x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Cheap Talk

Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes

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

01:09:48

Inherent Greatness and Decency

Cheap Talk ·

2025/12/15

The degradation of the State Department’s official correspondence due to font choice; the Trump Administration releases its National Security Strategy; the return of spheres of influence and the primacy of the Western Hemisphere for US policy; the supposed decline of European civilization; the general problem with national security strategy documents; the glaring absence of the liberal international order in US strategy; and Marcus is generally confused about fontsCheap Talk is taking a holiday

en

01:01:52

A Living, Breathing Document

Cheap Talk ·

2025/12/09

The US plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine; what Putin wants out of a settlement; the wider effects of the war on Europe; Jared Kushner is back; what AI is actually good for (according to a new study); gifts for the IR enthusiast in your life; and Marcus would like a map for ChristmasThe 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

en

01:00:09

Live from Williamsburg, Virginia!

Cheap Talk ·

2025/11/24

Cheap Talk Live! The students of William & Mary’s “Introduction to International Politics” course join the podcast to discuss drug boats; the UN-approved peace plan for Gaza; an AI arms race; the intersection of IR theory and policymaking; ending the war in Ukraine; overconfidence and fear in IR; whether IR students have to go to grad school; the ideal podcast co-host; our IR origin stories; Thanksgiving dinner picks; and Marcus takes food safety very seriouslySpecial thanks to William &

en

00:57:13

Wars on Things

Cheap Talk ·

2025/11/17

Strikes by the United States military on suspected drug boats in the Pacific; the legality of these strikes; why it might matter if the US is violating international law; building pressure on Venezuela; the US strategy (if there is one); the problems with wars on things; and Marcus has never had TofurkeyThe 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

en

00:39:36

A Little Bit of a Vibration

Cheap Talk ·

2025/11/05

Dick Cheney’s outsized foreign policy role in the George W. Bush administration; what President Trump is talking about when he talks about nuclear testing; the nuclear testing announcement as diplomatic leverage; US readiness to test; nuclear testing for deterrence; the downsides of exploding nuclear weapons in Nevada; and Marcus loves Election DayThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.Please subscribe to Cheap

en

01:06:44

The Remaining Four-to-Five Minutes of Your Life

Cheap Talk ·

2025/10/29

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.Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop.Further Reading/Watching:A House of Dynamite, streaming on NetflixNuclear Decisions Online GameJeffrey Lewis. 2018. The 2020 Commission Report On The North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against The

en

01:24:33

More Efficient Powerpoint Production

Cheap Talk ·

2025/10/22

Ceasefires are good; Trump’s personal stake in Middle East diplomacy; the implausibility of the AI apocalypse; the incremental ceding of human control over autonomous systems; plausible mechanisms for AI control of nuclear arsenals; misalignment, poisoning, and the manipulation of AI models; and Marcus discusses the meaning of consciousnessThe 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

en

00:52:38

The Hopeful Moment

Cheap Talk ·

2025/10/09

Francis Fukuyama joins Cheap Talk to discuss the rise of authoritarianism; Europe’s security environment; the risk of AI catastrophe; signs of hope for democratic resilience; and Marcus has a lot of respect for centenariansFrancis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). He has written widely on issues in development and international politics. His books include The End of History and the Last Man (1992), The

en

00:52:27

A Country That Shall Not Be Named

Cheap Talk ·

2025/10/04

What, if anything, the government shutdown means for international politics; the US and its weakened capacity to conduct foreign policy; non-great-power nomenclature; defining power in the international system; how middle powers can achieve their goals in international relations; shifts in great power foreign policy toward smaller states; and Marcus has seen the error of his waysThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William &

en

00:52:40

There's Been Some News

Cheap Talk ·

2025/09/26

Small signs of hope for arms control between the United States and Russia; a review of the last ten years of US-Russia policy; explaining Trump’s about-face on Ukraine; an airing of grievances at the UN; and Marcus can’t wait for ThanksgivingThe 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

