Café Berlin

Ian Oxnevad, Lilla Nóra Kiss
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Politics

"Café Berlin" brings big global questions down to earth. Hosted by Ian Oxnevad and Lilla Nóra Kiss, the podcast explores how global competition for security, technology, and energy shapes the future of universities, civic life, and the free world. Each episode features sharp conversations with leading scholars, policymakers, and national security experts about the ideas and conflicts reshaping higher education—and why they matter far beyond campus. The NAS is a member-supported organization. If you enjoy Café Berlin, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at https://www.nas.org/cafe-berlin-donate/ so we can continue to host interesting conversations with interesting guests.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Breaking the New Axis with Seth Cropsey

    Seth Cropsey of the Yorktown Institute discusses U.S. strategy in the 21st century, which should center on the New Axis: China, Russia, and Iran as a connected "Eurasian axis," united mainly by opposition to the United States. He argues that Washington should stop treating these as separate threats and instead respond with a broader maritime and alliance-based strategy. A major theme is geography. The U.S. should strengthen partnerships with the "rimland" states around Eurasia, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Australia, the Gulf states, and Israel, with the aim of containing the ambitions of the continental powers of the New Axis. He also emphasizes Latin America, Africa, and Europe as important strategic theaters, especially where Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence can be checked at relatively low cost. Cropsey argues that modern American leaders lack the formative wartime experience that shaped past generations of strategists, and that colleges and universities often fail to teach strategic thinking while sometimes weakening civic confidence. He supports stronger military-to-military ties with Taiwan, more defense cooperation with allies, and a renewed focus on strategy in education. The discussion closes on AI and future warfare. Cropsey is cautious, saying AI's full implications are still unclear, and he ends by arguing that restoring American maritime strategy will require informed presidential leadership and promoting officers who truly understand strategy. Café Berlin is a production of the National Association of Scholars. You can support this podcast by making a tax-deductible donation at this link: https://www.nas.org/cafe-berlin-donate/ Books by Seth Cropsey Breaking the New Axis: A U.S. Grand Strategy for Eurasia  https://a.co/d/03jNscVv Mayday https://a.co/d/0c2Lgbrl

  2. Jul 22

    Stealth War and the Specter of Conflict with Gen. Robert Spalding

    Brigadier General Robert S. Spalding III, USAF (Ret.), is the former U.S. Defense Attaché in Beijing and author of Stealth War and War Without Rules. He joins Ian Oxnevad and Lilla Nóra Kiss to discuss how Beijing turns American openness into strategic leverage. Drawing on his military career, which includes extensive experience in China, Spalding argues that the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) competition with the United States reaches far beyond traditional military conflict. He explains how capital markets, supply chains, corporate access, digital infrastructure, university partnerships, AI research, and talent pipelines can become channels of influence, coercion, and technology transfer. For higher education, the warning is clear. China's students and researchers working and studying in the United States cannot be treated as strategically neutral. Rather, the likelihood is high that they are acting as agents of surveillance, censorship, or military modernization. Academic exchanges and research must be protected from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party. This episode of Cafe Berlin explores whether America can wake up to China's stealth war, strengthen deterrence over Taiwan's status, and preserve the openness that makes a free society worth defending. The NAS is a member-supported organization. If you enjoy Cafe Berlin, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at nas.org/cafe-berlin-donate so we can continue to host interesting conversations with interesting guests. Books by Robert Spalding Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept https://www.amazon.com/Stealth-War-China-While-Americas-ebook/dp/B07S3PYHH4 War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination https://www.amazon.com/War-Without-Rules-Playbook-Domination-ebook/dp/B0951N41QY

  3. Jul 15

    Xi Jinping's Taiwan Dashboard: A Conversation with Dr. Gregory J. Moore

    In this episode of Café Berlin, Ian Oxnevad and Lilla Nóra Kiss are joined by Dr. Gregory J. Moore, Professor of Government at Patrick Henry College and Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. Dr. Moore explains why Taiwan may be the most dangerous flashpoint in U.S.-China relations—and why universities should pay attention.

  4. Jul 13

    David Shedd on China's Challenge to U.S. National Security

    In this episode of Café Berlin, Ian Oxnevad and Lilla Nóra Kiss are joined by David Shedd, former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and co-author (with Andrew Badger) of The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets (HarperCollins, 2025). Their conversation explores how the Chinese Communist Party has pursued a long-term, whole-of-society strategy to acquire American technology, intellectual property, research, and strategic advantage across sectors ranging from academia and industry to artificial intelligence, telecommunications, energy, and advanced manufacturing. Drawing on decades of intelligence experience, Shedd explains how China integrates cyber operations, talent recruitment, academic partnerships, commercial access, and industrial policy into a broader geopolitical strategy aimed at reshaping the global balance of power. This discussion also examines foreign influence in U.S. higher education, research security, technology transfer, supply-chain dependency, energy policy, and the growing intersection between innovation and national security.

  5. Jul 13

    Introducing Café Berlin

    Café Berlin is a new podcast series of the National Association of Scholars, featuring Ian Oxnevad, Senior NAS Fellow for Foreign Affairs and National Security, and Lilla Nora Kiss, Senior NAS Fellow for International Affairs and Academic Integrity.

  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

"Café Berlin" brings big global questions down to earth. Hosted by Ian Oxnevad and Lilla Nóra Kiss, the podcast explores how global competition for security, technology, and energy shapes the future of universities, civic life, and the free world. Each episode features sharp conversations with leading scholars, policymakers, and national security experts about the ideas and conflicts reshaping higher education—and why they matter far beyond campus. The NAS is a member-supported organization. If you enjoy Café Berlin, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at https://www.nas.org/cafe-berlin-donate/ so we can continue to host interesting conversations with interesting guests.

Information

  • Creator
    Ian Oxnevad, Lilla Nóra Kiss
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Café Berlin