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.

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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in Lebanon; the use of pagers as communications infrastructure; supply chain vulnerabilities; the supposed safety of outdated technology; Israeli motivations for the attacks; the risk of escalation in the Middle East; and Marcus consults a focus group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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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