In this final episode of our third series, we will try to make sense of the 2024 US Presidential election. Eight months on, we will discuss what we know about how the Trump Campaign managed to win the US Presidential election and what this means for US electoral politics going forward. Joining me to do so are Drs. David Andersen and Neil Visalvanich, both of whom are Associate Professors of US Politics at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University.

To learn more about David and Neil's research visit their websites:

- David Andersen: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/david-j-andersen/- Neil Visalvanich: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/neil-visalvanich/

Related previous episodes:- Politics in the Rearview Mirror (2024). Craziest Election Ever or Just Another US Presidential Race? Contextualising the 2024 Race for the White House. Series 1, Episode 5. Online at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kl615JHKqv0IaxWqlMF4i [Last Accessed: 4th July 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

In this episode, Prof. John Williams, Dr. Dennis Schmidt, and Dr. Tessa Ditonto answer your questions on the legality of the US bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites and the reasons for the gender gap we observe in party support in the US and Western Europe.

To learn more about our guests' research, visit their websites:

John Williams: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/j-c-williams/

Dennis Schmidt: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/dennis-schmidt/

Tessa Ditonto: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/tessa-m-ditonto/

Related literature and earlier episodes:

Kinstler, Linda 2025: Are we witnessing the death of international law? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jun/26/are-we-witnessing-the-death-of-international-law [Last accessed: 28th June 2025].

Politics in the Rearview Mirror 2025. International (Dis)Order: Trump, Ukraine, and the Shift in Global Order. Series 2 Episode 9. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4wrsLXcqfwEnuuU4RX0BMV [Last accessed: 28th June 2025].

Politics in the Rearview Mirror 2024. Craziest Election Ever or Just Another US Presidential Race? Contextualising the 2024 Race for the White House. Series 1 Episode 5. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kl615JHKqv0IaxWqlMF4i [Last accessed: 28th June 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

This episode looks at the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, which started on the night of Friday, 13th June 2025, when Israel bombed over 100 military and nuclear facilities. Since then, the conflict has escalated with Israel and Iran sending drones and firing rockets at each other. In recent days, the US has been moving naval and air force assets into the region, suggesting that it might be joining the conflict on the side of Israel. Joining this episode to discuss the background, consider its development, and think about regional and global consequences is Prof. Anoush Ehteshami, a Professor of International Relations in Durham University’s School of Government and International Affairs and the Director of the Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics, and Security.

To learn more about Prof. Anoush Ehteshami's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/a-ehteshami/.

Related Literature:

- Akbarzadeh, Shahram, William Gourlay, and Anoushiravan Ehteshami 2023. Iranian proxies in the Syrian conflict: Tehran’s ‘forward-defence’ in action. Journal of Strategic Studies 46(3), 683–706.

- Bahgat, Gawdat and Anoushiravan Ehteshami 2021. Defending Iran: From Revolutionary Guards to Ballistic Missiles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

- Geist Pinfold, Rob, Clive Jones, and Anoushiravan Ehteshami 2025. Collision Course: How Iran and Israel Brought the Middle East to the Brink of War. Global Policy 16, 289-298.

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

In early June 2025, the government published the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which was commissioned by Prime Minister Kier Starmer shortly after the July 2024 election. The SDR sets out 62 recommendations to transform the UK Armed Forces from hollowed-out forces into “war-fighting ready” capabilities, with a focus on expanding the nuclear deterrent, cyber and electronic warfare, autonomous systems, and strategic stockpiles. The government has accepted all 62 recommendations and pledged to increase UK defence spending from ~2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to reach 3%.

Joining me to discuss the SDR, whether it is an appropriate response to the identified rising global threats, what new technologies and domains might have been missed, whether it can even be delivered within the set budget envelope, and if not, what should be prioritised, is Dr. Bleddyn Bowen. Bleddyn is the Associate Professor of Astropolitics and an expert in astropolitics, space warfare, technology and modern warfare, and international relations.

