Rational Security

This week, Alan and Scott were joined by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett and law professor extraordinaire Kate Klonick to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including:  “Time to Musk Up.” Prototypical eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has just finalized a deal to purchase Twitter, bring it private and implement a number of changes he claims are intended to expan...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott talked amongst themselves about some of the week's big national security news stories, including: “What’s in a Name?” Observers of the war in Ukraine are increasingly turning to a  controversial term  to describe the actions of Russian forces: genocide. Why are people suddenly using this word? Is its use appropriate here? “Who’s Afraid of Going Dark?” A&...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare managing editor Jacob Schulz to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Le Pen 15 Club.” As France enters the final run-off round of its presidential election , incumbent Emmanuel Macron is being closely trailed by extreme right-wing leader Marine Le Pen. What explains Le Pen’s political potency? And what woul...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by their fellow Lawfare senior editor and Brookings Institution senior fellow Molly Reynolds to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “The Butchers of Bucha.” Russian troops who recently retreated from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha appear to have engaged in a weeks-long campaign of violence against the Ukrainian civilians li...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 host and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes! They hashed through some of the week's big national security news, including: “You’re Changing my Regime, What a Wonderful Way to Say How Much You Hate Me.” In recent remarks in Europe, President Biden appeared to call for the removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin–a statement he late...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by international law expert Chimene Keitner to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Go Straight to Den Haag, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200.” In recent days, Russia’s already illegal war in Ukraine has begun to cross more and more legal lines, as Russian forces seem to clearly be targeting civilians and even remo...

This week, Alan, Quinta, Scott and guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett sat down to discuss several of the week's big national security news stories, including: “The Dragon-Bear Reliance.” Russia is turning to China for help in mitigating some of the more harmful consequences of the measures that the United States and its allies are imposing in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Will Ch...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott sat down sans guest to work through some of the week's big national security news, including: “Like Stalin Without the ‘Stache.” The unpopularity of Russia’s war in Ukraine has led President Vladimir Putin to dramatically constrain what little free media and space for public dissent Russia had left. How will Russia be changed?  “The No-No-Fly-Zone.” The...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott sat down for a special episode committed to discussing a very serious topic: the war in Ukraine. They talked through three aspects of the conflict, namely: “In the Streets of Kyiv.” Over the past week, Ukraine’s fierce resistance has successfully stymied Russian efforts to remove its government. How have the Ukrainians pulled this off? And what does it tell us abo...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined once again by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “Maybe He Has Border Recognition Disorder.” Despite reported reservations among his advisors, Putin is moving forward with an at least partial invasion of Ukraine, having recognized the breakaway Ukrainian territories...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by their Lawfare colleague Dominic Bustillos! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “Giving Chicken Kiev New Meaning.” The showdown over Ukraine may be headed to a dangerous climax this week, and it’s not clear who, if anyone, is going to blink. What do we make of the Biden administration’s strategy thus far...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Canadian national security expert, Stephanie Carvin! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, both in the U.S. and in our neighbor to the north, including: “Assault on the Capital, Eh? Hold My Labatt Blue.” For the past two weeks, our neighbors to the north have suffered through their own insurrectionary moment , as tho...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare senior editor, Roger Parloff! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “The Turn Heel State.” North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorne has sued to stop a state law inquiry into whether he is disqualified from running for re-election under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment for participating in...

This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare managing editor, Jacob Schulz! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “The Shawshank Detention.” The Islamic State attempted a violent jail break of thousands of their confederates this week in Syria. And while U.S.-backed Kurdish forces appear to have contained the damage thus far, the outcom...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare 's new director of digital media, Claudia Swain! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “It’s Not the Motion in the OSHA, It’s the Size of Your Popular Mandate.” The Supreme Court has invalidated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccination-or-test mandate for major empl...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by three-peat guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They talked through some of the week's biggest national security news, including: “What’s Almaty You, Eh?” Russia recently deployed forces to nearby Kazakhstan to aid an allied government in putting down a popular uprising. Will this have ramifications for the possible conflict over Ukraine ?...

This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 co-host and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes! They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “Merrick’s Briefing.” This week, Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to give a speech about the Justice Department’s efforts to hold the perpetrators of the January 6 insurrection accountable. What do we expe...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott celebrated the impending New Year by answering some questions and sharing some object lessons submitted by Rational Security listeners. They discussed: If you could only have one paid news subscription, which would it be? How do you think the U.S. will respond if Israeli policies towards Palestinians continue to deteriorate? Why does former President Trump's direc...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by military law expert and Lawfare contributor Michel Paradis! They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “You Want the Boost? You Can’t HANDLE the Boost!” Several states’ governors are refusing to direct their national guards to comply with the Defense Department’s vaccination mandate. Can the federal governm...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by their fellow  Lawfare  senior editor and Brookings Institution fellow Molly Reynolds! They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “Winners Use Google Slides.” The January 6 committee has revealed some of the texts and emails handed over by former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, including a notorious power...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by  Lawfare  contributor and University of Kentucky law professor Jonathan Shaub! They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “Not So Quiet on the Eastern Front”: President Biden and President Putin recently sat down for a one-on-one meeting , in an effort to curb tensions brought on by Russia’s apparent prepar...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott go guestless as they sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including: “Show Me Your Omicron Face”: Scientists have identified a virulent new strain of the coronavirus, leading governments to enact travel bans and other restrictions. What does this tell us about our future living with the virus? “Iran Aground in Vienna?”: A new round of talks seeki...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest, Quinta's co-host of the Arbiters of Truth series on the  Lawfare  podcast feed  Evelyn Douek ! They sat down to discuss: —“Getting Rittenhoused”: A jury recently acquitted 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of murder charges for shooting two men in what he claimed was self-defense during last summer’s unrest. What does h...

Introducing Chatter , a brand new podcast from Lawfare . Weekly long-form conversations with fascinating people at the creative edges of national security. Unscripted. Informal. Always fresh. Chatter   guests roll with the punches to describe artistic endeavors related to national security and jump into cutting-edge thinking at the frontiers where defense and foreign policy overlap with techn...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest,  Lawfare chief operating officer David Priess! They sat down to discuss: “In Byelorussia, Everything . . . Everything is Just Awful”: In an effort to hit back over sanctions, the authoritarian regime in Belarus is deliberately admitting refugees only to channel them across its borders with the European Union. How should Europe re...