This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott sat down with unofficial fourth co-host, Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett, to discuss the week’s big national security news, including: “That’s one, one disqualified elector. (Ah ah ah.)” Both the House and Senate finally seem ready to reform the Electoral Count Act, the ambiguity-ridden statute that has (kind of) governed how Congress counts electoral votes since 1887. What threats to our elections process will these reforms fix? Which will they leave u...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare managing editor Tyler McBrien to hash through the week's big national security news, including: “Bad Vlad’s Sad Grab Has Leningrad a Tad Mad.” Russian President Vladimir Putin seems intent on escalating the conflict in Ukraine, as he’s mobilized thousands of civilian conscripts and is on the verge of incorporating separatist parts of the country into Russia following a sham referendum. But will the Russian people stand for these new actio...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott went guestless to discuss the week’s big national security news, including: “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” The nearby island nation of Haiti is hitting new levels of instability, as paired economic and political crises have given way to open gang warfare in broad swathes of the country. While the events have some calling for external intervention, others have expressed major reservations with such a step, given its past failings in the country. Where might this crisis lea...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott sat down with Lawfare deputy foreign policy editor and RatSec rookie Dana Stuster, to talk through the week’s big national security news, including: “Chechens Coming Home to Roost.” Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv has proven to be a massive success, leading Russian troops to surrender seized territory as they beat a retreat. At the same time, supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov—are becoming more open...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by co-host emeriti Ben Wittes and Shane Harris for a very special anniversary edition of Rational Security that pits their national security hot takes up against each other. Which of the following takes will the team find to be "too hot," which "undercooked," and which "just right"? Americans (and especially progressives) will regret reviving the prospect of disqualifying people under section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Over the next year, there will b...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min
On this anniversary-eve edition, Alan, Quinta, and Scott reunited to hash through this week’s big national security stories, including: “The Other Other Nuclear Option.” Hostilities in Ukraine are getting perilously close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, with each side accusing the other of recklessly pursuing military in its vicinity. The IAEA is sending in a team to help secure the site. But what difference can the international community make? Does it need a different response? “Biting the ...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, a Quinta-less Alan and Scott were joined by host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's big national security stories, including: “Sometimes the Best Defense is a New Offensive.” With apparent U.S. support, Ukraine is bringing the fight to Crimea and other Russian-held areas —and perhaps to the streets of Moscow itself, where a well-known Russian nationalist’s car and daughter were detonated this past week. What are the risks of this new strategy? And how far will (or sho...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by their fellow Lawfare senior editor Molly Reynolds to talk through a week of big national security news stories, including: “Regrets? I’ve had a few.” One year has passed since the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan, which triggered the collapse of the U.S.-backed government and the return to power of the Taliban. What have we learned from this experience? And how should it inform U.S. engagement with Afghanistan moving forward? “Half-Truths and R...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 10 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by special guest Ravi Agrawal, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, to hash through the week's big national security news, including: “Canned Strategy.” The war in Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan have led the Biden administration to further revise its long overdue National Security Strategy , which it now intends to release in the fall. What do we already know about Biden’s grand strategy? And how should we evaluate it? “Mar-a-Leggo My Feder...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 2 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, Scott, and favorite guest Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett got together to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “Another One Bites the Dust.” This past weekend, an American drone strike successfully killed yet another major terrorist leader —this time al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri—in downtown Kabul, while apparently avoiding any civilian casualties or significant collateral damage. What does the strike tell us about the Biden administratio...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, most of Alan, Quinta, Scott, and co-host emeritus Ben Wittes got together to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “It’s Over, but Don’t Leave Before the Mid-Credits Sequence.” The Jan. 6 committee held its final primetime hearing this past Thursday, focused on Trump’s inaction in ending the riot on Jan. 6. But it’s suggested more may be coming. What has the committee accomplished and what is yet to come? “Oh, HIMARS.” The war in Ukraine has become a slow and diffi...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott got together for another early morning session to hash through the week's big national security news, including: “Stuck in the Middle (East) with You.” As President Biden ends his trip to the Middle East having re-engaged the Gulf countries and recommitted to preventing Iran from securing a nuclear weapon—including by force, if necessary—Russian President Vladimir Putin is kicking off his own visit to deepen ties with Tehran and negotiate with Turkey. What does...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 5 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were reunited to hash through the week's national security news, including: “A Thousand and One Arabian Flights.” President Biden is conducting his first official visit to the Middle East this week with the stated goal of building ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, beginning with more direct airline routes. Why this sudden high-profile engagement and what does Biden hope it will yield? “Loose Bannon.” Trump ally Steve Bannon has signaled that he may be willi...