Daniel Davis / Deep Dive

Jul 20, 2025 Daniel Davis Deep Dive Audio PodcastsDaniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store https://www.etsy.com/shop/DanielDavis… Mearsheimer argues that once a president enters a war, it becomes their own and is extremely difficult to exit—something Trump has failed to understand. Biden, in contrast, made significant efforts to avoid war with Iran, even resisting Israeli attempts to provoke U.S. involvement in 2024. Trump, however, “took the bait” and committed the U.S. to a war with Iran on June 22, naively believing it would be a quick and decisive operation. Similarly, Trump’s 50-day ultimatum for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict is unrealistic and detached from geopolitical reality. The speaker predicts a prolonged, unwinnable war in Ukraine with Russia eventually prevailing, leading to a toxic geopolitical environment—a “frozen conflict” filled with mutual hostility and subversion. They also highlight the arbitrary nature of Trump’s 50-day timeline, attributing it to his impulsive style. In the second half, attention turns to Putin’s recent comments in Russian media, where he reflects on his early naïveté and misplaced trust in the West post-Cold War. The speaker traces this mistrust back to NATO’s eastward expansion in the 1990s despite initial U.S. diplomatic overtures. Putin’s disillusionment has grown over decades, culminating in hardened opposition to the West. Finally, Senator Blumenthal is criticized for suggesting that force is the only language Putin understands. The speaker counters that military force has not succeeded in containing Iran or Russia. The Iranian regime withstood the recent 12-day war, retained enriched uranium, and could rebuild its capabilities. Similarly, Russia remains resilient despite years of Western pressure, and military force has failed to change that. The belief that stronger military posturing will produce favorable outcomes is, in the speaker’s view, a “pipe dream.”