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PODCAST

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

Tablet Magazine

Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.

news politics

All Episodes

27:35

Trump v. Pope

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/04/22

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran ceasefire and negotiations, the meaning of Japan's decision to open its military technology market, the global rise of clean energy sources and decline of coal, and how Pope Leo XIV's roots in Latin American Catholicism explain his particular distaste for Donald Trump.

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28:05

What Orbán Meant

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/04/17

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pentagon plans to use US commercial enterprises for weapons production, the rise in young American men's religiosity, Trump's fallout with the European populist right, and the successes and (mostly) failures of Viktor Orbán.

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33:01

How Not to Follow Events in Iran

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/04/10

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the ceasefire, the situation in Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, how the war has impacted US defense capabilities, and how Trump's domestic and international political status is faring.

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27:14

Will Trump Try to Get a Declaration of War?

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/04/01

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the latest headlines from Iran, Trump and Rubio's fight with NATO, whether Trump might try to obtain a Declaration of War from Congress, and the best and worst wartime presidents in American history.

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32:06

How Everyone Got Iran Wrong

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/03/28

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the other strait Iran is threatening to close, the Trump administration's interest in Ukrainian territorial concessions, rumors of increasing US troop deployments to the Middle East, and how the doves and the hawks both got Iran wrong.

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34:42

Kent, NATO, Orban, Iran

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/03/20

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Joe Kent's resignation, Trump's frustration with NATO's refusal to help in the Gulf, JD Vance's show of support for Viktor Orban, and the state of the war in Iran.

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39:07

How Iran Ends

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/03/13

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran campaign's economic shocks, the upsides for Russia, US-Cuba negotiations, and the three ways the Iran war could end.

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40:09

The Winners and Losers in Iran (So Far)

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/03/06

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Anthropic's standoff with the Pentagon, whether munitions being used in Iran are really drawing down US stockpiles in other theaters, the CIA's attempt to arm a Kurdish rebellion, the cards the Ayatollahs still have left to play, and Trump's war with the Tuckerverse.

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33:35

Tariffs Are Dead, Long Live Tariffs

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/02/25

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the drug wars in Mexico, the tides turning against Russia in Ukraine, Trump's plans to strike Iran, and the Supreme Court's ruling against his tariff regime.

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39:17

Saudi Arabia's Coalition Against Israel

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/02/14

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russia's oil problem, Trump's war on the climate, China's arctic ambitions, and the new Saudi-led bloc against Israel.

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40:42

Xi, ICE, Iran, and the Tech Right

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/01/26

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Xi Jinping's purge of the People's Liberation Army, the ongoing showdown between ICE and Minneapolis, the death toll in Iran, and how the tech-MAGA alliance could outlast Trump.

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32:16

Live From Davos 2026

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/01/23

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why the mood at Davos this year went from denial to fear, why the United States has never been both so unpopular and so dominant there, and what Trump and Zelensky's speeches revealed about the state of the Western alliance.

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26:28

Trump on Antisemitism, Aid to Israel, and Iran

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/01/15

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Netanyahu's proposal to end U.S. aid to Israel, Trump's disavowal of rightwing antisemites, his ever-changing assessment of what's happening in Iran, and what China and Russia think of his moves in Venezuela and Greenland.

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45:26

Venezuela, Greenland, Iran

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2026/01/10

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Trump administration's appetite for Greenland, the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, and how America's enemies will try to turn the Maduro operation into a quagmire for Washington.

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35:19

Heritage, MAGA, Venezuela, Trump, and the Great Ben...

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/12/23

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the downfall of the Heritage Foundation, the fissures that roiled MAGA at the Turning Point festival, the ongoing Venezuela crisis, how Trump's foreign policy might actually be making the world better off, and why we should all aspire to be more like Ben Sasse in 2026.To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here.

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34:24

Bondi Beach and the Nihilism of Palestinian Strategy

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/12/19

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Trump's attempts to regain control of economic messaging, the EU's new aid package for Ukraine, and the consequences of allowing the intifada into Australia.

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28:52

Trump's New National Security Strategy

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/12/12

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the administration's seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the hidden and rising costs of healthcare premiums, China's energy future, and the implications for China, Russia, Europe, and the GOP of Trump's new National Security Strategy.

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34:25

The Higher Ed Doom Spiral

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/12/05

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pete Hegseth's drug boat imbroglio, the Minnesota fraud scandal, the difficulty of managing the MAGA coalition, and the factors contributing to the decline in college enrollment, outcomes, and relevance.

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36:58

Trump’s Ukraine Ultimatum That Wasn’t

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/11/26

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss how AI is splitting the MAGA coalition, Xi’s phone call with Trump, why young conservative women are having more children than their liberal peers, and what exactly is happening with the Trump administration’s Ukraine peace plan.

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29:08

Orthodox Christianity in America

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead ·

2025/11/22

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the China-Japan spat, Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House, China's lead in scientific paper and patent production, and the apparent rise of Orthodox Christianity among young conservative American men.

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125 results

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