Cheap Talk: Recent Episodes
Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes
Cheap Talk is an every-week-or-so international relations podcast with Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes, professors of government at William & Mary.
Cheap Talk ends season 6 with listener questions: Control of the Strait of Hormuz; an arrest for trading on classified information on Polymarket; Thucydides and parallels to current US foreign policy; does face-to-face diplomacy build trust or generate more information; teaching tomorrow’s foreign policy leaders in the age of AI; did Hans Neimann cheat; dust as a metaphor in IR; and Marcus doesn’t see the resemblance
We’ll be podcasting less regularly over the summer, but we’ll be back to our usual weekly schedule in the fall. In the meantime, please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:
Wesley Parnell. 2026. “Soldier Pleads Not Guilty in $400,000 Betting Case Over Maduro’s Ouster.” New York Times.
Stewart Patrick. 2026. “The Warmongers Are Getting History All Wrong.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The current state of US-Iran negotiations (or lack thereof); escalation and mixed signal-sending in the Strait of Hormuz; multiple veto players on each side; Pakistan’s interesting role; the shadow of President Obama and the 2015 Iran Deal; and Marcus has never flown Spirit but has seen the Youtube videos
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Watching:Untold: Chess Mates on Netflix
Queen of Chess on Netflix
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Excitement in the world of digital diplomacy; face-to-face diplomacy to end the Iran war; blockading Iran as a plan B and its prospects for success; Anthropic’s Mythos and AI that is too dangerous to release; the offense-defense balance in cyberspace; building AI for the public good; more capable models are more dangerous, even if they are well aligned; and Marcus can’t be bothered
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Viewing/Reading:Marine Traffic website
Anthropic. 2026. System Card: Claude Mythos Preview.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Trump’s threats against Iranian civilization; nuclear threats and the risk of nuclear use in Iran; threatening war crimes is both bad and bad policy; the prospects for the ceasefire and remaining challenges to overcome; the diplomatic role of China and Pakistan; and Marcus feels like he’s in multiple worlds
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
How Russia benefits from the Iran war; President Trump’s recent statements about how the war is going; China is both helped by and hurt by the Iran war; prediction markets as an aggregation mechanism for the wisdom of crowds; insider trading and insider influence; the characteristics of wise crowds; and Marcus will never make that mistake again
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:Will Oremus and Jeremy B. Merrill. 2026. “A journalist reported a missile strike. Then came the death threats.” Washington Post.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Uncertainty about the state of US-Iran peace talks; the challenges of US military operations in the Strait of Hormuz; getting nuclear material out of Iran; whether the United States needs a negotiated settlement to end the war; and Marcus is afraid to put his mugs in the dishwasher
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Watching:International Institute for Strategic Studies Panel, “Securing the Strait of Hormuz in Wartime: Military Options and Strategic Challenges.”
Washington’s allergy to the “w”-word in describing the conflict in Iran; the Trump administration seems to have been caught off guard by some aspects of the conflict; what we have learned about the real drivers of the conflict; the extent to which the parties are achieving their strategic goals in the region; leadership assassinations and the quest for stability; calling on allies to help deal with the Strait of Hormuz; speculation about the timeline for an end to the war; and Marcus’ predictions were right, but came ten months late
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Failed diplomacy in the lead-up to the conflict; rationales for military action; windows of opportunity and the road to war; the prospects for regime change in Iran; the track record of strategic bombing campaigns; the economics of missile interceptors; what all this means for China and Russia; and Marcus wants to get some figures on the table
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The State of the Union foreign policy lightning round; the possibility of imminent war with Iran; confusing signals from the US; strategic clarity and the effectiveness of deterrent threats; the challenges of finding another Iran deal; tension between Anthropic and the Defense Department; hints of AI governance; and Marcus isn’t sure premium gas is worth it
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty has expired; the beneficial side effects of arms control; the value of treaty-breaking as a low-cost signal in international relations; the decline of arms control as an international priority; China’s strategic calculus; whether verification is important in arms control treaties; arms control as a casualty of the war in Ukraine; planning our next move in a post-arms control world; and Marcus is a little naïve
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Get a Whoop:Chase Sapphire cardholders can get a free or discounted Whoop fitness band and Whoop Life subscription. Be sure to register for the discount first on the Chase website, then get an additional discount when you sign up with code B663EDA6.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk takes a break from IR to discuss vibe coding; the CheapTalkBot origin story; new opportunities to express creativity via vibe coding; mid-century modern architecture in Palm Springs; whether non-programmers can really do this; ChatGPT vs. Claude; context windows in AI tools; the use of AI for Retrieval Augmented Generation; and Marcus isn’t being creative enough
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Further Exploring:Check out Jeff’s Palm Springs Scavenger Hunt App
See all Cheap Talk episodes
It is 85 seconds to midnight (according to the Doomsday Clock); evaluating the risk of catastrophe; the latest Board of Peace developments; another speech pointing to the end of the international system as we know it; what it means for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense; and Marcus recalls World War II
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Further Listening/Reading:Cheap Talk Podcast. 2024. “Exercise in Optimism” (Jan. 27), via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the web.
Gabriel A. Almond and Stephen J. Genco. 1977. “Clouds, Clocks, and the Study of Politics.” World Politics 29(4): 489–522.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk returns from winter break to discuss the Venezuela situation; what is driving US Venezuela policy; implications of the US capture of Maduro; signaling US seriousness in international affairs; similarities between Venezuela and Greenland; IR theory in Canadian PM Carney’s Davos speech; and Marcus was, yet again, surprised by events
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Further Watching:Special Address by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The degradation of the State Department’s official correspondence due to font choice; the Trump Administration releases its National Security Strategy; the return of spheres of influence and the primacy of the Western Hemisphere for US policy; the supposed decline of European civilization; the general problem with national security strategy documents; the glaring absence of the liberal international order in US strategy; and Marcus is generally confused about fonts
Cheap Talk is taking a holiday break, but will be back with new episodes in January. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:
Michael Crowley and Hamed Aleaziz. 2025. “At State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against Woke.” New York Times.
The White House. 2025. National Security Strategy of the United States.
Emily Harding. 2025. “The National Security Strategy: The Good, the Not So Great, and the Alarm Bells.” Center for Strategic and International Studies.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The US plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine; what Putin wants out of a settlement; the wider effects of the war on Europe; Jared Kushner is back; what AI is actually good for (according to a new study); gifts for the IR enthusiast in your life; and Marcus would like a map for Christmas
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Further Reading:Tejal Patwardhan et. al. 2025. “GDPval: Evaluating AI Model Performance on Real-World Economically Valuable Tasks.” OpenAI White Paper.
IR books that make perfect holiday gifts:Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow
Face to Face Diplomacy, by Marcus Holmes
Inside the Situation Room, edited by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Karen Yarhi-Milo (featuring a chapter by Marcus Holmes)
Featured items from the Cheap Talk shop:Cheap Talk Live commemorative t-shirt
Ceding Human Control mug
Cheap Talk holographic sticker set
And many more great IR gifts at the Cheap Talk shop!
Jeff’s other gift suggestions for the IR enthusiast:International News/Analysis: The Economist (discounted for teachers & faculty and for students), Foreign Affairs (discounted for students and teachers), War on the Rocks
Scratch-off world map
UN Peacekeeper toy helmet
International Spy Museum Store
CIA Mug with George H.W. Bush signature
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk Live! The students of William & Mary’s “Introduction to International Politics” course join the podcast to discuss drug boats; the UN-approved peace plan for Gaza; an AI arms race; the intersection of IR theory and policymaking; ending the war in Ukraine; overconfidence and fear in IR; whether IR students have to go to grad school; the ideal podcast co-host; our IR origin stories; Thanksgiving dinner picks; and Marcus takes food safety very seriously
Special thanks to William & Mary’s Jeff Herrick for audio support and to all the GOVT 204 students who participated in the show. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Recommended Thanksgiving Recipes:J. Kenji López-Alt. “Mayo-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey with Gravy.” New York Times Cooking.
