Dialogue

Korea sits at the center of an interconnected security environment where credible deterrence depends on strong alliances, resilient posture, and multinational cooperation. In Episode 63 of Dialogue, GEN Xavier Brunson and LTGEN Scott Winter discuss the evolving security environment on the Korean Peninsula and how the ROK-U.S. Alliance and United Nations Command contribute to preserving peace across the Indo-Pacific.

The Indo-Pacific may be defined by the sea, but credible deterrence depends on an integrated Joint Force able to operate across every domain and alongside allies and partners. In Episode 61 of Dialogue, Lieutenant General Matthew McFarlane, Commanding General of I Corps, explains how campaigning, joint integration, and the staying power of land forces contribute to deterrence and preserving peace across the Indo-Pacific.

Maritime power in the Indo-Pacific rests on far more than warships—it depends on commercial shipping, shipbuilding, ports, merchant mariners, logistics, and the resilience of the broader maritime ecosystem. In Episode 62 of Dialogue, maritime historian and host of What’s Going on With Shipping? Sal Mercogliano examines how these interconnected capabilities shape economic strength, military power, deterrence, and strategic advantage across the region.

Taiwan's military is not simply the product of modern weapons or current tensions, but the result of more than 75 years of institutional adaptation, democratic reform, and strategic evolution. In Episode 60 of Dialogue, historian Dr. Eric Setzekorn explains how Taiwan transformed an army in exile into a democratic military institution, offering lessons on resilience, leadership, and deterrence for nations facing an increasingly complex security environment.

Space has become a decisive warfighting domain, where control of the orbital high ground increasingly shapes military advantage, deterrence, and the future of conflict. In Episode 58, Dr. Namrata Goswami examines how space competition is transforming modern warfare, from resilient satellite architectures and counterspace operations to escalation risks, cislunar competition, and the strategic implications for the Indo-Pacific.

Artifical Intelligence is transforming strategic competition not simply through technological innovation, but by challenging governments, institutions, and societies to adapt faster than ever before. In Episode 59, Dr. Nate Allen, Dr. Kelsey Frazer, Dr. Sae Schatz, and Dr. Inez Miyamoto explore how AI, cyber, and emerging technologies are reshaping governance, resilience, cognition, and security across Africa, the Arctic, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific.

Lawfare is increasingly shaping strategic competition as states use legal arguments, institutions, and narratives to influence legitimacy, advance national interests, and gain advantages below the threshold of armed conflict. In Episode 57, Dr. Joanna Siekiera explores how Russia and China employ lawfare, why legal competition has become a key feature of the gray zone, and what democracies must do to better compete in this evolving battlespace.

AI-enabled warfare is no longer a future concept as drones, software-defined systems, and rapid battlefield adaptation are reshaping how wars are fought in real time. In Episode 56, Kate Bondar examines Russia’s emerging “sovereign drone ecosystem,” the growing role of autonomy and AI in combat, and why the defining competition in modern warfare may be adaptation cycle versus adaptation cycle.

In the Indo-Pacific, constant coordination often fails to translate into aligned action, leaving a critical gap between dialogue and real-world security outcomes. In Episode 55, Director Suzy Vares-Lum explains how building shared understanding, trust-based networks, and sustained engagement can turn dialogue into coordinated decisions that strengthen regional stability.

Disaster response has become a defining test of security in the Indo-Pacific. In Episode 53 of Dialogue, Joe Martin examines how preparedness, partnerships, and leadership under pressure determine whether institutions hold—or fail—when the storm hits.

Five years after Myanmar’s 2021 coup, the country remains locked in a protracted civil war that has fragmented territorial control, strained the military institution, and reshaped the strategic landscape of Southeast Asia. In Episode 54 of Dialogue, Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd examines why this conflict has evolved into a revolutionary war, how the balance between the junta and resistance has shifted, and what the war now means for regional security and plausible end states.

China’s nuclear arsenal is expanding at an unprecedented pace—how should the U.S. respond? In this episode, Dr. Bill Wieninger breaks down the risks, key lessons from history, and strategic options for deterrence, diplomacy, and maintaining stability in an increasingly volatile nuclear landscape.

The ROK–U.S. alliance is at a turning point. In Episode 50 of Dialogue, Dr. Clint Work explores wartime OPCON transfer—continuity, rupture, and a reset that could redefine the alliance for decades.

North Korea has turned Russia’s war in Ukraine into a historic opportunity, supplying troops and weapons in exchange for billions in hard currency and strategic clout. In Episode 51 of Dialogue, Dr. Victor Cha unpacks Pyongyang’s wartime windfall, China’s diminished leverage, and the policy dilemmas now confronting Washington and its allies.

The Maldives’ strategic play in the Indian Ocean is the focus of this episode, as Dr. Andrea Malji analyzes how this small island nation actively shapes its geopolitical environment. The discussion explores how Malé leverages its key geography and a multi-vectored foreign policy to balance competing interests from China, India, and the U.S. while pursuing its own economic ambitions and protecting its sovereignty.

North Korea’s deepening partnerships with Russia and China frame the focus of Episode 48 of Dialogue, as expert Rachel Minyoung Lee analyzes Pyongyang’s strategic play for regime survival, leverage, and long-term advantage. The episode explores how Kim Jong Un is navigating great power rivalry, eroding sanctions, and dual-track diplomacy to fortify autonomy while extracting critical economic and military gains.

China’s military transformation through AI, automation, and joint force integration anchors the focus of Episode 47 of Dialogue, as expert Elsa B. Kania examines the PLA’s strategic shift toward “intelligentized” warfare. The episode explores how Beijing is leveraging military-civil fusion, digital command infrastructure, and disruptive technologies to reshape future conflict and challenge U.S. deterrence.

Taiwan’s internal gridlock and mounting external threats shape the focus of Episode 46 of Dialogue, as political analyst Howard Shen unpacks the island’s divided government, defense dilemmas, and asymmetric challenges. The episode explores how Taiwan is navigating deterrence, espionage, and gray zone coercion amid deepening partisan polarization.

Eric Olander of the China Global South Project details China’s shifting strategy in the Indo-Pacific, from massive infrastructure projects to pervasive digital influence. He emphasizes that regional states are not simply reacting; they are actively navigating great power rivalry to forge their own paths in an emerging global order.

South Asia’s defense realignment and rising regional tensions take center stage in Episode 43 of Dialogue, as Professor Shyam Tekwani examines India’s shifting deterrence posture, Pakistan’s strategic pivot, and the growing agency of smaller South Asian states. The episode explores how the United States can deepen partnerships without reigniting old rivalries or undermining regional autonomy.