Zone Defense.
Episode 13 of 'Alternate Shots'.
In the latest episode of ‘Alternate Shots’, Richard Haass and I dig into a number of the most pressing issues around the world. Iran is experiencing widespread protests against a regime that has lost widespread support. The Trump administration needs to decide on its definition of success there and how to bring it about.
We go on to discuss how Venezuela is an example of where the U.S. opted for considerably less than regime change—and is encountering problems in bringing about stability and large-scale oil development. We agree that President Trump’s outlandish approach to Greenland is equal parts unnecessary and counterproductive, while Cuba could be a case where regime changes comes less because of U.S. efforts than internal decay and collapse.
Closer to home, we predict the midterm elections may be manipulated to suppress voter turnout and alter voting outcomes in a year meant to celebrate American democracy. And as always, we wrap up with sports and the latest in college and pro football, a much-needed pressure valve to a heavy set of topics.
(Alternate Shots, Episode #13, with Richard Haass and John Ellis. Recorded on 13 January 2026. Produced by Dale Eisinger.)
You can listen to this episode (and all the previous episodes) on Apple, Amazon, Spotify and most of the other major podcast platforms.