<p>This week, Scott sat down with <em>Lawfare </em>Managing Editor Tyler McBrien and Contributing Editor Alex Zerden to talk through a few of the week’s big national security news stories, including:</p><ul><li>“Finding the Road to Damascus.” Former dictator Bashar al-Assad fled Syria one year ago this week, bringing a precipitous end to the country’s more than decade-long civil war. In the year since, has the country been able to make progress toward the optimistic future many hoped would follow al-Assad’s ouster? And what obstacles still lie in its path?</li><li>“Civilizational Self-Confidence Scheme.” The Trump administration has undergone the once-per-term statutorily-mandated ritual of releasing its National Security Strategy. It claims an intent to stay the course on many key bipartisan pillars of U.S. foreign policy, but mixes in heavy doses of isolationism, ethnonationalism, and criticism of Europe for losing its “civilizational self-confidence.” How seriously should we take this document? And what does it tell us about the likely trajectory of U.S. foreign policy?</li><li>“A Dimon in the Rough?” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has announced a ten-year initiative to invest $1.5 trillion in U.S. companies critical to U.S. national security and economic resilience. Is this an attempt by Dimon to repair his sometimes frosty relationship with the Trump administration by complimenting its “America First” strategy? Or is it an initiative that more genuinely strikes at the intersection of market logic and U.S. national security?</li></ul><p>In object lessons, Tyler is exploring the great heritage of American landmarks with “<a href="https://www.cityfilespress.com/proddetail.php?prod=BK-LOST" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of our Architectural Treasures</a>” an archive of the Historic American Buildings Survey. Scott is embracing the holiday season the classic way—by settling in with delightfully cheesy films like <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81735104" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Merry Little Ex-Mas</a> and <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81928353" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jingle Bell Heist</a> on Netflix. And Alex is broadening the lens with “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-world-for-sale-9780197651537?cc=us&lang=en&" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources</a>,“ by Jack Farchy and Javier Blas, a deep dive into the global trade networks and power brokers who shape the flow of the planet’s resources.</p><p><em>Rational Security </em>will be having its traditional end-of-year episode later this month, which will focus on listener-submitted topics and object lessons! If you have topics you want us to discuss and object lessons you want to share—whether serious or frivolous—be sure to send them to <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a> by Dec. 17!</p><p>To receive ad-free podcasts, become a <em>Lawfare </em>Material Supporter at <a href="http://www.patreon.com/lawfare" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.patreon.com/lawfare</a>. You can also support <em>Lawfare </em>by making a one-time donation at <a href="https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
