Dylan Motin

International Relations Author, Scholar, & Consultant
Founder of Palisade:

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

How did France's Louis XIV survive his failed bid for hegemony?

My new book with @AnthemPress explores the Sun King’s war termination lessons, which remain relevant for great powers today.

📖 Abstract:
The international relations field grew around stories of great powers vying for hegemony and ultimately failing. However, France’s Louis XIV stands out among modern aspiring hegemons as the only one to leave his country intact, even larger than he found it. This book argues that Louis XIV’s war-ending strategy explains this outlying case. Like other potential hegemons, Louis fought general wars he failed to win decisively. But Louis would often negotiate peace from a position of strength while other aspiring hegemons generally fought to the finish, thus solidifying uncompromising balancing coalitions. This eagerness to pursue peace from a strong position mollified opposing coalitions and allowed France to extract some gains, however limited. First, the work presents Louis’s strategy of major wartime concessions from a position of strength. Second, it shows how he used this strategy to exit his three general wars. Third, it describes his foreign policy background and beliefs to unpack the origins of this war-ending strategy. Fourth, the book compares France with other hegemonic pretenders to control for possible explanations and shows that Louis’s strategy was unique. Finally, it discusses in turn the research’s implications for the international security field and U.S. decision-makers concerned by the possibility of war with China and Russia. Hence, this book matters to policymakers, international relations theorists, and historians of modern Europe.

🛒 Get it here: https://t.co/iLyXq9aALc

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

"A short exercise in uchronia. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia becomes a model liberal democracy. [...] On February 24, Russian forces finally invade. [...] After a few days of ferocious combat, Kyiv falls."

Read more: https://t.co/PWqmPUoAD9

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Link: https://t.co/PWqmPUo2NB

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Should great power competition with China and Russia aim to turn them into democracies?

Democracy is unlikely to make Moscow or Beijing more friendly, but it might make them more powerful. That’s an issue anyone pondering the endgame of competition should take seriously.

[DH Lee @rok_nuke]

Received my latest co-authored book today, which addresses K-SSN and operational strategy. This represents the fifth book released by the ROK Forum for Nuclear Strategy (ROKFNS) since 2024, when the forum produced its inaugural work on South Korea’s nuclearization.

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

https://t.co/Qgw9X9RPA6

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

When you are starting out in risk consulting, some of the hardest decisions have little to do with the analysis itself: when to deliver, when to turn down a project, and how to price your time.

I wrote down three rules I wish more junior consultants learned early.

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Don’t rush. Don’t overreach. Don’t underprice.

Which one has been hardest for you to follow?

Full article in the first reply.

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

These are personal principles, not absolute rules, but they should help protect both the quality of your work and the value of your time.

“Don’t Rush, Don’t Overreach, Don’t Underprice”
Full post: https://t.co/Qgw9X9RPA6

End

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Three rules I would give new political-risk consultants:

1. Don’t rush
2. Don’t overreach
3. Don’t underprice

The analysis itself is only part of consulting. You also need to manage delivery, expertise, and pricing.

1/5

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Competing primarily on price is a losing strategy.

A limited introductory discount may make sense. Building your business around chronic underpricing does not. Clients are paying to reduce the risk of much costlier mistakes.

4/5

[Maximilian Ernst, PhD @MaxJErnst1]

Great news: My book "China's Coercion of States in the Asia-Pacific Region" published with @routledgebooks Asian Security Studies Series, received a paperback.
Applying #neorealism & #wedgestrategies, it explains how #China divides adversary #alliances.

https://t.co/21YksvdTe0

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Ma recension de l'ouvrage de Cheong Seong-chang, « La face cachée de Kim Jong-un ».

https://t.co/fP3XFJzLTu

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

A recent review (in French) of my Bandwagoning in International Relations ↓
https://t.co/rYQ0OtRpgE

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

Pleased to be quoted in La Croix on Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea ⬇️
https://t.co/4miys8SjFm

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

🚨 Conference alert 🚨

KISA’s 18th Annual Convention will take place in Seoul on 30 Oct. 2026.

Theme: “Diplomatic and Security Challenges in an Era of Shocks to the Global System.”

Send 150-word proposals + 100-word bios by 1 Aug.

🔗 https://t.co/86CpRZxSAh

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

🏆 Prix Jeunes Français de Corée - Culture et Société

Vous êtes français, résidez en Corée du Sud, avez moins de 35 ans et êtes actif dans le domaine culturel ou social ? Participez à notre Prix Culture et Société !

🔗 Retrouvez le règlement complet :
https://t.co/r54s1FuA0r

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

I was on KBS World recently to discuss the upcoming regional elections regarding the provinces of Gangwon and Chungcheong. Check the Wednesday, May 20, show if you want to know more.
https://t.co/dMkaZgvKj3

[Dylan Motin @DylanMotin]

A small detour from my usual international relations stuff: if you’re into Korean studies, check out our chapter with Yeowon Yoon in 'From Koreanness to K-ness: Contemporary Korean Culture and Society,' made possible by Seryun Lee’s great editing.

🔗 https://t.co/M9xh4flhV6