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The “Wickedly Talented Adele Dazeem” Edition
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined for a special episode by the most glamorous of RatSec co-hosts emeritus, Shane Harris, to hand out some Academy Awards for events in national security over the past year.
The nominees include:
For “Best Make-Up” (i.e., what was the year’s most memorable apology?):
- The Biden administration’s confession that its balloon bombardment was a bust;
- Kevin McCarthy’s ongoing Mar-a-Lago mea culpa;
- Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resignation over her positively wilting economic plan.
For “Best Score” (i.e., who came away as the year’s most unexpected winner?):
- Western Europe, whose uncharacteristic balminess helped it weather the winter without Russian energy imports;
- The F-22, which got its first kill (of a Chinese spy balloon) even as the U.S. military debates whether to discontinue it;
- China, whose late role in the Saudi-Iran rapprochement allowed it to seize much of the credit.
For “Best Supporting Actor” (non-state actor, that is) (i.e., which non-governmental figure had the most oversized role on the national security stage this year?):
- Comic book villain Elon Musk;
- Manic pixie jury foreperson Emily Kohrs;
- Tucker Carlson, the only man who has gotten less credible since he stopped wearing a bowtie.
For “Best Actor” (i.e., which world leader left their mark on the world stage this past year?):
- Volodymyr Zelensky, the man who stayed;
- Vladimir Putin, who seems intent on doubling down on his failing gambit in Ukraine;
- Xi Jinping, who locked down his control of the Chinese Communist Party—but perhaps not the Chinese people.
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