The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart Foreign Policy and American Hubris with Ben Rhodes
73 snips
May 13, 2026 
Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser and presidential speechwriter turned author, discusses U.S. foreign policy and his book All We Say. He reflects on the Iran war, costs of military options, and how interventions reshape regional power. He also examines the post-9/11 security mindset, Gulf states’ hedging, and the need for diplomacy, trade, and restraint.
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Why Airstrikes Can't Erase A Nuclear Program
- Bombing can't eliminate a dispersed nuclear program because the knowledge, scientists, and fuel-cycle infrastructure remain hidden across sites.
- Ben Rhodes recounts wargames and intelligence briefings showing airstrikes would fail and risk closing the Strait of Hormuz, crippling global energy flows.
War's Predictable Strategic Backfire
- Trump's decision to attack Iran produced predictable heavy costs: reputational damage, thousands dead, and vast economic impacts.
- Rhodes emphasizes wargames and scenarios predicting Iranian retaliation and global economic disruption from Strait of Hormuz closures.
Strait Of Hormuz Became Iran's Leverage
- Iran turned the Strait of Hormuz into leverage, effectively charging a toll and using crypto to extract payments.
- Rhodes compares this to Egypt's Suez nationalization and notes Iran's action gives it new deterrent credibility.