J. Kenji López-Alt. “The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes Ever.” Serious Eats.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Strikes by the United States military onsuspected drug boats in the Pacific; the legality of these strikes; why it might matter if the US is violating international law; building pressure on Venezuela; the US strategy (if there is one); the problems with wars on things; and Marcus has never had Tofurkey
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:Lazaro Gamio, Carol Rosenberg, and Charlie Savage. 2025. “Tracking U.S. Military Killings in Boat Attacks.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Dick Cheney’s outsized foreign policy role in the George W. Bush administration; what President Trump is talking about when he talks about nuclear testing; the nuclear testing announcement as diplomatic leverage; US readiness to test; nuclear testing for deterrence; the downsides of exploding nuclear weapons in Nevada; and Marcus loves Election Day
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading/Watching:A House of Dynamite, streaming on Netflix
Nuclear Decisions Online Game
Jeffrey Lewis. 2018. The 2020 Commission Report On The North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against The U.S.: A Speculative Novel. Harper.
Fail Safe, streaming on Tube
NukeMap, a nuclear weapons effect simulator by Alex Wellerstein
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Ceasefires are good; Trump’s personal stake in Middle East diplomacy; the implausibility of the AI apocalypse; the incremental ceding of human control over autonomous systems; plausible mechanisms for AI control of nuclear arsenals; misalignment, poisoning, and the manipulation of AI models; and Marcus discusses the meaning of consciousness
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:Alexandra Souly et al. 2025. “Poisoning Attacks on LLMs Require a Near-constant Number of Poison Samples.” Arxiv 2510.07192.
“AI: What Could Go Wrong? With Geoffrey Hinton.” 2025. The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Francis Fukuyama joins Cheap Talk to discuss the rise of authoritarianism; Europe’s security environment; the risk of AI catastrophe; signs of hope for democratic resilience; and Marcus has a lot of respect for centenarians
Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). He has written widely on issues in development and international politics. His books include The End of History and the Last Man (1992), The Origins of Political Order (2011), Political Order and Political Decay (2014), Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018), and Liberalism and Its Discontents (2022).
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Further Reading:Francis Fukuyama. 1989. “The End of History?” The National Interest 16: 3–18.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
What, if anything, the government shutdown means for international politics; the US and its weakened capacity to conduct foreign policy; non-great-power nomenclature; defining power in the international system; how middle powers can achieve their goals in international relations; shifts in great power foreign policy toward smaller states; and Marcus has seen the error of his ways
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Small signs of hope for arms control between the United States and Russia; a review of the last ten years of US-Russia policy; explaining Trump’s about-face on Ukraine; an airing of grievances at the UN; and Marcus can’t wait for Thanksgiving
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Listening:“Little Time Capsules.” Cheap Talk Podcast. October 1, 2023.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace; questions about Russia’s intent; the risk of escalation; deterrence failure in protecting NATO airspace; preference differences within the alliance; a deal for TikTok; China’s interest in global governance and a multipolar world; and Marcus has a step-by-step plan for China’s world domination
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Listening:“Fly Over Our Great Nation.” Cheap Talk Podcast. February 11, 2023.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Why Trump thought there might be a deal with Russia; the obliteration of Iran’s nuclear program; speaking truth to power; deterrence failure and pushing Iran toward nuclear weapons; Iran’s modest response to the attacks; enforcement within the NPT; implications for regional and global security; and Marcus reflects on why he was so wrong
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Get a free WHOOP and one month free when you join with this link. (Or use referral code B663EDA6 when signing up.)
Further Reading:Gram Slattery, Jonathan Landay and Andreas Rinke. 2025. “The 'land swap' that wasn't: Inside Trump's frantic dash for Ukraine peace.” Reuters.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Thank you to our listeners for joining us for five seasons and 100 episodes!
Cheap Talk returns for Season 6: Advice for new college students; the Trump-Putin summit spectacle; analyzing Trump’s body language; the challenges of studying summitry; the Trump administration’s unique approach to high-level meetings; a typology of leader diplomacy; Zelensky’s DC visit; the Trump administration’s overall posture toward the conflict; and Marcus would be happy to say nothing at all
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk’s Season 5 finale: Everyone is cheating their way through college; remembering Joe Nye; interpreting President Trump’s big beautiful phone call with Vladimir Putin; evaluating the Golden Dome missile defense system; missile defense and strategic stability; and Marcus is looking forward to season 6
We’re mostly taking the summer off from podcasting (unless something big happens), but we’ll be back to our regular weekly schedule in the fall. In the meantime, please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments.
Further Reading:Picture of Trump and Zelensky at the Vatican.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Some good arguments against AI use in the classroom; how students are actually using AI; the idea of AI as a learning coach; other models for AI use by students; testing out an AI prediction coach; the balance between coaching and just doing the work for you; issues to consider before deploying AI in the classroom; and Marcus does math without a calculator
Try the AI prediction coach described in the podcast (requires a free ChatGPT login)
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Anthropic. 2025. Anthropic Education Report: How University Students Use Claude.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Iran nuclear talks are a marathon, not a sprint; three models for an Iran nuclear agreement; the role of technical expertise in nuclear negotiations; snap-back sanctions as a point of leverage; the demise of Iran’s proxy network; a regional solution to the nuclear problem; President Trump’s metrics for a successful deal; and Marcus says chafing is for amateurs
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our new 👊🇺🇸🔥 t-shirt, mug, and hat and support the podcast at https://cheaptalk.shop!
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Matthew Kroenig. 2025. “There’s Only One Good Iran Deal.” Foreign Policy.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 2015.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The resumption of Iran nuclear talks; direct vs. indirect negotiations; the administration’s confusing messaging around the goals of talks; what kind of a deal is actually achievable; President Trump’s potential advantages in trying to reach a deal; and Marcus looks ahead to 2032
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our new 👊🇺🇸🔥 t-shirt, mug, and hat and support the podcast at https://cheaptalk.shop!
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Normalizing national security-related Signal chats; blaming Siri for revealing the Signal chat; what is the plan with US tariff policy; trade deficits are normal and fine;anti-expert public opinion; political dimensions to the tariff story; bringing manufacturing back to the United States; the domestic politics of tariffs; and Marcus is running a trade deficit with Fresh Market
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Check out our new 👊🇺🇸🔥 t-shirt, mug, and hat and support the podcast at https://cheaptalk.shop!
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
High-level US government deliberations on the Signal app; the true beliefs of our national security leaders; why using Signal for national security discussions is a bad idea; classified information and Signal’s security; the use of emoji in formal work settings; and Marcus is more of a WhatsApp person
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Jeffrey Goldberg and Shane Harris. 2025. “Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal.” The Atlantic.
Dan Black. 2025. “Signals of Trouble: Multiple Russia-Aligned Threat Actors Actively Targeting Signal Messenger.” Google Threat Intelligence.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Trip report from the 2025 International Studies Association Annual Conference; the reasons to attend academic conferences; whether diplomats will embrace virtual reality diplomacy; the usefulness of AI in diplomacy; teaching people to use AI; and Marcus goes out for deep dish pizza
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
The disastrous return of face-to-face diplomacy between Trump and Zelensky; the ambush theory of international diplomacy; should this meeting have been an email; a stark signal to Europe and other allies; and Marcus’ rooms have feels
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:
Marcus Holmes and Nicholas Wheeler. 2025. “Trump and Zelensky: when face-to-face diplomacy goes wrong it can be disastrous – especially if the whole world is watching.” The Conversation.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Five things we did this week; small signs of pushback against Elon Musk; foreign policy implications of DOGE; security risks from merging government computer systems; efficiency vs. other priorities in government; what’s in a place name; the fleeting nature of place names in a digital world; maps as arbiters of truth; Mapquest does not care; and Marcus’ rose is off the bud
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Mapquest’s “Gulf of Something” website
See all Cheap Talk episodes
A bad week for Ukraine and transatlantic relations; Trump’s mini-feud with Zelensky; a bargaining approach to the question of whether Zelensky could have avoided war; the return of spheres of influence; reassuring words from Vladimir Putin; Europe’s appetite for securing a post-conflict Ukraine; and Marcus embraces rationalism
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:
James D. Fearon. 1995. “Rationalist Explanations for War.” International Organization 49(3): 379–414.
