MIT professor & Brookings senior fellow ⎮ Foreign policy, military operations, nuclear weapons, authoritarianism ⎮ Book: The Dictator's Army
Washington, DC
Joined September 2018
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My latest on the Iranian threat to the Strait of Hormuz in @ForeignAffairs
foreignaffairs.com/iran/horm…
ProfTalmadge retweeted
Data from Kpler shows that China has received around 1.2 million barrels of oil a day from Iran so far in 2026, only slightly less than the same period last year. nytimes.com/2026/08/25/busin…
Deeply saddened to hear of Dolly Parton's passing. Her musical talents were otherworldly, and then on top of that she was a genius businesswoman and a humanitarian of the first order. May you rest in peace, Dolly. We will always love you. @DollyParton
ProfTalmadge retweeted
New Beijing Brief: Recorded on the ground in Taipei, @ryanl_hass and @jonczin talk with @ProfTalmadge about Taiwan's defense strategy, its tech sector, and where Washington's read on the threat falls short. brook.gs/4hIEnml
ProfTalmadge retweeted
What are the spaces to watch in Taiwan in the coming year? Recording on the ground in Taipei, @ryanl_hass asks @jonczin and @ProfTalmadge on the latest episode of The Beijing Brief on Taiwan's security.
🎧Listen wherever you get your podcasts: brookings.edu/articles/how-s…
ProfTalmadge retweeted
"After being here for a week... I think the idea that Taiwan doesn't 'get it' somehow about its own security situation is misplaced."
@ProfTalmadge on Taipei's understanding of the need to defend itself asymmetrically vs China.
🎧 Listen to the episode: brook.gs/4hIEnml
I would add: China's oil stockpiles have significantly reduced what otherwise would have been a much bigger spike in oil prices from the Iran War. This is an under-appreciated source of Xi's leverage over Trump.
ft.com/content/3aa706c2-50bb…
Tale as old as time
washingtonpost.com/national-…
Delighted to have joined The Beijing Brief podcast from Taipei for a discussion of Taiwan's defense policy and security environment with @ryanl_hass and @jonczin.
How secure is Taiwan? What does the view from Taipei show that Washington is missing?
In a new special episode of The Beijing Brief recorded in Taipei, @ProfTalmadge joins @ryanl_hass & @jonczin to unpack the state of Taiwan’s defense and security. Listen:brookings.edu/articles/how-s…
The administration still doesn't get that Iran has a vote on when this conflict ends.
wsj.com/world/middle-east/ir…
ProfTalmadge retweeted
Oh, maybe we’ll get a nuclear Iran and a nuclear South Korea too out of the same administration.
I'm old enough to remember when South Korea was the linchpin of US plans to increase ship building capacity.
(That was 3 days ago btw.)
Saying the Lincoln has among the lowest number of mental health cases among US carriers isn’t the great talking point you think it is
Translation: Trump launched a war with the unrealistic goal of eliminating Iran's nuclear program at low cost, a goal now being jettisoned in a desperate attempt to return to the status quo ante in the Strait, which is also likely to fail.
If you need more convincing on why large unhardened bases are a big vulnerability both in the Gulf and Indo-Pacific
nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/po…
