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Artwork for Rational Security

Rational Security

The Lawfare Institute
Trump Administration
Donald Trump
National Security
Ukraine
Russia
Iran
Israel
Supreme Court
Gaza
United States
Artificial Intelligence
Biden Administration
Tiktok
China
Middle East
NATO
U.S. Foreign Policy
Syria
Fani Willis
Benjamin Netanyahu

A weekly discussion of national security and foreign policy matters hosted by Lawfare Senior Editor Scott R. Anderson.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes585Founded12 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsGovernmentNews

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Artwork for Rational Security

Latest Episodes

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Executive Editor Natalie Orpett and Senior Editors Michael Feinberg and Molly Roberts to talk through the week’s big international news stories, including:

* “Full Metal Ballot.” For more than 1... more

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes; Contributing Editor and Vice President of Research, Security and Defense at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Ariane Tabatabai; and Contributing Editor and Man... more

YouTube

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Foreign Policy Editor Daniel Byman and Public Service Fellow Julia Curlee, and Contributing Editor and partner at Steptoe LLP Michel Paradis, to talk through the week’s big national security news ... more

YouTube

This week, Scott sat down with Lawfare Editor in Chief and cohost emeritus Benjamin Wittes, Lawfare Senior Editor Molly Roberts, and Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution Molly Reynolds to talk through the wee... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Benjamin Wittes
Editor in Chief of Lawfare
Lawfare
Episode: The "Snifting Up to Boston" Edition
Ariane Tabatabai
Vice President of Research, Security and Defense at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Episode: The "Snifting Up to Boston" Edition
Joel Braunold
Managing Director of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
Episode: The "Snifting Up to Boston" Edition
Daniel Byman
Lawfare Foreign Policy Editor, CSIS Senior Fellow, and Georgetown professor
Lawfare
Episode: The “Cooking With Gas!” Edition
Julia Curlee
Lawfare Public Service Fellow
Lawfare
Episode: The “Cooking With Gas!” Edition
Michel Paradis
Lawfare Contributing Editor and partner at Steptoe LLP
Steptoe LLP
Episode: The “Cooking With Gas!” Edition
Natalie Orpett
Lawfare Executive Editor
Lawfare
Episode: “The Right Kind of American for Rational Security” Edition
Ari Tabatabai
Lawfare contributing editor; Chicago Council for Global Affairs
Episode: The “Worlds Colliding” Edition
Roger Parloff
Lawfare Senior Editor; Court Follower extraordinaire
Episode: The “Worlds Colliding” Edition

Hosts

Scott R. Anderson
Host of the program; Lawfare senior editor focusing on national security and constitutional law.
Benjamin Wittes
Rational Security co-host; Emeritus Lawfare Editor-in-Chief; noted commentator on constitutional law and national security.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 2.4k ratings
  • Less repetition of what you wrote/said elsewhere. More conversation. More digging in.

    Appreciate this show when the panel remembers it is a round table and actually have conversations. Leave the minutiae and expertise vomit for in depth podcasts. In general, RatSec needs to limit what of other Lawfare podcast topics get repeated here. Refer to the episode of the relevant podcast and restate minimally what was covered there. Also, too many contributors spent too much time in high school forensics, unnecessarily complicated wording and verbose discussions of minutiae that just d... more

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    greyhound-daddy
    United States5 months ago
  • Pro-Israel Propaganda Dressed As Analysis - LISTEN WITH CAUTION PRESENTERS MOST LIKELY FUNDED BY IDF

    A complete joke. Three Israeli backed “presenters” regard Iran, a 5000 year plus civilisation in the region as the “major destabilising force”, when Israel from it’s founding started with violence and continued and continues with violence. Your analysis is not just flawed but of no consequence to the reality.

    Israel dragged Trump into a war he has LOST. Israel doesn’t care about the US, it wanted to shore up war criminal prime minister Netanyahu before the upcoming elections, given his failure ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Vitas7890
    United Kingdom7 months ago
  • What?

