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Hello. forward slash voucher. Hello and welcome to the Americano podcast, a series of discussions about American politics, power, and prejudices. This year, 2024, is an election year in America, a presidential election year.

And so we will be doing two podcasts a week, rather than our usual one, because we want to,

and because we know you can't get enough Americano in your life.

I am delighted to be joined today by the spectator's most regular podcast contributor, Jacob Harbrun.

He is the editor of the national interest, of course, and he's in Italy on business.

And he is the author of a new book called America Last, The Rights Century-long romance with foreign dictators.

Jacob, congratulations on the book.

I wanted to start by asking you about the Middle East because there's a lot of concern

among sort of security people about what Iran might do in the coming days in retaliation

to Israel's missile strike in Syria that killed

several Iranian military commanders. And it's put a bit of pressure on the Biden administration

because they were hoping this week might be the week that Netanyahu and Biden had their

come to Jesus moment, as Biden put it, and possibly a

ceasefire might be put in place in return for possible normalization of relations between Israel

and Saudi Arabia, which is now one of the Biden administration's objectives.

Is the Biden strategy in the Middle East working?

The Biden administration did not have a strategy other than to muddle. Is the Biden strategy in the Middle East working?

The Biden administration did not have a strategy other than to muddle through.

What they're hoping is that they can grasp victory from the jaws of defeat.

...