Which War Does Washington Want?
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 22 September 2023
⏱️ 41 minutes
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Summary
The Washington Roundtable: Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, travelled to New York City and Washington, D.C., this week to request more support for his country. Before the United Nations General Assembly, Zelensky called Russia’s war an act of “genocide.” In Washington, the Ukrainian President met with senators, House members, President Biden, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected Zelensky’s request to address Congress, saying that there wasn’t enough time, given the ongoing battle over funding the government. Meanwhile, some Republicans are arguing that attention should be turned away from Russia’s invasion and toward the threat that China poses to the U.S. How will the country’s foreign policy respond to these pressures? The New Yorker staff writers Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos weigh in.
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| 0:50.0 | Welcome to the political scene from the New Yorker, a weekly discussion about the big questions in American politics. |
| 1:00.9 | I'm Jane Mayer, and I'm joined by my colleagues Susan Glasser and Evan Osnos. |
| 1:06.5 | Hey, Susan. Hi, Evan. |
| 1:08.2 | Hey there. Great to be together. Nice to be back in the same room. |
| 1:13.6 | This week, after speaking at the UN General Assembly, President Volodymere Zelensky of Ukraine |
| 1:19.6 | came to Washington. But unlike his last visit, in December 2022, this time there was no warm welcome |
| 1:26.9 | from Congress. Instead, Speaker McCarthy rejected his request to address the body. Supporting Ukraine, it seems, has become a political pawn in the latest Washington budget showdown as Republican extremists threaten to shut down the government if their demands aren't met. |
| 1:50.4 | Meanwhile, many Republicans and more than a few Democrats seem to be militating for conflict with another country, China. All this has left us wondering, to put it bluntly, who wants |
| 1:56.5 | which war and why? How has Trump and how have our polarized politics generally shaken up |
| 2:02.8 | American foreign policy? Let's start with Zelensky's visit to the U.S. this week. Evan, |
| 2:09.5 | what's been Zelensky's message to the world and to U.S. leaders? You know, he made it very clear, |
| 2:15.8 | actually. I thought it was a pretty powerful warning that he delivered at the UN when he said in no uncertain terms, it never stops with one country. He said when hatred is weaponized, talking about Russia's activities, that is the beginning of something. And he had a line. |
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