What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

25 Years After 9/11

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 s

The Limits of Democracy in War

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 Part

Zelensky, Universities, Syria, and Chinese Christians

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

Is the Era of Mass Migration Coming to an End?

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 glo

Religion and Politics in the American Experiment

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/

The Slop of War

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, a

Trump's Nuclear Switcheroo

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

Iran, Data Centers, Daylight Saving, and Lindsey Graham

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 th

Are Americans a People?

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

Socialists, Chinese AI, Air Conditioning, and Putin

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 con

The Global Crisis

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 republishe

Trump's Very Own Iran Deal

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 su

The Cuban Quagmire

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 unlik

US Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump

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 republis

Why Peace With Iran Is Elusive

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 an

A Visit to Ukraine

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 wha

The Rise of Islam and the Radicalization of America

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 U

25 Years of Putin

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, an

God Save the King

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

Trump v. Pope

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