Hosts' Opening Remarks and Jackassery

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-korea

Eliot 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.pdf

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.