Is Anybody Actually Winning Trump’s Iran War?

About this episode

David Frum discusses the implications of the recent Hungarian election and the current state of Trump's war in Iran with guest Matt Pottinger.

In this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the recent election in Hungary and the defeat of Viktor Orbán. David counters Orbán defenders who claim that this loss proves Orbán was never a threat. Antidemocratic leaders often face institutional constraints, and it was those institutional constraints that compelled Orbán to accept a defeat after years of abuse of power. Then, David is joined by former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger to discuss the current state of President Trump’s war in Iran. David and Pottinger talk about the recent failed negotiations between the two sides in Pakistan, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and what could happen next. They also discuss how the Iran war is viewed in China and how it has been a financial gain for Russia. Finally, David ends the episode with a discussion of “Labyrinths,” by Jorge Luis Borges. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world…

People in this episode

Host: David Frum

Guest: Matt Pottinger

Topics covered

• Trump's Iran War
• Hungary election
• Viktor Orbán
• U.S. foreign policy
• Middle East negotiations
• China's perspective
• Russia's financial gain

Keywords

• Trump
• Iran
• Hungary
• Viktor Orbán
• Middle East
• negotiations
• China
• Russia
• Borges

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Atlantic, China, Russia

Books & works: Labyrinths

Places: Hungary, Strait of Hormuz

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