Deep State Radio

It's UNGA week, the big party for the world's leaders as they come to NYC for the opening of the UN General Assembly. Of course, this year is marked by the fact that it's Donald Trump's first UNGA as president of the United States...and that could be the reason so many of the world's most important leaders are not attending. But plenty of folks will be watching because Trump is, after all, Trump. This week, David Sanger of the New York Times, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University and Kori Schake of Stanford University discuss what to expect from Trump and the UN meetings with regard to Iran, North Korea, and Nikki Haley's career prospects. Join us!

It's the one question everyone in the world has on their minds--other than will Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson really run for president in 2020. And that is where will Johnson's predecessor as commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, engage in his first shooting war? North Korea is seen as perhaps the most frightening candidate...but also, according to our experts, it is probably not the most likely. Iran seems far more likely. But what about Venezuela? What about his next meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell? Our intrepid gang of Deep State insiders--Rosa Brooks of Georgetown, Kori Schake of Stanford, and David Sanger of the New York Times (and Harvard) consider our options. Tune in.

Donald and Melania Trump presided over 9/11 remembrance ceremonies on Monday for the first time as president. Trump seemed awkward and his language was stilted. He does not do compassion well. But Trump is not so far removed from 9/11 as you might think--despite his failure to donate from his charities to its victims or his need to resort to lies to pretend he was close to those victims. No, he and his supporters who promote intolerance toward Muslims are producing precisely the outcome that Bin Laden sought and the fear that helps fuel their anger was exactly what Bin Laden was seeking to generate. On this episode of Deep State. Radio, join Rosa Brooks of Georgetown, Kori Schake of Stanford, Ed Luce of the Financial Times and host David Rothkopf of Union County, New Jersey, in a discussion of how we got where we are, how this resonates with tribalism worldwide, how we can fix it and why Rosa has such a sunny disposition.

Donald Trump ends the DACA program. He tacitly supports white supremacists. He goes after Muslims. He wants a wall. He attacks the courts. He can’t get anything done but can’t stop talking about it. He’s a mess. But he’s not just our mess. When the guy who holds the job of “leader of the free world” cedes the moral high ground, is incompetent, and actively undermines our values and those of our allies, it has a big effect on the way the world works. Has the world reached the point where it has concluded Trump is incapable of global leadership and they are either waiting for his replacement or taking advantage of America’s newfound absence of influence? Is this where we will be for years to come? Our panelists, Rosa Brooks and Colin Kahl of Georgetown and Kori Schake of Stanford, discuss. And hijinx ensue.

Donald Trump has taken establishing foolish redlines into the 21st Century with the use of social media. In the case of North Korea, he is threatening devastating outcomes if they go one inch further…and then they do…and do it again…and he doesn’t act. Is he all talk? Or is he the irrational maniac he seems to be, the kind who could trigger a catastrophe on the Korean Peninsula? Our loyal band of deep staters—Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake and Colin Kahl—discuss and lament the current state of play of this most serious crisis of the young Trump administration. Join them for this special back-to-school episode of Deep State Radio…and the most rational discussion of the North Korea crisis you will hear anywhere!

President Trump has a new Afghanistan strategy, just like the old Afghanistan strategy. Are we starting our seventeenth one-year war in Afghanistan, or is the 17th time the charm? On this episode, Rosa Brooks hosts in David's absence, and Kori Schake and Heather Hurlburt offer insights and diverging perspectives on Afghanistan - with special bonus snark on India and Pakistan.

Trump's racism and affinity for the worst sorts of right wing extremists poured forth defiantly in the wake of the unrest in Charlottesville. The result was an avalanche of criticism and waves of defections from presidential advisory groups and companies supporting his resorts with events. Is this a watershed? Can Trump no longer perform even ceremonial roles as president? And should his cabinet continue to cover for his glaring defects? That's what Heather Hurlburt of New America, Stanford's Kori Schake, Georgetown's Rosa Brooks and host David Rothkopf discuss on this fun and sun-filled episode of Deep State Radio.