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare 's new Managing Editor, Tyler McBrien, to hash through the week's national security news, including: “(John) Dean for a Day.” Surprise testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson has shed unprecedented light on Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6th and reinvigorated discussions of possible criminal charges, among other consequences. Was this the smoking gun? What might it change moving forward? “The Prince and the Proffer.” A federal ju...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by star New York Times reporter Katie Benner to talk through some of this week's biggest national security news stories, including: “The Masked Ringer.” We’re about half way through the Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings—and, despite originally planning a weeks-long pause, the committee is now holding a snap hearing with a surprise witness . What should we make of the hearings so far? And what may we continue to learn? “Trouble a- Bruen .” The Supre...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 1 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott flew solo to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “Just Dropped in to See What Condition This Extradition is In.” The U.K. government has signed off on the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange , putting him one step closer to trial in the United States. Are claims that his extradition threatens press freedoms fact or hyperbole? And what do we expect the Biden administration to do if it happens? “Teach Xi How to Dougie.” A recentl...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 7 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare executive editor Natalie Orpett to talk through some the week's big national security news, including: “First Act Break.” We are one week into the Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings . What have we learned that we didn’t know already? And how effective are they proving to be? “Not Since the Sultans of Swing.” A dire situation is once again brewing over the straits of Taiwan, as China and the United States rattled sabers at the regional Sha...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 15 min
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by Lawfare senior editor and congressional expert Molly Reynolds to hash through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Disquiet on the Eastern Front.” While Russia has been beaten back in most of the rest of the country, its efforts to hold secessionist eastern Ukraine are proving more resilient and producing what some are calling a war of attrition. What does this tell us about what the next phase of the conflict is likely to l...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott flew solo as they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Our Gun Epidemic.” Last week’s horrifying school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is only the latest high-profile incident in a wave of gun violence that is sweeping the United States. But most experts maintain that there is almost no chance Congress will pursue any serious substantive response. Why do guns play such a central role in American culture? And how do we make progre...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Rational Security co-host emeritus Shane Harris! Together they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: “We Want to Believe.” The House recently held a rare public hearing on what the U.S. government knows about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UAPs–also commonly called Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs. What did we learn about UAPs and how is U.S. policy towards them changing? “Strategic Incongruity.” President...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Allies host and Lawfare associate editor Bryce Klehm! Together they talked through the week's big national security news stories, including: "Remember the ‘90s?” Nine months have passed since the Taliban seized power in Kabul, and its promises of a more moderate rule than the harsh theocracy it oversaw in the 1990s are increasingly ringing hollow. Just this past week, the Taliban issued a new edict directing women and girls to cover everything but...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's big national security news stories, including: “Sharing is Caring.” Earlier this week, an unnamed senior U.S. official indicated that the United States is providing targeting information to Ukrainian forces –only to have other officials walk back that assertion almost immediately. What is actually happening? And why is the Biden administration so paranoid about discussing it openly? “Th...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by Jeffrey Kosseff, cybersecurity law professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, to hash through some of the week's big national security news, including: “One Letter Off KGB, Two Letters Away from DGAF.” The Department of Homeland Security has taken heat this week for creating an internal Disinformation Governance Board , which partisan critics have railed against as a federal “Ministry of Truth” responsible for policing speech. What’s the real story behi...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 6 min
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 expand freedom of speech. What will this mean for the future of Twitter and other social media platforms? “Lviv...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 13 min
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 recent expose has gone deep into the struggle between big tech companies and NSO Group, the Israeli hacking comp...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min
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 would a President Le Pen mean for the rest of the world? “The Biggest Botnet Takedown Since Geocities De...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 2 min
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 living there, leading some—including President Biden—to call for a war crimes trial. Why would Russia ...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 10 min
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 later reframed as an expression of “moral outrage,” not a call for regime change. Was this a deliberate ...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 8 min
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 removing them from Ukrainian territory. What avenues might there be for holding them accountable for the...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 10 min
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 China play along? And what will its decision mean for the future of the relationship between the two m...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 12 min
