Press | National Security

Classics of Strategy and Diplomacy relaunch their efforts and scholars program with seven Clements affiliates in the 2020 cohort.  

Study Abroad, pre & postdoctoral fellowships, undergraduate fellowships, esteemed speaker series, seminars, and much more! Help the Clements Center continue to provide incredible opportunities for students! Donate during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres! 

The military is one of the most trusted institutions in American society. But the question of how the military views itself is different than that and one that has significant implications. Recently, the Texas National Security Review published an article titled, “From Citizen Soldier to Secular Saint: The Societal Implications of Military Exceptionalism,” that looks at the…

Clements Center faculty fellow and LBJ School professor Sheena Greitens stresses the importance of the presentation of text and the wording choices in the United States’ policy toward China and Taiwan in John Feng’s article “Taiwan Hails Republican Bill to Formalize U.S. Ties, but Experts See Flaws” published in Newsweek.

Clements Center Executive Director Will Inboden sits down with LBJ Assistant Professor Patrick Bixler, LBJ School Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Associate Dean for Students Kate Weaver, and “Policy on Purpose” podcast host and Director of the LBJ Urban Lab Steven Pedigo for episode “From a Great Society to a Resilient Society,” a discussion about our…

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Paul Edgar, associate director of the Clements Center, sits down with Ray Takeyh to discuss his book, The Last Shah: America, Iran, and the Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty. Takeyh argues that, contrary to popular belief, the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq was not the most…

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Thomas Schwartz of Vanderbilt University, discusses his book, Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography. Few figures in American history are as controversial or divisive as Henry Kissinger. Schwartz argues that Kissinger, while mostly associated with international diplomacy and international affairs, is best understood by understanding him as…

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Dulce Garcia, executive director of Border Angels, an organization that provides outreach to asylum seekers and border crossers, joins the podcast to discuss the challenges faced with immigration policy and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Garcia talks about the security implications of immigration and asylum policy,…

Follow the link to listen to the latest from Seay the Future with George Seay and previous Director of the NSA and the Deputy Director of the CIA Bobby R. Inman, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.). 

Clements Center Executive Director Will Inboden remembers former Secretary of State George Shultz. 

The Clements Center mourns the death yesterday of Secretary George Shultz, a member of our Statecraft Board of Advisors.  In his 100 years ranging from World War II combat as a Marine in the Pacific theater, to academic and corporate leadership, and to service under three US presidents in four cabinet positions, he lived a…

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Ben Rohrbaugh, author of More or Less Afraid of Nearly Everything: Homeland Security, Border, and Disasters in the Twenty-First Century, stops by to discuss the role of the Department of Homeland Security. Rohrbaugh points out that the department has been something of an unloved stepchild within the government…

“Morgan is also a prototype for the unbiased, apolitical intelligence professional that our system relies upon,” Slick said in a comment on veteran CIA officer Morgan Muir for the New York Times. 

“The world is at a crossroads as the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the global economy have combined with increasing polarization and highly charged elections. At the same time, the unrelenting and transcendent desire of people around the globe to live in freedom offers hope for democracy and human rights. Join us as we…

On January 28, Clements Center Faculty Fellow Sheena Greitens will be testifying before the U.S. Congress China Commission at the hearing on “U.S.-China Relations at the Chinese Communist Party’s Centennial” on Trends in China’s Politics, Economics, and Security Policy. 

Clements Center Senior National Security Fellow Mark Pomar was the guest commentator on VOA’s podcast episode “Demonstrations in Support of Alexander Navalny in Russia and the US.” The program examined Navalny’s return to Russia, his arrest, and his growing popularity in Russia. The VOA program also covered  the demonstrations in several US cities, including New…

“The military, he [Golby] said, ‘understands what is at stake and remains committed to carrying out its duties in a nonpartisan manner.’” Golby also reassured that the military is accustomed to carrying out orders individuals may not agree with. 

In “What Should Be Addressed in Austin’s Confirmation Hearing for Defense Secretary?”, Senior Fellow Jim Golby considers the challenging questions General Lloyd Austin will face during his upcoming confirmation hearing to become defense secretary.

