Listen "The “M1 Abrams Accords” Edition"
Episode Synopsis
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest Michel Paradis to talk over the week's big national security news, including:“Don’t Tank my Chain.” Western allies of Ukraine have finally agreed to a way forward on providing the country with tanks, an issue which has proven surprisingly contentious in recent weeks. Germany will now allow its Leopard tanks to be used in the near-term while the United States will send Ukraine a series of M1 Abrams in the future, meeting the German demand for a matched U.S. contribution. Why was this so important to Germany? And what does it tell us about the broader state of the war?“Slight of the Valkyries.” The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped new sanctions on the Russian mercenary group, the Wagner Group, labeling them a Transnational Criminal Organization (“TCO”)—even as U.S. officials continue to resist calls to designate them a terrorist organization. What explains this reticence? Is it warranted?“Empire State of Mind.” For the first time, the New York City district attorney is trying someone under state criminal laws barring material support for terrorism that the state adopted following the September 11 attacks—even though the criminal suspect was never present in New York, but merely knew his actions would have repercussions there. Is this a sensible move? Or is there reason for pause? For object lessons, Quinta caved to the buzz and recommended that listeners give the podcast “Shameless Acquisition Target” a listen, just like they wanted. Scott urged folks to check out Katie Pruitt, who is on the verge of releasing her second album of Americana-influenced rock (and hopefully coming to the D.C. area on tour). And Michel shared a lovely story about whether this is the year of the cat or the year of the rabbit on the lunar calendar, and how the confusion started in the first place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More episodes of the podcast Rational Security
The “Adverse Possession” Edition
10/12/2025
The “Living La Vida Off Camera” Edition
03/12/2025
The "Chicken Fight" Edition
19/11/2025
The “Video Killed the Podcast Star” Edition
13/11/2025
The “Wea Culpa” Edition
05/11/2025
The "Tyler's Revenge" Edition
30/10/2025
The “Pickled Fish in Cozy Sweaters” Edition
22/10/2025
The “Don’t Upset the Masks” Edition
15/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.