The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

Should the US isolate countries that isolate Taiwan? The US Senate just passed the TAIPEI Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that authorizes the State Department to take measures against countries who is…

In this episode, we get on a soapbox about "greenlanternism." Van and Pete debate what to make of Twitter's Jack Dorsey throwing shade at Facebook. We shine light on a new conservative-progressive co…

In this Raw Uncut episode, Van Jackson breaks down what it takes to render a bad take on China. Using a recent hot take from Prof. Stephen Walt as the example, Van identifies at least three ways of n…

If you think fighting climate change is expensive, maybe you haven't seen the bill for endless war. Why Trump's parallel universes of diplomacy is a problem for foreign policy analysis. Van gets a li…

We live in an age of foreign policy pluralism and congressional Democrats ought to take heed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly led a congressional delegation to Afghanistan and Jordan over the week…

Silicon Valley might be turning against China. Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and needs to take a security studies course. There are no more US officials with gravitas. Trump's 5-dimensional c…

Senator Chris Murphy says Trump has caused the rapid decline of US credibility. So does everyone, and they're not wrong. But the reasons why matter, and understanding the implications of America's da…

Our "Hustle" episodes are interviews with foreign policy and national security experts doing interesting things we can all learn from. We uncover their origin stories and how they found their path in…

Senator Bernie Sanders once again called out Vice President Joe Biden's decision to support the 2003 Iraq War during the democratic primary debate (10/15/2019). How much should it matter if president…

Trump says he's the guy to end endless war.  A quick look at the scorecard tells a very different story.  Listen in to find out why the only thing you can trust a militarist to do is make more war. F…

In this episode, Van and the crew discuss the world, from China to pop culture to endless war in the Middle East. What does China’s battle with the NBA signal for the future? Why is only South Park g…

In this episode, Van explores Trump inadvertently brainwashing himself into believing conspiracy theories simply by repeating them. He gets into it over a piece by Mike Fuchs on the real price of cor…

Why did US-North Korea working level nuclear talks fall apart...in less than a day? Van Jackson explains why the moral hazard of reality-show summitry is ultimately to blame.

Music: "Van is Meta" by T…

In this episode, Van digs into the varieties of progressive foreign policy thought, and confesses to evolutions about his own thinking. Why Joe and Hunter Biden--who did no wrong here--remind us that…

Weighing all the things that affect the likelihood of the once unthinkable: a second American civil war.  It's a joke, it's incredible, but it's also not implausible.  Here's why.

Trump civil war twee…

What would happen if Trump decides to end the Korean War? Why might he do it? And, if you're a peace-loving anti-Trumper, how should you react? Show host Van Jackson cuts to the heart of these questi…

In this episode, Van weighs in on whether the GOP will ever confront Trump over foreign policy.  He explains why you can't believe what China says, and insists that the Hong Kong protests are unique.…

This Raw Uncut episode does a quick and dirty dive into a Senator Ted Cruz op-ed calling for sanctions on Iran and claiming Obama caused Iran to attack Saudi Arabia (?). Dartmouth professor Nick Mill…

In this opening trailer, show host Van Jackson previews his philosophy behind being undiplomatic, and why the next generation of foreign policy wonks in particular should tune in.

Want a question feat…