Susan Kokinda analyzes President Trump’s suggestion that Iran could someday join the Abraham Accords, arguing it reflects a foreign policy built on “real physical economics” rather than geopolitical rules.
She contrasts this approach with criticism from figures like Mike Pompeo and highlights White House Communications Director Steven Cheung’s sharp rebuttal.
Kokinda points to the National Security Strategy’s focus on reindustrialization - “the future belongs to the makers” - and frames energy independence, supply-chain security, and tariffs as “hard power.”
She interprets the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) new “Future of American Strategy” project as an admission that the liberal international order and the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” are ending, citing CFR contributors who dismiss reindustrialization.
The episode also notes emerging diplomacy and economic cooperation involving the U.S., Russia, China, and India.
Chapters
00:00 The Monday Brief - Intro - May 25, 2026
02:50 Economics, Not Geopolitics, Reshapes the Mideast
06:51 The CFR Admits Defeat
10:54 Russia, China, India — and the New Shape of the World
