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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