Tommy Vietor
Co-founder of Crooked Media and co-host of Pod Save America and the foreign-policy podcast Pod Save the World; previously served as White House National Security Spokesman during the Obama administration.
UN Members Must Organize Around the Charter When Veto Powers Fail
Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly and Germany’s former foreign minister, argues that the UN’s authority depends less on overcoming great-power vetoes than on its wider membership using the institutions and political leverage it already has. General Assembly votes cannot end wars or replace implementation, she says, but states that share an interest in the UN Charter can set common positions, resist attempts to bypass the system, and press for reforms in representation and management.
Election Doubt and Unchecked War Policy Erode Institutional Trust
Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor argue that public distrust of institutions follows when officials invoke threats to elections or national security without accepting accountability for evidence, consequences, or failure. They distinguish foreign influence campaigns from vote manipulation, warning that unproven election claims can still furnish a pretext to challenge democratic outcomes. In foreign policy, they contend that Congress, public opinion, and stronger diplomatic institutions must constrain a Washington culture that too readily defaults to war, sanctions, and arms transfers.