How does China think about the nature of war? How has China’s conception of war changed over time? What are “military guidelines” in Chinese statecraft and what leads the Chinese leadership to develop new ones? These and other questions are dis

Peter Mattis on the Intentions of the Chinese Communist Party

May 28th, 2019 45m 42s

What threat does a revisionist China pose to the United States and democratically minded states around the world? Where should we look to find out the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party? If left unchecked, will China export its illiberal

Minxin Pei Predicts a Cold War Lite Between the U.S. and China

May 14th, 2019 45m 59s

The United States and China are headed for a “cold war lite,” says Minxin Pei. What does this exactly mean? And what threat does China present to the U.S. that would necessitate such a confrontational posture? Can China transition to a less exp

When it Comes to China, America Doth Protest Too Much, David Kang Thinks

Apr 30th, 2019 44m 52s

Is East Asia balancing against a rising China? No way, says David Kang. Is China’s island-building a unique provocation? Not at all, says Kang. Does the world have anything to fear from a powerful China? Not really, and, indeed, a weak China is

Melanie Hart on Finding Common Ground, While Competing with China

Apr 16th, 2019 49m 7s

What is China’s vision of a reformed system of global governance? And how can the United States and China find common ground, while still competing with one another? How can the United States limit China’s ambitions, and what is the best way to

Aaron Friedberg on Asking the Right Questions About Chinese Ambitions

Mar 19th, 2019 55m 56s

What are China’s grand ambitions? Did the United States get China “wrong”? And what policies should the United States adopt against a newly assertive China? What Western strategists are on the Chinese Communist Party’s reading list? Professor A

The Geo-Economic Challenge of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Mar 5th, 2019 50m 15s

What exactly is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? What is the place of BRI in Xi Jinping’s foreign policy? What countries are involved in this massive project, and what is the likelihood that the grandest ambitions of BRI will be realized

China's Great Power Disease

Feb 19th, 2019 1h

How does the logic of strategy apply to China? Is China an "autistic" nation? How did the Obama Administration acquit itself on China policy (hint: not well!)? And why should you not bother reading any contemporary books on China? These and man

How Chinese Sharp Power Takes Aim at American Democracy

Feb 5th, 2019 35m 11s

As Chinese power grows, the Larry Diamond, the renowned scholar of democracy, breaks down Beijing’s efforts to direct “sharp power” against democratic institutions in the United States. The key battleground appears to be American educational in

How America Got China Wrong

Jan 22nd, 2019 50m 43s

How did American analysts seem to get China so “wrong”? Why wasn’t there more of a debate until fairly recently inside the halls of power? What concerns drove the Obama administration’s China policy? What would a Chinese-led international order

Rethinking Our Assumptions About Chinese Aggression

Jan 8th, 2019 48m 15s

Is it possible that China, far from its recent reputation for assertiveness, is in fact a remarkably stable and reticent actor on the world stage? Is there any way that the United States can counteract China’s growing influence on international

Vicious Cycle: The Opening and Closing of Chinese Politics

Dec 11th, 2018 46m 3s

Over its history, the People’s Republic of China has cycled through softer and harder periods of authoritarianism. This is known in China as the “fang-shou cycle.” Today, we are seeing a harder period of Chinese politics. The country’s leader,

Will Xi's Third Revolution Last?

Nov 27th, 2018 45m 55s

What is Xi Jinping’s “revolution” in Chinese politics? How did he amass the power to enact his ambitious agenda? Is he in danger of being toppled? Or is he effectively a dictator for life? In the second episode of “Jaw-Jaw,” Liz Economy of the

China is a Funny Sort of Revisionist Power — A Conversation with Dean Cheng

Nov 13th, 2018 52m 38s

What is the future of U.S.-Chinese relations? Will a rising China seek to overturn the U.S.-led international order? What is China doing inside the first island chain? In cyberspace? Orbital space? Is China more like Imperial Germany or is it m

Jaw-Jaw: The Trailer

Nov 8th, 2018 1m 17s

Winston Churchill once remarked: "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war." Brad Carson, a former senior defense official and congressman, hosts 'Jaw-Jaw' -- an interview series on the world's greatest geopolitical challenges. Each season f

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