PODCAST

Cheap Talk

Cheap Talk is an every-week-or-so international relations podcast with Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes, professors of government at William & Mary.

government news commentary

All Episodes

Stumbled Into This Podcast Accidentally

Cheap Talk ·

2023/03/03

Russia bails on the New START arms control treaty; Putin and prospect theory; the short and long term effects of the treaty suspension; why we have arms control treaties in the first place; overlapping international agreements; taking stock of Russia’s invasion one year in; European security transformed; the relevance of nuclear risk and nuclear deterrence today; and Marcus embraces conspiracy theoriesSend us feedback or ideas for future podcasts at cheaptalkpod@gmail.com or leave us a voice

Could the Meeting Have Been an Email?

Cheap Talk ·

2023/02/24

We’re on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; an excellent book is on sale; the Last of Us is not a zombie show; China threatens a balloon response; we are seeing more flying objects; risk reduction and diplomacy between the United States and China; President Biden visits Kyiv; and Marcus explains the role of aliens in political science theoryWhat should we talk about in future episodes? Let us know at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk or cheaptalkpod@gmail.com.Further reading:Now on sale! Signing Away the

Fly Over Our Great Nation

Cheap Talk ·

2023/02/12

Cheap Talk’s very special balloon-themed episode: China’s spy balloon; the effect on diplomacy when spying becomes public; the intelligence value of spy balloons; why the US failed to deploy its giant balloon net; the risk of balloon-related escalation; the trajectory of the US-China relationship; and Marcus explains his criteria for riding in flying objects Recommended Valentine's Day gifts for loved ones or enemies:Signing Away the Bomb, by Jeffrey M. Kaplow

That’s Got To Leave a Mark

Cheap Talk ·

2023/02/05

Cheap Talk’s triumphant return from its winter hiatus: Evaluating the lasting impact of the COVID pandemic (if any) on international affairs; preparedness for the next pandemic; COVID and domestic politics; the supply chain and decoupling from China; domestic protests in China; the nonissue of vaccine diplomacy; and Marcus misattributes an often misinterpreted quoteLeave feedback or ask a question for a future podcast at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkFurther ReadingW. Joseph Campbell. 2011

For Their Knowledge No Cost They Do Spare

Cheap Talk ·

2022/12/09

Cheap Talk ends the semester with a mailbag episode: State dinners; celebrities and national interest; AI and international relations; sports diplomacy and the World Cup; President Biden’s willingness to meet with Vladimir Putin; and Marcus admits he doesn’t like soccerThanks to all those who contributed questions. Leave a message for a future podcast at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkLooking for a holiday gift for the international affairs nerd in your life? We humbly suggest the

You Gotta Spatchcock It

Cheap Talk ·

2022/11/20

Garage door updates; the information and cyber war in Ukraine; academics in the press; the ethical implications of AI art; and Marcus discusses his turkey optionsAsk a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalkFurther ReadingOn Thanksgiving menus:“2022: Kenji on T-Day.” 2022. Special Sauce Podcast. https://www.thespecialsaucepodcast.com/podcast/special-sauce-2022-kenji-on-t-day/ (Quick summary of Kenji’s tips: - add soy sauce to your gravy, - use

A Giant Duffel Bag of Cash

Cheap Talk ·

2022/11/11

Cheap Talk returns from a COVID-induced hiatus: online prediction markets; already-obsolete election takes; US support for Ukraine with a new Congress; domestic politics and international affairs; remembering Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter; Russia’s retreat from Kherson; South Korea recovers a North Korean missile; and Marcus was anticipating a red waveSubscribe to Cheap Talk in the podcast app of your choice to be notified about new episodes. Just enter this custom

Armageddon, Not Just a Good Movie Anymore

Cheap Talk ·

2022/10/17

The sixtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis; lessons from the crisis; the dangers of reasoning from analogy; why Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine; how NATO would respond if they did; gambling for resurrection; the US role in facilitating peace; and Marcus agrees that countries shouldn’t use nuclear weapons Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk Further reading: Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest R. May. 1986. Thinking

Is Nothing Sacred?

