Rational Security: The “Shaving Face” Edition

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Military, Intelligence, International Law, Constitutional Law, Rule Of Law, Politics, International Relations, News, Government, History, Diplomacy, Terrorism, National Security, Current Events, Law, Foreign Policy

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Benjamin “The Beard” Wittes and Anastasiia (and Ava) Lapatina to discuss the week’s biggest national security news stories, including:

“A Waltz on Thin Ice.” Weeks after the SignalGate controversy, Mike Waltz is out as National Security Adviser and set to be nominated as U.N. Ambassador. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, is in for a record fourth high-ranking appointment, though rumors are circulating about just how long he may remain in the position. How big a deal is this switch in leadership? What might its broader implications be?
“Resource Extraction.” After months of negotiations, Ukraine and the Trump administration have finally signed a minerals agreement that gives the United States (and, perhaps more importantly, President Trump) a financial stake in Ukraine’s ongoing independence. Is the deal just exploiting Ukraine’s vulnerability? Or is there a chance it might contribute to a better outcome for the beleaguered country?
“Liquid Assets.” Russia has gotten its liquefied natural gas (or LNG) facility off the ground in the Arctic and is getting ready to export through a shadowfleet of unregistered vessels to eager buyers in China who are undeterred by Western sanctions. What does the situation tell us about the effectiveness of sanctions? And what is Russia up to in the Arctic?

In Object Lessons, Ben logrolled Lawfare’s accidentally-on-purpose, Fridays-at-4pm YouTube show, Lawfare Live (like, Like and Subscribe to our channel!). Scott’s getting ready for grilled pizza season and shared tips for how to handle the heat. And turning the temperature down a notch, Nastya recommended Minna Ålander’s substack, Northern Flank Notes, for more uutiset on the Nordic-Baltic-Arctic region.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast contains advertising.
0:04.4	To access an ad-free version of the Lawfare podcast, become a material supporter of Lawfare at
0:11.5	patreon.com slash lawfare. That's patreon.com slash lawfare.
0:18.2	Also, check out Lawfare's other podcast offerings, Rational Security, Chatter,
0:25.2	Lawfare No Bull, and The Aftermath. Ben, I feel like you have a little bit of a beard going.
0:33.7	I realize I don't think in all the years I've known you, you've ever had a beard, and I think it's a
0:37.2	missed opportunity. I'm kind of into it. Actually, yes. It's not going to last
0:41.1	the rest of the day, I'm afraid, Scott. It's going to be wiped out in a brutal act of hair,
0:49.5	facial genocide. It looks kind of good, actually. That's what I say. It's itchy, but thank you.
0:56.2	Have you ever grown it out? No, I just don't do that. Here's my facial hair thing that I am working on,
1:03.3	though. My left eyebrow is going completely gray. My right eyebrow hasn't started yet. So I am working on having two entirely different
1:15.1	color eyebrows. That's my planned, sculpted facial hair plan. Bleached eyebrows are in. I feel like
1:22.8	this is just the, you're just going halfway there. I think that's good. It's a step. It will make you
1:27.4	look like you're just constantly quizzical or something, which is actually
1:30.5	like Ben's usual posture.
1:32.2	Yeah, exactly.
1:38.8	Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Rational Security, the podcast where we invite you to
1:43.9	join members of the Lawfare team we invite you to join members of the
1:44.8	Lawfare team as we try to make sense of the week's biggest national security news stories
1:48.9	and make sense of their own facial hair.
1:51.5	And their own facial hair, for those who may have tuned in to the B-roll.
1:54.4	You know, we'll be doing mine next, which is always a big topic for discussion.
	...

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