Coffee & Conflict

Today on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Madeline Hart, co-author of Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Stop World War III, to examine the argument that the United States is already in a kind of undeclared emergency and whether its defense industrial base is prepared for what comes next. Hart traces how the U.S. moved from a system that once powered wartime production and Cold War competition to one that is increasingly disconnected from the speed and innovation of the commercial economy, and explains why rebuilding that link is central to deterrence. The conversation also explores the growing role of nontraditional defense companies, the tension between innovation and bureaucracy, and what it would take to move from a peacetime footing to something more responsive.If this is a call to “mobilize,” how urgent is the situation really, and how did the United States get here? Why has the defense industrial base drifted so far from the commercial economy, and what is standing in the way of bringing them back together? And as innovation shifts toward nontraditional companies, what does the right balance look like between government and industry to ensure new technologies can actually be integrated and delivered to the warfighter?You can learn more about The American Edge, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://www.amazon.com/Mobilize-Reboot-American-Industrial-World/dp/B0FQWGC94Z Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @Madeline_ZimmLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!*Note: This episode was recorded on March 9, 2026

Today on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Seth G. Jones, author of The American Edge: The Military Tech Nexus and the Sources of Great Power Dominance, to examine whether the United States is prepared for an era of renewed great-power competition. Jones explains how military dominance has historically depended on the relationship between technological innovation and industrial capacity, and why he believes the U.S. defense industrial base is still operating on a peacetime footing even as China rapidly expands its military capabilities. The conversation also explores the role of America’s private technology sector—and whether deeper partnerships between the Pentagon and innovative firms are essential to maintaining U.S. military advantage.Is the emerging challenge from countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea a true “axis,” or a series of overlapping interests that converge against the Western-led order? How prepared is the United States for a sustained strategic competition with China, particularly if it is relying on expensive and vulnerable systems while adversaries field cheaper, rapidly adaptable technologies? And if Jones were advising Secretary Hegseth and the Pentagon today, what steps would he prioritize to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and restore America’s technological edge?You can learn more about The American Edge, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://www.amazon.com/American-Edge-Military-Sources-Dominance/dp/0197764606Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @SethGJonesLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!*Note: This episode was recorded on January 9, 2026

Today on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Anna Arutunyan, author of Rebel Russia: Dissent and Protest from the Tsars to Navalny, to explore Russian history through the lens of rebellion and dissent. Arutunyan traces the recurring dance between rebels and rulers—from the Tsars to the Soviet era to the present—and explains why uprisings so often appear to fail, yet still leave lasting marks on the Russian state. Drawing on centuries of history and her own experience reporting on Russia’s descent into authoritarianism, she examines whether dissent is a crisis-driven phenomenon or a persistent undercurrent, and how individual leaders and entrenched systems together shape Russia’s cycles of repression and reform.Are Russia’s authoritarian patterns driven more by personalities at the top or by the structures of the state itself? What moral, spiritual, or communal threads connect dissidents across eras—and why do certain opposition figures or movements periodically emerge that seem to cut across Russian society rather than remain siloed? And looking ahead, if Russia’s history is defined by cycles of rebellion and repression, what might come after Putin—and what conditions would shape whatever comes next?You can learn more about Rebel Russia, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=rebel-russia-dissent-and-protest-from-the-tsars-to-navalny--9781509552290. Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @scrawnyaLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!*Note: This episode was recorded on December 8, 2025

Season 2 Episode 5 - How the United States Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory with Franz-Stefan GadyToday on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Franz-Stefan Gady, author of How the United States Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory, to examine how Washington imagines a future conflict with the People’s Republic of China—and why those assumptions may be dangerously flawed. Gady breaks down the core features of the American way of war, from reliance on information superiority and air dominance to expectations of a short, decisive campaign, and explains why those advantages can no longer be taken for granted. Drawing on U.S. doctrine, force structure, and PLA adaptation over the past three decades, he argues that a conflict over Taiwan is far more likely to resemble a protracted, multi-domain war of attrition.How has the PLA learned from decades of observing American military overmatch, from Iraq to Ukraine? Does the United States clearly understand PRC redlines—and do Chinese leaders understand ours? And is the U.S. military, its industrial base, and its political system prepared to generate and sustain the mass required for a long war with China?You can learn more about How the United States Would Fight China, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/how-the-united-states-would-fight-china-9780197838303. Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @HoansSoloLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!*Note: This episode was recorded on December 4, 2025

Today on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Emma Ashford, author of First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World, to unpack what it means for the United States to operate in an international system it no longer dominates alone. Ashford traces how post–Cold War triumphalism gave way to today’s multipolar reality, explains when the U.S. unipolar moment truly began to fade, and lays out her case for a more pragmatic grand strategy rooted in what she calls “realist internationalism.” The conversation explores how this framework differs from both traditional realism and liberal internationalism, and what it would ask Washington to prioritize—and reconsider—as global power continues to diffuse.What would realist internationalism look like in practice for U.S. policymakers? Can the United States pursue a narrower, interest-based foreign policy while maintaining an open economic strategy with allies and partners? And as Washington adjusts to a world among equals, how should it engage Europe and rising second-tier powers like India, Turkey, and Germany?You can learn more about First Among Equals, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300279542/first-among-equals/. Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @EmmaMAshfordLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!*Note: This episode was recorded November 18, 2025

Starting off the year with a nuclear bang, Joshua Huminski is joined by Ankit Panda, author of The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon, to unpack why nuclear weapons are once again at the center of global statecraft—and why today’s risks don’t map neatly onto the Cold War playbook. Panda explains what defines this new nuclear age, how a more crowded and technologically complex nuclear landscape is reshaping deterrence, and why the erosion of arms control has left the world with fewer guardrails at exactly the wrong time.Can Washington, Moscow, and Beijing realistically sit down to discuss arms control in a nuclear “trilemma”? Is the United States being forced to relearn deterrence lessons that atrophied after decades of strategic focus elsewhere? How is Europe grappling with nuclear threats from Russia while navigating uncertainty around long-term U.S. guarantees? And looking ahead, how does this nuclear age end—and what might a fourth nuclear age look like?You can learn more about The New Nuclear Age, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-new-nuclear-age-at-the-precipice-of-armageddon--9781509557462. Check out today’s experts on Twitter:@joshuachuminski @nktpndLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!