Iran, Hormuz, and Assessing Global Risk with Ron Dodson

Rod Dodson, hedge fund manager, global risk expert, and fellow Substacker is back on the podcast today to talk about the war with Iran and its strategic implications. In particular, Ron and I delve into what strategic objectives ought to be in a conflict like this one that pits a global superpower against a middle power that sits astride a global trade artery.e discuss the dynamics of alliance politics and how they influence decision making and may not always work in the interest of the stronger party. We both agree that while the war is demonstrating the value of a military alliance with Israel and the Arab states at the operational level, but disagree on the extent to which those alliances negatively impact America’s grand strategy.We also discuss the information domain and the propaganda war that has emerged in the American media, and the Trump administration’s apparent mishandling of the messaging. Ron rightly points out here and in his American Mind articles linked below that the constant reference to a nuclear threat hasn’t done the administration any favors. Subscribe to Tim Talks Politics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the full show notes (30% off for podcast listeners)!