From “No Limits” to a New Axis? Russia, China, North Korea and America First 3.0
In this insightful Civic Brief, Dr. Isaiah "Ike" Wilson III dives into what he calls the WiSE Way, a practical, lawful, and principled approach to navigating today's complex security challenges. Drawing from a conversation with Dr. Ken Weinstein of the Hudson Institute, Dr. Wilson unpacks the broader strategic context of U.S. military actions, particularly in relation to Venezuela, and explores the ethical, legal, and civic implications of modern conflict. Drawing on real-world examples across the globe, Dr. Wilson stresses the importance of maintaining legitimacy, integrating defense with diplomacy and development, and building lasting coalitions. If you’re interested in the art of principled leadership and safeguarding freedom without compromising core values, this episode delivers practical insights for both policymakers and engaged citizens within complex global landscapes.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why it’s crucial to set red lines before writing the rules of engagement—and keep humans, and the law, firmly in the loop.
✅ How defense, diplomacy, development, and commerce must work together—sequenced for impact.
✅ The importance of civic and industrial stamina, and why headline-grabbing responses aren’t enough.
✅ How interoperability and shared standards build stronger coalitions—before crisis hits.
✅ The case for lawful campaigning: policing the commons, using force only with clear legal basis, and letting transparency lead the way.
✅ Real-world solutions, practical frameworks, and a commitment to protecting freedom through disciplined, grown-up statecraft—this is the Wise Way.
Thank you for tuning in! Have questions or thoughts on this Civic Brief? Want to join the conversation? Join the Substack community to stay engaged, stay informed, and help shape the future—one brief at a time.
- Substack: https://compoundsecurityunlocked.substack.com/
- Wilson WiSE Consulting Website: https://wilsonwise.com/
Key Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Risks of War on Narco-Terrorism
00:22 Setting the Frame: WiSE Way Principles and Legal/Moral Context
05:02 Five Moves of the Wise Way (Moves 1 & 2)
05:53 Global Cooperation Checklist
07:00 Remaining Wise Way Moves (Moves 3, 4 & 5)
07:04 Stamina Fuels Strategic Victory
10:08 Strategic Maritime Crime Approach
12:35 Conclusion & Outro
Key Takeaways:
💎Compass Before Code: Set Red Lines First: Before crafting any strategy or policy, decide on your non-negotiables and moral red lines—then build rules around them. This approach prevents impulsive actions and keeps operations aligned with core values.
💎3D x C Sequencing: Integrated Approach Beats Firefighting: Strategically sequence defense, diplomacy, development, and commerce initiatives—in that order—to cool off violence and build lasting security, rather than reacting randomly to crises.
💎Interoperability by Design: Standards Are Strategy: Unity and resilience across coalitions come from agreeing on standards—like shared data labels or repair processes—long before a crisis hits, making teamwork seamless when it counts.
Resources & Mentions:
- Wilson WiSE Consulting Website: https://wilsonwise.com/
- Think Beyond War: https://thinkbeyondwar.com/
- Dr. Wilson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ike-wilson/
SEO Keywords:
Civic Engagement Podcast, National Security and Public Policy, Leadership and Strategy Podcast, Dr. Ike Wilson, The Civic Brief, WiSE Way, Dr. Isaiah Ike Wilson III, lawful campaigning, rule of law, military strategy, maritime security, diplomacy, development, commerce, international relations, Trump administration, Venezuela conflict, narco terrorism, integrated defense, Coast Guard operations, great power competition, ethical statecraft, coalition building, legitimacy in warfare, transparency, interoperability, homeland security, prosecutorial standards, partner alliances, national security strategy
Transcript
[00:00:22] Dr. Isaiah Ike Wilson III: Good evening friends, fellow travelers. Tonight I wanna talk about how we win the hard way, the lawful way. In the honest way. I call it the wise way. It's a simple idea. In a world of tangled threats, we need clear rules, steady hands, and practical moves that make us safer without breaking the very laws and values that keep us free.
[:[00:01:06] Ken Weinstein of the Hudson Institutes, uh, let's call it the, around the world, uh, in about 80 minutes and during that travel, you heard Dr. Weinstein deliver a very robust and frankly, a very logical and rational due cause argument in support of this second Trump administration's military postures. And lethal strike actions targeting Maduro's Venezuela.
