The Washington Roundtable’s Susan B. Glasser interviews General David Petraeus about where the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine might be headed and what they can tell us about the future of warfare. They discuss the fleets of inexpensive drones which have upended traditional combat, how the impending arrival of A.I.-powered automated systems might “revolutionize” the battlefield, and what institutional overhauls Petraeus believes are urgently needed at the Pentagon in order to respond. “We need to do a lot to catch up,” Petraeus says. “But there are vested interests in the military-industrial-congressional-complex that are gonna fight tooth and nail for any actions that change force structure, reduce the aircraft they have on their ramp in their congressional district, or production of manned ships, manned tanks, or whatever else it is, and this is gonna be a fight.”

This week’s reading:

• “After Six Months of War, Trump Is Still Losing to Iran,” by Ishaan Tharoor
• “Is the Smithsonian Really Trying to Destroy America?,” by Julian Lucas
• “A Trump Grift Too Far?,” by John Cassidy
• “Donald Trump Is Still Trying to Make It Harder to Vote,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
• “The Show That’s Charting a Post-Trump Future,” by Jon Allsop
• “How Far Will the Trump Administration Go to Deport Mahmoud Khalil?,” by Andrew Marantz

• “How I Became a Subaru Socialist,” by Jay Caspian Kang

  “Can Head Start Be Deregulated Out of Existence?,” by Jessica Winter

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices