Trump’s Waffling on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, as European Leaders Try to Avoid a Clash Between Him and Zelensky
We begin with the NATO summit underway at The Hague, with European leaders trying to avoid a clash between Trump and Zelensky, who clearly the U.S. president hates and can’t wait to sell out to Putin. We discuss what the Europeans can do for Ukraine, as Trump likely cuts off arms and NATO runs out of stocks of arms, while pledging to increase their defense budget to 5 % of GDP, which will mean Ukraine has only enough to hold off Putin for another year. Joining us is Charles Kupchan, who was director for European Affairs on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. He is now a professor of International Affairs in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and spent the last 3 years of the Obama administration as Special Assistant to President Obama for National Security. He is the author of Power in Transition: The Peaceful Change of International Order; How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace; and his latest book, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.
Today’s New York City Election For Mayor Exposes the Division in the Democratic Party, as a Talented Young Leader Faces a Disgraced Relic
Then we examine today’s New York City primary elections for mayor, which expose the division in the Democratic Party which, unlike the GOP (which nurtures rising talent), trashes and tries to marginalize young and promising leaders like AOC and Zohran Mamdani, who is running against a disgraced relic: Andrew Cuomo. Joining us is Susan Kang, a Professor of Political Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/City University of New York. Her research and teaching interests include international political economy, human rights, and international law. She is the author of Human Rights and Labor Solidarity: Trade Unions and the Global Economy; she co-edited the volume Human Rights: Institutions and Practices; and she is currently an editor of Global Constitutionalism, a Cambridge University Press peer reviewed scholarly journal. She has an article at Truthout titled “Mamdani is Showing Dems Don’t Have to Chase Voter Opinion — They Can Shape it.”
Iran’s Divided Opposition With the U.S.–Backed and Israel-Backed MEK and the Shah’s Son, Hated For Their Collusion With Israel
Then finally, we assess the chances of regime change in Iran and analyze the divided opposition, with the U.S. and Israeli-backed terrorist group the MEK and the Shah’s son both hated by Iranians because of their collusion with Israel, along with the grandstanding Masih Alinejad, who has little traction inside the country. Joining us is Ali Afshari, an Iranian political analyst and pro-democracy activist. He is a former student leader and member of the Central Committee of the Office for Consolidation of Unity, which was the main and largest student organization in Iranian universities during the reformist era. He obtained a PhD at George Washington University, where he is an adjunct professor, and he contributes regularly on current Iranian political events in Persian and English language media.