Rational Security: The “A Friend in Need is a Friend Security Guaranteed” Edition
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 17 December 2023
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on Rational Security, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien to talk through the week’s big national security news, including:
- “You’ll Shoot Your Five Eyes Out with a Bibi Gun.” From Ukraine to Gaza, some of the biggest controversies surrounding U.S. foreign policy hinge on the assistance—including weapons and intelligence—that the United States provides to its allies. What makes these relationships so complicated?
- “The Sock-It Docket.” Late last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith executed a power move, bringing former President Trump’s appeal of the denial of his claim of absolute presidential immunity directly to the Supreme Court — through what is often called the “rocket docket”—and citing precedents from the Nixon era suggesting the Supreme Court should resolve the issue within weeks. What does this move tell us—and how likely is Smith to win his case?
- “Netanya-who?” President Biden’s bear hug of the Israeli prime minister may be loosening, as he has reportedly told donors that Netanyahu must go if Israel is to retain international support. How serious a move is this? And what might it mean for the conflict in Gaza?
For object lessons, Quinta continued to show off her bookshelf by recommending Jeff Horwitz’s “Broken Code.” Scott flagged for listeners that “White Christmas” is, in fact, the best holiday movie and no one should try to argue otherwise. And Tyler endorsed Julie Byrne’s album from earlier this year, “The Greater Wings.”
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The following podcast contains advertising. |
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| 0:08.0 | become a material supporter of Lawfair at Patreon.com slash Lawfair. That's Patreon.com |
| 0:16.4 | slash Lawfair. Also check out Lawfair's other podcast offerings, rational security, chatter, lawfare no bull, and the aftermath. |
| 0:39.0 | A year ago I had to sleep wherever I could. I thought well I be out here on Christmas Day. Thousands in the UK are facing homelessness this Christmas. |
| 0:43.0 | At crisis I was safe. |
| 0:45.0 | I had someone in my corner. |
| 0:47.0 | My first day at crisis was my last day on the streets. |
| 0:51.0 | Give £29.73 now to help provide urgent care, housing advice and long-term support. |
| 0:57.8 | Make this the first day of a life beyond homelessness. |
| 1:00.7 | Search Crisis Christmas Christmas Appeal. I'm Caleb Benjamin, |
| 1:10.0 | Internet Law Fair with an episode of Rational Security for December 17th, |
| 1:14.5 | 2023. |
| 1:16.2 | For today's episode, the team at Law Fair decided to cross post this week's episode |
| 1:19.8 | of Rational Security, a podcast hosted by Scott R. Anderson, Quinto Jurassic, and |
| 1:25.0 | Alan Rosenstein, in which they cover the week's big national security news stories. |
| 1:28.6 | Today's episode is entitled The A Friend in Need is a Friend Security need is a friend security guaranteed addition. In the episode |
| 1:35.5 | Anderson and Dresik sat down with Tyler McBrien to discuss US weapons and |
| 1:39.4 | intelligence assistance to Israel, the Special Counsel's cert petition in United States v. Trump, |
| 1:44.4 | President Joe Biden reportedly telling donors that Israeli Prime Minister |
| 1:48.3 | Benjamin Netanyahu must go if Israel is to retain international support and more. |
| 1:53.8 | This is rational security. |
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