December 20, 2025 • 8 mins
National Security Institute Senior Fellow Lester Munson breaks down how President Trump changed America's foreign policy in 2025 and how Venezuela and China are set to be the main countries to watch at the start of 2026.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's go to the highline and bring in National Security
Institute senior fellow Lester Months and Leicester. It's great to
talk to you once again, and I wanted to have
you on to kind of wrap up the year as
we look back at some of the big foreign policy
moves that Trump administration has made and take a look
ahead at what to watch for in twenty twenty six.
And I think you got to say, when it comes
(00:21):
to twenty twenty five, some big wins, some big issues
remain unresolved, and obviously there was a focus on just
about every part of the world, from the Middle East
to Europe with Russia and Ukraine to Venezuela and the
(00:44):
South American area.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, ran great to be with you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I totally agree that, and I think in a way
the biggest story is just a completely different approach the
US has taken to global affairs. Instead of kind of
stepping back and leading from behind, as a former president
once said, much more of a high pressure, pushing out,
(01:10):
demanding things of others, bringing people to the table, using leverage,
just a kind of comprehensive shock and awe diplomatic approach
across the globe that really did transform several issues, some
wins for the president, particularly in Gaza, two big negotiations
that led to hostage releases, including one actually i think
(01:32):
at the very end of twenty four before he was
even sworn in as president, and then the one a
couple months ago that got the.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Final hostages returned to Israel.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
And also some things that are on hold, like or
in Limbo, which like the negotiations over Ukraine with Putin.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There's really a whole different approach from the Biden administration,
which was much more passive in a lot of instances
and willing to let others kind of dictate the pace of.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Events, setting Around's nuclear program back at the very least,
and sending a message to the rest of the world
with that action earlier this year.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, I think, I actually think that's the biggest single
event of this year.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That is the most significant.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
President Trump willing to use US military force to strike
the Ranian nuclear weapons program. Frankly, whatever word you pick
to describe it, obliterated, decimated, total destruction, parcel destruction, it
doesn't really matter, because the thing that matters is the
US got involved directly to stop this national security threat.
(02:39):
To our interests directly and also our interests of our
friends and allies in the region. And the fact that
President Trump was willing to show the world that he's
willing to back it up and to take action where
necessary changes the conversation in almost every other instance. So
you know, we're and when we talk about next year,
we'll probably talk a little bit about Venula. It changes
(03:01):
the you know, the decision making structure for a guy
like Nicholas mcduro, who's going to have to deal with,
you know, potential US military action against him.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
We're joined by National Security Institute senior fellow Lester Months,
and let's talk about one area where the President struggled
a bit, and that would be Russia and Ukraine. You know,
I said at the very beginning of the year, Putin's
plan was going to be to drag this thing out,
and he was pretty successful with that.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
There's still no resolution.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, we keep hearing about progress here and there,
but again, we're going into another year with no UH
cease fire, no UH into that war.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
And that was something that the President seemed to think.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
He could do pretty quickly once he got into office.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, the President doesn't lack for confidence in his abilities
that it is true, that's a that's a feature, not
a bug, And he may have been a little bit
unrealistic about what why Putin invaded Ukraine and what he
wants of that conflict and the existential nature that it
is for his regime in Moscow. And I do think
(04:08):
the reason we're not seeing progress here at the end
of the day is if Vladimir Putin comes to an
agreement that doesn't include the total takeover of Ukraine, that's
probably it for his presidency in Russia.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It'll be over.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
He'll this is a deep seated issue in Russia. There's
a lot on the line for him, and he's and
he knows that more acutely than anyone, of course, and
he's not going to He has almost no interest in
compromise when it comes to Ukraine. So it's just important
to understand the things that are at stake there. And
(04:44):
I think President Trump still believes he can push this
to a resolution, and perhaps there's a way forward here
that you know, if we keep talking and keep putting
pressure and find a way to keep European allies in
particular aligned with the US and willing to make sacrifices,
whether it's sending weapons or funds or that kind of
(05:05):
thing to Ukraine.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
We might see a resolution.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
But the good news of what President Trump has done
is he really has lined up our European alleys with
the US in a way that hadn't been true before.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I think right, and I think also pushing them to
do more. I would say that was a positive aspect
of his approach to the Russia Ukraine war. Let's focus
now on twenty twenty six, and again we're joined by
National Security Institute's senior fellow, Lester Months, and it seems
to me, you know, two big foreign policy issues that
(05:41):
will be front and center. Venezuela obviously and what happens there.
