Bob Kagan

speaker

1,471 appearances 4 recordings 1 series first heard Feb 2026 last heard 29 Jul

Bob Kagan’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 4 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

Appearances

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

The Bulwark Daily · Robert Kagan: A Total and Complete Shutdown of Trump · 27 May 2026 podcast

So they recently denied a visit by the great Elbridge Colby, Undersecretary of Defense, on the grounds that they're not permitting him to come because as long as we're going ahead with the Taiwanese sale.

So now, because Trump indicated that it was on the table, now the Chinese are going to use it as leverage on every issue they want to use it on.

Whereas if he had just gone forward and used his leverage instead of announcing that he was going to use his leverage, he might have been able to use it as leverage.

It's just it's really remarkable.

But it's a bigger indication of how uncommitted he is to Taiwan.

And, you know, when you mention it, I mentioned Elbridge Colby.

I think it's funny because Elbridge Colby's big line before he got into the administration was all the neocons kept getting us into war's

in the Middle East and weakening us in our very important and vital and only really important task, which is containing China and defending Taiwan.

So here we are.

The neocons have gotten us into another war in the Middle East, and we are weakening our position vis-a-vis China.

Only now, Elbert Scobie is under Secretary of Defense.

For 80 years, the United States was the protector of the waterways of the world, and that included the Strait of Hormuz, and that included the energy supply.

So the countries like Japan, which are 95% dependent –

on energy coming out of the persian gulf and countries like korea which are like 90 dependent could count on the united states to keep that flow going that's over now the united states has proven that it cannot will not does not care to which leaves them in an impossible dilemma their economies are absolutely dependent on this source of supply their politics are dependent on it therefore

And so it's an imperative for countries like Japan to make sure that they can secure access.

So there's only two ways of doing that.

One is by force, which they don't have.

And the other is by cutting a deal with Iran, which they will do.

But those deals with Iran will not just be about getting the oil.

They will also be about certain international behavior.

Showing 541–560 of 1,471 · page 28 of 74