Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down for a retrospective episode about the Biden administration’s foreign and defense policy. Using U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Foreign Affairs article “America’s Strategy of Renewal,” they ask if the United States is better off in terms of national security than it was four years ago. What are the most important accomplishments of the Biden team, and what have been its critical failures? Are our alliance relationships as strong as Blinken wants us to believe? What opportunities were missed, and which were seized?

Zack and Melanie are amazed by what Elon Musk has done with SpaceX, and Chris is disappointed that the administration hasn’t shut the door on Ukraine joining NATO.

Episode Reading

• Antony Blinken, “America’s Strategy of Renewal,” Foreign Affairs, October 1, 2024.
• David Brennan, “Why America’s THAAD Missile Defense Deployment to Israel is a ‘Gamble’ in Iran Conflict, Analysts Say,” ABC News, October 17, 2024.
• “America’s Economy is Bigger and Better than Ever,” The Economist, October 17, 2024.
• Andrew McCarthy, Video of Starship Launch and Super Heavy Booster Catch, X, October 19, 2024.
• “Malaysia joins Hamas in mourning Yahya Sinwar’s death, PM Anwar says,” South China Morning Post, October 20, 2024.
• Emma Ashford, It’s Not Just Israel: Biden’s Foreign Policy Is a Mess,” The New Republic, October 16, 2024.
• Anatol Lieven, “Blinken’s sad attempt to whitewash Biden’s record,” Responsible Statecraft, October 10, 2024.
• Ellie Cook, “US Ready to Back Ukraine’s NATO Bid: Report,” Newsweek, October 20, 2024