Cheap Talk ·

2022/10/09

Allegations of cheating in chess; how to go about cheating in chess (but you shouldn’t do it); a questionable analogy to face-to-face diplomacy; how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affects international chess; looking into Putin’s soul; and Marcus shares his chess journey Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk

Both Very Clear and Also Extremely Ambiguous

Cheap Talk ·

2022/09/30

Escalation management; sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline; signals of Russian resolve; what the end of the war in Ukraine looks like; backing Putin into a corner; US strategic ambiguity toward Russia and China; Iran protests; and Marcus confesses he is not a military strategy guy Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk

Victim-Blaming Theory of International Relations

Cheap Talk ·

2022/09/12

The long-awaited season premiere of Cheap Talk: The origins of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; did Putin make a mistake; would Ukrainian nuclear weapons have prevented a war; who is deterring whom; and Marcus comes up with a final exam question Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at http://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk

Putin's Paranoia

Cheap Talk ·

2022/02/25

A Cheap Talk emergency podcast: Russia invades Ukraine and Marcus swears off predictions for a while

This Weird Corner of History

Cheap Talk ·

2021/12/06

The Cheap Talk season 2 finale: Authenticating the sender of international signals; the problem of communicating through intermediaries; technology and leader communication; IR predictions for the year ahead; and Marcus explains how fax machines work

Those Are Not Their Actual Faces

Cheap Talk ·

2021/11/22

Artificial intelligence; how algorithms can aid policy or intelligence analysis; building trust in the output of machine learning models; creating models without access to secret data; autonomous weapon systems; diplomacy in the metaverse; and Marcus offers tips for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk Further reading: “Virtual Reality Emerges in International Exchanges in Egypt – A Glimpse into the Future.”

Exploiters of the Earth

Cheap Talk ·

2021/11/14

The COP26 international meeting on climate change; inviting civil society and oil companies into the room; how open should the conference be; the mechanisms by which an international conference can affect climate change; prospects for the success of international efforts; the role of nuclear energy in mitigating climate change; a listener asks about the chances of a US-Iran agreement on a nuclear deal; and Marcus comes reasonably close to pronouncing Greta Thunberg’s name correctly Ask a question

There’s Quite a Bit of Hand-Waving Going On

Cheap Talk ·

2021/11/09

Great power conflict; the US role in abetting China’s rise; realism as both prescription and description; prospects for the future US-China relationship; the drivers of China’s nuclear expansion; a listener asks about US diplomatic engagement in the China-Taiwan dispute; and Marcus (again) thinks the answer is more diplomacy. Further reading: John J. Mearsheimer. 2021. “The Inevitable Rivalry: America, China, and the Tragedy of Great-Power Politics.” Foreign Affairs. Matthew Kroenig. 2018. The

The Elites With Too Much Time On Their Hands

Cheap Talk ·

2021/11/01

The US commitment to defend Taiwan; signaling resolve while maintaining strategic ambiguity; things are dangerous out there; the effect of US public opinion on US foreign policy; a hint for those writing policy memos for class; the external validity of survey experiments in political science; COVID vaccine diplomacy and international influence; and Marcus claims he’s more of a craps player than a blackjack player Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at

These Independent Fiefdoms

Cheap Talk ·

2021/10/19

The militarization of US foreign policy; getting diplomats and intelligence officers out of the embassy; the domestic politics of foreign policy funding; showing results from diplomacy; soft power approaches; and Marcus thinks the answer is more diplomacy Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk.

That Seems Like Kind of a Stupid Thing To Complain About

Cheap Talk ·

2021/10/11

The gap between academia and policy; where policy beliefs come from; how we would know if there were a gap; policymakers are busy people; less methodological sophistication is not the answer; science communication is important; and Marcus mentions offhandedly that he frequently gets invited to the State Department Ask a question or leave a comment for a future podcast episode at www.speakpipe.com/cheaptalk

The Experiment That We're Running in This Crazy World...

Cheap Talk ·

2021/10/04

Pure theorizing versus applied research; positivist and non-positivist approaches in international relations; international relations is what the field says it is; the relevance of the international relations paradigms; a defense of methodological pluralism; and Marcus reads a quote from Kenneth Waltz several times Further reading: David A. Lake. 2011. “Why ‘isms’ Are Evil: Theory, Epistemology, and Academic Sects as Impediments to Understanding and Progress.” International Studies Quarterly

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