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
The Trump administration’s early moves and their implications for US foreign policy; hollowing out expertise in the civil service; the loss of USAID; Trump’s designs on the Gaza Strip; tough signals to Ukraine on upcoming negotiations; and Marcus is already working on the op-ed
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
Pandas are back in our nation’s capital; DeepSeek challenges the AI status quo; TikTok remains in legal limbo; how TikTok is like Bed Bath & Beyond; and Marcus is always up for a little China talk
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Watching/Reading/Listening:Giant Panda Cam from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Giant Pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao Play in the Snow
Ethan Mollick. 2025. “Which AI to Use Now: An Opinionated Guide.” One Useful Thing.
Cheap Talk Podcast with Jaime Settle. 2024. “Mostly Golden Retriever Videos.”
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
New products (and discounts!) in the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop; heterarchy in international relations; rebel advances in Syria; continuing popular protests in Georgia; the German Chancellor visits Ukraine; and Marcus hates hand-washing coffee mugs
The Cheap Talk store has been restocked with new t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers, perfect for the IR enthusiast in your life. All new designs are on sale for a limited time. Order before 12/16 with expedited shipping to receive your items by Christmas.
Cheap Talk is taking a holiday break, but will be back with new episodes in January. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading/Listening:
Check out the research of Kyuri Park at kyuripark.com
Dan Maliniak on Cheap Talk
Cheap Talk records live from Williamsburg, Virginia with the students of William & Mary’s Government 204 course, Introduction to International Politics, answering questions about Ukraine, face-to-face diplomacy, the international relations paradigms, North Korea, and more; and Marcus had a good time
(Our apologies for some audio issues this week—we hope you enjoy the podcast anyway. We will be back with our usual crystal clear audio next time.)
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Moritz Graefrath joins Cheap Talk to discuss the new international relations board game World Order; the role of IR theory in the design of the game; how board games can teach us about the world; the state of board games today; some recommendations for getting started in gaming; and Marcus doesn’t play board games
Moritz Graefrath is a Security and Foreign Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at William & Mary’s Global Research Institute. He is an academic advisor for the new board game World Order, available for backing on Kickstarter until December 5.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
What to expect from the new Trump administration’s foreign policy; uncertainty about Trump’s foreign policy views; new risks for Ukraine; fewer limits on Israeli action in the Middle East; tariffs and trade barriers with China; poor prospects for cooperative efforts on climate change; hope for a new deal with North Korea but worries about South Korean security; the important role of foreign policy professionals in government; and Marcus will allow an opening statement if he gets a rebuttal
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Dan Maliniak joins Cheap Talk to discuss the recent elections in the country of Georgia; evidence of irregularities; how much of this is Russia’s fault; European identity in Georgia; the path forward from here; the little-known fact that wine started in Georgia; what the US can do; and Marcus is a big Dave Matthews Band guy
Dan Maliniak is an associate professor of government at W&M. Check out his research on Google Scholar.
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading/Watching:Jesse Driscoll and F. Daniel Hidalgo. 2014. “Intended and unintended consequences of democracy promotion assistance to Georgia after the Rose Revolution.” Research & Politics 1(1).
Dave Matthews Band. 2024. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to atomic bomb survivors; the importance of living memory in international relations; the policy effect of first-person testimony; living through history and thus not repeating it; how society collectively understands history; and Marcus is not actually undecided
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Abe of Japan at Hiroshima Peace Memorial, May 27, 2016.
Rebecca Davis Gibbons. 2018. “The humanitarian turn in nuclear disarmament and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” The Nonproliferation Review 25 (1–2): 11–36.
Michael C. Horowitz, Allan C. Stam, and Cali M. Ellis. 2015. Why Leaders Fight. Cambridge University Press.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
How long it would take for Iran to have a nuclear weapon; where these estimates come from; Iran’s strategy of nuclear hedging; why the Iran deal failed and the prospects for nuclear diplomacy; Israel’s ability to strike Iran’s nuclear program; NotebookLM and the arrival of AI podcasts; and Marcus is pretty sure he’s human and not AI
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The chain of events that led to Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah; what could lead to a cessation of hostilities; Iran’s attack on Israel and Israel’s possible response; calls for Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear program; the folly of “restoring deterrence” in the Middle East; diminished US leverage; and Marcus is still undecided
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Israel’s aims in its attacks on Hezbollah; Iran’s role in the current conflict; what is a crisis, really; the US perspective; how to get to a ceasefire from here; OpenAI’s new ChatGPT model; evaluating model risk; deceptive alignment; and Marcus is still an AI optimist
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further reading:OpenAI. 2024. “OpenAI o1 System Card.”
Signal Samuel. 2024. “The new followup to ChatGPT is scarily good at deception,” Vox.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The exploding pager attacks in Lebanon; the use of pagers as communications infrastructure; supply chain vulnerabilities; the supposed safety of outdated technology; Israeli motivations for the attacks; the risk of escalation in the Middle East; and Marcus consults a focus group
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Trash balloons on the Korean Peninsula; unification policy and public diplomacy; checking in on anarchy in the international system; why there isn’t a world government; reasons to study (or ignore) international relations paradigms; the importance of thinking big thoughts in IR; and Marcus reveals he is anti-science
The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further reading:Jin Yu Young. 2024. “North Korea Launches New Salvo of Balloons, but the South Barely Shrugs.” New York Times.
David A. Lake. 2009. Hierarchy in International Relations. Cornell University Press.
David A. Lake. 2011. “Why "isms" Are Evil: Theory, Epistemology, and Academic Sects as Impediments to Understanding and Progress.” International Studies Quarterly 55(2): 465–480.
John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M.Walt. 2013. “Leaving theory behind: Why simplistic hypothesis testing is bad for International Relations.” European Journal of International Relations 19(3): 427–457.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk makes a triumphant return for its 5th season: sauna diplomacy; what Olympic medal counts say about international prestige; our new secret nuclear plan; transparency and nuclear deterrence; Ukraine’s Kursk offensive; political vs. military goals in Ukraine; US restrictions on Ukraine’s military efforts; and Marcus discovers long-standing concepts in international relations
Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments!
Further Reading:Alyson Krueger. 2024. ‘Whatever Happens in the Sauna Stays in the Sauna’: Diplomacy, Conducted in the Nude.” The New York Times.
Robbie Gramer. 2023. “The Finnish Art of Sauna Diplomacy.” Foreign Policy.
J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. and Bryan R. Early. 2013. “Going for the gold: Status-seeking behavior and Olympic performance.” International Area Studies Review 16(3): 244-261.
The foreign policy implications of recent US news; a bad day for Vladimir Putin; Harris’ likely foreign policy; the role of the Vice President in international affairs; assassination attempts as a signal of vulnerability; international norms against assassination; and Marcus is keeping up with the news
We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading:Joshua Byun and Austin Carson. 2024. “The Senile Superpower?” Foreign Affairs.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Leader age and international security; perceptions of experience vs. cognitive decline; does any of this matter for international outcomes; foreign policy is more than just a leader’s decisions; the problem with hotlines; and Marcus briefly considered a presidential run
We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading:Dana G. Smith. 2024. “A User’s Guide to Midlife.” New York Times.
Joshua Byun and Austin Carson. 2023. “More than a Number: Aging Leaders in International Politics.” International Studies Quarterly 67(1).
Christian Ruhl. 2024. “Beijing is unavailable to take your call: Why the US-China crisis hotline doesn’t work.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The US allows Ukraine to strike into Russia; the effect of making this public knowledge; prospect theory and taking greater risks in the loss domain; the risk of escalation is context-dependent; wargaming as a way to understand an adversary’s response; how concerned should we be about a possible bird flu pandemic; and Marcus is a worrywart
We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The international implications of the Trump verdict; pandas are coming back to DC; trust vs. confidence in international relations; reciprocity in the nuclear nonproliferation regime; the real-world importance of trust semantics; interpersonal vs. inter state trust; precedent and trusting relations; and Marcus trusts Canada
We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Andrew H. Kydd. 2005. Trust and Mistrust in International Relations. Princeton University Press.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The role of foreign affairs in the just-announced presidential debates; an international marathon update; orangutan diplomacy isn’t really diplomacy; the cutest diplomatic animals; cognac diplomacy also isn’t really diplomacy; Antony Blinken plays guitar and delivers a message of US support in Kyiv; does nuclear deterrence even work; and Marcus confesses his love for presidential debates
We will be recording at a slightly slower pace over the summer. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Check out the Cheap Talk online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Detroit Free Press Marathon
Heather Chen. 2024. “An ape for palm oil? Why critics say Malaysia’s ‘orangutan diplomacy’ plan is problematic.”CNN.com.
