The “Sara-FIN” Edition

<p>This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by <em>Lawfare</em> colleagues Eric Ciaramella and Saraphin Dhanani, the latter for her last episode of RatSec before departing <em>Lawfare</em>, to break down the week’s big national security news stories, including:</p><ul><li>“UNGA UNGA Party.” President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy made back-to-back addresses to the U.N. General Assembly, which is gathered in New York for its annual summit this week. What should we make of their statements? Might this be a turning point for the conflict—and, if so, in which direction?</li><li>“Et Tu, Modi?” Canada has leveled a serious allegation against the government of India: that it was directly involved in the recent assassination of a Sikh separatist leader (and Canadian citizen) on Canadian soil—something that promises to complicate U.S. efforts to bring India into the fold as a balance to China. How credible are these claims and what might they mean?</li><li>“Ransomwhere?” The Biden administration has struck a deal with the government of Iran, exchanging several imprisoned Iranian nationals and $6 billion in frozen oil revenue for five U.S. nationals held by Iran and their spouses. Is this negotiating with terrorists, a new opening for Iran negotiations, or something else entirely?</li></ul><p>For object lessons,&nbsp;Quinta recommended Tyler Austin Harper’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/richard-hanania-origins-of-woke-book/675348/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">penetrating review of Richard Hanania’s&nbsp;“The Origins of Woke.”</a> Eric also went the critic’s route and passed along Gary Shteyngart’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/13/elon-musk-by-walter-isaacson-review-arrested-development" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">withering review of Walter Isaacson’s new Elon Musk biography</a>. Scott urged anyone with a junior mycologist at home to run out and find Elise Gravel’s charming&nbsp;“<a href="https://elisegravel.com/en/bl