence Deputy Editor Mark Melton and Managing Editor Drew Griffin discuss the North Korean Summit, India and Pakistan and the week that was.
Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with Matthew Kroenig — author, professor and fellow at the Atlantic Council to discuss Trump’s State of the Union Address, Russia, North Korea, and the potential changes in US policy regarding each. He also discusses his new book: The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy.
Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin sits down with Faysal Itani, Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council to discuss the US withdrawal from Syria, the future of Syria, and the next steps for the Assad Regime.
In Providence's latest Dark Ops podcast, Executive Editor Marc LiVecche sits down with Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology Nigel Biggar to discuss "The Thin Red Line," a 1998 war film.
In Paradisum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=765902Tra6M Jisus yu holem hand blong mi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NRw3gdJJcc
After the Saudi Arabia and the Jamal Khashoggi affair, should we sound the alarm or call for sobriety? Drew Griffin sits down with Sohrab Ahmari to discuss US-Saudi Arabia relations.
October marked the centennial of the start of the Meuse-Argonne campaign, the last great battle of World War I. Last month, Providence Executive Editor Marc LiVecche toured the battlefields of the Argonne with Col. Doug Mastriano, US Army (Ret.). They followed the movements of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Alvin York, whose extraordinary valor on October 8, 1918, helped turn the tide of the battle, and thereby the war. They discuss the battle and wider campaign, York's transition from pacifist to combat hero, and Doug's work researching and building the Sgt. York Commemorative Trail in France.
Doug also wrote an article in our Summer 2017 issue of the print edition about Sgt. York, “Serving God or Caesar: Sergeant York and the Morality of War,” which you can read at https://providencemag.com/2018/01/serving-god-caesar-sergeant-alvin-york-morality-war/
Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, sits down with Providence Managing Editor Drew Griffin to discuss the latest news with Saudi Arabia, Jamal Khashoggi, and Syria.
Dr. Joshua Walker of the Eurasia Group sits down with Providence's managing editor Drew Griffin to discuss Japan, China and North Korea, as well as the precarious state of US relations with Turkey.
What is “kleptocracy,” and what role does the United States play in it? Is the US a kleptocracy? What role do anonymous shell companies play? In this episode that we recorded late last summer, Ted Moorman answers these questions and more.
Moorman has also written a brief primer on kleptocracy and America’s role in it, which can be found at https://providencemag.com/2016/12/quick-primer-us-role-foreign-kleptocracy-corruption/.
Those who would like to learn more about this topic, the Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative has several good papers and events.
If you enjoy the podcast, please share our episodes on Twitter and Facebook, and we appreciate reviews on Apple Podcasts.
On our website (https://providencemag.com/), we will publish an extended version of this conversation as a subscriber-only podcast. We also offer subscriber-only videos from our events. Subscriptions, which include our print edition, start as low as $12 a year and can be purchased here: https://providencemag.com/product/providence-magazine-year-subscription/.
Marc LiVecche hosts our first Im-ProvCast, an offshoot of Providence’s regular Foreign Policy ProvCast where our managing editor interviews distinguished guests. This episode was recorded before a conference about the anniversary of the Tet Offensive at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. Bing West speaks about his writing, the civil-military divide in America, the Tet Offensive, and the Burns-Novick The Vietnam War series on PBS.
A longer version of this conversation will be published at ProvidenceMag.com as a subscriber-only podcast. To access, visit https://providencemag.com/podcast/ and log in, or subscribe for as little as $12 a year.
Will Christianity survive in the Middle East? Dr. Kent Hill, Executive Director of the Religious Freedom Institute and former President of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, discusses this question with Providence Magazine's Depute Editor Mark Melton. Hill shares about the threats facing Christians in the Middle East and argues why it is so important to preserve the presence of Christians in the region.
Read Kent Hill's article from the print edition of Providence, now available in full online: https://providencemag.com/2017/06/will-christianity-survive-in-the-middle-east-a-christian-perspective/
In this episode, Matt Gobush talks about his article on Latvia, Russia, and NATO. He focuses in on Russian-speaking residents in Latvia and makes the case for why Americans should be concerned about this issue. Moreover, he offers both hard power and soft power foreign policy recommendations.