Associated Press. 2024. “Call it Cognac Diplomacy: France offered China’s Xi a special drink, in a wink at their trade spat.”
Watch Antony Blinken play Rocking’ in the Free World in a Kyiv Bar
Paul Poast. 2024. “What We Don’t Know About Nuclear Deterrence Could Hurt Us.” World Politics Review.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The role of bees in international politics; Panda diplomacy is happening; Ukraine’s tenuous position against Russia; prospects for a US/China AI arms control process; letting AI decide to deploy nuclear weapons; the State Department’s new digital and cyber strategy; and Marcus is no entomologist
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading:Sarah Kliff. 2024. “Honeybees Invaded My House, and No One Would Help.” New York Times.
Alan Rappeport. 2024. “Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego, China Announces.” New York Times.
Edward Geist. 2024. “Building a Foundation for Strategic Stability with China on AI.” RAND Corporation.
US Department of State. 2024. Building Digital Solidarity: The United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy.
David E. Sanger. 2024. “A New Diplomatic Strategy Emerges as Artificial Intelligence Grows.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Panda diplomacy, local edition; what is diplomacy, anyway; Israel’s retaliation against Iran; a success story for international diplomacy; a restrained response as a particular kind of signal; the TikTok ban is happening; US aid to Ukraine is happening; Russian strategy in response to this aid; US-Taiwan military collusion; and Marcus thinks things are looking up
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Jeff’s book, Signing Away the Bomb, is now available in paperback!
Further Reading:Heather Knight. 2024. “San Francisco Mayor Gives Panda Diplomacy a Try.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
TikTok as an information-gathering platform; worries about a wider war in the Middle East; the signal sent by Iran’s attack against Israel; a missile defense success story; how technology affects the risk of escalation; Iran’s nuclear program as a potential target for Israel; cyberattacks in gray zone conflict; a chance for diplomacy to work; and Marcus is hopeful that he is right
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Jeff’s book, Signing Away the Bomb, is now available in paperback!
Further Reading/Listening:Cheap Talk Podcast. March 22, 2024. “Mostly Golden Retriever Videos.” With Special Guest Jaime Settle.
Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers. 2024. “China’s Advancing Efforts to Influence the U.S. Election Raise Alarms.” New York Times.
Gaby Del Valle. 2024. “Report: TikTok’s efforts to silo US data are ‘largely cosmetic.’” The Verge.
Cheap Talk Recommends:Shogun (Hulu)
Love is Blind, Season 5 (Netflix)
Ripley (Netflix)
The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman (Netflix)
Magic for Humans (Netflix)
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Fragmentation in the international relations discipline; normal science versus overarching theory; insights from the International Studies Association annual conference; the best name for a political science department; the US-Japan state visit; state dinners as a signal of alliance ties; insulating the US-Japan relationship from a future Trump administration; Japan’s increasing role in defense cooperation; and Marcus prefers running uphill
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Jeff’s book, Signing Away the Bomb, is now available in paperback!
Further Reading:Michael D. Shear. 2024. “To Counter China’s Rising Power, Biden Looks to Strengthen Ties With Japan.” New York Times.
Cheap Talk recommends:Otter.ai (AI meeting notes)
Perplexity.ai (AI-powered information discovery)
See all Cheap Talk episodes
What is happening with the Apple Vision Pro; recent Chinese cyber activity; signaling and deterrence in the cyber domain; building and maintaining cyber trust; demonstrating a capability without losing it; the psychological impact of potential cyberattacks; managing the overall US-China relationship in the midst of cyber incidents; extending the US cyber umbrella; cyber-intrusions into the electoral system in democracies; and Marcus likes power
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further reading/listening:
David E. Sanger and Mark Landler. 2024. “U.S. and Britain Accuse China of Cyberespionage Campaign.” New York Times.
Cheap Talk Podcast. 2023. “Giving ChatGPT Our Nuclear Codes.”
Cheap Talk recommends:
True Detective: Night Country on Max
Shogun on FX/Hulu
3 Body Problem on Netflix
World War II: From the Frontlines on Netflix
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Jaime Settle joins Cheap Talk to discuss her research on social media networks; pending legislation to ban TikTok; how social media influences political knowledge and mobilization; the importance of the algorithm to the social media experience; what it is like to work with Meta to conduct research on Facebook; and Marcus is not afraid to take a stand
Jaime Settle is the Cornelia Brackenridge Talbot Professor of Government and Data Science at William & Mary. Check out her work on Google Scholar.
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Read Jaime Settle’s books:
Frenemies: How Social Media Polarizes AmericaWhat Goes Without Saying: Navigating Political Discussion in America (with Taylor Carlson)
Further reading/listening:
2020 Election Research Project. 2023. “First Four Papers from US 2020 Facebook & Instagram Research Election Study Published in Science and Nature.” Medium.
Cheap Talk Podcast. 2023. “It Comes Down to Paranoia.”
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
A rebroadcast of the October 16, 2022 episode of Cheap Talk: The sixtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis; lessons from the crisis; the dangers of reasoning from analogy; why Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine; how NATO would respond if they did; gambling for resurrection; the US role in facilitating peace; and Marcus would prefer that countries refrain from using nuclear weapons
We’ll be back with a new episode of Cheap Talk soon!
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:David E. Sanger. 2024. “Biden’s Armageddon Moment: When Nuclear Detonation Seemed Possible in Ukraine.” New York Times.
Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May. 1986. Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision-Makers. Free Press.
Yuen Foong Khong. 1992. Analogies at War: Korea, Munich, Dien Bien Phu, and the Vietnam Decisions of 1965. Princeton University Press.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
How leaders matter if you believe countries are people; what would happen if Putin died; the impact of the Russian invasion two years on; what a nuclear weapon in space means for international security; space nukes and the violation of international law; and Marcus thinks every listener would agree
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Rajan Menon. 2024. “Putin Has Already Lost.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk Episodes
Special guest Nicholas Wheeler returns to Cheap Talk to explain the English School of international relations; why the English School never took off in the US; methodology in IR theory; the fractionalization of IR; nuclear responsibilities; and Marcus doesn’t love sharing the spotlight
Nicholas Wheeler is @WheelerICCS on Twitter/X. You can also find him on LinkedIn and Google Scholar.
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Too many to list
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
Nicholas Wheeler joins Cheap Talk to discuss his research program in international diplomacy; personal chemistry among leaders; the security dilemma; explaining Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine; the policy utility of international theory; and Marcus is so excited
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Nick Wheeler’s books include:
Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society
The Security Dilemma: Fear, Cooperation and Trust in World Politics (with Ken Booth)
Trusting Enemies: Interpersonal Relationships in International Conflict
Further Reading:
Marcus Holmes. 2018. Face-to-Face Diplomacy: Social Neuroscience and International Relations. Cambridge University Press.
Robert Jervis. 1976. Perception and Misperception in International Politics. Princeton University Press.
Tuomas Forsberg and Heikki Patomäki. 2022. Debating the War in Ukraine: Counterfactual Histories and Future Possibilities. Routledge.
Stephen M. Walt. 2022. “An International Relations Theory Guide to the War in Ukraine.” Foreign Policy.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
What the Apple Vision Pro means for the future of international diplomacy; the essential elements necessary to realize the benefits of face-to-face diplomacy; micro-expressions and realism in virtual worlds; barriers to outsiders and the risk of eavesdropping; verifying that you’re talking to the person you think you’re talking to; the promise of training in virtual and augmented reality; and Marcus can’t wait to hear about this
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Marcus Holmes. 2018. Face-to-Face Diplomacy: Social Neuroscience and International Relations. Cambridge University Press.
