What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead

Tablet Magazine

Episodes 132
Avg. Duration 34m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (448)
Since Jun 2023
Latest Episode Jun 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
59%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.

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Recent Episodes

The Cuban Quagmire

Jun 10, 2026 37m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the mounting crisis in Lebanon, Russia's setback in Armenia's elections, the sources of North Korea's strength, and why Cuba is unlikely to be an easy victory for…

US Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump

Jun 05, 2026 1h 32m

This week, Walter gives a lecture and Q&A at the London School of Economics on American foreign policy in the Trump era. The recording is from February 19 and is republished here with the…

Why Peace With Iran Is Elusive

May 30, 2026 23m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Pope's AI encyclical, the UAE's role in the Iran war, new concerns about the divide between labor and capital, and why America and Iran's minimum requirements…

A Visit to Ukraine

May 22, 2026 32m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump's creation of a $1.8 billion slush fund, the noose tightening around Cuba, and what Walter saw and heard on a…

The Rise of Islam and the Radicalization of America

May 12, 2026 30m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the greater global influence of Muslim-majority societies, the state of political radicalization in America, and to what extent the US is actually in decline.

25 Years of Putin

May 05, 2026 26m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Trump's flirtation with regulating AI, Narendra Modi's big election victory in Bengal, reports of a potential coup plot in Russia, and what a quarter-century of…

God Save the King

May 01, 2026 29m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the US national debt, the Supreme Court's decision on a provision of the Voting Rights Act, the UAE's exit from OPEC, why Trump doesn't believe the Iran war is…

Trump v. Pope

Apr 22, 2026 27m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran ceasefire and negotiations, the meaning of Japan's decision to open its military technology market, the global rise of clean energy sources and decline…

What Orbán Meant

Apr 17, 2026 28m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pentagon plans to use US commercial enterprises for weapons production, the rise in young American men's religiosity, Trump's fallout with the European populist…

How Not to Follow Events in Iran

Apr 10, 2026 33m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the ceasefire, the situation in Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, how the war has impacted US defense capabilities, and how Trump's domestic and international…

Will Trump Try to Get a Declaration of War?

Apr 01, 2026 27m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the latest headlines from Iran, Trump and Rubio's fight with NATO, whether Trump might try to obtain a Declaration of War from Congress, and the best and worst…

How Everyone Got Iran Wrong

Mar 28, 2026 32m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the other strait Iran is threatening to close, the Trump administration's interest in Ukrainian territorial concessions, rumors of increasing US troop deployments…

Kent, NATO, Orban, Iran

Mar 20, 2026 34m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Joe Kent's resignation, Trump's frustration with NATO's refusal to help in the Gulf, JD Vance's show of support for Viktor Orban, and the state of the war in Iran.

How Iran Ends

Mar 13, 2026 39m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran campaign's economic shocks, the upsides for Russia, US-Cuba negotiations, and the three ways the Iran war could end.

The Winners and Losers in Iran (So Far)

Mar 06, 2026 40m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Anthropic's standoff with the Pentagon, whether munitions being used in Iran are really drawing down US stockpiles in other theaters, the CIA's attempt to arm a…

Tariffs Are Dead, Long Live Tariffs

Feb 25, 2026 33m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the drug wars in Mexico, the tides turning against Russia in Ukraine, Trump's plans to strike Iran, and the Supreme Court's ruling against his tariff regime.

Saudi Arabia's Coalition Against Israel

Feb 14, 2026 39m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russia's oil problem, Trump's war on the climate, China's arctic ambitions, and the new Saudi-led bloc against Israel.

Xi, ICE, Iran, and the Tech Right

Jan 26, 2026 40m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Xi Jinping's purge of the People's Liberation Army, the ongoing showdown between ICE and Minneapolis, the death toll in Iran, and how the tech-MAGA alliance could…

Live From Davos 2026

Jan 23, 2026 32m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why the mood at Davos this year went from denial to fear, why the United States has never been both so unpopular and so dominant there, and what Trump and…

Trump on Antisemitism, Aid to Israel, and Iran

Jan 15, 2026 26m

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Netanyahu's proposal to end U.S. aid to Israel, Trump's disavowal of rightwing antisemites, his ever-changing assessment of what's happening in Iran, and what…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead have?

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead has published 132 episodes since June 2023, covering topics in News, Politics.

Is What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead still active?

What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 34m.

How do I contact What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead for sponsorship or guest appearances?

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