What People Get Wrong About Evil and the Iran War

About this episode

Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss Ayn Rand’s perspective on evil and its implications for foreign policy regarding Soviet Russia and Iran.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjHQq-bGX5w Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss Ayn Rand’s view of evil as fundamentally impotent, and what it reveals about Soviet Russia, Iran, and the failures of American foreign policy. The standard view of evil Evil as impotent Paradox of Soviet danger Illusion of Soviet technology Overstating Iran’s power Altruism empowering evil Resources: Ayn Rand, Lexicon entry on Evil and Sanction of the Victim Ayn Rand, “Galt’s Speech” in For the New Intellectual Ayn Rand, “Altruism as Appeasement” in The Voice of Reason Ayn Rand, “The Anatomy of Compromise” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo’s, Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11 Elan Journo, Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism This episode was recorded on 04/10/2026.

People in this episode

Guests: Elan Journo, Onkar Ghate

Topics covered

• evil
• foreign policy
• Soviet Union
• Iran
• American response
• altruism
• totalitarianism

Keywords

• Ayn Rand
• evil
• foreign policy
• Soviet Union
• Iran
• altruism
• totalitarianism
• American response
• 9/11

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: For the New Intellectual, The Voice of Reason, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11, Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism

Places: Soviet Russia, Iran

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