Sign up for an Apple Vision Pro demo at your local Apple Store via Apple’s website
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Iran and the risk of a wider war in the Middle East; the likely US response to the recent drone strike; how to cooperate in an age of conflict; barriers to working together; the role of confidence-building mechanisms in international security; the death of the dream of Korean reunification; and Marcus doesn’t want to scare the listener
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
See all Cheap Talk podcasts
Doomsday clock trivia; the origins of the clock; over-interpreting what time it is; becoming desensitized to global threats; public education and advocacy around existential risk; risk assessment by the global elite; the perils of expert prediction; and Marcus thinks this is a trick question
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further reading:“2024 Doomsday Clock Announcement.” 2024. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
“Doomsday Clock Timeline.” 2023. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Kennette Benedict. 2023. “Answers to Common Questions.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
“Global Risks Report 2024.” 2024. World Economic Forum.
Philip E. Fetlock and Dan Gardner. 2015. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction. Crown Books.
Seth Walder. 2023. “Going for 2 down 8 points: Explaining NFL analytics strategy.” ESPN.com.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
International bright spots for 2024; democracy is still a thing; a newly aggressive Iran; Iran as a missile power; domestic political imperatives for international conflict; Pakistan’s response and the maintenance of an international reputation; an absence of diplomacy in the region; the US and multinational response to Houthi attacks; where is Saudi Arabia when you need them; whether Iran has changed its strategy; and Marcus is the psychologist in the room
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop
Further Reading:Lara Jakes and David E. Sanger. 2024. “Iran’s New Missile Fleet: Part Deterrent, Part Sales Pitch.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes.
Happy New Year from Cheap Talk: The top global risks in 2024; the shadow of the US presidential election; the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the dangers of risk-taking; a broader war in the Middle East; accidental conflict and North Korea; China’s economy; AI and misinformation; extreme weather and El Niño; the erosion of limits on nuclear weapons; the decline of global cooperation; and Marcus declines to make a New Year’s resolution
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice.
Please send us your questions or comments! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail.
Support the podcast by visiting our online store at cheaptalk.shop.
Further watching:CGP Grey. 2020. “Your Theme” (on New Year’s themes). YouTube.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The final Cheap Talk podcast of 2023: Thanks for visiting our store at cheaptalk.shop; Beast Train follow-up; EU regulation and the project of AI governance; the tension between domestic and international action; the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a poor analogy for an international agreement on AI; an agreement at the Climate Summit; non-binding agreements and screening for national preferences; the role of nuclear energy in combatting climate change; and Marcus will see you next year
Get all your holiday gifts at the new Cheap Talk shop!
We’ll be back in January, 2024. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice to be notified about new episodes.
Send us your questions via email or voicemail.
Further Reading:Oscar Martinez. 2013. The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail. Verso.
Pedro Ulteras. 2010. La Bestia.
Ian W. Fieggen. 2023. “Granny Knot Info.” Ian’s Shoelace Site.
Ian W. Fieggen. 2023. “Granny Knot Analyser.” Ian’s Shoelace Site.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Check out the new Cheap Talk shop at https://cheaptalk.shop; Chinese asylum seekers at the southern US border; the Beast Train; the latest Cuban espionage case and motivations for spying; why parties to conflict agree to ceasefires; the latest in the Elgin Marbles saga; royal neckwear; and Marcus has strange taste in YouTube videos
Get all your holiday gifts at the new Cheap Talk shop!
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading:Eileen Sullivan. 2023. “Growing Numbers of Chinese Migrants Are Crossing the Southern Border.” New York Times.
Glenn Thrush, Ernesto Londoño, David C. Adams and Frances Robles. 2023. “Retired U.S. Diplomat Accused of Working as a Secret Agent for Cuba.” New York Times.
Virginia Page Fortna. 2004. Peace Time: Ceasefire Agreements and the Durability of Peace. Princeton University Press.
Sean Coughlan and Brian Wheeler. 2023. “King’s tie features Greek flag after Elgin Marbles row.” BBC.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The grand opening of the Cheap Talk shop at https://cheaptalk.shop; cheating at really fast chess; yet another panda update—this time from Scotland; video games as the solution to polarization and international peace; video games to strike fear into your hearts; Biden skips the climate summit; and Marcus is nothing if not consistent
Holiday shopping? Check out the brand new Cheap Talk shop!
Our books also make great gifts:
Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow
Face-to-Face Diplomacy, by Marcus Holmes
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading:Amit Kamath. 2023. “Hikaru Nakamura’s dig at Vladimir Kramnik over cheating accusations: ‘He doesn’t have a brain, he’s lost it.’” Indian Express.
Eduardo Medina. 2023. “Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China.” New York Times.
David Wallace Lockhart. 2023. “Angus Robertson criticised by SNP colleague over China trip.” BBC.
Steffie S.Y. Kim, Ke M. Huang-Isherwood, Weiwei Zheng, and Dmitri Williams. 2022. “The art of being together: How group play can increase reciprocity, social capital, and social status in a multiplayer online game.” Computers in Human Behavior 133.
Michael D. Shear. 2023. “Harris to Stand In for Biden at U.N. Climate Conference.” New York Times.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Panda diplomacy revisited; the State Department’s dissent channel; whether dissent cables matter; Xi and Biden meet without a a joint statement; resuming military-to-military communication; managing competition between China and the United States; the missing agreement on AI; and Marcus contemplates his Thanksgiving menu
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Please send us your questions! Send us an email or leave us a voicemail
Further Reading/Watching:Michael Crowley and Edward Wong. 2023. “State Department employees send Blinken ‘dissent’ cables over Gaza policy.” New York Times.
Michael Lee. 2023. “Biden hands China big win with military deal, experts say: 'Incredibly poor decision.’” Fox News.
Babish Culinary Universe. 2023. “Thanksgiving Recipe Marathon.” YouTube.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. 2023. “The Answers to All Your Thanksgiving Questions.” YouTube.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Updated 2022. “The Best Crispy Roast Potatoes Ever Recipe.” Serious Eats.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Panda diplomacy; conservation versus paranoia; the correlates of the panda presence abroad; China’s intentions with regard to large bears; the effectiveness of the panda signal; the causal mechanisms behind panda diplomacy; soft (and cuddly) power; distinguishing public diplomacy from propaganda; cute animals as grand strategy; and Marcus is not a zoologist
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further Reading:Edward Wong. 2023. “The End of Panda Diplomacy?” New York Times.
Falk Hartig. 2013. “Panda Diplomacy: The Cutest Part of China’s Public Diplomacy.” Hague Journal of Diplomacy 8(1): 49–78.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Who is Hamas; US ideas about who governs Gaza; Israel signaling to adversaries; the US signaling to allies; Saudi Arabia may still be seeking normalization with Israel; China’s presence at an AI meeting; and Marcus wants to turn the tables
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further Reading:The Bletchley Declaration by Countries Attending the AI Safety Summit, 1-2 November 2023
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Vicarious trauma from the Israel-Hamas conflict; traffic maps and other consumer data with international security implications; reasons to delay an invasion of Gaza; the risk of a wider war in the Middle East; linking military action and political goals; the challenges of fighting in an urban environment; and Marcus would like you to follow him on Strava
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further Reading:Katelyn Jetelina and Julie Kaplow. 2023. “Social media, terrorist attacks, war, and vicarious trauma.” Your Local Epidemiologist Substack.
Olafimihan Oshin. 2023. “Google and Apple disable map functions in Israel, Gaza Strip as invasion looms.” The Hill.
Jeremy Hsu. 2018. “The Strava Heat Map and the End of Secrets.” Wired.
Helene Cooper, Adam Entous, and Eric Schmitt. 2023. “U.S. Raises Concerns About Israel’s Plan of Action in Gaza, Officials Say.” New York Times.
Daniel Byman. 2018. “Why Israel Is Stuck with Hamas.” Lawfare.
