Horns of a Dilemma

Brought to you by the Texas National Security Review, this podcast features lectures, interviews, and panel discussions at The University of Texas at Austin.

Horns of a Dilemma is a news podcast hosted by Texas National Security Review, with 311 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Texas National Security Review hosts Horns of a Dilemma, a news show with 311 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Horns of a Dilemma

  Taiwan and North Korea as Linked Flashpoints in US-China Relations

  Sep 29, 202637 min

  As high-level meetings between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping keep regional security front and center, how do Taiwan and North Korea connect within China's broader strategic calculus? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shuxian Luo to examine the concept of "issue linkage" connecting two of East Asia's most sensitive security flashpoints. Drawing from primary Chinese-language sources, authoritative government reports, and high-level interviews, Dr. Luo breaks down her article featured in Volume 9, Issue 4 of the Texas National Security Review : "A Plum for a Peach: Taiwan, Issue Linkage, and China's Policy toward North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program." The conversation explores how Beijing leverages its influence over Pyongyang based on US assurances regarding Taiwan, tracing four distinct historical phases of issue linkage and evaluating a practical "middle path" for foreign policy strategy . Guests: Dr. Shuxian Luo | Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii, Manoa Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens | Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review Producer: Jordan Morning | Digital and Technical Manager of the Texas National Security Review

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Horns of a Dilemma

  Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Battle for Belarus

  Sep 15, 202628 min

  Recorded at the Aspen Security Forum, TNSR Executive Editor Dr. Ryan Vest and Kennan Institute Director Dr. Michael Kimmage sit down with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-elect of Belarus and head of the United Transitional Cabinet. Tsikhanouskaya details her transformation from a political outsider into the leader of the country's democratic forces following the contested 2020 presidential election. The conversation examines the distinction between the Lukashenko regime and the anti-war stance of the Belarusian public, the deepening political and military integration between Belarus and Russia, diplomatic tracks for releasing political prisoners, and why democratic transition in Belarus is critical to NATO's eastern flank and broader European security. Guest: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya | President-elect of Belarus, head of the United Transitional Cabinet, and leader of the country's democratic movement Hosts: Dr. Ryan Vest | Executive Editor of the Texas National Security Review (TNSR) Dr. Michael Kimmage | Director of the Kennan Institute and collaborator with TNSR

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Horns of a Dilemma

  China's Bid for Space Supremacy in the Middle East

  Sep 1, 202641 min

  We examine China's space diplomacy across the Middle East and North Africa with the authors of their recent Texas National Security Review article, "Choosing Orbits: China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East." The discussion analyzes how regional states—specifically Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran—utilize space partnerships with Beijing to serve distinct domestic, economic, and security imperatives . Our guests challenge assumptions that smaller powers are passive subjects in great power rivalry and detail how Middle Eastern states exercise strategic agency through hybrid alignment strategies . Guests Lawrence Rubin | Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, co-director of the GTDC Pathways to Policy program, and associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies . Lincoln Hines | Assistant Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Fellow with the Carnegie China Fellowship at the University of Maryland . Dayana Alagirova | PhD student at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Fulbright Scholar, and space policy researcher . Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Horns of a Dilemma

  Virtuous Violence and the Psychology of Nuclear Escalation

  Aug 18, 202653 min

  In this episode, we speak with Paul Slovic, Rose McDermott, and Cmdr. Daniel R. Post about their recent TNSR article "When Our Minds Go Nuclear," arguing that nuclear strategy too often assumes rational, stable decision-making despite decades of psychological research on bounded rationality and bias. Drawing on survey experiments based on the Sagan and Valentino Iran war scenario, they discuss how mechanisms like psychic numbing, affect, hot/cold empathy gaps, social contagion, and comparative framing can increase support for nuclear strikes, including through "virtuous violence" and the "better bomb" (lesser-evil) effect. They warn that modernization and expanded use concepts make non-use a "dangerous illusion," and recommend safeguards such as multi-person authorization, training, protocols, structured dissent, and deliberation—especially as AI increases information pressure. Guests: Paul Slovic | Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon and Senior Scientist at the Oregon Research Institute Rose McDermott | David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University Commander Daniel R. Post | Permanent Military Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest Producer: Jordan Morning

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Horns of a Dilemma

  How the Soviet Collapse Shaped North Korea

  Aug 3, 202643 min

  We are joined by Dr. Benjamin R. Young to discuss his TNSR article, "Saving Socialism: What North Korea Learned from the Collapse of the Soviet Union." Dr. Young argues that the fall of the USSR profoundly influenced Pyongyang's grand strategy. Rather than embracing reform, he explains that North Korea interpreted the Soviet collapse as a failure of ideological fervor and leadership. He contends that this historical turning point catalyzed North Korea's shift toward "military first" politics (Songun), stricter information blockades, and the accelerated development of its nuclear weapons program. Join us for a fascinating conversation on regime survival, Stalinism, and the historical drivers of North Korea's modern security posture. Guest: Dr. Benjamin R. Young (Assistant Professor of Intelligence Studies at Fayetteville State University) Hosts: Sheena Chestnut Greitens Ryan Vest, PhD Producer: Jordan Morning

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Horns of a Dilemma. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.