What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead 25 Years of Putin
26 snips
May 5, 2026 They talk about why the Trump White House is eyeing AI oversight and how AI’s rapid rollout reshapes safety norms. They dig into the BJP’s breakthrough in West Bengal and electoral dynamics. They explore reports of elite unrest in Russia and what 25 years of Putin have done to Russian power and foreign strategy.
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Use Processes To Manage Tech Backlash
- Use regulatory processes to defuse public anxiety while preserving innovation momentum by creating review bodies and visible procedures.
- Mead suggests a working group and review steps can be repeated to reassure lawmakers and the public.
Trump's Tactical Retreat On AI Oversight
- President Trump is executing a tactical retreat on AI regulation by proposing a government review process to show oversight while preserving rollout momentum.
- Walter Russell Mead says a working group and formal review buy political breathing room and can be used as a repeated reassurance: "we have a process."
AI's Impact Is Speed Not Novelty
- AI's main difference from past technologies is speed of adoption and social change rather than novelty of disruption.
- Mead compares AI's impact to the car: huge social costs (deaths, pollution) offset by transformative mobility and cultural shifts.