WEBVTT - Karol Markowicz Show: Defending Democracies with Mark Dubowitz 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.960 Hi, and welcome back to the Carrol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio. 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:11.440 Two days ago, Meghan Kelly posted this on X Ladies, 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.880 is possible to make your own money, have your own career, 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:18.080 pay for your own swanky New York City apartment, et cetera, 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.080 and find a man who loves you, wants to have 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:23.639 and raise kids with you, and wants to be with 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:26.680 you and only you. The only thing stopping you your 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:30.000 decision to settle for less end quote. Now, I'm not 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:34.440 exactly sure what spurred this commentary. I kind of assume 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:39.279 it's that news about Elon Musk's latest child and the 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:43.559 image of his latest baby mama in her yes, swanky 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:47.760 New York City apartment, but without her baby's father. Now, 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:50.080 I'm just speculating that this is the impetus of that, 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:53.760 but it sounds about right to me. Megan got such 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:58.240 bizarre pushback that I'm not sure people even read her tweet. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:02.440 Responses said they like not wanting to be a boss, babe, 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.360 is not settling for less. My kids were raised by me, 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.000 not a nanny or daycare. It's okay to find a 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:09.960 man who wants to provide for his family. 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:10.679 End quote. 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:14.560 Yeah, she didn't say that. It wasn't. In fact, if 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:17.280 you look at what she wrote, she was saying that 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.040 you could find someone who will provide for the family 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:23.080 and that wants to be with only you. One of 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:26.640 the responses I did like was by an account I follow. 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:31.200 I never know how to pronounce this. It's TXs alt 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:35.960 two oh, texas off two oh. She wrote, quote, I'm 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:38.720 not making Kelly in appearances, brain or talent, but I 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:41.480 have been able to achieve a life with similar results 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.000 if you desire to have a successful career and a 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:47.760 loving family. Some additional points I'd like to highlight Megan, 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:51.000 Kelly's husband is smart, but he does not match her income. 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:54.160 In order to achieve this result, women need to be 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:56.600 good with that. Megan married a man who was not 0:01:56.720 --> 0:02:00.520 threatened or masculated by her success. He also doesn't see 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:02.920 her as a free ride. There's a degree of initiative 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:06.080 and drive required on his part that prevents him from coasting. 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:09.880 Family is always the first priority for both parties, not 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.079 the career. She knows her success would not be possible 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:16.480 without him and his contributions to the family, and he 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:19.920 knows her success is his. They are a team, not 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:23.320 two individuals that decided to procreate, but one unit with 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:27.320 the same goals, drive, and purpose end quote. I really 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.519 like that because it ties into this thing we hear 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.920 about often, which is that women can only date or 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:38.160 marry men more successful than they are. So what would 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.320 it mag and Kelly do, She's already super successful. I 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.760 think we look at it wrong, Like there's a school 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:47.639 of thought that women go to college and higher numbers 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.840 than men, and they still have to find men to 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:56.040 marry at at least their same education level. The math, 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:59.640 you know, as the kids say, is not mathing. I 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.160 wrote back in twenty fifteen about this that desire to 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:06.960 find someone with your same level of education is just 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:11.240 shorthand for finding someone ambitious. I wrote, it's that what 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.320 women continue to look for in men as security, and 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:17.400 a college degree goes a long way toward convincing them. 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.640 He can provide that we've just gotten to a point 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.600 where it's unacceptable to admit that, so we use the 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:27.320 college degree code to say the things we won't. We 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.480 want someone with a good job. We will take care 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:32.440 of us, Yes, even if we're perfectly capable of taking 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:35.480 care of ourselves. It's not as if women will turn 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:39.200 down an entrepreneur like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates just 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:43.440 because they didn't finish college. Exceptions will be made. The 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.920 sooner society lets go of the college degree as some 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:50.360 sort of marker of success, the better the situation for 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:54.040 women seeking their mates will be. The numbers won't seem 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:56.800 so jarring, and the sad tales of women unable to 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.160 find their equal with dissipate. This focus on money in 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:03.720 a partner really leads women astray, and as I've talked 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:08.400 about on this show many times, success often follows in marriage. 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:13.280 Stability gives people the freedom to take chances they might 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.440 not otherwise take. It also pushes them to work harder. 