Security Dilemma

Security Dilemma is a podcast hosted by AJ Manuzzi and John Allen Gay, with guest appearances from the rest of the JQAS team. Each week, they interview experts on U.S. national security, exploring the angles and avenues in the world of realism and restraint.

From April 2020 to February 2023, The John Quincy Adams Society ran recorded conversations with many national security experts in our Digital Discussion series. They are recorded as podcasts. You can access them here.


Latest Episode

59 – Ari Tolany on Arms Sales and Oversight – Recorded September, 2024 – Spotify – Apple Podcasts

Upcoming Episodes

Panel on Europe Policy

Weapons Transparency

Deep dive on the Taiwan Strait

Air Power


58 – Peter Harris on Retrenchment, Taiwan and the Chagos Islands – Recorded September 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

57 – Will Ruger on Realism and Restraint – Recorded August 9th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

56 – LIVE: Eugene Gholz and Michael Desch on Restraint – Recorded July 18th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

55 – Jake Johnston on Haiti – Recorded July 11, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

54 – Mike DiMino and Dan Caldwell Return: Ukraine and the Middle East – Recorded July 10th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

53 – Nathaniel Powell on West Africa – Recorded June 28th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

52 – Ali Wyne on Great Powers and Cold Wars – Recorded June 13th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

51 – James Acton on Nuclear Targeting and Escalation – Recorded June 6th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

50 – Julia Gledhill on the Defense Budget – Recorded May 31st, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

49 – Brandon Valeriano on Cyberwarfare and Sci-Fi Soft Power – Recorded May 15th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

48 – Josh Shifrinson on Ukraine, Thucydides and Realism – Recorded May 16th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

47 – Christopher McCallion on Grand Strategy – Recorded May 8th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

46 – Stephen Wertheim Returns: Restraint and Retrenchment – Recorded May 7th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

45 – Reid Smith on Restraint in U.S. Foreign Policy – Recorded April 18th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

44 – Brandan Buck on Old Right Opposition to Empire – Recorded April 8th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

43 – Osamah Khalil on A World Of Enemies – Recorded April 19th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

42 – John Byrnes and Tyler Koteskey on Veterans, Reservists and Warships – Recorded April 11th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

Bonus – John Allen Gay on Iran’s Retaliation and the National Interest – Recorded April 12th ~1pm ET – SpotifyApple Podcasts

41 – Gregory Brew on Energy, Oil and the Red Sea – Recorded April 4th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

40 – Paul Pillar on Gaza and Israeli Politics – Recorded April 3rd, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

39 – Jon Hoffman on Gaza and Middle East Politics – Recorded March 26th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

38 – Dale Copeland on China and Commerce – Recorded March 13th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

37 – Murtaza Hussain on Pakistan and American Intervention – Recorded March 14th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

36 – James Siebens on the South China Sea and Armed Coercion – Recorded February 23rd, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

35 – Derek Davison on Middle East Autocracies and the War on Terror – Recorded February 20th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

34 – John Ramming Chappell on Arms Sales and Civilian Harm – Recorded February 16th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

33 – Jon Askonas on Technology, Ukraine and the Defense Industry – Recorded January 17th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

32 – Rep. Warren Davidson on Congress’s Role in Foreign Policy – Recorded February 7th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

31 – Aileen Teague on Mexico and National Security – Recorded January 26th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

30 – John Hulsman on American Realism – Recorded December 20th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

29 – John Allen Gay on the John Quincy Adams Society – Recorded January 11th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

28 – Yameen Huq on AI and Cyber Futures – Recorded January 5th, 2024 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

27 – Chris Preble on Grand Strategy and the End of Primacy – Recorded December 19th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

26 – Brian Blankenship on the Burden-Sharing Dilemma – Recorded December 12th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

25 – Matt Duss on Gaza and the Future of the Middle East – Recorded December 20th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

24 – David Hendrickson on Gaza, Alliances and Imperium – Recorded November 29th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

23 – Michael DiMino on Gaza, Syria and the Intelligence Community – Recorded December 1st, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

22 – Negar Mortazavi on Iran: Politics, Power and Proxies – Recorded November 20th, 2023 – Spotify – Apple Podcasts

21 – Dan Grazier on Planes, Tanks and Air-Ground Task Forces – Recorded November 14th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

20 – Eric Gomez on Taiwan’s Urgent Need for Asymmetric Defense – Recorded November 9th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

19 – John Quincy Adams and Slavery with Jeffrey A. Denman – Recorded October 12th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

18 – Doug Bandow on Reagan, Religion and the ROK – Recorded October 17th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

17 – Dr. Brian Finucane on Law and War from Gaza to Guadalajara – Recorded October 19th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

16 – Elizabeth Beavers on Advocacy and AUMFs – Recorded October 4th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

15 – Daniel DePetris on Forever Wars from Mexico to Somalia – Recorded September 28th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

14 – Dr. Jordan Cohen on Arms Sales and Alliance Politics – Recorded September 21st, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

13 – Matthew Petti on Middle East Spaghetti Logic – Recorded September 19th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

12 – Dr. Alex Thurston on West African Security & Stability – Recorded September 14th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

11 – Dr. Stephen Wertheim on Progressives and the National Interest – Recorded September 12th, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

10 – Dr. Paul Heer on China and George Kennan – Recorded August 22, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

9- Elizabeth Shackelford on Diplomacy and Africa – Recorded August 16, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

8 – Dan Caldwell on the GOP Primary’s Foreign Policy – Recorded August 24, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

7 – Dr. David Kang on China and the Asian Peace – Recorded August 10, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

6 – Dr. Sumantra Maitra on Realism and Conservative Foreign Policy – Recorded August 9, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

5 – Dr. Emma Ashford on Petrostates and Foreign Policy Debates – Recorded August 3, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

4 – Justin Logan on China, Cartels and Chilean Wine – Recorded July 28, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

3 – Dr. Van Jackson on China and Dissident Thinking – Recorded July 13, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

2 – Jason Beardsley on Special Operations and Restraint – Recorded May 16, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts

1 – Dr. Stephen Walt on Alliances, Restraint and The Blob – Recorded May 26, 2023 – SpotifyApple Podcasts



The John Quincy Adams Society ran recorded conversations with many national security experts in our Digital Discussion series. They are recorded as podcasts. You can access them here.