What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the AfD's victory in Eastern Germany, the breakdown of global shipping, trouble on the Chinese internet, and the impact on American society and foreign policy of 9/11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Trump's reasons for optimism in Iran, the responsibility voters bear for the quality of their elites, and the greatness of Dolly Parton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss challenges to Zelensky's power, the Pentagon's ultimatum to US universities with ties to China, the Turkish-Israeli standoff in Syria, and the fate of China's Christians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Abdul El-Sayed's primary victory in Michigan, updates from the Persian Gulf, New York rabbis' meeting with Mayor Mamdani, and the global backlash to immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walter and Jeremy are on the road this week, so please enjoy Walter's recent appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss new sanctions on Russia, why America is entering a golden age of small-business creation, China's ability to shut down oil imports, and why Iran is the hedgehog to Trump's fox.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Israel's abstention from the latest military strikes on Iran, Zelensky's management of his generals, and what is going on with the US-Saudi nuclear deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss New York's ban on data centers, the fight to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, the collapse of the MOU and the current state of the Iran war, and thoughts on the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the breakdown of Trump's Iran MOU, the president's newfound admiration for Ukraine, whether Americans are becoming post-literate, and why we are not a "creedal" people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the wave of socialist victories in Democratic primaries; China's new plan to overhaul its economy with AI; why Europeans hate air conditioning; and the crumbling of Vladimir Putin's empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter gives a lecture and Q&A at the Hamilton School at the University of Florida on "The Global Crisis." The recording is from December 1st and is republished here with the permission of the Hamilton School. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Finland's reversal of its prohibition on nuclear weapons, what it means for AI doctors to outperform human physicians, Hezbollah's supposedly newfound resolution, and how to interpret Trump's Memorandum of Understanding with Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the mounting crisis in Lebanon, Russia's setback in Armenia's elections, the sources of North Korea's strength, and why Cuba is unlikely to be an easy victory for Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter gives a lecture and Q&A at the London School of Economics on American foreign policy in the Trump era. The recording is from February 19 and is republished here with the permission of the LSE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Pope's AI encyclical, the UAE's role in the Iran war, new concerns about the divide between labor and capital, and why America and Iran's minimum requirements for a peace agreement are unlikely to be met. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump's creation of a $1.8 billion slush fund, the noose tightening around Cuba, and what Walter saw and heard on a recent trip to Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the greater global influence of Muslim-majority societies, the state of political radicalization in America, and to what extent the US is actually in decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Trump's flirtation with regulating AI, Narendra Modi's big election victory in Bengal, reports of a potential coup plot in Russia, and what a quarter-century of Vladimir Putin has done to the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the US national debt, the Supreme Court's decision on a provision of the Voting Rights Act, the UAE's exit from OPEC, why Trump doesn't believe the Iran war is the catastrophe the establishment thinks it is, and King Charles' very successful visit to America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran ceasefire and negotiations, the meaning of Japan's decision to open its military technology market, the global rise of clean energy sources and decline of coal, and how Pope Leo XIV's roots in Latin American Catholicism explain his particular distaste for Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pentagon plans to use US commercial enterprises for weapons production, the rise in young American men's religiosity, Trump's fallout with the European populist right, and the successes and (mostly) failures of Viktor Orbán. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the ceasefire, the situation in Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, how the war has impacted US defense capabilities, and how Trump's domestic and international political status is faring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the latest headlines from Iran, Trump and Rubio's fight with NATO, whether Trump might try to obtain a Declaration of War from Congress, and the best and worst wartime presidents in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the other strait Iran is threatening to close, the Trump administration's interest in Ukrainian territorial concessions, rumors of increasing US troop deployments to the Middle East, and how the doves and the hawks both got Iran wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Joe Kent's resignation, Trump's frustration with NATO's refusal to help in the Gulf, JD Vance's show of support for Viktor Orban, and the state of the war in Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran campaign's economic shocks, the upsides for Russia, US-Cuba negotiations, and the three ways the Iran war could end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Anthropic's