This topic is especially relevant now because last week Russia launched its massive Zapad 2017 military exercise in Belarus and Russia. While we recorded this episode a couple months ago, Matt speaks briefly about this exercise and why it is relevant for Latvia and the United States.
To read this article or subscribe to Providence, please visit ProvidenceMag.com.
Providence Managing Editor Marc LiVecche, Deputy Editor Mark Melton, and naval historian Tommy Sheppard review Christopher Noland's new film "Dunkirk" about the monumental WWII battle.
In this episode we will speak with Mark Royce about the church’s role in the European integration project that has developed into the European Union. As part of his doctoral dissertation, Royce examined how the historic influence of the Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations in Europe helped some countries accept integration while others resisted.
Mark Royce currently teaches political science at George Mason University and NVCC Annandale. He has written previously for Providence as well as for The European Legacy, International & Comparative Law Quarterly, and the Journal of Church & State.
When we first recorded this podcast late last summer, Palgrave Macmillan was considering Royce’s dissertation for publication. I am happy to report that it was accepted and will be released in June of this year under the title The Political Theology of European Integration: Comparing the Influence of Religious Histories on European Policies. You can preorder at Amazon now, and we will provide a link to this page at ProvidenceMag.com/podcast.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, whether through iTunes, SoundCloud, or elsewhere. Please leave us a review on iTunes since this will help more listeners find the podcast. If you have any comments, tweet at us @ProvMagazine. Also be sure to visit our website, ProvidenceMag.com. While there, you can subscribe to our print edition for $28 a year, or you can donate to help keep us going.
Providence Deputy Editor Mark Melton speaks with Matt Gobush about the Obama doctrine and a concept he calls “Moral Multilateralism". In the Spring 2016 issue of Providence’s print edition, Gobush wrote about this idea and what implications it would have for America’s foreign policy. A link to this article is provided on the podcast page, which can be found at ProvidenceMag.com/podcast. There is also a link to an article from the same issue by Providence’s managing editor Marc LiVecche, who is more critical of Obama’s foreign policy than Gobush.
In this episode we will speak with Olivia Enos from the Heritage Foundation about different North Korea human rights issues—including North Koreans being trafficked through China, religious persecution, and other violations. We’ll also talk about the implications of North and South Korea reuniting, and what the United States can do to prepare for this possibility.
Olivia is a research associate in the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation who specializes in human rights and transnational criminal issues—including human and drug trafficking, religious freedom, and other social and humanitarian challenges in Asia. Previously, she has written in Providence about Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and how Lebanese Christians have helped them there.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, whether through iTunes, SoundCloud, or elsewhere. If there’s a particular podcast service you enjoy that we currently don’t publish on, let us know by tweeting us @ProvMagazine.
Again, I’d like to give special thanks to Joseph Rossell for producing this episode.
Providence Magazine Deputy Editor Mark J. Melton continues his conversation with Philos Project Executive Director Robert Nicholson about challenges faced by minorities in the Middle East and what Donald J. Trump can do to help as U.S. president.
Providence Magazine Deputy Editor Mark J. Melton talks to Philos Project Executive Director Robert Nicholson about challenges faced by minorities in the Middle East and what Donald J. Trump can do to help as U.S. president.
Providence Deputy Editor Mark Melton talks with Contributing Editor and Kings College Associate Professor Joseph Loconte about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union and the spread of Democracy.
Providence Deputy Editor Mark Melton continues his conversation with Rebeccah Heinrichs about nuclear deterrence theory and its applications to current American foreign policy.
Providence Deputy Editor Mark Melton talks to Hudson Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs about nuclear deterrence theory and its implications for current American foreign policy.
Providence Magazine Deputy Editor Mark Melton talks to Kings College Associate Professor Joseph Loconte about the foreign policy implications of a Trump presidency.