Rational Security

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...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest,  Lawfare associate editor Rohini Kurup! They sat down to discuss: “I’ll Keep You, My Dirty Little Secret”: The Supreme Court has heard oral argument in not one but two cases relating to the controversial state secrets doctrine this term. Will the doctrine survive Supreme Court scrutiny in its current form? “Coming Home to Roost”:...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest, Rational Security editor Jen Patja Howell! They sat down to discuss: “Our Stand on Havana”: While pressure is building on the Biden administration to take a stand on Havana Syndrome , our understanding of what is happening to U.S. diplomats and other officials remains limited. What should the United States do next? “SupersonicNew...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined once again by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett! They sat down to discuss: “A Mess in Texas”: Texas’s Republican governor has appointed one of President Trump’s former election lawyers as Secretary of State. Are Trump’s supporters planning to steal the next election, or are Democrats’ concerns overblown? “In Mother Russia, Bear Poke You”: A Russi...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare cyber fellow Alvaro Marañon! They sat down to discuss: “Some Professional News”: LinkedIn is leaving China over the challenges of complying with its strict regulations on social media. Will other companies follow—and should they?  “Diamond Joe’s Decryption Key Party”: Last week the White House hosted a summit on combating ransomware —bu...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Rational Security forefather and Washington Post reporter Shane Harris to discuss: “The Hunt for Bread October”: Which country did a U.S. Navy employee and his wife attempt to smuggle nuclear secrets to inside a peanut butter sandwich ? And why did that country turn them over to FBI instead? “Turn After Leaving”: Is the intelligence c...

This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by special guest and Lawfare associate editor Bryce Klehm to discuss: "The Problem with Nosy Neighbors": How concerned should we be about the Chinese military getting up in Taiwan’s business—and airspace—over the weekend ? "If You Want to be Popular, Don't Go to Law School": Does the Supreme Court’s declining popularity mean it is headed for a legitim...

This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by special guest (and our first-ever undisputed Generation Z guest) Lawfare managing editor Jacob Schulz! They discussed: From the Department of the End of the Republic: Should a recently revealed plan to manipulate the counting of the 2020 electoral votes in President Trump’s favor have us worried about 2024 ? A Prisoner Dilemma: What should we make...

This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest Lawfare executive editor (and first-time podcaster) Natalie Orpett! They sat down to discuss: The AUKUS Awkwardness: Why does a new  U.S.-U.K.-Australia agreement  over  submarines  have  France  (and  China ) up in arms? Not Like on J6: What does the "Justice for J6 Rally"  flop  tell us ab...

On this week’s episode, Alan, Quinta, and Scott are joined by the fourth member of their Lawfare senior editor quartet, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow (and first-time Rational Security guest) Molly Reynolds! They sit down to discuss: the legacy of 9/11 and whether we’ve really done everything wrong since (including in Congress); the last tragic drone strike in Kabul that now appears to have k...

On this premiere episode of Rational Security 2.0, new hosts Alan Rozenshtein, Quinta Jurecic, and Scott R. Anderson are joined by special guest Benjamin Wittes to discuss: the Taliban's new government  and the brutal way it seems to be governing  (especially in relation to women ); the Biden administration's border policies , and why they're facing trouble in the courts ; and our s...

Rational Security 2.0 returns after Labor Day… You can get the rest of this bonus episode, “The ‘Dry-Runs Are for Cowards’ Edition,” by becoming a Lawfare supporter at  http://www.patreon.com/lawfare/ . And help us plan for our next phase by filling out this survey:  https://forms.gle/ga7rUz6QfNSE6NST9 .Weekly episodes of Rational Security 2.0 will start returning to this podcast fe...

We’re going to stalk our former Rational Security hosts. We’ll talk about this feed and what we should do with it. And, we’ll chew over how the first hearing of the Jan. 6 commission went. Sort of. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our last episode—at least in our current form. We’ll reminisce about our favorite moments, hear from longtime friends and listeners, and share in a final Object Lesson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historic protests rock Cuba. The ripple effects of an assassination linger in Haiti. And a former president warns the consequences of withdrawal from Afghanistan will be “unbelievably bad.”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At long last, the Director of National Intelligence releases its findings about UFOs. The Trump Organization and its chief financial officers are accused of a 15-year tax fraud scheme. And Russian hackers are at it again, this time launching possibly the largest ransomware attack as well as a strike against the Republican National Committee.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...