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76 turns · 25 minYeah. Look, but it, the future of the ballistic missile program is off the table, frankly. Um, that is, that is not, that was not in the original agreement. Uh, I do not believe that that's, that is part of any of this, and it's not part of any of this because that is Iran's principal, uh, means of defense and its principal active operational deterrent. And the second big one that's off the table is Iranian support for proxies-
Mm-hmm
... uh, like Hezbollah and Yemen-
Two stated war aims of the Trump administration at the outset of this conflict.
Off the table.
Yeah.
Yeah.
[upbeat music] Welcome to the Friday Focus Podcast for the 22nd of May. I'm Rudyard Griffiths, chair of the Munk Debates, joined by Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs. Hey, Janice, great to see you at this week's, uh, big debate at Meridian Hall. Uh, it was a good one. I, I thought, uh, substantive-
Yeah
... feisty. The audience was, wow, really into the debate and super divided. What did you make of it, having been to m- almost all of our debates? It feels like our audiences are getting, uh, I don't know, more and more engaged. Um, for better or worse, one person had to be, uh, unfortunately objected from the hall, uh, for trying to interrupt the proceedings.
Uh, you're right that it was a really, really engaged audience, uh, you know, paying attention to everything. You could tell because they, they would applaud. Um, and there was, there was division in the room. It was a split room, as you said, Rudyard. Um, and it was really substantive, and they debated. They really debated this time. I'll tell you what the personal highlight was for me, [laughs] was, I'll be honest here, uh, uh, the way you handled, uh, that clerk.
Oh, that's too kind.
Uh, n- no, I, I, I'm making actually, you know, a, a, a serious point here that defending the importance of civil discourse, of a- allowing disagreement and-
Mm-hmm
... you know, a- supporting it when it happens, as long as it's civil and respectful, and that debate was, and not allowing anybody-
Mm-hmm
... to interfere with that process, it is so at risk everywhere, Rudyard. In so many cases, we don't have a democracy if we can't-
Yeah
... do that.
Yeah.
So it took about one second for you to react to it. It was, uh, reflexive, innate on your part, and I think that is a c- that is the core value that you were standing up for. It was really great to see.
Yeah, and just to be clear, this gentleman interrupted, uh, the debate loudly three or four times. Um, you know, he, he was admonished [laughs] by his fellow audience members. And I think it was-
Yeah
... the fifth or so time where he began screaming again that I was just like, "Okay, this is enough." Uh, you know, asking-
Yeah
... security, uh, to remove him. Um, Janice, the debate, uh, is available to all of our Munk members as part of their membership packages. They can head over to the website and, uh, log in and watch this debate from end to end. If you're not a Munk member, there are streaming packages. We urge you to check it out. Mike Pompeo, Victoria Nuland, Stephen Walt, John Mearsheimer on the question, do not go hunting monsters, i.e., the United States
Episode notes
Another strange ping-pong week in America’s conflict with Iran — and irresponsible reporting has given us so many mixed messages. Are we any closer to a deal? And why is Iran so hung up on the issue of nuclear weapons? Also off the negotiating table — much to the dismay of Israel — is one of Washington’s original war aims: ending Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for terror proxies in the region.
Meanwhile, Trump is delaying a weapons shipment to Taiwan on the heels of his visit with Xi Jinping in China. Is this a signal of weakening U.S. resolve to stand up for Taiwan? And how will this be read by American allies in Southeast Asia and Europe?
In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to one of the most outrageous moves Donald Trump made this week — one that pales in comparison to past indiscretions: negotiating a $1.7 billion settlement to compensate the January 6 rioters who supported the president’s false election claims. This is corruption on a scale we have never seen before in the United States and a crippling blow to the independence of government institutions. Will Republican loyalists to Trump finally speak out against his blatant misuse of power?
Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.