While you were busy fretting about Nazis and the sudden implosion of Donald J. Trump, the Deep State Radio team maintained its steady focus on nuclear apocalypse. With David still away in an undisclosed location, Rosa, Kori and special guests Jeffrey Lewis and Alice Hunt Friend wonder about Trump and the nuclear codes, and argue about whether military personnel have a duty to obey a presidential order to launch a preemptive nuclear strike, or a duty to disobey. Moving along, they ask whether the Iran deal is on the chopping block, when Japan and South Korea will demand nukes of their own, and why everyone seems to have lost interest in Pakistan.

It’s been a validating week for apocalypse watchers. On this episode of Deep State Radio, David hides in his hardened bunker while Rosa, Kori and guests Alice Hunt Friend and Jeffrey Lewis wonder what should scare us more, heavily armed white supremacists marching through Charlottesville, or the prospect of imminent war with North Korea? Jeffrey – a.k.a. Arms Control Wonk – explains North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, Rosa wonders if deterrence theory applies to Donald Trump, Alice argues that the moral arc of the universe is still bending towards justice, and several rhinestones fall off Kori’s tiara of optimism.

In the latest episode of Deep State Radio Julia Ioffe of the Atlantic, Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University and host David Rothkopf take a look at the current state of Washington, DC and the world...and conclude that Rosa's earlier idea of buying up used missile silos and hardened bunkers in order to live out the apocalypse was great real estate advice. We also discuss the merits of having a deli in the silo...and substance...lots of discussion of crises of every variety. Just what a Deep State Radio nerd needs to help get them through the end of a very long, scary week. Join us.

What is the geopolitical significance of Putin's torso? What do his exposed nipples say about Russia and its people. Why is it absolutely vital that the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, never ever ever never sees Putin's fondness for exposing his naked chest as he did recently on a fishing expedition to Siberia as a challenge? Why must America never see the First Torso? Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University and Julia Ioffe of The Atlantic join host David Rothkopf for an in-depth discussion of these and other issues regarding the US-Russia relationship today. These other issues may also lead you to lose your appetite...but in a different way. Tune in.

We present you, our beloved Deep State nerds, with the face-off you've been anticipating all summer. Our expert team breaks down rising powers, ruling powers, and the forces that drive war. Graham Allison and Kori Schake debate The Thucydides Trap, Rosa Brooks and David Rothkopf help us make sense of the similarities between ancient and modern history, all while convincing us to read The History of the Peloponnesian War. Come for the cage match and stay until the very end for some chilling insights into North Korea.

Clearly the world has gone, in the words of one Deep State Radio listener nerd, "nuclear grade bonkers." On this episode of the pod, Rosa Brooks, Kori Schake, Julie Smith, and, host, David Rothkopf discuss the latest examples of this including the departure of the worst and shortest lived communications in White House history (with the best nickname...we won't miss you, Mooch) and they debate the prospects of former Secretary of Homeland Security, General John Kelly to bring order to this White House. From there the conversation turns to a world in chaos and Rosa tries to wrestle the "tiara of optimism" away from Kori as Julie slowly bangs her head on the acoustic foam covered walls of our tiny studio in the third sub-basement of the Ministry of Snark. Outrage fatigue? We're not there yet! Tune in!

This week, Ben Wittes of Brookings and Lawfare and David Sanger of the New York Times chat with David Rothkopf about the global consequences of domestic scandals. The President continues to argue that Russia didn’t interfere with the 2016 U.S. elections -- how does this affect his relationship with the intelligence community, constituencies, and the world? At what point does Trump become a direct line of communication between Putin and the American people? We also discuss the policy process of the National Security Council and the President’s approach to nuclear negotiations with Iran and North Korea, with analysis from observations at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Join us for another episode recorded deep within the Ministry of Snark.

Jared Kushner took centerstage in the America's favorite circus as the week began and in this episode of Deep State Radio, our excellent guest, Lawfare editor Ben Wittes, joins David Sanger of the New York Times and David Rothkopf of somewhere in New Jersey to discuss the pros and cons of how America's Secretary of Everything presented himself. They even found some nice things to say. Also: a discussion of where the investigation is taking us, the consequences of the President's latest Twitter storms, and how all this is making everyone feel and the U.S. government work during this cheerful summer holiday season of 2017.