One Decision

Paul Scharre, a former U.S. Army Ranger and AI policy expert, explores how cheap drones and artificial intelligence are transforming warfare. He discusses missile-defense cost imbalances, Ukraine’s drone revolution, the U.S.-China military AI race, autonomous swarms, naval threats, and the future of expensive weapons platforms. He also examines why humans may remain essential in directing increasingly autonomous forces.

Ali Vaez, a nuclear physicist and Iran specialist who helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal, examines Iran after war. He explores the Revolutionary Guard’s dominance, wartime decision-making, sanctions, public opinion, and the Houthis’ regional role. He also assesses Iran’s opaque nuclear program, Israeli intelligence, diplomacy, and the pivotal choice facing Donald Trump.

Debora Cahn, the Emmy-nominated creator of The Diplomat and writer of The West Wing and Homeland, reveals how spy-camp research brings diplomacy to life onscreen. She discusses rewriting storylines after Russia invaded Ukraine, the lonely realities of foreign service, CIA-embassy dynamics, and why good people can land on opposing sides. Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove adds a reality check.

John McLaughlin, former CIA deputy director and veteran intelligence official, offers a firsthand account of 9/11 from inside CIA headquarters. He discusses pre-attack warnings, intelligence failures, and MI6’s urgent trip to Washington. The conversation explores the post-9/11 overhaul, the road to Iraq, tensions between security and civil liberties, and why Ukraine now dominates the geopolitical agenda.

Peter Bergen, the journalist and terrorism analyst who interviewed Osama bin Laden in 1997, reflects on 9/11 and its aftermath. He and Sir Richard Dearlove examine why diplomacy with bin Laden was impossible, how 9/11 led to Iraq, and when policy overrode intelligence. They explore coalitions, Afghanistan’s tribal politics, the war on terror’s legacy, and Ukraine’s role in shaping modern warfare.

Jon Lee Anderson, an acclaimed New Yorker war correspondent and author, examines whether Afghanistan was ever winnable. He explores the sidelining of Hamid Karzai, the return of opium, the Taliban’s resurgence, and the collapse of the Northern Alliance. The conversation also probes Afghan loyalties, brutal geography, counterinsurgency failures, and whether cautious diplomacy could shape Afghanistan’s future under Taliban rule.

Ronen Bergman, Israeli investigative journalist focused on intelligence, and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times national security reporter, unpack a secret Israeli plan involving Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They trace Mossad’s recruitment, how Ahmadinejad figured into briefings to Trump, the shaky Kurdish proxy idea, and the political fallout for US–Israel relations and upcoming elections.

Jamison Firestone, Russia expert and human rights lawyer who led the Magnitsky campaign, reflects on decades inside Putin's system. He recounts life amid 1990s chaos and explores whether Russia could hit a political tipping point. He unpacks legal paths for using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine and compares Putin's playbook to democratic erosion elsewhere.

Tim Weiner, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist who has long covered the CIA, joins to recount how the agency has changed since 9/11. He discusses ideological purges, damaged morale, and the struggle between secrecy and journalism. The conversation also covers a secret CIA Cuba task force, controversy over a giant Chinese embassy in London, and whether Russia is probing NATO’s resolve.

Michael Kofman, a military analyst focused on Russia and the Ukraine war, shares frontline impressions from recent visits. He discusses Ukraine’s stronger position since mid-2023. He explains Russian commanders misreporting progress, evolving battlefield tactics like drones and infiltration, changes in Ukrainian defense leadership, and what NATO should learn for future threats.