And then China remains a big issue, everything from their
approach to the region, the trade conflict with them to
AI and how we progress compared to China on that
front in the new year.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Brian, we're in the same mind. I was thinking the
exact same things that drinking my.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Pot of coffee. I'm getting ready for this.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
I totally agree that President Trump is kind of teed
up action in Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I don't think he can back down.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
There's going to have to be some sort of change
in aspect of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, whether it's him,
whether it's Maduro leaving, whether it's a completely different approach
to the US and the world. Uh, there's you know,
there's too much leverage used now for there's for this
not to be resolved in the US favor. This is
(06:36):
you can't walk I don't think the US and President
Trump can walk away from this at this point. So
I expect in the near term we're going to see
something fairly dramatic involving Venezuela. I agree on on China,
this is this, and in a way this is the
most important long term issue for the United States. How
do we deal with our our near peer competitor in China.
They've got a lot of good news, which is their
(06:59):
their ex driven economy is quite robust. They've also got
a lot of bad news. Their economic growth is not
what it could be. They've got some population challenges. Shijiin
Ping is in a third term of a two term system,
so he's going to be on shaky grounds sooner rather
than later. And in other words, both Sesian Ping and
(07:21):
Donald Trump kind of need each other to work something
out here, and you're right, a lot of this will
play out in the trade, the overall trade relationship, but
also this race for dominance in the AI sphere. There
are some political headwinds here in the US on you know,
the people supporting data centers in their neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There's some pullback.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
There's a little bit of fear about what AI could
mean for jobs and things like that. But frankly, if
we aren't the dominant power in that AI sector, it
will be very bad for the United States economy and
for our national security. So we have to be very
forward looking on those issues. That's going to be a
pullolitical challenge domestically, but it's also going to determine a
(08:03):
big chunk of how this relationship between Washington and Beijing
works up.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
National Security Institute Senior fellow Lester Munson with us make
sure you check out the fault Lines podcast.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
You can listen to it on your iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Lester's part of that really great information there, and Lester,
we can't thank you enough for all the time and
insight throughout the course of twenty twenty five and we
hope to have you back on soon.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
In the New Year.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Thanks Roon, always great to be with you.
Let's go to the highline and bring in National Security
Institute senior fellow Lester Months and Leicester. It's great to
talk to you once again, and I wanted to have
you on to kind of wrap up the year as
we look back at some of the big foreign policy
moves that Trump administration has made and take a look
ahead at what to watch for in twenty twenty six.
And I think you got to say, when it comes
(00:21):
to twenty twenty five, some big wins, some big issues
remain unresolved, and obviously there was a focus on just
about every part of the world, from the Middle East
to Europe with Russia and Ukraine to Venezuela and the
(00:44):
South American area.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, ran great to be with you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I totally agree that, and I think in a way
the biggest story is just a completely different approach the
US has taken to global affairs. Instead of kind of
stepping back and leading from behind, as a former president
once said, much more of a high pressure, pushing out,
(01:10):
demanding things of others, bringing people to the table, using leverage,
just a kind of comprehensive shock and awe diplomatic approach
across the globe that really did transform several issues, some
wins for the president, particularly in Gaza, two big negotiations
that led to hostage releases, including one actually i think
(01:32):
at the very end of twenty four before he was
even sworn in as president, and then the one a
couple months ago that got the.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Final hostages returned to Israel.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
And also some things that are on hold, like or
in Limbo, which like the negotiations over Ukraine with Putin.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So totally agree with you.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There's really a whole different approach from the Biden administration,
which was much more passive in a lot of instances
and willing to let others kind of dictate the pace of.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Events, setting Around's nuclear program back at the very least,
and sending a message to the rest of the world
with that action earlier this year.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, I think, I actually think that's the biggest single
event of this year.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
That is the most significant.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
President Trump willing to use US military force to strike
the Ranian nuclear weapons program. Frankly, whatever word you pick
to describe it, obliterated, decimated, total destruction, parcel destruction, it
doesn't really matter, because the thing that matters is the
US got involved directly to stop this national security threat.
