Episode 56 of the Rational Policy Podcast is live! Join your intrepid hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay for another discussion of the week in news, focused on the rapidly evolving international landscape. (Don’t worry, we’ll have a full US midterm election preview next week!)
We start by talking about the biggest story in the world right now: the massive riots engulfing the great nation of France. We discuss the background of these chaotic demonstrations, explain why they’re certainly not about conditions in schools, explore the malignant alliance between leftists and Islamists that is driving the surge in violence, and recap the latest developments since we last spoke on the topic. We also hit on the anti-French nature of these protests, how they will impact the upcoming national elections, and the real goal of the far left: overthrowing the Fifth Republic and inaugurating a Sixth, one that will revolve around communistic notions of governance and society. Next, we swing down to Israel to preview that nation’s complicated election season, which begins with next week’s voting for members of the Knesset (parliament). We explain how Israeli elections and politics work (quite confusingly, as a matter of fact), discuss the likeliest outcomes of the vote, and describe that, no matter who forms the next government, Westerners who dislike Israel will have no reason to change their mind, as Israelis simply are not going to elect a leader who is friendly to a Palestinian movement that launched and celebrated the October 7 pogrom. Finally, we jump back to Europe to touch on the Trump administration’s rapid shift against Kyiv and in support of a pro-Russian conclusion to the war that has ravaged Ukraine for going on 5 years now. (We covered this topic in our live show, but events have progressed since the weekend.) We try to understand how this change may impact Ukrainian warfighting, where Kyiv can look for alternate support systems, why cozying up to Moscow is an act of immorality and idiocy, and what might come next. We also debate the age-old question: is Donald Trump a Russian asset? (No.)
Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with another great episode. Until then, enjoy the rare moment when all four major US sports are playing simultaneously. Cheers!
