11 May 2026
Robert Farley (Lawyers, Guns and Money, University of Kentucky) and Nate Jones (National Security Archive, Unredacted)
On Foreign Entanglements, Rob speaks with Nate about newly declassified documents concerning the secret 1983 NATO exercise Able Archer. Rob sets the stage by discussing the increase in tensions between the US and the USSR, and Nate explains why the exercise scared the Soviets. Nate then describes three sets of documents about the exercise, shedding light on Soviet fears of a US nuclear first strike, how a Warsaw Pact-NATO war in Europe would play out, and whether there was a real danger of the war game becoming real. Nate describes the “crown jewel” of declassified documents. They close by predicting the contents of declassified war on terror documents from decades in the future.
Play entire videoFollow:
Robert Farley
Nate Jones
Robert Farley
Nate Jones
Recorded:May 28
Posted:May 31, 2013
Download:
Foreign Entanglements | May 31, 2013 | Robert Farley & Nate Jones
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The New Middle East
Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute and Robert Wright look at ways the Iran war could change the Middle East. New fissures among Gulf states? New Turkey-Iran bonding? Israel’s Waterloo? America’s?
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Trump Lost the Hormuz Round
Robert Wright explains why Iran won the latest round in Hormuz and why Trump’s counter-blockade was never going to work. Nikita Petrov reports on a domestic crisis brewing inside Russia—with drone attacks, mobile internet shutdowns, and frustration boiling up where it didn’t before.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Mythos and the Future of AI Arms Races
Tech analyst Lennart Heim joins Robert Wright to discuss Mythos, the new superhacking AI from Anthropic, and what it means for US-China relations and global stability.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Why Mattering Matters
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of the new book The Mattering Instinct, joins Robert Wright to discuss the human need to justify one’s own existence, the different ways we do that, and how these differences can divide us.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Future of Intelligence
Psychologist Paul Bloom joins Robert Wright to discuss Paul’s cute new baby, our uncertain AI future, whether eugenics is making a comeback, whether intelligence is overrated, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Can Trump and Iran Make a Deal?
Robert Malley—a lead negotiator for Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran—and Robert Wright discuss what kind of deal between Trump and Iran is conceivable and what kinds of leverage both sides have.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Iran and the Demise of US Hegemony
Robert Wright and American Prestige hosts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner discuss the latest Middle East developments—including whether Trump and Iran can reach a peace deal, who’s winning the Hormuz blockade duel, and what it all means for America’s global standing. Plus: Is Anthropic’s Mythos really scary?
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Can AI Stop Wars?
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss whether AI could help resolve international conflicts as the world edges toward catastrophe. Plus: Trump’s “act of war” in the Strait of Hormuz, a case for an Iranian tollgate, the AI model so dangerous Anthropic delayed its release, and more.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Sizing up the AI Titans
Shakeel Hashim, editor of the Transformer newsletter, joins Robert Wright to assess Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis—and to discuss the senses in which their character does and doesn’t matter.
Nonzero (The Wright Show)
The Iran War: A Debate
View these comments on a non-video page
View these comments on a non-video page