[:[00:02:03] Lemme say that last part again, may eventually be found in, in secured as legitimate. What I wanna do here now is to offer a bit of the counterfactual, the other side of this story, if you will. And that side. This other side of this story begins and ends with legal, moral, and ethical concerns surrounding what are difficult, if not impossible to characterize at least so far as extra juridical killings off the coast of Venezuela and expanding across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
[:[00:03:13] Now, the wise way is about discipline. Police where law gives us reach, prosecute, where evidence travels, reserve force for clearly lawful bounded support. That's the frame. Now, I promise you the five moves. So here we go. First, focus on the compass before code. Set red lines first, then write the code around them.
[:[00:04:05] This same rules applies to the so-called narcoterrorism war. We are not in a declared armed conflict with cartels. Let me say that again. Domestic law, international humanitarian law, legally we are not in a declared armed conflict with cartels. Folks, that matters a lot. It means capture first, evidence first.
[:[00:04:54] Now, secondly, you've heard me talk before about integrated 3D times seed [00:05:00] defense, diplomacy, development, and commerce. In that order. Integrated together. Our second move is to sequence our tools on purpose. Again, I call it 3D times C. First, defense protect people, protect nodes in networks, air defense ports, power grids, data cables, et cetera.
[:[00:05:50] You get the idea. Now, this is not just theory, it's a checklist. And this is a checklist that I've employed over 25 years across the globe. [00:06:00] And though in the Indo-Pacific, success is often presence without war. Coast guards cooperating, shared maritime pictures, quick repair tenders for cables and ports in Europe, the races against time, not just territory.
[:[00:06:44] Track interdiction to prosecution conversion, not just tons seized. What's the bottom line here? Sequence matters. When we align 3D times C, we raise the cost of aggression and lower the odds of war. [00:07:00] Thirdly, industrial and civic stamina. Build depth where it counts and measure delivery, not just headlines.
[:[00:07:33] Things like election integrity, referee protection for judges and journalists and public services that work on time. Now, here's how to make it real. Time money. The metrics. No data, no dollars. Publish service clocks, ballot, cure times, case closures, port throughput, stock the spares again, transformers, fiber, fuel, bladders, drone parts, et [00:08:00] cetera.
[:[00:08:25] Here's the fourth move. Make unity easy. Real conditions and coalitions don't happen on summit day. They happen on standard day. On a day to day. Decide ahead of time how we'll share data, how we'll train, how we'll store and move fuel and spares. What we'll call an incident and how we respond to it. Let's talk practical steps.
[:[00:09:14] Bring it to the table. If underwriters see the plan, ships keep sailing premiums stay sane. The bottom line interoperability is built on Tuesday afternoons. Not during a crisis. The day after is what matters most. It's what's most durable standards folks are strategy. Fifth, lawful campaigning. I want to emphasize this point.
[:[00:10:08] Again, coast Guard cutters plus maritime patrol aircraft. Plus that giant of south plus partnership riders plus clear jurisdiction. That's how you detect, monitor, interdict, and prosecute without declaring war on the ocean. We look to assure operations, this is where we get in trouble if we frame cartels as wartime enemies and take shots without a solid legal basis.
[:[00:11:03] Clocks acknowledge in 24 hours. Facts in 72. Legal basis always published and in rescue duty. If forces used at sea save lives and document everything, independent reviews, if we air say so and then fix it transparently. The bottom line here is that li legitimacy is the decisive terrain. You cannot defend freedom by undermining the law that protects it.
[:[00:11:58] And interoperability by [00:12:00] design, shared standards, shared stocks, shared sense making. Finally, most importantly, lawful campaigning. Police. Those comments prosecute under the law Use force rarely narrowly, and with sunlight, keep it transparent. This is how we stay strong without losing ourselves. This is how we protect allies without burning bridges.
[:[00:12:46] Fellow travelers, clear eyes, steady hands. Many, not one. I'm Dr. Ike Wilson. Thanks for walking this road with me. For Nation not Self.[00:13:00]
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