What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead
Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern
Tablet Magazine
Show overview
What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead has been publishing since 2023, and across the 3 years since has built a catalogue of 134 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 80 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 30 min and 39 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 5 days ago, with 23 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Tablet Magazine.
From the publisher
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.
Latest Episodes
View all 134 episodesThe Global Crisis
Trump's Very Own Iran Deal
The Cuban Quagmire
US Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump
Why Peace With Iran Is Elusive
A Visit to Ukraine
The Rise of Islam and the Radicalization of America
25 Years of Putin
God Save the King
Trump v. Pope
What Orbán Meant
How Not to Follow Events in Iran
Will Trump Try to Get a Declaration of War?
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the latest headlines from Iran, Trump and Rubio's fight with NATO, whether Trump might try to obtain a Declaration of War from Congress, and the best and worst wartime presidents in American history.
How Everyone Got Iran Wrong
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the other strait Iran is threatening to close, the Trump administration's interest in Ukrainian territorial concessions, rumors of increasing US troop deployments to the Middle East, and how the doves and the hawks both got Iran wrong.
Ep 119Kent, NATO, Orban, Iran
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Joe Kent's resignation, Trump's frustration with NATO's refusal to help in the Gulf, JD Vance's show of support for Viktor Orban, and the state of the war in Iran.
Ep 118How Iran Ends
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Iran campaign's economic shocks, the upsides for Russia, US-Cuba negotiations, and the three ways the Iran war could end.
The Winners and Losers in Iran (So Far)
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Anthropic's standoff with the Pentagon, whether munitions being used in Iran are really drawing down US stockpiles in other theaters, the CIA's attempt to arm a Kurdish rebellion, the cards the Ayatollahs still have left to play, and Trump's war with the Tuckerverse.
Ep 116Tariffs Are Dead, Long Live Tariffs
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the drug wars in Mexico, the tides turning against Russia in Ukraine, Trump's plans to strike Iran, and the Supreme Court's ruling against his tariff regime.
Saudi Arabia's Coalition Against Israel
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russia's oil problem, Trump's war on the climate, China's arctic ambitions, and the new Saudi-led bloc against Israel.
Xi, ICE, Iran, and the Tech Right
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Xi Jinping's purge of the People's Liberation Army, the ongoing showdown between ICE and Minneapolis, the death toll in Iran, and how the tech-MAGA alliance could outlast Trump.