en

00:56:28

A Responsible Member of the Community

Cheap Talk ·

2025/09/19

Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace; questions about Russia’s intent; the risk of escalation; deterrence failure in protecting NATO airspace; preference differences within the alliance; a deal for TikTok; China’s interest in global governance and a multipolar world; and Marcus has a step-by-step plan for China’s world dominationThe 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

en

01:02:30

That Man Is in Everybody's Business

Cheap Talk ·

2025/09/07

Why Trump thought there might be a deal with Russia; the obliteration of Iran’s nuclear program; speaking truth to power; deterrence failure and pushing Iran toward nuclear weapons; Iran’s modest response to the attacks; enforcement within the NPT; implications for regional and global security; and Marcus reflects on why he was so wrongThe 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

en

00:46:58

They Canceled the Lunch

Cheap Talk ·

2025/08/29

Thank you to our listeners for joining us for five seasons and 100 episodes! Cheap Talk returns for Season 6: Advice for new college students; the Trump-Putin summit spectacle; analyzing Trump’s body language; the challenges of studying summitry; the Trump administration’s unique approach to high-level meetings; a typology of leader diplomacy; Zelensky’s DC visit; the Trump administration’s overall posture toward the conflict; and Marcus would be happy to say nothing at allThe opinions expressed on

en

00:35:27

The Limits of Diplomacy

Cheap Talk ·

2025/06/19

A Cheap Talk emergency episode on the Israel-Iran conflict

en

00:59:21

Putting in the Work

Cheap Talk ·

2025/05/23

Cheap Talk’s Season 5 finale: Everyone is cheating their way through college; remembering Joe Nye; interpreting President Trump’s big beautiful phone call with Vladimir Putin; evaluating the Golden Dome missile defense system; missile defense and strategic stability; and Marcus is looking forward to season 6We’re mostly taking the summer off from podcasting (unless something big happens), but we’ll be back to our regular weekly schedule in the fall. In the meantime, please subscribe to Cheap Talk on

en

01:03:43

They're Using it Wrong

Cheap Talk ·

2025/05/09

Some good arguments against AI use in the classroom; how students are actually using AI; the idea of AI as a learning coach; other models for AI use by students; testing out an AI prediction coach; the balance between coaching and just doing the work for you; issues to consider before deploying AI in the classroom; and Marcus does math without a calculatorTry the AI prediction coach described in the podcast (requires a free ChatGPT login)The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and

en

00:45:25

People Who Know What They’re Talking About

Cheap Talk ·

2025/05/05

Iran nuclear talks are a marathon, not a sprint; three models for an Iran nuclear agreement; the role of technical expertise in nuclear negotiations; snap-back sanctions as a point of leverage; the demise of Iran’s proxy network; a regional solution to the nuclear problem; President Trump’s metrics for a successful deal; and Marcus says chafing is for amateursThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.Check out our new

en

00:44:53

Things Were Under Control

Cheap Talk ·

2025/04/21

The resumption of Iran nuclear talks; direct vs. indirect negotiations; the administration’s confusing messaging around the goals of talks; what kind of a deal is actually achievable; President Trump’s potential advantages in trying to reach a deal; and Marcus looks ahead to 2032The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary.Check out our new 👊🇺🇸🔥 t-shirt, mug, and hat and support the podcast at

en

00:51:02

Airlifting iPhones From China

Cheap Talk ·

2025/04/11

Normalizing national security-related Signal chats; blaming Siri for revealing the Signal chat; what is the plan with US tariff policy; trade deficits are normal and fine; anti-expert public opinion; political dimensions to the tariff story; bringing manufacturing back to the United States; the domestic politics of tariffs; and Marcus is running a trade deficit with Fresh MarketThe opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William &

en

01:00:05

Fist Bump, American Flag, Fire Emoji

Cheap Talk ·

2025/03/28

High-level US government deliberations on the Signal app; the true beliefs of our national security leaders; why using Signal for national security discussions is a bad idea; classified information and Signal’s security; the use of emoji in formal work settings; and Marcus is more of a WhatsApp personThe 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

en

112 results

Similar Podcasts

The Fly

Georgetown"s Institute of Politics and...

THE CONSTITUTION STUDY

Paul Engel

The DSR Daily

The DSR Network

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Fora do Baralho

Rádio Observador