(02:39):
To our interests directly and also our interests of our
friends and allies in the region. And the fact that
President Trump was willing to show the world that he's
willing to back it up and to take action where
necessary changes the conversation in almost every other instance. So
you know, we're and when we talk about next year,
we'll probably talk a little bit about Venula. It changes
(03:01):
the you know, the decision making structure for a guy
like Nicholas mcduro, who's going to have to deal with,
you know, potential US military action against him.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
We're joined by National Security Institute senior fellow Lester Months,
and let's talk about one area where the President struggled
a bit, and that would be Russia and Ukraine. You know,
I said at the very beginning of the year, Putin's
plan was going to be to drag this thing out,
and he was pretty successful with that.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
There's still no resolution.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You know, we keep hearing about progress here and there,
but again, we're going into another year with no UH
cease fire, no UH into that war.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
And that was something that the President seemed to think.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
He could do pretty quickly once he got into office.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, the President doesn't lack for confidence in his abilities
that it is true, that's a that's a feature, not
a bug, And he may have been a little bit
unrealistic about what why Putin invaded Ukraine and what he
wants of that conflict and the existential nature that it
is for his regime in Moscow. And I do think
(04:08):
the reason we're not seeing progress here at the end
of the day is if Vladimir Putin comes to an
agreement that doesn't include the total takeover of Ukraine, that's
probably it for his presidency in Russia.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
It'll be over.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
He'll this is a deep seated issue in Russia. There's
a lot on the line for him, and he's and
he knows that more acutely than anyone, of course, and
he's not going to He has almost no interest in
compromise when it comes to Ukraine. So it's just important
to understand the things that are at stake there. And
(04:44):
I think President Trump still believes he can push this
to a resolution, and perhaps there's a way forward here
that you know, if we keep talking and keep putting
pressure and find a way to keep European allies in
particular aligned with the US and willing to make sacrifices,
whether it's sending weapons or funds or that kind of
(05:05):
thing to Ukraine.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
We might see a resolution.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
But the good news of what President Trump has done
is he really has lined up our European alleys with
the US in a way that hadn't been true before.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I think right, and I think also pushing them to
do more. I would say that was a positive aspect
of his approach to the Russia Ukraine war. Let's focus
now on twenty twenty six, and again we're joined by
National Security Institute's senior fellow, Lester Months, and it seems
to me, you know, two big foreign policy issues that
(05:41):
will be front and center. Venezuela obviously and what happens there.
And then China remains a big issue, everything from their
approach to the region, the trade conflict with them to
AI and how we progress compared to China on that
front in the new year.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Brian, we're in the same mind. I was thinking the
exact same things that drinking my.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Pot of coffee. I'm getting ready for this.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
I totally agree that President Trump is kind of teed
up action in Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I don't think he can back down.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
There's going to have to be some sort of change
in aspect of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, whether it's him,
whether it's Maduro leaving, whether it's a completely different approach
to the US and the world. Uh, there's you know,
there's too much leverage used now for there's for this
not to be resolved in the US favor. This is
(06:36):
you can't walk I don't think the US and President
Trump can walk away from this at this point. So
I expect in the near term we're going to see
something fairly dramatic involving Venezuela. I agree on on China,
this is this, and in a way this is the
most important long term issue for the United States. How
do we deal with our our near peer competitor in China.
They've got a lot of good news, which is their
(06:59):
their ex driven economy is quite robust. They've also got
a lot of bad news. Their economic growth is not
what it could be. They've got some population challenges. Shijiin
Ping is in a third term of a two term system,
so he's going to be on shaky grounds sooner rather
than later. And in other words, both Sesian Ping and
(07:21):
Donald Trump kind of need each other to work something
out here, and you're right, a lot of this will
play out in the trade, the overall trade relationship, but
also this race for dominance in the AI sphere. There
are some political headwinds here in the US on you know,
the people supporting data centers in their neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There's some pullback.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
There's a little bit of fear about what AI could
mean for jobs and things like that. But frankly, if
we aren't the dominant power in that AI sector, it
will be very bad for the United States economy and
for our national security. So we have to be very
forward looking on those issues. That's going to be a
pullolitical challenge domestically, but it's also going to determine a
(08:03):
big chunk of how this relationship between Washington and Beijing
works up.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
National Security Institute Senior fellow Lester Munson with us make
sure you check out the fault Lines podcast.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
You can listen to it on your iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Lester's part of that really great information there, and Lester,
we can't thank you enough for all the time and
insight throughout the course of twenty twenty five and we
hope to have you back on soon.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
In the New Year.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Thanks Roon, always great to be with you.
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