Today's interviewee has been my white whale for a while. Edward Luttwak was born in 1942, and since then he's lived a wilder life than anyone I know. From Chairman Mao's funeral to late nights drinking with Putin, Luttwak's seen it all.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(1:30) How to stage a coup in the 21st century
(8:21) Why Luttwak is responsible for a global decline in coups
(16:57) Iran’s real goals in the Middle East
(27:30) Why the CIA can’t go undercover or recruit talent
(41:11) Staffing Reagan’s presidential transition team
(44:03) Why we need more waste at the Pentagon
(57:31) How the war in Ukraine will end
(1:03:47) China’s great military challenge
(1:07:46) Snorkeling in French Polynesia
(1:09:48) Working for a Kazakh dictator
For the full transcript, visit www.statecraft.pub.
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