meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Rational Security

The "We Hear The Hague is Lovely in the Springtime" Edition

Rational Security

The Lawfare Institute

Foreignpolicy, Nationalsecurity, News, Government, Politics, Middleeast

4.82K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2022

⏱️ 70 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 these actions? And where should these efforts fit into the broader effort to end the conflict?
  • “The 400-Pound Hacker in the Room.” Three weeks into the war in Ukraine, Russia has yet to target the United States and its allies with cyberattacks. But this week the White House is aggressively hinting that that may be about to change. Why would the Russians choose now to act? And what should we expect?
  • “Third-Wave Pessimism.” There are signs that a new wave of the coronavirus may be headed our way. But that didn’t stop Congress from cutting the Biden administration’s request for pandemic resources by $15 billion as mask mandates and other measures have been continually rolled back. How should we be preparing? And what explains Congress’s response?

For object lessons, Alan endorsed the mind-bending new show Severance on (literally) separating work life and home life. Quinta gave a positive review of the new coming-of-age movie Turning Red. In honor of springtime, Scott passed along his favorite warm weather drink option. And Chimene shared a photo of her grandparents and a story of her family's own experience with being refugees from a Russian invasion.

Be sure to visit our show page at www.lawfareblog.com and to follow us on Twitter at @RatlSecurity

And Rational Security listeners can get a committed ad-free feed by becoming a Lawfare material supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare!



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

What's happening in our lives?

0:02.0

I just got evicted from my backyard for recording.

0:05.0

Because evidently, springtime is too loud in Washington, D.C. this time of year.

0:10.0

I had birds flitting around me like I was no white.

0:13.0

No, I'm not hearing but say you were being too loud.

0:15.0

It was the birds that were being too loud.

0:17.0

Some combination of birds and trash trucks.

0:19.0

Somewhere between the two.

0:21.0

But it was not podcast recording conditions.

0:24.0

I'm amazed you are ever able to do it outside.

0:27.0

Yeah, it is like a little treat of a pandemic time.

0:30.0

Does that make my little mobile office out in the backyard?

0:33.0

But not when the animals are being quite as well-spoken as they are being today.

0:37.0

Well, at least they still are animals.

0:40.0

There's no cicadas this year.

0:42.0

That's what I was going to ask.

0:44.0

I was going to ask when cicada season is every year?

0:47.0

Well, Alan.

0:48.0

A couple.

0:49.0

Excellent question.

0:50.0

There are cicadas every year.

0:52.0

However, a certain breed of cicadas only comes out on years

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lawfare Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Lawfare Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.