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12 July 2025

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An American Scholar in China

Neysun Mahboubi joins Connor Echols to discuss his experience bringing American students and scholars to China—including one meeting in which his student pressed a Chinese official on human rights. Play entire video

The Truth about Sam Altman

Robert Wright and Timothy B. Lee, author of the Understanding AI newsletter, discuss what two new biographies reveal about the OpenAI CEO.

Why Nations Go to War

Robert Wright speaks to Alex Jordan and Courtney Rawlings, hosts of the Quincy Institute’s new Always at War podcast, about the structural and psychological causes of international conflict—and of US military interventions in particular.

Bibi’s War, America’s Problem?

Robert Wright and Connor Echols discuss whether the US will be dragged into Israel’s conflict with Iran.

Why Bibi Always Needs More War

Robert Wright and Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney discuss Alex’s new film The Bibi Files, Netanyahu’s corruption trial, and the mysteries of Elon Musk.

Elon’s Abject Surrender

Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss the roots of the Trump-Musk blowup, why Elon caved, and whether he can recover from the fallout.

Should Trump give up on Ukraine?

Jennifer Kavanagh tells Connor Echols why it may be time for the US to walk away from Ukraine peace talks.

Trump’s Attack on Independent Thought

Harvard political scientist Stephen Walt and Robert Wright discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress critical thought at Harvard and elsewhere.

Trump’s Venezuela dilemma

Francisco Rodriguez joins Connor Echols to discuss how a return to “maximum pressure” on Venezuela could backfire on Trump and drive more immigration to the US.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Can Trump get Iran back to the table?

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Connor Echols discusses the latest on the US-Iran crisis with Alan Eyre, a distinguished fellow at the Middle East Institute and a former core member of the US team that negotiated the 2015 Iran deal.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

How power really works in DC

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Connor Echols talks to best-selling author Barry Eisler about his new novel, The System.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Why the Iran attacks undermine US-China trade talks

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Jake Werner of The Quincy Institute and Connor Echols discuss the latest developments in the US-China trade war.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

OpenAI and the AI Arms Race

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Robert Wright and Steven Adler—former safety researcher at OpenAI—discuss what it was like at the firm as Chat-GPT emerged, whether the chip war on China is smart, Dario Amodei’s grand geopolitical strategy, and more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

An Anti-Blob Debate on Iran, Gaza, and China

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Andrew Day and Curt Mills of the American Conservative join Robert Wright to discuss the latest Iran nuclear deal developments, Trump’s Israel-Gaza approach, US-China through a Buchananite lens, and more.

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Elon Exits Trump 2.0

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Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom discuss the Musk-Trump breakup. Plus: A worthwhile Canadian pop-quiz, Trump’s corruption and anti-college crusade, whether AI doomers are walking their talk, and more.