Journalist Ethan Paul answers his own question with an affirmative "yes!" on our show this week as we discuss the fever swamp of saber-rattling and chicken-littling in Washington today. What does it all mean? Where will it lead us? On the former, we talk about invested interests in ballooning the defense industry and Pentagon budgets, the political advantage of looking "tough on China," and the conflation of economic and military "threats." On the former, Paul warns that the threat inflation could lead to actual war.

In the first segment, Kelley and Dan serve up some tasty headlines: Israel drone strikes in Iran, the new call for F-16s for Ukraine, the impact of Russian sanctions on Mongolia, and Saudi executions. 

More from Ethan Paul:

Biden chooses to keep Trump China tariffs right where they are, Responsible Statecraft, 10/5/21

What Biden’s Top China Theorist Gets Wrong -- Lawfare, 10/7/21

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