About this episode
The episode discusses recent developments in U.S. national security, focusing on the summit between Trump and Xi, and the situation in Cuba amidst U.S. sanctions.
This week, Scott sat down with co-host emeritus Benjamin Wittes and Brookings Senior Fellow Kari Heerman to talk through the week’s big news in national security, including: “With Friends Like Xi.” This past week, top U.S. officials and business CEOs traveled with President Trump to Beijing for his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The summit had a warm air to it, with Trump going so far as to call Xi his “friend,” a far cry from his hawkish stance toward China during the campaign and his prior administration. But Trump left having made relatively few concrete deals on the host of issues dividing the U.S. and China. Did Trump miss an opportunity here? Or is the seeming thaw in relations a positive sign for future cooperation? “Dirty Dancing: Havana Fights.” Cuba ran out of oil last week, but the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the island nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida has only intensified. On Monday, the U.S. announced new sanctions on three Cuban government agencies and 11 top officials amidst reports that the Department of Justice may seek an indictment against Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old brother of Fidel Castro and former president of Cuba…
People in this episode
Host: Scott
Guests: Benjamin Wittes, Kari Heerman
Topics covered
- national security
- U.S.-China relations
- Cuba sanctions
- Trump administration
- regime change
- international diplomacy
Keywords
- national security
- Trump
- Xi Jinping
- Cuba
- sanctions
- regime change
- international relations
- diplomacy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Brookings
Places: Cuba, China, Florida, Iran, Venezuela
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