Young China Watchers

In August’s episode of the YCW Podcast, Sam speaks with Oriana Skylar Mastro, Assistant Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University and an officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Oriana’s new book “The Costs of Conversation: Obstacles to Peace Talks in Wartime” explores case studies of conflicts in Asia, laying out a framework to explain why states do not engage diplomatically with their adversaries. People sometimes assume that states are in frequent contact while in conflict. Oriana argues that this is not the case. She points out that in the majority of conflicts since the Second World War, at least one of the states refused to talk to the other throughout the entire conflict.“The point of the book is to delve into this and lay out the reasons that influence the decision to not talk to the enemy,” she tells YCW. Throughout this episode, Oriana and Sam talk about these reasons and their application—including escalation, inducements to negotiation, and the danger of perceived weaknes