The Grand Strategy Sessions

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Christopher Preble, the director of the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program. Emma and Chris talk about Emma’s book, First Among Equals. They also discuss wider themes in the New Visions for Grand Strategy series, and answer some of the questions Emma has posed to other guests on the podcast. Emma and Chris’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Christopher Preble, 2024, A Credible Grand Strategy: The Urgent Need to Set Priorities. The Stimson Center, Washington D.C., USA.Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee, eds., 2025,  New Visions for Grand Strategy The Stimson Center, Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Jennifer Lind, an associate professor of Government at Dartmouth College. Emma and Jenny discuss prioritization, burden shifting, and how a strong progressive grand strategy can benefit the wider U.S. foreign policy debate.Emma and Jenny’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025Jennifer Lind and Daryl G. Press, “Strategies of Prioritization: American Foreign Policy After Primacy,” Foreign Affairs, June 24, 2025Jennifer Lind “To Build the World, Build the Strategy: Progressive US Foreign Policy” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Jeremy Shapiro, the research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Emma and Jeremy discuss the end of U.S. unipolarity and what that means for the American ethos, and how potential Democratic candidates are thinking about building a foreign policy that aims to resonate emotionally with the American people.Emma and Jeremy’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Jeremy Shapiro, “The Bully’s Pulpit: Finding Patterns in Trump’s Use of Military Force,” European Council on Foreign Relations, May 8, 2025Jeremy Shapiro, “Eat, Pray, Govern: The Search for Meaning in Democrats’ Foreign Policy” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Julia Gledhill, a research analyst with the National Security Reform Program also at the Stimson Center. Emma and Julia discuss the state of the U.S. defense industry, current proposals for Pentagon acquisition reforms, and how partial nationalization of U.S. defense companies could help remove constraints on strategic decision-making. Emma and Julia’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Julia Gledhill, “The Ugly Truth about the Permanent War Economy,” The Stimson Center, December 2, 2024Julia Gledhill, “Recognizing Reality: The Case for Nationalizing the US Arms Industry“ in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee, The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Mohammed Soliman, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Emma and Mohammed discuss why American leaders need to focus not only on designing the future – but building it, how industrial policy ties into foreign policy, and what role AI and new innovations might play in shaping America’s role abroad.Emma and Mohammed’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Mohammed Soliman, West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East (Polity Press, Forthcoming) Mohammed Soliman, “A Techno-Industrial Strategy for the Exponential Age“in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Michael Brenes, the director of the Brady Johnson Program on Grand Strategy and a lecturer in history at Yale University. Emma and Mike discuss what internationalism might look like after this administration, how cooperation rather than competition might lead the U.S. to greater success vis-a-vis China, and why American primacy might be a fool’s errand going forward.Emma and Mike’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the-box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.We apologize for the poor audio qualities in parts of this episode due to unexpected technical difficulties.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Michael Brenes and Van Jackson, The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition THreatens Peace and Weakens Democracy (Yale University Press, 2025)Michael Brenes, “After the Age of Trump: Rejecting Competition“ in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Ali Wyne, a senior advisor for U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group. Emma and Ali discuss the psychological challenges posed by a resurgent China, why anxiety is a harmful driving force for foreign policy discussions, and how the rise of China might actually present U.S. policymakers with opportunities. Emma and Ali’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the-box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Ali Wyne, America’s Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition (Polity Press, 2022)Michael Beckley, “A Free World That Works” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast series hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Emma talks with Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute about alliances, multipolarity, and the future of U.S. foreign policy, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. Emma and Zack’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Zack Cooper, Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries (Yale University Press, 2025)Zack Cooper, “An American Strategy for a Multipolar World.” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee, The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Sumantra Maitra, a senior writer and director of research at the American Conservative Magazine. They discuss what the future of burden sharing looks like for Europeans, what might be in store for American alliances writ-large, and how the United States should view its interests in Europe. Emma and Sumantra’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Sumantra Maitra, The Sources of Russian Aggression: Is Russia a Realist Power? (Rowman and Littlefield, 2024)Sumantra Maitra “Europe, the Rationale of Burden Shifting, and the Promise of Germany” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee,The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA

The Strategy Sessions is a limited-run podcast hosted by Emma Ashford, a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. Today, Emma talks with Michael Beckley, an associate professor at Tufts University and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Emma and Michael discuss whether or not American policymakers can use multilateral institutions to the U.S.'s advantage, United States’s “declining” power, and how leaders can rightsize the U.S.'s “alliance portfolio.”Emma and Mike’s discussion is part of the New Visions for Grand Strategy Project, a collection of essays, videos, and podcasts in which out-of-the box thinkers discuss the future of U.S. foreign policy.*The Strategy Sessions Podcast is hosted by the Stimson Center and produced by University FM.Show Links:Emma Ashford, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025)Michael Beckley and Hal Brands, The Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China (W. W. Norton & Company, 2022)Michael Beckley, “A Free World That Works” in New Visions for Grand Strategy, edited by Emma Ashford and Nevada Joan Lee, The Stimson Center. Washington, D.C., USA