Robert Kagan: Only Bad Options in Iran & Nothingburgers in Beijing
Podcast: Impolitic with John HeilemannPublished On: Mon May 18 2026
Description: John welcomes Brookings Institution fellow and erstwhile neocon luminary Robert Kagan to discuss his buzzy recent piece in The Atlantic about the inevitability of American defeat in Iran. Kagan argues that the U.S. is not only losing the war now but has no plausible path to victory; that simply throwing in the towel is the least bad option available to Donald Trump, though its implications are beyond grim; and that the Trump-Xi Jinping summit in Beijing was a “ratification of the new reality” as to the relative power and prestige of their countries in the world today.
The note was deleted
The note was saved
Your message was sent