Renee Ridden and Amy O’Kruk. 2023. “Maps show the extreme population density in Gaza.” CNN.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
What’s going on in Israel and Gaza; President Biden’s visit to Israel; analogies to 9/11 and other past events; the benefits of a biased mediator; securing humanitarian aid for Gaza; the competing Putin/Xi summit; the value of export controls on technology; and Marcus shuts the barn door after the cows or the horses have gotten out
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further reading:Steven Erlanger. 2023. “New Global Divisions on View as Biden Goes to Israel and Putin to China.” New York Times.
Adobe Acrobat Team. 2022. “Fast-forward — comparing a 1980s supercomputer to the modern smartphone.” Adobe Blog.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The war in Israel; it is ok to turn off the newsfeed; intelligence and security failures; why Hamas conducted this attack at this time; normalization with Israel; the role of Iran; US deterrence and military aid; Israel’s impending ground war; the tragedy of civilians caught in conflict; broader implications for international security; deterring terrorism; and Marcus is not doing well
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further reading:Andrew H. Kydd and Barbara Walter. 2006. “The Strategies of Terrorism.” International Security 31(1): 49–80.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Birthday wishes; US political dysfunction and international politics; the second image reversed; the Trump candidacy and foreign policy; space diplomacy; anti-satellite weapons; cross-domain deterrence; the McDonalds peace theory; and Marcus has read a Tom Friedman book
Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Contribute to a future episode by sending us an email or leaving a voicemail
Further reading:Peter Baker. 2023. “To the World, McCarthy’s Exit Is Just Another Example of U.S. Disarray.” New York Times.
Robert M. Gates. 2023. “The Dysfunctional Superpower: Can a Divided America Deter China and Russia?” Foreign Affairs.
Victoria Kim. 2023. “Elon Musk Acknowledges Withholding Satellite Service to Thwart Ukrainian Attack.” New York Times.
Erik Gartzke. 2007. “The Capitalist Peace.” American Journal of Political Science 51(1): 166–191.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The dysfunction of the UN Security Council; how various IR traditions look at international institutions; why measuring the UN’s effectiveness is difficult; structural problems with the UN; where UN decisions are actually made; the UN is more than the Security Council; the value of diplomacy; potential UN reform; international security forum shopping; and Marcus struggles to summarize a Sherlock Holmes story
Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the podcast player of your choice
Thank you for your questions and comments! You can reach us via email or voicemail
Further Reading:Farnaz Fassihi. 2023. “The World Has Changed, but Can the U.N.? Don’t Hold Your Breath.” New York Times.
Universal Postal Union. “About UPU remuneration.”
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Analyzing a possible US defense alliance with Saudi Arabia; sports diplomacy and sportswashing; Zelensky’s speech at the UN General Assembly; and Marcus is confused
Subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Email your questions and comments or leave a voicemail for a future podcast episode
Further reading:Edward Wong and Mark Mazzetti. 2023. “Biden Aides and Saudis Explore Defense Treaty Modeled After Asian Pacts.” New York Times.
Drew Richardson. 2023. “Saudi crown prince says he will keep ‘sportswashing’ as criticism of the practice grows.” CNBC.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Kim Jong-Un’s takes the slow train to Russia; a refresher on the value of high-level summitry; Russia’s need for military supplies and what this says about the effectiveness of sanctions; the signal sent by Ukraine’s counteroffensive; setting expectations for military operations; and Marcus is impressed by the train
Subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode, via email or voicemail
Further reading:Research on summitry by Minseon Ku.
Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Thomas Gibbons-Neff. 2023. “Russia Overcomes Sanctions to Expand Missile Production, Officials Say.” New York Times.
Michael Kofman and Rob Lee. 2023. “Perseverance and Adaptation: Ukraine’s Counteroffensive at Three Months.” War on the Rocks.
Photo of treadmill with uneven terrain, from Alexandra S. Voloshina, Arthur D. Kuo, Monica A Daley, and Daniel P Ferris. 2013. “Biomechanics and energetics of walking on uneven terrain.” Journal of Experimental Biology.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk’s Season 4 Premiere: The trilateral alliance visits Camp David; US reassurance and nuclear proliferation in Asia; AI and international crises; computers can be biased, three not-very-persuasive arguments against US support for Ukraine; and Marcus racks up the frequent flier miles
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice (and please leave a review!)
Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode, via email or voice message
Further reading:Marcus Holmes and Nicholas J. Wheeler. 2023. “Reaffirming alliance: The crucial importance of the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit.” The Hill.
Saruta Sayo, Frank O’Donnell, and Eunil Cho. 2023. “What does the US-Japan-South Korea summit at Camp David mean for the Asia-Pacific?” Asis-Pacific Leadership Network.
Cathy O’Neil. 2017. “The era of blind faith in big data must end.” TED Talk.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
A special summer episode of Cheap Talk: Hypersonic missiles and missile defense in Ukraine; signaling and the defense of Bakhmut; Ukraine’s path to NATO membership; alien spacecraft on earth; Apple’s Vision Pro announcement; diplomacy in virtual reality; military applications of augmented reality; and Marcus sympathizes with alien whistleblowers
Subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode, via email or voicemail
Further reading:Phillips P. OBrien. 2023. “Weekend Update #31.” Phillips’s Newsletter Substack.
Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal. 2023. “Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin.” The Debrief.
Apple’s Vision Pro
First impressions video: Marques Brownlee. 2023. “Apple Vision Pro Impressions!”
Amanda M. Buch, David M. Eagleman, and Logan Grosenick. 2022. “Engineering Diplomacy: How AI and Human Augmentation Could Remake the Art of Foreign Relations.” Science and Diplomacy.
“Sweden first to open embassy in Second Life.” 2007. Reuters.
Scott Padgett. ““The Virtual Sixth Sense” - Transforming Soldier Lethality Through Artificial Intelligence & Augmented Reality.” 2019. Small Wars Journal.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Social identity theory and international relations; the behavior of rogue states; US nuclear assurance to South Korea; the risk from deepfakes and how to address them; the current state of sports diplomacy; and Marcus is a complicated individual
Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast player of choice
Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode
Further Reading:Peter Baker and David E. Sanger. “In Turn to Deterrence, Biden Vows ‘End’ of North Korean Regime if It Attacks.” The New York Times.
Jeffrey M. Kaplow. 2022. “State Compliance and the Track Record of International Security Institutions: Evidence from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime.” Journal of Global Security Studies 7(1).
Vipin Narang. 2017. “Why Kim Jong Un wouldn’t be irrational to use a nuclear bomb first.” The Washington Post.
Claire Parker and Ana Vanessa Herrero. 2022. “Colombia discovers two shipwrecks, releases new images of sunken treasure.” The Washington Post.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The Discord intelligence leak; what we learned from the information; Egypt’s plan to sell weapons to Russia; China’s plan to sell weapons to Russia; US restraint and China’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict; how the leaker’s motives compare to other famous leaks; how the internet makes intelligence releases more damaging; assessing the intelligence impact of the leaks; the trade-off between intelligence sharing and the risk of leaks; and Marcus is a big lover of humans
Leave a comment or question at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Further reading:Adam Taylor. 2023. “The biggest revelations from The Post’s document leaks investigation.” The Washington Post.
Matt Tait. 2023. “Pentagon Leaks: What’s the Damage?” PwnAllTheThings Substack.
Valerie Plame Wilson. 2008. Fair Game: How a Top CIA Agent Was Betrayed by Her Own Government. Simon & Schuster.
“Cobblestone treadmill patent would eliminate running on pesky smooth surface.” 2009. TechCrunch.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Looking back on the Iraq war after 20 years (and 1 month); lingering uncertainty about the reasons for the US invasion; the role (or lack thereof) of groupthink in that decision; the intelligence community’s judgment that Iraq had WMD and was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program; why the intelligence community got it wrong; lessons learned for intelligence analysis; the long-term repercussions of the Iraq war; and Marcus puts his cards on the table
Ask a question or leave a comment at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk.
Further reading:Max Fisher. 2023. “20 Years On, a Questions Lingers About Iraq: Why Did the U.S. Invade?” The New York Times.
US Director of Central Intelligence. 2002. “Iraq’s Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction.” National Intelligence Estimate. National Security Archive.
“War With Iraq Is Not In America’s National Interest.” 2002. The New York Times.
