Does Soft Power Actually Matter?

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss White House frustration with Israeli war plans, a new Republican advantage in party identification, Democrats losing ground with Arab American voters, and how October 7 changed the world. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Zelensky’s visit to Washington, why Gen Z men are more religious than their female peers, how US airstrikes are helping the Houthis, and what exactly President Biden and his national security team still don’t understand about diplomacy. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss exploding Hezbollah pagers, the Fed’s interest rate cut, Gavin Newsom vs. AI, and how the United States is stumbling blind into World War. Click here to read the report from the Commission on the National Defense Strategy. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Harris-Trump debate, Iran selling ballistic missiles to Russia, Europe’s never-ending decline, and how Sept. 11 continues to shape American and world history. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Joe Biden’s move to block the sale of US Steel, Chinese spies in New York State, the Hamas massacre of Israeli hostages, and the larger meaning of Tucker Carlson’s crank historical revisionism. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the arrest of Pavel Durov in France, the revision of U.S. job growth statistics, RFK Jr. and Tuli Gabbard endorsing Donald Trump, and how Benjamin Netanyahu secured his place in Jewish and world history. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss US military plans for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Democratic criticisms of Kamala Harris’ economic plan, the darkening political picture in East Germany, and why Hamiltonianism is the best way forward in American domestic and foreign policy. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Kamala Harris’ price control plan, America’s new class of Pacific missiles, the reemergence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and why soft power isn’t what it used to be. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss stock market trouble, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia, the Israel-Iran escalation ladder, and what Kamala Harris’ VP pick does and doesn’t mean. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]

This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Biden’s plan to remake the Supreme Court, why housing is the most important political issue in America, Russian paramilitaries getting hammered in Africa, and how Israel’s assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah top dogs could change the region and U.S. policy. 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/what-really-matters. 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: [email protected]