The Defense and Democracy Dialogue is the Center for the Study of Democracy’s flagship platform on the security of free societies.
As democracies face pressure on every front, from armed conflict and hybrid warfare to disinformation, economic coercion and the erosion of institutions from within, the Dialogue treats defending democracy as a core part of defense policy. Through high-level forums, international dialogues with leading experts and policy analysis, it explores how resilient societies, technological sovereignty and strong institutions are as vital to deterrence as military power.
Defense and Democracy Dialogue with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) McMaster
Gen. McMaster examined what strategic competence demanded of democracies in an era of contested peace, as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea deepened coordination across military, economic, and information domains.
Drawing on his national security experience, he explored the risks of misreading adversaries, the importance of understanding their strategic objectives, and the need to integrate all instruments of national power to respond coherently to hybrid aggression.The conversation also addressed Europe’s eastern flank and the Black Sea region, highlighting the role of democratic resilience in countering hybrid threats and preventing state capture.
20 Oct 2026
Defense and Democracy Dialogue with Gen. (Ret.) Stanley A. McChrystal
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Gen. (Ret.) Stanley A. McChrystal joins host Michael Miklaucic, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy, to discuss why the decisive vulnerability facing democracies is rarely the threat itself, but the speed and coherence of their own response.
The conversation covers the seams between institutions, the integrity of defense spending, and the narratives that determine whether a society consents to defend itself. Drawing on his experience transforming a hierarchical force into a “team of teams” to confront a decentralized adversary, Gen. McChrystal discusses how societies can adapt under pressure, how hybrid and cognitive operations seek to erode public support for defense investment, and why oversight, transparency, and civic trust should be understood as warfighting capabilities rather than peacetime luxuries.
📅 Next in the series: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, 26th U.S. National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Board of Advisors at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Military and Political Power, joins the Defense and Democracy Dialogue on October 29, 2026, at 16:00 EET / 15:00 CET / 10:00 EDT.
👉 Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OsWSuHbVSlKoZrFazq5z4g (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OsWSuHbVSlKoZrFazq5z4g)
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20 Oct 2026
Defense and Democracy Dialogue Series with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) John Shanahan
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan joins host Michael Miklaucic, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy, to discuss how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping warfare, intelligence, and strategic competition. As the inaugural Director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and founding head of Project Maven, the Pentagon’s first large-scale effort to field AI on the battlefield, he brings a firsthand perspective on how the technology moved from concept to combat.
The conversation traces that shift from the algorithmic targeting systems he helped pioneer to today’s AI-accelerated conflicts unfolding from Ukraine to the Middle East. It examines the intensifying global race to militarize AI, the intelligence community’s struggle to keep pace with autonomous and algorithmic threats, and the critical safeguards needed to keep human judgment at the center of life-and-death decisions as machine speed increasingly outpaces human deliberation.
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20 Oct 2026
Defense and Democracy Dialogue Series: Why We Fight | Prof. Christopher Blattman
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Prof. Christopher Blattman, Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago and author of “Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace,” joins host Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director at the Center for the Study of Democracy.
Recorded in September 2025, the conversation draws on years of research and field experience to unpack the forces that drive nations toward violence and the strategies that can prevent it.
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20 Oct 2026
Defense and Democracy Dialogue Series: Why We Fight | Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ben Hodges
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, joins host Michael Miklaucic, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy, to examine today’s most pressing security challenges, drawing on decades of operational and strategic leadership.
Recorded in August 2025, the conversation covers Europe’s shifting geopolitical landscape, the unity of NATO, and Western support for Ukraine, offering a timely look at the future of transatlantic defense.
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20 Oct 2026
Defence and Democracy Dialogue Series: Why We Fight | Gen. (ret.) Philip M. Breedlove
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Gen. (Ret.) Philip M. Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, joins host Michael Miklaucic, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Democracy, for a conversation drawing on decades of frontline leadership.
Recorded in July 2025, the discussion covers NATO’s evolving posture and the rationale behind allied military engagement, offering a direct perspective from one of the leading voices in transatlantic security.
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20 Oct 2026
Shifting Power: The Emerging Trump Cabinet and Implications for U.S. Global Engagement
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, “Shifting Power: The Emerging Trump Cabinet and Implications for U.S. Global Engagement,” host Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director at the Center for the Study of Democracy, is joined by a panel from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post:
🔹 John Bussey, Associate Editor, The Wall Street Journal🔹 Aaron Zitner, Reporter and Editor, Washington Bureau, The Wall Street Journal🔹 Lee Hockstader, European Columnist, The Washington Post
Recorded in December 2024, as the incoming Trump administration announced its cabinet appointments, the conversation analyzes what those picks signaled for America’s role on the world stage, the fallout for the fault-line countries in the global power competition, and how a second Trump term might differ from the first.
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20 Oct 2026
Beijing’s Strategic Dilemma
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, “Beijing’s Strategic Dilemma,” host Ruslan Stefanov is joined by:
🔹 John Bussey, Associate Editor, The Wall Street Journal, New York
🔹 James McGregor, Chairman of Greater China, APCO Worldwide
🔹 Andrew Brown, Partner, Brunswick Group
Together they explore China’s evolving global role, its support for Russia, and how mounting economic challenges may shape its international strategy.
Recorded in October 2024, the conversation examines whether China will continue backing authoritarian regimes or shift toward re-engaging with the global order to foster economic stability, and what this means for the future of global governance and international relations.
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20 Oct 2026
The U.S. Presidential Election: What’s at Stake for Democracy Globally
🎙️ In this episode of CSD’s Defense and Democracy Dialogue, Ruslan Stefanov, Program Director at the Center for the Study of Democracy, is joined by four Wall Street Journal journalists to discuss what the 2024 U.S. presidential election meant for democracy around the world:
🔹 John Bussey, Associate Editor, New York🔹 Aaron Zitner, Reporter and Editor, Washington Bureau🔹 Gerald F. Seib, Former Washington Bureau Chief🔹 Deborah Ball, Deputy Editor of World News, London
With two candidates holding very different attitudes toward the traditional global order, democratic governance, and the rule of law, the conversation explores what was driving the shift in the U.S. electorate and in America’s historical leadership role in the world, and how the outcome of the election could affect democracies in Europe and globally.
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