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Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams is senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. He served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East for the White House.

Series

The Ricochet Podcast1 episodeWhat the Hell Is Going On1 episode

Recent Episodes

What the Hell Is Going On
What the Hell Is Going On

WTH Happens After the Israel-Hamas War? Elliott Abrams Explains

Nearly three months into the Israel-Hamas war, we’re back with Elliott Abrams for an update on what the hell is going on, and more importantly, where to go from here. The military objectives – what Israel must do in order to secure its people – are one level, but as the conflict continues, there are deeper issues that will take time and clarity to address. How do we deradicalize both the Palestinian population in support of Hamas? What about Hezbollah? Iran? And how can we help Israeli security when we are struggling Hamas supporters here at home? Why is the United States so loath to defend itself in the Red Sea? And why are there hundreds – hundreds—of Biden administration employees virtue-signaling their personal disagreement with the policy of the President of the United States? Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. He served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of President George W. Bush, where he supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East for the White House, and as Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela in the administration of Donald Trump. Download the transcript here. Check out Elliott Abrams' recent piece here. Subscribe to the WTH substack here.
Hosts:
Danielle PletkaMarc Thiessen
Organization
American Enterprise Institute

May 2021

The Ricochet Podcast
The Ricochet Podcast

Over The Top and Completely Useless

Who says we don't break news on this show? The whole gang is back this week, and they're joined by National Review's senior political correspondent, Jim Geraghty for a long chat on Republicans leaving the party, fealty to you-know-who, and an update on Wuhan lab theories. Then, Elliot Abrams, who's most recently served as President Trump's Special Representative to Venezuela and Iran; joins to discuss They Israel's ongoing fight with Hamas and speculate on how it might conclude, while marveling at the strength of the Abraham Accords (negotiated at the direction of you-know-who). Ricochet member @MarkAlexander gets the coveted Lileks Post of The Week® badge for his post My Shakespeare Confession and Rob and James mull the wisdom of a million dollar vaccine lottery. Song from this week's episode: Bad Blood by Taylor Swift.
Hosts:
James LileksPeter RobinsonRob Long
Organization
Ricochet