The "Nuclear Tongue Twister" Edition

<p>This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by special guest,&nbsp;Rational Security editor Jen Patja Howell! They sat down to discuss:</p><ul><li>“Our Stand on Havana”: While pressure is building on the Biden administration to take a stand on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/opinion/havana-syndrome-disorder.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Havana Syndrome</a>, our understanding of what is happening to U.S. diplomats and other officials remains limited. What should the United States do next?</li><li>“SupersonicNewBallisticsExquisiteBlastAdocious”: In the last few weeks, China’s unveiled a new <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/us/politics/china-hypersonic-missile.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">supersonic missile</a> capable of delivering nuclear warheads past U.S. defenses.&nbsp;At the same time, the United States has announced new technology that allows nuclear warheads to explode with “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-nuclear-weapons-electronic-sensors-accuracy/2021/10/28/79533ff0-34cc-11ec-9bc4-86107e7b0ab1_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exquisite timing</a>” that dramatically magnifies their effectiveness. Is this the beginning of a new sort of arms race?</li><li>“International Lampoon’s European Vacation”: President Biden is meeting with a number of his foreign counterparts in Europe this week to discuss issues ranging from the global economy to climate change. Will Biden be able to repair these key relationships or is the Trump era still weighing down <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/us/politics/biden-summit.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the United States’ international standing</a>?</li></ul><p>For object lessons, Quinta noted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/27/world/europe/viktor-bryukhanov-dead.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the death of Viktor Bryukhanov</a>, the former manager of the nuclear plant at Chernobyl at the time of its meltdown