“Cobblestone treadmill patent would eliminate running on pesky smooth surface.” 2009. TechCrunch.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Nikki Haley’s experience at the United Nations; what it means to be a US ambassador; Russia’s statement about nuclear weapons in Belarus; the ICC’s arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin; credibility in international institutions; the power of international law on the margins; and Marcus considers future podcast guests
Send us comments or questions at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail.
Further reading:Courtney Subramanian. 2023. “Garcetti sworn in as ambassador to India after two-year battle.” Los Angeles Times.
American Foreign Service Association. “Ambassador Tracker.”
Francesca Ebel. 2023. “West warns Putin against ‘dangerous’ nuclear rhetoric but downplays threat.” Washington Post.
Michael R. Gordon. 2023. “U.S. Stops Sharing Data on Nuclear Forces With Russia.” Wall Street Journal.
Amy Mackinnon, Christina Lu and Jack Detsch. 2023. “Putin Wanted by ICC Over Alleged War Crimes.” Foreign Policy.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
The TikTok situation escalates; Russia pulls a reverse TikTok; the first image of the state; what is a state, anyway; AI tools are lying to us; Xi goes to Moscow; Russia harasses a US drone; and Marcus believes states are disembodied people with feelings and emotions
Send us feedback at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or leave us a voice message
Further reading/watching:
Sara Morrison. 2023. “Is TikTok too big to ban?” Vox.com.
Reuters. 2023. “Kremlin tells officials to stop using iPhones – Kommersant newspaper.”
Video of Russian aircraft intercepting US drone over Black Sea.
The latest AI tools:ChatGPT (GPT-4 is available to “plus” users who pay for access)
Bing AI
Google’s Bard
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Russia’s international status and reputation after the invasion of Ukraine; TikTok and Huawei as threats to US national security; the status of Iran’s nuclear weapons development; and Marcus has too many distractions in his life
Send us feedback or ideas for future podcasts at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or leave us a voice message
Further reading/watchingJonathan Renshon. 2017. Fighting for Status. Princeton University Press.
“Putin’s Missed Handshakes” video
@unclogging_drains on TikTok
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Russia bails on the New START arms control treaty; Putin and prospect theory; the short and long term effects of the treaty suspension; why we have arms control treaties in the first place; overlapping international agreements; taking stock of Russia’s invasion one year in; European security transformed; the relevance of nuclear risk and nuclear deterrence today; and Marcus embraces conspiracy theories
Send us feedback or ideas for future podcasts at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or leave us a voice message
Further listening:On the nuclear taboo: Cheap Talk Podcast. 2020. “Outside the Bounds of Reasonable Behavior.” Season 1, Episode 3.
On international institutions: Cheap Talk Podcast. 2020. “Our Expectations Are Too High.” Season 1, Episode 4.
See all Cheap Talk episodes
We’re on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; an excellent book is on sale; the Last of Us is not a zombie show; China threatens a balloon response; we are seeing more flying objects; risk reduction and diplomacy between the United States and China; President Biden visits Kyiv; and Marcus explains the role of aliens in political science theory
What should we talk about in future episodes? Let us know at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk or cheaptalkpod@gmail.com.
Further reading:Now on sale! Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow (https://www.amazon.com/Signing-Away-Bomb-Surprising-Nonproliferation/dp/1009216732)
Zack Sharf. 2023. ‘The Last of Us’ Crew Was ‘Banned’ From Saying Zombie on Set: ‘We Weren’t Allowed to Say the Z Word.’ Variety. (https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-last-of-us-crew-banned-saying-zombie-set-1235522423/)
Alexander Wendt and Raymond Duvall. 2008. “Sovereignty and the UFO.” Political Theory 36(4): 607–633. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0090591708317902)
Cheap Talk’s very special balloon-themed episode: China’s spy balloon; the effect on diplomacy when spying becomes public; the intelligence value of spy balloons; why the US failed to deploy its giant balloon net; the risk of balloon-related escalation; the trajectory of the US-China relationship; and Marcus explains his criteria for riding in flying objects
Recommended Valentine's Day gifts for loved ones or enemies:
Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow (https://www.amazon.com/Signing-Away-Bomb-Surprising-Nonproliferation/dp/1009216732)
Face-to-Face Diplomacy, by Marcus Holmes (https://www.amazon.com/Face-Face-Diplomacy-Marcus-Holmes-ebook/dp/B07952GT58/)
Give us feedback or ask a question for a future podcast at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Cheap Talk’s triumphant return from its winter hiatus: Evaluating the lasting impact of the COVID pandemic (if any) on international affairs; preparedness for the next pandemic; COVID and domestic politics; the supply chain and decoupling from China; domestic protests in China; the nonissue of vaccine diplomacy; and Marcus misattributes an often misinterpreted quote
Leave feedback or ask a question for a future podcast at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Further ReadingW. Joseph Campbell. 2011. “‘Too early to say’: Zhou was speaking about 1968, not 1789.” Media Myth Alert. https://mediamythalert.com/2011/06/14/too-early-to-say-zhou-was-speaking-about-1968-not-1789/
See all Cheap Talk episodes
Cheap Talk ends the semester with a mailbag episode: State dinners; celebrities and national interest; AI and international relations; sports diplomacy and the World Cup; President Biden’s willingness to meet with Vladimir Putin; and Marcus admits he doesn’t like soccer
Thanks to all those who contributed questions. Leave a message for a future podcast at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Looking for a holiday gift for the international affairs nerd in your life? We humbly suggest the following:
Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow (Coming out on December 22!) (https://www.amazon.com/Signing-Away-Bomb-Surprising-Nonproliferation/dp/1009216732)
Face-to-Face Diplomacy, by Marcus Holmes (https://www.amazon.com/Face-Face-Diplomacy-Marcus-Holmes-ebook/dp/B07952GT58/)
AI Links:
ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com)
Kelsey Piper. Aug. 13, 2020. “GPT-3, explained: This new language AI is uncanny, funny — and a big deal.” Vox.com (https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21355768/gpt-3-ai-openai-turing-test-language)
Ethan Mollick. Dec. 8, 2022. “Four Paths to the Revelation.” One Useful Thing Substack. (https://oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/four-paths-to-the-revelation)
Movie and TV Recommendations:
Welcome to Wrexham (Streaming on Hulu)
Slash/Back (Streaming on AMC+)
The Bureau (Streaming on AMC+)
Dispatches from Elsewhere (Streaming on AMC+)
Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? (Streaming on Netflix)
We’ll be back with new episodes in late January. Subscribe now in your podcast player of choice so you don’t miss anything. Just enter this custom URL: http://www.jkaplow.net/cheaptalk?format=rss
-
In Apple Podcasts, tap “Library” on the bottom row, tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner, and choose “Add a Show by URL...”
-
In Google Podcasts, tap the activity icon in the lower-right, tap “Subscriptions,” tap the “...” menu in the upper-right, and tap “Add by RSS feed.”
- In Overcast, tap the “+” in the upper-right corner, then tap “Add URL.”
Best wishes for a happy holiday and new year! We'll see you in 2023.