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:19.840 Passing them a guy who isn't where he wants to 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:23.000 be in his career can be a big mistake. But 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.000 the main thing that Megan said that I think is 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:28.040 going ignored is that you don't have to settle for 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:30.880 a rich guy who's only somewhat with you while being 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:33.480 with other people. You can go get rich on your 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:36.040 own if that's important too, So you don't have to settle, 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.920 or you know, you can seek out somebody who is 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:42.640 successful but will commit to you our priorities are all 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:45.560 the way turned around, and telling women they have to 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:48.000 look for men who are more successful than they are 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.040 leads to this kind of ruin. People didn't like her 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:53.720 comment about the swank in New York City apartment, but 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:56.599 her point is a very good one. If you need 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:00.279 the swanky apartment and you feel like that you won't 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.000 be fulfilled unless you have it. Don't settle for being 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.800 the fourth baby mama. Go get it on your own 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:10.120 and wait for the full package. Thanks for listening. Coming 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:14.080 up my interview with Mark Debowitz. But first, after more 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.320 than a year of war, terror and pain in Israel, 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.760 there is still a great demand for basic humanitarian aid. 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:25.840 The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has supported and 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:30.040 continues to support those in the Holy Land still facing 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:33.279 the lingering horrors of war, and those who are in 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:38.359 desperate need right now. Your gift today will provide critically 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:42.080 needed aid to communities in the North and South devastated 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:46.920 by the ongoing war. Your generous donation will deliver help 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:51.320 to those in need, including evacuees and refugees from war 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:59.000 torn areas, first responders and volunteers, wounded soldiers, elderly Holocaust survivors, 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:03.920 families who have lost everything, and so many more. You 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.479 can give hope during a time of great uncertainty. Give 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:10.719 a gift to bless Israel and her people by visiting 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:17.719 SUPPORTIFCJ dot org. That's one word, SUPPORTIFCJ dot org. Or 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:22.960 call eight eight eight four eight eight IFCJ. That's eight 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:28.000 eight eight four eight eight IFCJ eight eight eight four 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.239 eight eight four three two five. 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:37.000 Welcome back to the Carol Markowitz Show on iHeartRadio. My 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:42.400 guest today is Mark Dubowitz, Chief executive of Defense of Democracies. Hi, Mark, 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:43.360 So nice to have you on. 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:44.840 Hey, Carol, thanks for having me. 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.760 So this is a show about how you got to 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.440 where you are and what you're all about. Did you 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:52.480 always want to defend democracies? 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:55.760 I think I did. I was kind of a strange, 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:56.560 strange kid. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.240 I was actually born in South Africa, and I remember 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:03.320 when I think I was eight years old, my teacher 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:07.600 called my mom and said, you know, missus doubois, Mark's 0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:10.640 a lovely, lovely kid, but he's really disruptive in class. 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:13.000 And she said, oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What's 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:13.440 he doing? 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:17.600 And the teachers said, well, Mark won't stop talking. About 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.280 how great America is and how America is the greatest 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:22.720 country and has the biggest military and and by the way, 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:26.400 this was nineteen seventy seven, so these are. 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:28.640 The Carter years. They weren't good years for America. 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:33.320 And anyway, so from a disruptive kid in South Africa, 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:35.280 we then ended up moving. 0:07:35.440 --> 0:07:38.000 I thought we were moving to America, but. 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.040 It turns out we were moving to the fifty first state, 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.880 the state of Canada. And it took me about a 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:45.120 year or two to discover that we were not living 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.280 in America, that were actually living in another country. I 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.840 was very disappointed, gave my parents a really hard time. 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:52.600 But anyway, grew up in Canada and was always, you know, 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:57.320 very passionate about the United States, about American leadership, and 0:07:57.360 --> 0:07:59.520 about defending democracies around the world. 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.640 What was your path to this role? What how did 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.840 you get here? What was your previous job experience before 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:07.400 defending democracies? 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:12.320 Yeah, I mean, totally unrelated, strange path I actually so 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:13.880 I cleared Mindograd. 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:15.320 I did a law degree in MBA. 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:20.280 I worked in tech and venture capital, and after nine 0:08:20.280 --> 0:08:24.360 to eleven, like all of us, I was really struck 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:26.040 by what had happened. I was at the time living 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:29.120 in Toronto, and I remember turning on the TV on 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.440 that fateful morning was actually my birthday and my wife's birthday. 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.760 We had the same birthday, nine to eleven. So I'd 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:38.760 made a breakfast in bed, I come downstairs, turned on 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:42.720 the TV and it was BBC, and I was watching 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:46.480 What Happened and played Striking the Twin Towers. And of 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:49.680 course I was because I was watching BBC. The BBC 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.400 host was blaming America for nine to eleven right now, 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.200 already literally minutes into it, I mean, and of course 0:08:56.240 --> 0:09:00.319 with BBC nothing's changed. I was so upset that I 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:03.360 I literally threw my shoe at the TV. My wife 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:07.200 walking down the stairs sees me do this and looks 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:10.640 at me and says, you know, Mark, either you've got 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.280 to change careers or you've got to get therapy. But 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:17.280 I'm not living with this for the next decade, And 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:19.480 sure enough I did. I came down to Washington. I 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.760 didn't know anybody. I did that sort of Washington thing, 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.000 which is kind of have coffee, informational coffees with people. 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:28.560 And I wasn't a US citizen. I didn't have a 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:30.640 green card, I couldn't work in the US government. I 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:32.959 actually tried to join the military, but the military told 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.679 me that I needed a green card. So all that 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.160 was left was to look at sort of think tanks. 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:41.560 And Cliff May had just opened FDD, the Foundation for 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:45.880 Defense Democracies, and I came in he hired me. I've 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.120 been eternally grateful to Cliff and I've been with him 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:52.559 for I guess now twenty one years leading efforts at FDD. 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:53.560 Wow. 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:57.880 Men will do anything to avoid therapy. Really well. 0:09:57.920 --> 0:09:59.520 The funny thing is, men will also do anything to 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:03.560 avoid me making breakfast or launch for dinner again, because 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:05.880 since then I told my wife that since I made 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:07.959 her breakfast in bed nine to eleven happened, if I 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:12.120 ever made her lunch for dinner, right, it would be armageddon. 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:13.120 So I haven't. 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:15.720 Yeah, you got to avoid the cooking altogether. 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:15.920 Thin. 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:17.360 Oh yeah, the last time it was in the kitchen 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:18.520 was nine to eleven. 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:20.320 So do you end up becoming an American? 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:21.400 I did? 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:25.120 Yeah, I finally got got my green card, got naturalized 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:28.120 in twenty fifteen, just in time for the twenty sixteen election. 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:31.719 And yeah, it was a very emotional moment to go 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:36.640 and to be naturalized. I remember there was I don't 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:41.000 know eighty ninety immigrants were also then being naturalized, and 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:43.640 I say the Pledge of allegiance and it was really 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:47.720 really emotional days. I'm proud American ever since. 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:51.640 Do you think Canada and South Africa are worse off 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.600 for losing you or is that just coincidental? 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:58.520 Yeah, both countries. It's interesting. 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:00.439 I mean, I don't know if there's a cause of connection, 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:05.120 but both certainly went south after I left. South Africa 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:08.000 as a disaster as you know, headed up by a 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.600 government with close ties with the ron hamas China and Russia. 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:13.800 Actually said a piece recent in the Wall Street Journal 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:16.480 on South Africa, I think the first time I've written 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:19.640 on South Africa since I've left many many years ago. 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:23.880 Canada under Justin Trudeau has been also a bit of 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.640 a disaster. So hopefully we'll see a change there with 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:30.600 a new Prime minister. But yeah, I don't I don't 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:33.400 think it was my fault for leaving, but unfortunately, I 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:35.440 think a lot of good people also left, certainly left 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:41.040 South Africa and waves went to you know, Canada, the US, Israel, Australia. 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:44.360 So South Africa lost many of its best and brightest, 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:48.199 and and then many Canadians come down to the US, 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:52.440 you know, to seek fortune and fame. Because we Canadians, 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:55.319 we can easily blend in with Americans. 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:58.960 There's a few tells, but no one knows. It's only 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:00.760 college sports where you can really tell if a. 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:04.800 Canadian is a Canadian, because we know professional sports, you know, 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:07.960 we know politics, we know American culture. They call the 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.479 forty ninth Parallel the longest one way looking. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:11.080 Glass in the world. 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:14.800 Canadians look south, Americans rarely look north unless there's a 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:19.240 cold front moving south. But the tell is college sports. 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:21.040 We Canadians don't know much a college tour. 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.080 That's interesting. I think that's true for like New Yorkers too. 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:26.800 I now live in Florida, where I've learned a lot more, 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.440 but I feel like New Yorkers are not not so 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:32.720 into the college sports. We have a lot of professionals. 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.040 Sports to you, that's it, right, Yeah, but if you're 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.839 really going to if you know, if if CIA or 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:40.360 FBI counter intelligence is trying to flash out Canadians, that 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:44.439 would be the question, like, yeah, questions about college football. 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:48.160 Yeah, like the l you know, when they test you 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:50.400 before you get on the plane to Israel, they ask 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.600 you all kinds of like really deep questions that could 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:53.760 definitely be one of them from the. 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:57.080 Canadian Absolutely absolutely so. 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:01.760 Do you think there's any turnaround for South Africa and Canada? 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.920 I mean, and you say you're hopeful about Canada. Is 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:06.319 there a path for South Africa? Do you care about 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.480 these places like I still care about New York. Do 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.400 you still have some warmth for South Africa? 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:14.040 I mean I do in the sense that you know, 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:17.040 I still have family there and friends there, and it's 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:20.240 a beautiful country, and I mean it's really so much 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:25.800 remarkable potential. I think it's just been so badly, you know, mismanaged. 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.920 It's that's what happens when you have one party rule 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:34.800 for decades. The a n C is incredibly corrupt and 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.920 as I said, has these alliances with bad actors, with 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:38.920 American enemies. 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:40.200 I have some hope. 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:43.319 I mean, the recent election saw the a n C 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.760 get the fewest number of votes that it has since Mandela, 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:52.040 and now in this democracy alliance with some of the oppositions, 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.160 So there's there is some potential. But I mean it's 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:57.920 just a classic example of what horrible governments can do. 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:02.960 To a country and it's really despite its beauty, it 0:14:02.960 --> 0:14:08.199 has massive problems political, economic, social problems Canada. Yes, I 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.280 think they're you know, if the Conservatives win and the 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:15.800 next selection, you know, the Conservative leader there is just tremendous, 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:20.600 great American ally, great defender of Israel and other free nations, 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:23.040 so I think he could turn the place around. But 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.400 justin Trudeau has done some real damage there and a 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:29.280 lot of it's an immigration related. He's just let in 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.400 you know, a huge number of immigrants, which Canada is 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:37.840 a nation of immigrants and it's wonderful, but a where 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.360 a number of the immigrants have come from has created 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:44.000 real problems and a huge surgeon anti Semitism in the country. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:46.720 And b they led in, you know, millions of new 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:50.160 immigrants without building the requisite infrastructure in terms of health 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:53.560 and education and housing, and it's massive problems to the country. 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:59.160 What countries does FDD kind of see as optimistic and 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:02.040 you know, civil improvements in the next few years, and 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:04.040 which ones are they most worried about. 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.520 We're not an optimistic bunch, so I'll have to think. 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:09.280 About the then. 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:10.880 Yeah, the pessimism, that's easy. 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:14.360 I mean, we defend the leaguer democracies, right, foundation of 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:17.760 defense democracies. They don't just sort of defend the platonic 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.720 concept of democracy, but actual democracy is under threat. And 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.000 the three that are obviously we're most concerned about our 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:26.960 our Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, and and do a lot 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:30.520 of work in defending those democracies. I would add to that, 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:36.600 you know, certainly democracies in Eastern Europe UH that Putin 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:39.880 is uh as part of his desire to rebuild the 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:42.960 Russian Empire, I think I think is potentially going to 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:49.480 be threatening. Democracies, you know, in the Indo Pacific, particularly Japan, Korea, 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:54.800 Philippines certainly of concern. Middle East doesn't have too many democracies, 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.640 but you know, we're certainly concerned about some of the 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:02.120 non democracies that are US allies, and we don't want 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:05.880 to see you know, Egypt or Jordan in particular go down. 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:10.840 Obviously the UAE Saudi Arabia threatened by Iran. But but 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:15.000 I think we're most concerned about Taiwan, Ukraine and in Israel. 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:19.400 But most optimistic. That's a great question, and I say 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:24.040 it's America, here we go. Yeah, I'm always optimistic about America. 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.400 I mean, I remember I mentioned that we left South 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:30.360 Africa in seventy seven and in the Carter years, and 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:34.160 I remember talking to my dad, uh, you know, as 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:38.680 a kid and really worried about it's America at the time. 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:42.680 This was sort of post Vietnam Carter energy crisis, you know, 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:48.800 severe depression, was severe recession, stagflation, and then the Islamic Revolution, 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:51.320 and it looked like America really was on its knees 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.360 at the time. And my dad, I remember saying to 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:56.520 me as a kid, you know, never count America out. 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:58.080 You know, never count America out. 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:02.000 I guess is that at Winston Churchill that God takes 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:04.680 care of babies, alcoholics in. 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.800 The United States of America, right, love it? Yeah, I 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:10.639 think that's true. We have incredible. 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:17.000 Resilience here and thank god, two huge oceans, but an 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:21.159 incredible country of creative people, amazing energy. So I am 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.320 more optimistic about America than I have been. I hope 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:27.840 the new administration, new Congress and start to reverse some 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.000 of the damage that it's been college in recent years. 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:32.160 We're going to take a quick break and be right 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:38.359 back on the Carol Marcowitch Show. I came to America 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:42.000 in nineteen seventy eight from the Soviet Union, and my 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:44.520 parents tell the story of you know, they always wanted 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.840 to be Americans. They always spent their lives like imagining it. 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:50.840 And they get here in their thirties and it's carter 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:53.919 and everything is kind of falling apart. There's gas lines, 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:57.240 as inflation, there's you know, on a smaller level, they come. 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.520 My father arrives in the summer of sam and in 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:02.639 New York City and the riots and the blackout and 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:05.000 all the stuff, and he's like, WHOA, did I make 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:08.400 a mistake? And then of course Reagan just a few 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:10.720 years later and turns it all around. And I have 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:13.440 a brother named Ronald, and you know, the whole thing. 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:15.600 But I have to say that the last few years, 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.040 even though I've always been an American optimist, also I 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.040 saw how fast things to get bad and how fast 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:28.280 that slide into that terrible time can happen. I also 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:31.639 feel optimistic now, but it's definitely been for the first 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:33.800 time in my entire life. The last few years I 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:37.600 felt true pestimism about America. I'm not quite sure that 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.359 we could turn it around. And definitely feel better after 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.600 the beginning of the Trump presidency, I think so. 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:45.880 Yeah, I mean, we don't have wron o' reagan anymore, 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:47.760 and I don't know if there are any wrong o Reagan's 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:52.560 in our future. But yeah, I think that the damage 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:56.520 was serious and deep and potentially. 0:18:57.840 --> 0:18:58.480 Long term. 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.119 And you know, I hope President Trump is going to 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:03.720 turn this around. I don't think he has a lot 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:05.920 of time, so I hope he uses that time wisely 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:10.800 and selectively and not vindictively, because I think you can 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:14.280 get massively distracted in Washington by going personal rather than 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:15.720 focusing on serious policy. 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:17.080 But yeah, I agree with you. 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:19.840 It's uh, I don't know if it's a you know, 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:22.359 it's a it's a new dawn, but it certainly is 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:27.119 an opportunity to reverse some of the the egregious policies 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:29.680 of Obama. 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:30.280 And then Biden. 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:32.240 What do you worry about? 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:34.960 What do I worry about? Yeah, long list. 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:38.679 I think these days I'm worried mostly at least in 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:41.359 the short term, about Iran's nuclear weapons program, and I 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:44.240 ran a nuclear breakouts. I mean, I think in recent months, 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.120 you know, these Raelis have done tremendous damage to Iran's 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:50.280 Axis of quote resistance, which I call the Axis of Misery, 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:54.880 which is their proxy networks. So, you know, remarkable turnaround 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:57.480 by the Israeli defense forces since October seventh, and I 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.680 think today the Lam of Republic is vulnerable. Its air 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:05.199 defenses have been destroyed, Zabala has been severely degraded, Hamasis 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:10.960 and eviscerated. So it seems to me possible, I don't 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:13.960 know if likely, but possible that supremely early common Ae 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:16.639 decides this is the time to develop nuclear weapons, to 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.680 create a nuclear re turrent. So I think twenty twenty 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:21.480 five can be a bit will be a big year 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:23.000 on the Iran side. 0:20:23.800 --> 0:20:26.160 That's short term. Long term, I'm I'm very worried. 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:28.359 About China and the Chinese Communist Party, you know, I 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:32.880 mean that the Iranians are aren't capable of fundamentally transforming 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:36.000 the world in ways that would be. 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:37.680 You know, really dangerous. 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:41.359 The Chinese Communist Party is, and I think that's the 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:43.000 you know, the generational struggle. 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:44.920 You mentioned you came from the Soviet Union. 0:20:45.440 --> 0:20:47.240 You know, I did Soviet studies when I was at 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:50.159 McGill University, and I remember. 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:53.120 What were they pro Well, that's right, I mean, that's 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:53.800 a great question. 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:57.440 Well they were whatever they were they were wrong, because 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.400 I remember that the morning that the berl And wall 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:02.600 came down, we were all sitting in class and our 0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:06.720 professor so Studies, came in and she said, well, everybody 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:09.560 get up and bring your textbook and throw it into 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:12.800 the scarbage can. And we all said, well, we just 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:14.600 spent a lot of money in our textbook. Well what's 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:17.680 going on now? Of course a lot of your listeners 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:21.080 won't remember these days, but this was pre internet, pre smartphone. 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:23.040 I mean, we were just sitting in class. We had 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:24.080 no idea what was going on. 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:26.119 And she said, the Berlin walls just came down, and 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:29.119 everything in that textbook was wrong, and much of what 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:32.280 I taught you was wrong. And it was sort of 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:37.080