standoff with the Pentagon, whether munitions being used in Iran are really drawing down US stockpiles in other theaters, the CIA's attempt to arm a Kurdish rebellion, the cards the Ayatollahs still have left to play, and Trump's war with the Tuckerverse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the drug wars in Mexico, the tides turning against Russia in Ukraine, Trump's plans to strike Iran, and the Supreme Court's ruling against his tariff regime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russia's oil problem, Trump's war on the climate, China's arctic ambitions, and the new Saudi-led bloc against Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Xi Jinping's purge of the People's Liberation Army, the ongoing showdown between ICE and Minneapolis, the death toll in Iran, and how the tech-MAGA alliance could outlast Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why the mood at Davos this year went from denial to fear, why the United States has never been both so unpopular and so dominant there, and what Trump and Zelensky's speeches revealed about the state of the Western alliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Netanyahu's proposal to end U.S. aid to Israel, Trump's disavowal of rightwing antisemites, his ever-changing assessment of what's happening in Iran, and what China and Russia think of his moves in Venezuela and Greenland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Trump administration's appetite for Greenland, the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, and how America's enemies will try to turn the Maduro operation into a quagmire for Washington.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the downfall of the Heritage Foundation, the fissures that roiled MAGA at the Turning Point festival, the ongoing Venezuela crisis, how Trump's foreign policy might actually be making the world better off, and why we should all aspire to be more like Ben Sasse in 2026. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Trump's attempts to regain control of economic messaging, the EU's new aid package for Ukraine, and the consequences of allowing the intifada into Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the administration's seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the hidden and rising costs of healthcare premiums, China's energy future, and the implications for China, Russia, Europe, and the GOP of Trump's new National Security Strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pete Hegseth's drug boat imbroglio, the Minnesota fraud scandal, the difficulty of managing the MAGA coalition, and the factors contributing to the decline in college enrollment, outcomes, and relevance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss how AI is splitting the MAGA coalition, Xi’s phone call with Trump, why young conservative women are having more children than their liberal peers, and what exactly is happening with the Trump administration’s Ukraine peace plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the China-Japan spat, Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House, China's lead in scientific paper and patent production, and the apparent rise of Orthodox Christianity among young conservative American men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Democrats' recent election victories, the end of the government shutdown, Venezuela preparing for a hypothetical US invasion, and why Trump has started to talk about humanitarian intervention in Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the impact of Trump's tariffs, his summit with Xi Jinping, Bill Gates' about-face on climate change, and whether the future of the American right belongs to Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Trump's expanding military operations against Venezuelan drug traffickers, new US sanctions on Russia, China's nuclear power build-out, and Japan's new heavy metal-drumming, Thatcher-admiring, female prime minister. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy return to discuss the Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal, a possible war between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Walter's travels in India and Sri Lanka. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Trump administration's apparent speech crackdown, the Saudi-Pakistani mutual defense pact, the rise of cocaine cartels in Mexico, the recent events that shook the Western order, and why rightwing influencers are obsessed by Israel and Jew hatred. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russian drones entering Polish airspace, Israel's failed strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, Trump's decision to rename the Defense Department the War Department, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss US naval warships in Latin America, the latest poll of American opinion on Gaza, Trump's attempt to fire the governor of the Federal Reserve, and Xi Jinping's summit with Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why Americans are moving less, Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, declining alcohol consumption in the US, and the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss plummeting public school enrollment, Netanyahu's five-point war plan for Gaza, Nvidia's weird China deal with the White House, and the political, diplomatic, and strategic similarities between Napoleon Bonaparte and Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss transatlantic pressure on Israel, Arab pressure on Hamas, Xi Jinping's new infrastructure play in Tibet, Trump's criticism of India's relationship with Russia, the significance of Trump's trade deals with Japan and the EU, and tips for haggling in bazaars, souks, and night markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the White House's new "AI action plan," protests against Zelensky in Ukraine, hot conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, and the role of public intellectuals throughout history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices