
What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now.Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.
Latest episodes

6 snips
Sep 1, 2023 • 36min
Debating Civil Rights Law
Walter and Jeremy discuss US military advice to Ukraine, Latin America’s economic future, and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. They also delve into Canada's successful program to recruit skilled immigrants, the broken immigration system, Russia's attack in northeastern Ukraine, and the ongoing relevance of civil rights laws. Additionally, they offer advice for college students and parents on maximizing their college experience.

12 snips
Aug 25, 2023 • 33min
Trouble in China
Topics discussed include homeschooling in America, the US-Japan-South Korea security pact, the threat of AI to nation states, China's economic troubles, and exploring opera through Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'.

Aug 18, 2023 • 42min
Big Green
The podcast explores topics such as Taiwan, voter fraud, Imran Khan, climate politics, and poetry, delving into the motivations behind China's release of a documentary on Taiwan, the influence of the Pakistani military in corruption allegations against Imran Khan, the state of the green movement amidst extreme weather events, and the power of language in poetry.

8 snips
Aug 11, 2023 • 37min
Ukraine Blame Games
Walter and Jeremy discuss Lina Khan vs. Amazon, judicial reform in Israel, nuclear fusion, Clinton and Obama in Ukraine, and the death of nonproliferationEach week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow the podcast on Twitter
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

14 snips
Aug 4, 2023 • 47min
The Blue Model: Rise and Fall
Walter and Jeremy discuss weed v. booze, the God wars in Africa, Trump’s Hispanic base, how Britain botched victory, and America’s Blue Model society.Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow the podcast on Twitter
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

14 snips
Jul 28, 2023 • 39min
Cakes and Ale
Walter and Jeremy discuss the Sino-Russian alliance, the U.S. national debt, the rise of the European right, Roosevelt v. Wilson, and the Puritan-Woke connection.Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow the podcast on Twitter
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

4 snips
Jul 21, 2023 • 45min
The A(braham) Bomb
Walter and Jeremy discuss a third-party ticket, inflation in Argentina, Chicago’s pension crisis, the stupidity of Paul Ehrlich, and the rise of Abrahamic religion.Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow the podcast on Twitter
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

Jul 14, 2023 • 40min
Surfin' USA
This week, Mead and Stern discuss Jeffrey Epstein, Chinese real estate, the teen mental health crisis, and A.P. Giannini's California dream.Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow the podcast on Twitter
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

Jul 6, 2023 • 32min
The Age of Apocalypse
This week, Mead and Stern discuss Russia and Saudi Arabia, the remote work revolution, 19th-century French industrial policy, and living in the shadow of a Singularity. Recommended readingVia Meadia by Walter Russell Mead (Tablet)The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People by Walter Russell Mead (Knopf)RSS: A View to the Inside by Walter Andersen and Shridhar Damle (Penguin) Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/whatreallymatters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.Connect with us
Follow Walter on Twitter
Follow Jeremy on Twitter
Email us: wrm@tabletmag.com

Jun 30, 2023 • 1min
What Really Matters - a Tablet Magazine Podcast Featuring Walter Russell Mead
Tablet news writer Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now.Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.