In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef reveal that the Canadian Defence and Security Network (CDSN) is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). They also provide updates on their current research projects and recent travel to Israel (Steve) and Holland (Stef). Discussing the news, Steve and Stef talk about Secretary General of NATO, General Stoltenberg’s recent visit to Canada and Canada’s contributions to NATO. They also discuss the recent accidental disclosure of location of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe. In the emerging scholar segment, Stef speaks with Sarah Greco about her fascinating PhD dissertation on the salience of soft power mechanisms in power transitions amongst great power rivals. This episode’s featured interview is with Sara Moller who talks NATO in the Trump era. Finally, in Steve’s Peeve’s, Steve argues that presidential tweets matter!

Participant Biographies:

• Stéfanie von Hlatky: Associate Professor of political studies at Queen’s University and the former Director of the Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP). Her research focuses on NATO, armed forces, military interventions, and defence policy. Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
• Stephen M. Saideman: Paterson Chair in International Affairs, as well as Director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network – Réseau Canadien Sur La Défense et la Sécurité, and Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University. Fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
• Sara Greco: a doctoral candidate of political studies at Queen’s University, an R.S. McLaughlin Graduate Fellow, and a Student Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy. Her most recent article, co-authored with Stéfanie von Hlatky, is entitled “Soft Contributions are Hard Commitments: NATO and Canada’s Global Security Agenda" and has been published in Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.
• Dr. Sara Bjerg Moller: an Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Her research interests include military interventions, alliances, and grand strategy. I use a variety of methods to investigate the group dynamics and interplay of conflict and cooperation in wartime.

Related Links:

• CDSN-RCDS
• "The erosion of American diplomacy" by Sara Greco
• NATO SHAPE
• "Fighting friends: Institutional cooperation and military effectiveness in multinational war" by Dr. Sara Bjerg Moller