About this episode
Eliot and Eric discuss US foreign policy regarding Cuba and Iran, the state of US diplomacy, and interview journalist Marc Bennetts about Russia under Putin.
Eliot and Eric discuss the current state of the Iran negotiations, the apparent US-Israeli plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a Delcy Rodríguez-type figure early in the war, and Reuters' report on the ongoing hollowing out of U.S. diplomacy. They assess Trump's apparent designs in Cuba, noting the indictment of Raul Castro, and the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean. Finally, they touch on Turkey's deepening fall into authoritarianism and Putin's visit to Beijing before turning to guest Marc Bennetts, journalist and author of THE DESCENT: Witnessing Russia's Spiral Into Madness Under Putin. The Descent: Witnessing Russia's Spiral into Madness Under Putin: https://a.co/d/01fuFsvu Inside the Unravelling of US Diplomacy Under Trump: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/inside-unraveling-us-diplomacy-under-trump-2026-05-21/ Early War Goal Was to Install Hard-Line Former President as Iran’s Leader: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/politics/iran-israel-us-leader-ahmadinejad.html Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
People in this episode
Hosts: Eliot, Eric
Guest: Marc Bennetts
Topics covered
- US foreign policy
- Cuba
- Iran negotiations
- authoritarianism
- diplomacy
- Russia
Keywords
- Trump
- Cuba
- Iran
- diplomacy
- authoritarianism
- Putin
- Marc Bennetts
- Raul Castro
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Reuters, The Bulwark
Places: Cuba, Turkey, Beijing
More episodes of Shield of the Republic
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- The Never-ending Iran Negotiations · June 1, 2026 · 38 min
- Ending the War Will Require Force · May 18, 2026 · 1h 6m
- Trump is Destroying Our Diplomatic Corps · May 11, 2026 · 59 min
- Pete Hegseth’s Long War Disaster · May 4, 2026 · 51 min
- Can Iran Take More Pain Than Us? · April 27, 2026 · 58 min
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