A Dangerous Start to 2026

Eric and Eliot discuss Trump’s latest reversals on Greenland before pivoting to the recently released National Defense Strategy. They dissect the many flaws of the NDS, including North Korean–style adoration for the President, a lack of explanation for how its stated goals would ...  Show more

Eric and Eliot welcome Stephen Kotkin, professor emeritus of history at Princeton University and senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Freeman-Spogli Institute. They discuss his recent Foreign Affairs article, “The Weakness of the Strongmen: What Really Th ...  Show more

Day 1,315.Today, Ukraine assassinates a Russian senior officer from the National Guard and Moscow launches the biggest autumn conscription round since 2016. We look at Russian influence of European politics, from the UK to Hungary, and General David Petraeus offers his candid ref ...  Show more

The stakes in Ukraine have again been laid bare. A Russian ballistic missile hit Odesa today, killing at least eight people, with children among the seriously injured. So the news that President Biden will allow the use of powerful long-range American weapons inside Russia may fe ...  Show more

Day 1,001.Today, as the US closes its embassy in Kyiv in anticipation of Russian retaliation for Joe Biden’s recent policy shifts, we examine in more detail Russia’s new nuclear doctrine and ask: is it just the same old wine in a slightly newer bottle?. Contributors:Dominic Nicho ...  Show more

Day 797. Today, we discuss the heavy fighting in the East as Russia approaches Chasiv Yar, we report on the inauguration of Vladimir Putin in Moscow and analyse Ukraine’s manpower crisis.  David Knowles (Head of Audio Development). @djknowles22 on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Ed ...  Show more