https://youtu.be/2sZU9hJLFWg Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyze the moral significance of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and its replacement by jihadists. Among the topics covered: Why authoritarian regimes, like Assad’s, are fundamentally weak and unstable; How the future of the Middle East is constrained by anti-freedom ideologies; How the media coverage of Assad’s fall is blind to the crucial role of ideas; How altruism prevents us from seeing others regimes, like Hamas, as evil; Why America’s security depends on deterring bad actors, not nation-building. Mentioned in this podcast are Onkar Ghate’s and Elan Journo’s co-authored book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism, Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , and Journo’s and Yaron Brook’s coauthored essay "The Banality of Putin and Xi." This podcast was recorded on December 17, 2024 and posted on December 20, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.