Double Taps and Drug Lord Pardons
Double Taps and Drug Lord Pardons  
Podcast: Shield of the Republic
Published On: Mon Dec 15 2025
Description: Eric and Eliot discuss the newly released National Security Strategy's flaws, highlighting its incoherence and hostility to Europe. They note the strategy's unwillingness to identify Russia, China, and Iran as enemies of the United States and the abdication of the U.S. role in maintaining global order. The pair also discuss the latest pressure on Ukraine to capitulate to Russia before welcoming returning guest Representative Jim Himes for a conversation about the Trump Administration's Venezuela policy.Eric on the NSS in The Bulwark:https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-national-security-strategy-foreign-policy-defense-allies-china-russia-iran-north-koreaEliot on the NSS in The Atlantic:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/national-security-strategy-incoherent-babble/685166/?gift=KGDC3VdV8jaCufvP3bRsPhY0neK1oFmUu2ila2ZbOTc&utm_The 2025 National Security Strategy:https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdfShield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.