The Ballpark Podcast

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr Lauren Sukin, Debak Das, Matthew Fuhrmann, J. Luis Rodriguez | In June 2024, the LSE Phelan US Centre held the conference, US Nuclear Strategy in a Changing Indo-Pacific. The conference brought together scholars and analysts with a strong record of policy-relevant research on nuclear strategy and expertise in the security dynamics of the Indo-Pacific. The conference was convened by Phelan US Centre Affiliates, Rohan Mukherjee and Lauren Sukin, both Assistant Professors of International Relations in the LSE’s International Relations Department. In this episode of the Ballpark, we speak to Dr Lauren Sukin about the main themes and takeaways from the conference. We also talk to three of the conference participants, Debak Das (University of Denver), Matthew Fuhrmann (Texas A&M University), and J. Luis Rodriguez (George Mason University), about what they saw as the nuclear security dynamics in their region of focus, and how the US has been responding to these both within that regio

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Jeff Legro | In May 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Jeff Legro, University Professor at the University of Richmond, and Visiting Professor at the Phelan US Centre for 2023-24. They spoke about the US’ role as a “unipolar” country in the world, conceptions of sovereignty, both in the US and abroad, the potential future of US foreign policy, and the relationship between nuclear weapons and globalization.   They also discussed Professor Legro’s work with the Phelan US Centre’s Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme and students Ayush Das and Evelyne Ong.   This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Links mentioned in this episode Phelan US Centre Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme - https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/for-students/us-centre-undergraduate-research-assistantships-current Rethinking the World: Great Power Strategies and International Order (Cornell University Press, 2016) - https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/1

Contributor(s): Brooke Gladstone, Chris Gilson | In 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Brooke Gladstone, host and Managing Editor of WNYC’s On the Media about the US’ changing media landscape, the meaning of truth and facts in the age of Donald Trump, and how we can teach the next generation to be better media consumers. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Dr Fred Kaplan, Chris Gilson | In May 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to author and journalist for Slate magazine and Phelan US Centre Visiting Senior Fellow, Fred Kaplan about his 2020 book, The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War and the changing attitudes of US politicians and policymakers to nuclear weapons and nuclear war. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Listen to the podcast of the LSE Event ‘Is the risk of nuclear war increasing?’ on LSE Player: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-player?id=c1fc651a-d27e-46e2-8ae0-2078d24736e0 Fred Kaplan’s ‘War Stories’ column at Slate: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/war-stories

Contributor(s): Elizabeth Ingleson | How did China—the world’s largest communist nation—converge with global capitalism? And when did this occur? In this event, held on 7 May 2024, Dr Elizabeth Ingleson of the LSE Department of International History and Phelan US Centre Affiliate argued that this convergence began in the early 1970s, when the United States and China re-opened trade and the interests of US capitalists and the Chinese state gradually aligned: at the expense of US labor and aided by US diplomats.

Contributor(s): Elizabeth Ingleson, Ashley Tellis, John Van Reenen | A shining city on a hill. America the beautiful. The United States has long been mythologised as the land of dreams and opportunity. And since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s it has been undisputedly the most powerful nation on earth. But is it a fading force? The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat? In this episode of LSE iQ, a collaboration with the LSE Phelan US Centre's podcast, The Ballpark, Sue Windebank and Chris Gilson speak to LSE’s Elizabeth Ingleson and John Van Reenen and Ashley Tellis from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Contributors Elizabeth Ingleson John Van Reenen Ashley Tellis   Research Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade by Elizabeth Ingleson The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms by David Autor, David D

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor John Owen | In 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor John Owen, Ambassador Henry J. and Mrs. Marion R. Taylor Professor of Politics, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, and an Academic Visitor at Nuffield College, University of Oxford from January to June 2024. They discussed his new book, ‘The Ecology of Nations: American Democracy in a Fragile World Order’, the United States’ changing foreign policy objectives, and the move from welfare liberalism to open liberalism in the post-war period and beyond. You can read Professor Owen's recent article for USAPP, ‘How pluralistic liberalism can protect democracy in a time of contested world order’ here - https://wp.me/p3I2YF-dDK. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Elizabeth Ingleson, Chris Gilson | In April 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Elizabeth Ingleson, Assistant Professor in the Department of International History at LSE and Centre Affiliate of the Phelan US Centre. They spoke about Dr Ingleson’s new book, Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade. They also discussed the evolution of the US-China trade relationship since the 1970s, including the role played by US policymakers and capitalist interests. Dr Elizabeth Ingleson will be launching her new book at the LSE Phelan US Centre event, ‘Made in China: When US-China interests converged to transform global trade’, on Tuesday 7 May from 5pm to 6:30pm at LSE. More details about how to attend in person and online are here - https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/events/2024-events/Made-in-China-When-US-China-Interests-Converged-to-Transform-Global-Trade. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Chris Gilson | In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University about her new book, ‘The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace’ and the role of ‘elites’ in US foreign policymaking. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributors: Professor Elizabeth Saunders (Columbia University)

