We welcome Dr. Samuel Helfont to examine the foreign policy legacy of President George H. W. Bush. Conventional wisdom often frames Bush 41 as the quintessential realist practitioner. However, in his recent TNSR article, "Liberal Internationalism Forgotten: Myth and Memory in the Legacy of George H. W. Bush," Dr. Helfont directly challenges this narrative.

Drawing from archival records, National Security Council transcripts, and Bush's personal diaries, Helfont argues that Bush's foreign policy was deeply rooted in liberal internationalism, emphasizing international law, collective security, democratic development, and multilateral institutions. Our discussion explores how Bush exercised prudence with discipline across pivotal historic events, including the Gulf War, German unification, Lithuanian independence, and US-China diplomacy following Tiananmen Square.

Guests:

• Dr. Samuel Helfont | Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy in the Naval War College program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

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

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

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