On our latest podcast, @dubstepindprk.bsky.social argues Pyongyang learned from the USSR's fall by doubling down on Stalinism and nuclear deterrence. Listen: tnsr.org/2026/08/how-... #NorthKorea #ColdWar #NuclearSecurity
Texas National Security Review
@tnsr.org
A rigorous, policy-relevant journal on national & international security, brought to you by The University of Texas System | tnsr.org
We are proud to announce the print release of Vol. 9, Issue 3, "New Challenges, Shifting Perspectives." The complete physical edition can now be purchased through @utexaspress.bsky.social. Read now: tnsr.org/volume-9-iss... #NationalSecurity #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations
Order your copy of our latest issue today from @utexaspress.bsky.social at utpress.utexas.edu/journals/tex...
Texas National Security Review
utpress.utexas.edu
University of Texas Press@utexaspress.bsky.social · 2w agoTEXAS NATIONAL SECURITY REVIEW has just published their latest issue on “New Challenges, Shifting Perspectives”. Check out what’s inside issue 9:3!
Satellites capture public attention, but 100-year-old undersea cables carry 99% of global data transmission. @charlesmok.bsky.social explores why policymakers routinely overlook vital physical infrastructure. He argues that out-of-sight cables represent a critical national security vulnerability.
Undersea infrastructure carries 99% of intercontinental data, yet it remains a dangerous blind spot in national security circles. On our latest podcast, @charlesmok.bsky.social details how authoritarian states use gray-zone tactics to target these vulnerabilities.
What did North Korea learn from the Soviet Union's collapse? @dubstepindprk.bsky.social argues that they never bought the idea that economic reform leads to stability. The Kim regime chose patrimonialism and ideological control instead. That choice has defined North Korean statecraft ever since.
What did North Korea take from the Soviet collapse? Benjamin R. Young argues Pyongyang drew one conclusion above all: strengthen ideological control and build nuclear weapons. Read now: tnsr.org/2026/07/savi... @dubstepindprk.bsky.social #NorthKorea #NuclearWeapons #NationalSecurity
How do global conflicts reshape Beijing’s cross-strait strategy? Mike Kuiken explains how the PLA is analyzing military quagmires in Ukraine and Iran. He argues that these insights are prompting Chinese planners to comprehensively refresh their approach to a 2027 Taiwan scenario.
The UAE signed an agreement to fly a lunar rover on China's Chang'e 7 this August. Then US ITAR restrictions forced it to withdraw. Hines, Rubin & Alagirova argue that moment captures something larger: American export controls are closing doors that China is walking through.
How has the US-China Commission shaped strategy over 25 years? Randall Schriver and Mike Kuiken break down the 2027 Taiwan timeline, tech competition, and over-the-horizon risks. tnsr.org/2026/07/25-y... #China #NationalSecurity #Taiwan @iips.bsky.social | @hooverinstitution.bsky.social
China's Chang'e 7 mission launches this August, targeting the lunar south pole and carrying payloads from six international partners. Egypt is one of them. In our new issue, Hines, Rubin & Alagirova map China's expanding space diplomacy across the Middle East and find a deliberate strategy.
A hit-and-run playbook leaves undersea cable networks highly vulnerable to gray-zone aggression. How can the international community respond? In our new article, @charlesmok.bsky.social argues that democracies must unite to protect this vital infrastructure.
Based on this @tnsr.org article, also by @ebrewer.bsky.social. tnsr.org/2026/06/what...
What Good Is a Nuclear Threshold Capability? Lessons from Iran’s Nuclear Program and Recent Regional Conflict - Texas National Security Review
The 2023–25 conflict in the Middle East was the first regional conflagration in which Iran was a nuclear threshold state. In theory, nuclear latency can confer strategic benefits, as Iran’s adversarie...
tnsr.org
Aron Lund@aronlund.bsky.social · last mo.Very good Horns of a Dilemma episode on Iranian nuclear hedging, deterrence, signaling, etc, with @nti.org’s @ebrewer.bsky.social. tnsr.org/2026/06/iran...