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Jennifer Carlson | In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jennifer Carlson of Arizona State University, and 2022 MacArthur Fellow, about her new book, Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy. They also discuss the symbolism and political value guns have in American politics and society. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributors: Professor Jennifer Carlson (Arizona State University)

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr Jason Casellas | In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about how the role of Latino voters in the United States and their changing voting patterns. They also discuss how Latino voters might influence the 2024 presidential election. Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Additional resources: The Ballpark podcast: Super Tuesday 2024 results with Professor Jason Casellas - https://wp.me/p3I2YF-dF3   Contributors: Professor Jason Casellas (University of Houston and Oxford University)

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Mathieu Duchâtel | In February 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Mathieu Duchâtel, Resident Senior Fellow and Director of International Studies at Institut Montaigne about transatlantic convergence between the EU and the United States on China policy. They also discussed the fault lines between the EU and US on China policy, and how China has responded to these divergences, including on Taiwan policy. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributors: Dr Mathieu Duchâtel (Institut Montaigne)

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Jason Casellas | On March 5th, 16 US states and territories held primary elections to decide the 2024 Republican and Democratic presidential nominees: a day known as “Super Tuesday”. The Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about the Super Tuesday results, the primary race so far, and what the trends may mean for the general election in November. Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Additional resources: Phelan US Centre event recording: Déja vu all over again? Super Tuesday and the race for the presidency. 6 March 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XtA_AZWvkc LSE USAPP blog series on the 2024 Elections - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/category/the-2024-elections-2/ LSE USAPP blog Q&A series on the 2024 elections from Thomas Gift (UCL) - https

Contributor(s): Andrew Rudalevige, Chris Gilson | In January 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Andrew Rudalevige, the Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College and visiting professor in the LSE’s Department of Government for the 2023-24 academic year. They spoke about the separation of powers in US government and the executive branch, and former President Trump’s potential plans to reshape the federal bureaucracy to create more political appointees if he is re-elected to the presidency in this year’s presidential election. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributors: Professor Andrew Rudalevige (Bowdoin College)

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr. Jordan Tama | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service about his new book, Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy: Cooperation in a Polarized Age. They also discussed how party control in the US government can influence foreign policy, the changing coalitions of the Democratic and Republican parties and why some foreign policy issues have bipartisan consensus while others don’t. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributor: Dr Jordan Tama (American University)

Contributor(s): Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, Mary Olson, Chris Gilson | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to the authors of the Brattle Group Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, which estimates reparations for the total harm from enslavement, including to those who were enslaved and to their descendants. Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, and Mary Olson discuss their report and how it can inform calls for reparations for enslavement.   This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Dr. Ashley Tellis | In January 2024, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Ashley Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about how the US has engaged with China economically in recent decades. They discuss how the US’ strategy towards China has shifted across recent presidencies, the effectiveness of ‘friendshoring’ policies, and decoupling and de-risking relationships between China, the United States, and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor William Wohlforth | In 2023, the Phelan US Centre spoke to spoke to William C. Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, about the United States’ role as the world’s unipolar power. They also discuss the rise of China and what this means for the international role of the United States, and his upcoming book, with Jill Kastner, on great power subversion. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan. Contributor: Professor William C. Wohlforth (Dartmouth College)

Contributor(s): Professor Theda Skocpol, Chris Gilson | In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University about her new book, with Lainey Newman, Rust Belt Union Blues Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party. Using Western Pennsylvania as a case study, their book examines the decline of labor unions and the shift of working-class voters away from the Democratic Party. We also discussed the appeal of Donald Trump to blue-collar voters and how unions might regain their previous role in American community life. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson | In 2023, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with the prompt, “What responsibility does the US have to the rest of the world on climate change?”. In this Extra Inning, we speak to the author of the winning essay, Oscar Parry, and the runners-up, Jibran Raja and Alia Yusuf. We discuss the essay competition, what it’s like for students to engage with a wider audience, and the opportunity they had to present their essays in the UK parliament to MPs and the British-American Parliamentary Group.