To learn more about Dr. Bowen's research and expertise, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/bleddyn-e-bowen/

Literature:

- Ministry of Defence 2025. The Strategic Defence Review 2025 - Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad. Online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad [Last accessed: 12 June 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

In this episode, we are turning our attention to the war in Ukraine and two recent, bold attacks carried out by Ukraine's Secret Service deep within Russian territory. These aren't just isolated military actions; looking at them through the lens of the bargaining model of war and taking a broader international security perspective suggests that theirthe timing was carefully chosen and their aim goes far beyond the physical damage done to the Russian air force and infrastructure.

Prof. Patrick Kuhn, a Professor of Comparative Politics at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) and convenor of Analytical Politics, a second year UG module, considers the implications of these attacks through the lens of the bargaining model of war for war in Ukraine and the broader global international security.

To learn more about Prof. Patrick Kuhn's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/p-m-kuhn/

Literature:

- Reiter, Dan 2003. Exploring the Bargaining Model of War. Perspectives on Politics 1(1), 27-43.

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

In light of the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza we are reposting episode 9 from our first series (published on the 6. December 2024), in which we talk to Dr. William Plowright, an Assistant Professor of International Security at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, about his new book " War on Rescue: The Obstruction of Humanitarian Assistance in the European Migration Crisis”, where he describes, analyses, and explains why and how governments block assistance to people in times of crisis.

To learn more about our guest, Dr. Will Plowright, see his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/william-plowright/

More information on Dr. Will Plowright's book "War on Rescue: The Obstruction of Humanitarian Assistance in the European Migration Crisis”, can be found at https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501778353/the-war-on-rescue

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

This episode takes us into the world of foreign policy bluffing, nuclear strategy, and presidential unpredictability. We’re talking about the Madman Theory -- a term associated with colourful US Presidents like Richard Nixon or Donald Trump in combination with words like "unhinged" or "strategic genius". But what is the Madman Theory, really? Does acting crazy help a world leader win concessions? And what does the data actually say?

Prof. Patrick Kuhn, a Professor of Comparative Politics at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA) and convenor of Analytical Politics, a second year UG module, unpacks the theoretical mechanism underlying the madman gambit and reviews the existing empirical evidence, before considering the extent to which the madman strategy will work for President Trump in his second term.

To learn more about Prof. Patrick Kuhn's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/p-m-kuhn/

Literature referred to:

• Drezner, Daniel W. 2025. It's a Mad Mad Mad Madman's World: I see we're gonna be testing the madman theory in 2025. Online at: https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/its-a-mad-mad-mad-madmans-world [Last accessed: 23. May 2025].
• McManus, Roseanne W. 2019. Revisiting the Madman Theory: Evaluating the Impact of Different Forms of Perceived Madness in Coercive Bargaining. Security Studies 28(5),976-1009
• McManus Roseanne W. 2021. Crazy Like a Fox? Are Leader with Reputations of Madness More Successful at International Coercion? British Journal of Political Science 51, 275-293.
• Schwartz, Joshua A. 2023. Manman or Mad Genius? The International Benefits and Domestic Costs of the Madman Strategy. Security Studies 32(2), 271-305.

• 
  

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

It has been half a year since President Trump announced the creation of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk. In the 8th episode of the first season, we discussed whether government efficiency is important, what efficiency reforms might look like, and what institutional hurdles and constraints DOGE might face.

Now that the media focus on DOGE has died down and Musk is stepping away to focus more on his business ventures again, my colleague Dr. Aung Hein and I thought we’d take a look at the last half-year to see what DOGE has achieved and at what costs, how Musk justified DOGE's actions, and what alternative approaches could have been taken.

If you'd like to learn more about Aung's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/aung-hein/.

Sources:

DOGE's Wall of Receipts: https://doge.gov/savings [Last Accessed: 16th May 2025]

The Financial Times: What has Elon Musk’s Doge actually achieved?: https://www.ft.com/content/085430ab-27fe-46fc-a798-1059649d3b32 [Last Accessed: 16th May 2025]

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/