Undersea cable networks carry up to 99 percent of intercontinental data transmission, but they are increasingly vulnerable to gray-zone sabotage at critical chokepoints. In our newest article, @charlesmok.bsky.social outlines a targeted framework for global collaboration.
Has degrading Iran's nuclear program actually made the region less safe? @ebrewer.bsky.social argues that previous restraint—like avoiding attacks on the Strait of Hormuz or Gulf energy targets—was driven by fear of retaliatory strikes. Now that those strikes have occurred, Iran has less to fear.
How fragile are our moral boundaries during a high-stakes crisis? @pslovic.bsky.social et al. demonstrate that when forced to evaluate competing tragedies side-by-side, what was once considered completely unthinkable can quickly become accepted as a "lesser evil."
With the US and Iran negotiating a roadmap to end the recent war, Tehran’s nuclear program is once again at the forefront of global security. What role does nuclear latency play in regional stability?
Our latest article challenges classical deterrence theory by exploring the limits of human rationality. @pslovic.bsky.social et al. argue that deep-seated cognitive biases, including psychic numbing and the affect heuristic, systematically distort high-stakes decisions regarding nuclear escalation.
Did Western military dominance inadvertently accelerate Iran’s nuclear ambitions? In our latest, @ebrewer.bsky.social examines the dangerous escalation cycle between the United States, Israel, and Iran. He argues that conventional superiority drove Tehran to advance its nuclear program . . .
What are the strategic trade-offs of nuclear hedging? @ebrewer.bsky.social examines Iran’s nuclear program from 2023–25 and argues that instead of providing a net advantage, Iran’s threshold status became a critical vulnerability that invited conventional attacks and degraded its security.
In our new podcast episode, Herb Lin argues that unproven military tech lets policymakers gloss over operational flaws. It offers a convenient narrative to promise casualty reduction and simulate responsive action in unfavorable scenarios.
Why are policymakers consistently drawn to the promise of revolutionary military tech despite repeated acquisition failures? Herb Lin reveals the persistent traps of technological overmatch, from "fallacy of the last move" thinking to the distinct architectural nature of AI.
Geography is about more than just resources or strategic chokepoints. In our upcoming issue, Francis J. Gavin, the chair of our editorial board, argues that place fundamentally shapes identity and political realities.
In the opening essay to our upcoming issue, Francis J. Gavin argues that modern geopolitics has expanded into the planetary commons, cyber, and space. Yet, traditional physical geography and a deep sense of place still fundamentally shape international conflict.
Following recent talks in Beijing, "strategic stability" is the formulation of the moment in US-China relations. But how does this diplomatic shorthand map onto reality? In our latest issue, authors argue that achieving true strategic stability is harder today than ever.
On our latest podcast episode, Jackie Schneider (@jackieschneider.bsky.social) argues that analogies comparing cyber threats to Pearl Harbor or 9/11 is irresponsible. Instead, her research shows how the centralization of nuclear networks directly impacts their vulnerability.
On our latest podcast episode, Dr. Jackie Schneider (@jackieschneider.bsky.social) challenges common assumptions about the cyber-nuclear nexus. Moving beyond Hollywood scenarios, she applies percolation theory to show how network centralization impacts vulnerability.
Michael Horowitz (@mchorowitz.bsky.social) challenges the narrative that military AI is moving too fast. He argues that the Pentagon is actually too slow to scale proven technologies. Rather than fearing experimental prototypes, he contends it is time to "hit the accelerator."
In our latest podcast episode, @mchorowitz.bsky.social argues that psychology and organizational behavior will shape how AI conditions nuclear risk. Early adoption in nuclear command could be destabilizing, but understanding the technology over time may improve strategic stability.
These days, most of my reading takes place digitally, but it’s always a great feeling to hold in your hands a physical copy of something you contributed to. Thank you to @tnsr.org for publishing Herb Lin and my co-edited round table on emerging technologies and strategic stability.