Garage door updates; the information and cyber war in Ukraine; academics in the press; the ethical implications of AI art; and Marcus discusses his turkey options
Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Further Reading
On Thanksgiving menus:
“2022: Kenji on T-Day.” 2022. Special Sauce Podcast. https://www.thespecialsaucepodcast.com/podcast/special-sauce-2022-kenji-on-t-day/ (Quick summary of Kenji’s tips: - add soy sauce to your gravy, - use a small turkey, - spatchcock the turkey, - dry-brine the turkey or cover with mayo)
Sunny Lee. 2020. “Celebrate the Sides With a Korean-American Banchan Thanksgiving.” Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/korean-american-thanksgiving-menu
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. 2020. “Crisp-Skinned Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Turkey With Gravy Recipe.” Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/butterfiled-roast-turkey-with-gravy-recipe
“Those Are Not Their Actual Faces.” Nov 21 2022. Cheap Talk Podcast. http://www.jkaplow.net/cheaptalk/2021/11/21/those-are-not-their-actual-faces
On Ukraine:
“Matt Tait on Cybersecurity in Ukraine.” 2022. The Lawfare Podcast. https://www.lawfareblog.com/lawfare-podcast-matt-tait-cybersecurity-ukraine
Mstyslav Chernov. 2022. “20 Days in Mariupol: The team that documented city’s agony.” Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-edf7240a9d990e7e3e32f82ca351dede
On the Xi/Biden meeting (featuring an interview with Marcus Holmes at about 7:30):
“US and China Meetings.” 14 Nov. 2022. BBC Newshour. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172yfc9phms8w4
John Mearsheimer’s interview with Isaac Chotinier:
Isaac Chotinier. Nov 17 2022. “John Mearsheimer on Putin’s Ambitions After Nine Months of War.” New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/john-mearsheimer-on-putins-ambitions-after-nine-months-of-war
Cheap Talk returns from a COVID-induced hiatus: online prediction markets; already-obsolete election takes; US support for Ukraine with a new Congress; domestic politics and international affairs; remembering Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter; Russia’s retreat from Kherson; South Korea recovers a North Korean missile; and Marcus was anticipating a red waveSubscribe to Cheap Talk in the podcast app of your choice to be notified about new episodes. Just enter this custom URL: http://www.jkaplow.net/cheaptalk?format=rss- In Apple Podcasts, tap "Library" on the bottom row, tap "Edit" in the upper-right corner, and choose "Add a Show by URL..."- In Google Podcasts, tap the activity icon in the lower-right, tap "Subscriptions," tap the "..." menu in the upper-right, and tap "Add by RSS feed."- In Overcast, tap the "+" in the upper-right corner, then tap "Add URL."Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
The sixtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis; lessons from the crisis; the dangers of reasoning from analogy; why Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine; how NATO would respond if they did; gambling for resurrection; the US role in facilitating peace; and Marcus agrees that countries shouldn’t use nuclear weaponsAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkFurther reading:Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May. 1986. Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision-Makers. Free Press.Yuen Foong Khong. 1992. Analogies at War: Korea, Munich, Dien Bien Phu, and the Vietnam Decisions of 1965. Princeton University Press.
Allegations of cheating in chess; how to go about cheating in chess (but you shouldn’t do it); a questionable analogy to face-to-face diplomacy; how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affects international chess; looking into Putin’s soul; and Marcus shares his chess journeyAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Escalation management; sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline; signals of Russian resolve; what the end of the war in Ukraine looks like; backing Putin into a corner; US strategic ambiguity toward Russia and China; Iran protests; and Marcus confesses he is not a military strategy guyAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
The long-awaited season premiere of Cheap Talk: The origins of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; did Putin make a mistake; would Ukrainian nuclear weapons have prevented a war; who is deterring whom; and Marcus comes up with a final exam questionAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at http://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
A Cheap Talk emergency podcast: Russia invades Ukraine and Marcus swears off predictions for a while
The Cheap Talk season 2 finale: Authenticating the sender of international signals; the problem of communicating through intermediaries; technology and leader communication; IR predictions for the year ahead; and Marcus explains how fax machines work
Artificial intelligence; how algorithms can aid policy or intelligence analysis; building trust in the output of machine learning models; creating models without access to secret data; autonomous weapon systems; diplomacy in the metaverse; and Marcus offers tips for cooking a Thanksgiving turkeyAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkFurther reading:“Virtual Reality Emerges in International Exchanges in Egypt – A Glimpse into the Future.” 2021. US Department of State Dipnote. https://www.state.gov/dipnote-u-s-department-of-state-official-blog/virtual-reality-emerges-in-international-exchanges-in-egypt-a-glimpse-into-the-future/J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. 2020. “How to Cook a Spatchcocked Turkey: The Fastest, Easiest Thanksgiving Turkey.” Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcockedJ. Kenji Lopez-Alt. 2018. “Herb-Roasted Turkey With Stuffing.” Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-thanksgiving-special-herb-roasted-turkey-with-stuffing (On how to safely cook stuffing in the turkey.)J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. 2021. “The Importance of Resting Meat.” Serious Eats. https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-have-juicy-meats-steaks-the-food-lab-the-importance-of-resting-grilling (“For a 12 to 15 pound turkey roasted at high temperatures, a rest of at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving is recommended.”)
The COP26 international meeting on climate change; inviting civil society and oil companies into the room; how open should the conference be; the mechanisms by which an international conference can affect climate change; prospects for the success of international efforts; the role of nuclear energy in mitigating climate change; a listener asks about the chances of a US-Iran agreement on a nuclear deal; and Marcus comes reasonably close to pronouncing Greta Thunberg’s name correctlyAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkPronunciation guide:On the Cuyahoga river, see “Letters: Cuyahoga River.” 2009. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. (https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105828999)On Greta Thunberg, see “Greta Thunberg Wins Alternative Nobel.” 2019. Bloomberg QuickTake. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUJhi6D6kJk)
Great power conflict; the US role in abetting China’s rise; realism as both prescription and description; prospects for the future US-China relationship; the drivers of China’s nuclear expansion; a listener asks about US diplomatic engagement in the China-Taiwan dispute; and Marcus (again) thinks the answer is more diplomacy.Further reading:John J. Mearsheimer. 2021. “The Inevitable Rivalry: America, China, and the Tragedy of Great-Power Politics.” Foreign Affairs.Matthew Kroenig. 2018. The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy: Why Strategic Superiority Matters. Oxford University Press.Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
The US commitment to defend Taiwan; signaling resolve while maintaining strategic ambiguity; things are dangerous out there; the effect of US public opinion on US foreign policy; a hint for those writing policy memos for class; the external validity of survey experiments in political science; COVID vaccine diplomacy and international influence; and Marcus claims he’s more of a craps player than a blackjack playerAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
The militarization of US foreign policy; getting diplomats and intelligence officers out of the embassy; the domestic politics of foreign policy funding; showing results from diplomacy; soft power approaches; and Marcus thinks the answer is more diplomacyAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk.
The gap between academia and policy; where policy beliefs come from; how we would know if there were a gap; policymakers are busy people; less methodological sophistication is not the answer; science communication is important; and Marcus mentions offhandedly that he frequently gets invited to the State DepartmentAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk
Pure theorizing versus applied research; positivist and non-positivist approaches in international relations; international relations is what the field says it is; the relevance of the international relations paradigms; a defense of methodological pluralism; and Marcus reads a quote from Kenneth Waltz several timesFurther reading:David A. Lake. 2011. “Why ‘isms’ Are Evil: Theory, Epistemology, and Academic Sects as Impediments to Understanding and Progress.” International Studies Quarterly 55(2): 465–480.John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. 2013. “Leaving Theory Behind: Why Simplistic Hypothesis Testing is Bad for International Relations.” European Journal of International Relations 19(3): 427–457.
Judging the US-Russia summit; the risks of failed summit diplomacy; AUKUS; countering China versus nonproliferation policy; nuclear submarines; the role of precedent and norms in international relations; and Marcus makes a note in his Google calendar
Cheap Talk makes its triumphant return for season 2: The US withdrawal from Afghanistan; reputations for resolve in international relations; foreign policy as a partisan issue; the legacy of 9/11; and Marcus didn’t know what to do, so he went to class
Taking diplomacy seriously; the Cold War ends with a fizzle; summit diplomacy; Jimmy Carter saves the day; and Marcus recommends an excellent article in International Studies Quarterly.
Further reading:
Marcus Holmes and Keren Yarhi-Milo. 2017. “The Psychological Logic of Peace Summits: How Empathy Shapes Outcomes of Diplomatic Negotiations.” International Studies Quarterly 61(1): 107–122.
Jeffrey M. Kaplow. 2016. “The negotiation calculus: Why parties to civil conflict refuse to talk.” International Studies Quarterly 60(1): 38–46.
Marcus Holmes. 2018. Face-to-Face Diplomacy: Social Neuroscience and International Relations. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Whether international security institutions matter; power politics; using institutions to avoid taking action; constraining versus screening; and Marcus feels bad for institutions sometimes
The puzzle of nuclear non-use; strategic calculations versus the nuclear taboo; and Marcus uses the word deontological in a sentence
The COVID-19 pandemic, institutions, China, signposts to a post-pandemic future, and Marcus predicts a new world order