“He’ll likely get some tough challenges for his role in the drawdown of troops from Iraq, as Democrats and Republicans view it differently,” said Jim Golby, a senior fellow at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin and a former special assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “But…

“A nonpartisan military under democratic control seemed abstract, something for other nations to worry about. The mob attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6 are a sudden reminder of just how vital a nonpartisan military really is.”

 “It affirms the rule of law, clearly calls out the attack on our Constitutional processes, reminds the force of their duties, and affirms the election outcome. I think it hits exactly the right tone,” Golby said in a quoted tweet by Defense One. 

“And consider the way special ops are portrayed in popular culture, in movies. There is an identity that [extremist] groups want to have. They want to emulate the way military members dress, the way they carry weapons because that portrays an image of confidence and credibility,” said Golby addressing the recruitment of veterans into extremist…

‘The fact that Pelosi is talking to Milley about the topic is “alarming, and it shows just how dysfunctional things are right now,” said Jim Golby’ in last week’s article from the Washington Post. 

Clements Center Senior Fellow Jim Golby sounds off on the National Guard’s involvement in last week’s breach of the U.S. Capitol, noting “the president wasn’t consulted at a moment of national crisis, and the vice-president was, suggests the commander-in-chief was missing in action and not in command.” Golby also notes that the contrast between the heavy-handed…

China’s approach to surveillance, particularly its dystopian-sounding Social Credit System, has raised serious human rights concerns, particularly in its treatment of minority groups. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Clements Center senior fellow, associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, joins Corbin K. Barthold on Tech Policy podcast to…

Listen now as Exec. Director Will Inboden discusses last week’s siege of the US Capitol and the subsequent political fallout with Canada’s top news station’s radio show “The Current.” 

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Amb. (ret.) Bonnie Jenkins discusses the array of treaty obligations, international law, and other agreements that make up the arms control and nuclear non-proliferation regime. Paul Pope, senior fellow at the Intelligence Studies Project, introduces Marigny Kirschke-Schwartz, a Brumley Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security…

Exec. Director Inboden commented on the current national crisis for the Boston Globe, local Austin news station KVUE, and USA Today this week.   

Listen now as Executive Director Will Inboden sits down with the Texas Standard to discuss the national security implications of riots in the wake of yesterday’s storming of the US Capitol.

In “The National Guard has been called out in Washington, D.C. Here’s what you need to know.”, Senior Fellow Jim Golby and U.S. Air War College Assistant Professor Carrie A. Lee ebreak down the mobilization of the National Guard in our nation’s capital.

In “The military would put down Michael Flynn’s proposed insurrection”, Clements Center Academic Board of Reference member and Duke University Professor Peter Feaver and Clements Center Senior Fellow Jim Golby analyze Gen. Michael Flynn’a suggestion that President Trump could impose martial law and deploy the military to re-run the election, and consider the consequences. 

Jim Golby, Clements Center Senior Fellow, and Peter Feaver, Clements Center Academic Board of Reference member and Duke University Professor, examine the current state of Civil-Military affairs in “Biden Inherits A Challenging Civil-Military Legacy” published in War on the Rocks.

In “A U.S. Media Strategy for the 2020s: Lessons from the Cold War,” Clements Center Senior National Security Fellow Mark Pomar argues that the Biden administration needs to protect the journalistic independence of U.S. international broadcasters.

This episode of Horns of a Dilemma features a panel discussion on prospects for civil-military relations in the Joe Biden administration.  The discussion brings a wealth of knowledge on civil-military issues, as well as a wealth of experience in administering defense programs. The conversation covers a broad range of topics ranging from the challenges that…

Take a look back at the Fall 2020 semester at the Clements Center! If you would like to subscribe to our Events or Newsletter email list, please sign up here.

Professor J. Paul Pope, a Senior Fellow with ISP, recently published an essay “Intelligence Lessons From COVID: Being ‘Right’ Is Not Enough” as part of the LBJ School’s “policy toolkit” on resiliency. In the essay, Professor Pope evaluates COVID as a potential intelligence failure and challenges the utility of the traditional “Intelligence Cycle” in assessing…