David Kilcullen, 'The Dragons and the Snakes'

This episode we have the pleasure of talking with David Kilcullen, the author of "The Dragon and the Snake: How the Rest of the World Learned to Fight the West." He is a Retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of New South Wales as well as a professor of practice in Global Security at Arizona State University. He is also the head of Cordillera Applications Group, a strategic research firm . David Kilcullen was named one of the Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2009.

Today we discuss the content of his book, "The Dragon and the Snake: How the Rest of the World Learned to Fight the West." Russia uses what Dave calls, "liminal warfare" to accomplish their aims. China employs "conceptual warfare" to accomplish theirs. These methods are meant to gain their objects while avoiding a response from the West. Smaller nations and non-state groups are also discussed. Philip Sharp also discusses the current American outlook concerning national security in his essay segment.