I go into three different topics this week. First, I discuss my debate with Curtis Yarvin from Friday on the question of democracy versus monarchy. I share some thoughts on the point of debates, impressions of who “won,” and what it was like meeting online rightists in person.
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The second part of the monologue goes into Tucker’s trip to Moscow, which included his interview with Putin and visits to the metro and a supermarket. I discuss the ways in which criticism of US foreign policy is often motivated by hostility to American society more generally, and why this is a trap to avoid. For previous takes on the Putin interview, see here and here. I talk about how while the subway video arguably had a legitimate point about our urban dysfunction, the supermarket one shows the ways in which anti-Americanism can cloud people’s judgment. I suggest ways in which one can find a healthier balance that involves criticizing America’s flaws while not developing too negative a perspective or romanticizing states like Putin’s Russia.
Finally, I discuss Edward Luttwak’s recent piece on why Israel is winning in Gaza, and the split between PR realities and what is happening on the ground. As I previously predicted, Israel would fight to win, and it’s heartening to see that it is largely ignoring international criticism of the war effort.
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