In this Direct interview, John is joined by Walter Russell Mead, an American academic widely regarded for his incisive analysis of geopolitics and foreign affairs. In a wide ranging discussion, Walter and John consider the worrying isolationist streak that seems to be running through US politics, the continuing struggle for global ascendancy between China and the US, the effectiveness of nuclear deterrence in the 2020s, Western cultural decadence, and Israeli democracy. Walter provides his assessment of the ongoing war in Ukraine, where the conflict is headed and what a desperate Putin might do to achieve an unlikely victory. He concludes on a hopeful note, that emerging political leaders in the US seem to have the courage and conviction to guide their country through the challenges that confront them. Walter Russell Mead is the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship at Hudson Institute, the Global View Columnist at The Wall Street Journal and the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College in New York. He is also a member of Aspen Institute Italy and board member of Aspenia. Before joining Hudson, Mr. Mead was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations as the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy. He has authored numerous books, including the widely-recognized 'Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004). His next book is entitled 'The Arc of A Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Future of the Jewish People'. #usa #china #geopolitics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues. John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate." If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww?sub_confirmation=1 And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ Follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnAndersonAC Follow John on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnandersonac Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnandersonac/ Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/ Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/ Podcast: https://johnanderson.net.au/podcasts/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Walter: Twitter: https://twitter.com/wrmead Hudson Institute: https://www.hudson.org/experts/1038-walter-russell-mead WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/news/author/walter-russell-mead