Pretty difficult to be optimistic about any of this at the moment, I can only imagine what it must feel like for Ukrainians

We can do things

But this idea that we cannot possibly put Ukrainians in a position to defend themselves? I just don't think that's true. We have the money, we have the people, we can build the factories. We're not coming up against the limits of our power, this is a question of political will

Now: Do we want to provide Ukraine with that much support? That's a separate question and you can argue that we shouldn't. Perhaps you think the money should be spent on something else, or you think more support for Kyiv could lead to risks that aren't worth taking. Ok, I get that

Sometimes I think we don't appreciate just how powerful we are - at least collectively. If we really wanted to, we could pump Ukraine so full of weapons that they have no idea what to with it all. Putin obviously has a lot of advantages too, but he's not invincible

Thank you! That's super kind!

Thank you!

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And obviously, the discussion is relevant beyond America and Iraq because misunderstanding the opposite side can still lead to tragedy. If you enjoy our chat it would be great if you could give the podcast a like so the algorithm thinks we're popular.

For the first episode, I talk to two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll about Saddam Hussein, the CIA and America's invasion of Iraq. We discuss Saddam Hussein's childhood, chemical weapons use against Iran, and a series of miscalculations that ultimately led to war.

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