    I respected this podcast until I heard the unadulterated praise for For All Mankind, by far the most ridiculous and sanitary of all Apple TV shows. I seriously question Scott’s judgment now. I’m not sure I can put this behind me.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Greg Dudek
    United States7 months ago
  • Empire Podcast

    In addition to The Rest is History podcast, I recommend The Empire podcast with William Dalrymple and Anita Anan.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Pudelmom
    United States8 months ago
  • That terrible feeling

    That terrible feeling when you realize that all the foreign policy commenters you’ve been listening to are “both sides” fake moderate Trump apologists just dying to explain to you why it’s ok to target journalists . I keep on thinking I wanna hear from people who used to work in law-enforcement, when trying to understand what our current law-enforcement is doing. And then I remember, all those people used to work in law-enforcement…

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    SKNEIL
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests with regional or legal expertise are highly valued by listeners.
Critiques focus on pacing, humor, and occasional drift into domestic politics.
Some episodes receive strong praise for balance and clarity on complex topics.
Listeners praise deep, analytic discussion and guest expertise.
Audience appreciates legal framing but some prefer less repetition of topics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#60
Saudi Arabia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#107
South Korea/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#165
Ukraine/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#189
Sweden/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#192
Chile/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#205
Netherlands/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The "Snifting Up to Boston" Edition
Q: What is going on?
Ariane Tabatabai says student protests rooted in strained public education have expanded amid cost-of-living pressures and broader dissatisfaction with political leadership. The violence and the government's response have intensified political criticism, while Marine Le Pen and the National Rally seek to benefit from the unrest.
The "Snifting Up to Boston" Edition
Q: Talk to us about what the landscape looks like as we're on the doorstep of this big election and where people seem to think things are likely to be headed at this point.
Joel Braunold explains Israel's proportional electoral system, the blocs and smaller parties that could determine coalition formation, and how threshold results may leave the election on a knife edge.
The “Cooking With Gas!” Edition
Q: Can U.S. sanctions really throttle the ICC? And how far will Europe split from the United States to protect the court?
The panel says the sanctions could burden the ICC, particularly if the United States imposes secondary sanctions on European entities, but the court may shift to non-U.S. providers. Such secondary sanctions could provoke a serious rift with Europe, while legal challenges may limit the sanctions' effects.
The “Cooking With Gas!” Edition
Q: Could Trump's diesel deal really pay off, or is that another example of him getting rolled by Putin?
The panel doubts the deal will meaningfully lower U.S. prices because Russian exports are constrained mainly by damage to refining capacity, not U.S. sanctions. They say the agreement could weaken pressure on Russia and harm Ukraine, while giving Putin diplomatic and political advantages.
“The Right Kind of American for Rational Security” Edition
Q: What does this mean about Trump on Greenland? Is this a step back for him or a sign of more to come?
The consensus suggests it might be a step back for Trump, framing a potential win while deferring deeper negotiations, with governing bodies likely to drag out ratification and avoid escalating tensions with Denmark and Greenland immediately.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Rational Security

What is Rational Security about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A rigorous roundtable focusing on national security, foreign policy, and law, with deep dives into governance, geopolitics, and policy implications. Episodes frequently feature analyses of U.S. strategy, international law, alliance dynamics, and emerging tech policy, often anchored byLawfare editors and seasoned practitioners. Notable strengths include sharp legal and policy framing, strong guest expertise from think tanks and government, and a balance of technical detail with accessible discussion. Potential listeners include policy professionals, researchers, lawyers, and decision-makers seeking compact, high-signal analysis on current security issues and regulatory debates.

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Which podcasts are similar to Rational Security?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Rational Security:

1. The Lawfare Podcast
2. Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts
3. Strict Scrutiny
4. Shield of the Republic
5. Talking Feds

How many episodes of Rational Security are there?

Rational Security launched 12 years ago and published 585 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Rational Security?

Recent guests on Rational Security include:

1. Benjamin Wittes
2. Ariane Tabatabai
3. Joel Braunold
4. Daniel Byman
5. Julia Curlee
6. Michel Paradis
7. Natalie Orpett
8. Ari Tabatabai

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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