Episode 22: The Washington Game

In December 2019, The Washington Post obtained and published internal documents, now known as The Afghanistan Papers, from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). These documents revealed top political and military leaders systematically lied to the American public about the war in Afghanistan's progress, and continued its mission despite knowing victory was unachievable. Why do both Democratic and Republican administrations continue misleading us, and what is at stake? Mark Hannah sits down with Kelley B. Vlahos this week to discuss a culture in Washington which leads to a perpetual investment in unnecessary war. They discuss the military-industrial complex, military restraint, and where conservatism fits into it all. What is the conservative case against these wars, and how can we break the blob mentality which perpetuates America's troubling cycle of miring itself in unnecessary wars?

Kelley B. Vlahos is a national security and foreign policy writer and columnist in Washington, DC and is the executive editor of The American Conservative magazine. @KelleyBVlahos