Pod Save the World – Episode 507: AOC on the World Stage, Trump Starves Cuba

Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Ben Rhodes, guest co-host Eamon Mohyeldin

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the outcomes of the Munich Security Conference, analyzing the world's anxious reaction to Trump administration foreign policy, particularly regarding Europe, Ukraine, and rule-of-law crises. The hosts explore Israel's escalating actions in the West Bank, examine the fate of Iran negotiations, discuss Trump’s intensifying embargo on Cuba, and offer updates on North Korea and the fall from grace of Rick Grenell. Notably, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (AOC) international debut at Munich is dissected as both a breakthrough and learning moment for the Democratic Party’s bench.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Munich Security Conference: U.S.-Europe Tensions on Edge

• Rubio’s Role & Speech:
  Marco Rubio, standing in for Trump, delivered a message heavy with American exceptionalism, calling for "renewal and restoration" and invoking “Western civilization” bonds, while warning Europe against “managed decline.”

  • Quote (Rubio, 05:37):

    "We are part of one civilization, Western civilization. ... We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline."

• European Response:
  Europeans privately resentful, yet publicly deferential—symbolized by a standing ovation for Rubio.

  • Ben Rhodes (06:41):

    "[It] felt like a kind of abusive relationship. They’ve been abused, and now they’re thanking us for kicking them in the ass."

• Critique of American Arrogance:
  Eamon Mohyeldin calls out "arrogance" vs. "directness" in U.S. policy, highlighting Trump’s embrace of autocrats (e.g., Viktor Orban) as not about “shared values.”

  • Eamon (07:22):

    “If you look at how Donald Trump is talking about Greenland, if you look at how Donald Trump is praising people like Viktor Orban… that is not about shared values; that is about autocracy..."

• Anxiety over Ukraine & Precedent:
  The feeling among European attendees is that “the frontlines of a Russian war” have shifted to them, with U.S. support waning and defense spending increases coming too late to matter for Ukraine.

  • Ben (08:50):

    “There’s not really an end to the war in sight... Europeans are literally thinking they’re already in an asymmetric war with cyberattacks and sabotage.”

2. AOC on the World Stage: Democratic Party’s 2028 Buzz

• Democratic Future in Munich:
  Several Democratic 2028 hopefuls present, but AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) attracts the most attention, especially from younger Europeans.

• AOC’s Performance: Strengths and Stumbles

  • Praised for her clear condemnation of rising authoritarianism and for linking economic inequality to political instability.
  • Fumbles a question on U.S. policy toward Taiwan, exposing her need for more foreign policy polish.
    • AOC, 14:47:

      “I think that this is a, this is of course a very long standing policy of the United States.”

  • Ben Rhodes argues this is simply early missteps for a new international actor and that getting experience is essential.
    • Ben (15:16):

      “She does need to bone up on Taiwan. But like, I’m glad she was there... The benefit for her is just to get some reps.”

• What Resonates with Youth:
  Eamon points to AOC’s moral clarity—especially in connecting the collapse of the rules-based order to Gaza’s suffering—as her core appeal.

  • Eamon (16:14):

    “She spoke with... moral clarity... She said the United States has effectively enabled the genocide in Gaza... That's why she has such an appeal.”

• Need for a Moral Litmus Test:
  Ben underscores that U.S. complicity in Gaza must be the “litmus test” for any moral foreign policy going forward.

  • Ben (20:16):

    “That is the litmus test to me as to whether you have any morality in your foreign policy... You can’t say we’re for rules-based order, but we will arm a government committing genocide.”

3. The West Bank: Israel's Ongoing Annexation

• Recent Escalations:

  • Israeli government moves to expand authority over Area A (Palestinian governed), make land confiscation easier under things like “environmental violations,” and designate more West Bank land as “state land”—effectively fast-tracking annexation.
    • Ben (22:50):

      “These are not subtle... making it easier for Israelis to purchase land from Palestinians... and for the first time since 1967, Israel designating large portions as state land.”

• International Apathy and Trump’s Disinterest:

  • Eamon highlights how global responses are perfunctory, and Trump is openly disinterested—providing political cover for the expansion.
    • Eamon (25:15):

      “Now it's official state policy and it's overt and the world can see it... The veil has been lifted."

    • Ben (29:08):

      “Now is the era of no rules and now is the era of annexation. Now’s the time to grab while the grabbing is good.”

4. Gaza and the Futility of Ceasefires

• “Ceasefire” Violations:

  • Ongoing Israeli actions and bombings in Gaza despite declared ceasefires; Netanyahu’s insistence on Hamas’s disarmament as a precondition for peace.
  • Trump admin pushes a new “Board of Peace” as an alternative to the UN, viewed as unserious by international leaders.

• Lindsey Graham’s War Fantasies:

  • Graham visits Israel, hypes up Israeli military and “future wars,” even slighting the U.S. military in comparison.
    • Graham, 32:29:

      “The wars of the future are being planned here in Israel... It would be nice to have a process where we could be partners.”

• No End in Sight:

  • Eamon notes that even with heavy damage to Hamas, its capacity remains, and there’s no hope for a stable ceasefire or sustainable solution while Netanyahu’s far-right government continues current policies.
    • Eamon (33:25):

      “Hamas... has managed to recruit and fill its ranks with the same number of people that Israel has allegedly killed... So as a net whole, the organization maybe has suffered... but has not been destroyed.”

5. Iran: Stalemate, War Worries, and the Exiled Heir

• Nuclear (Non-)Negotiations & External Pressure:

  • The U.S. continues to threaten military action but mostly ramps up sanctions (notably on oil sales to China).
  • Indirect talks “more constructive,” but diplomats and analysts skeptical.

• Rhetoric Around Regime Change:

  • Riza Pahlavi, exiled “crown prince,” is increasingly promoted by Western leaders, but few believe he could lead Iran. He openly calls for U.S. intervention for “regime change.”
    • Ben (43:52):

      “Nobody could really explain the scenario by which he’s going to become a leader inside of Iran.”

    • Eamon (46:23):

      “Nobody... has offered a clear and concise plan as to what the day after the collapse of a regime looks like.”

• Regional Fears:

  • Hosts draw comparisons to U.S. intervention in Iraq and caution against the regional chaos that could ensue from a regime collapse in Iran—a nation far larger and more complex than Syria or Iraq.

6. Cuba: Embracing Starvation as Policy

• Tightening the Embargo:

  • The Trump/Rubio policy continues to squeeze Cuba, piling fuel shortages and blackouts on top of an already impoverished nation.
    • Ben (54:39):

      “I just want to spotlight how much Cubans are suffering... gas and fuel supplies have been cut off... leading to blackouts... GDP collapse.”

• Trump's Cynicism:

  • Trump frames this as a “humanitarian” effort while dangling regime change and threatening military action.
    • Trump (56:37):

      “Cuba is right now a failed nation... It’s really a humanitarian threat... they should absolutely make a deal.”

• Double Standards and Collective Punishment:

  • Eamon and Ben highlight hypocrisy: Obama-era policies genuinely enabled Cuban Americans to see families, while Trump policies increase suffering under the guise of “humanitarian” concern.
    • Eamon (57:42):

      “All you have to do is listen... we are the ones who are making the economic conditions so miserable for the people in Cuba that they’re going to go out in the streets to protest... and we abandon them.”

    • Ben (60:47):

      “Starving millions of people is worse for human rights than even dozens of dissidents being imprisoned. Why is that not a human rights problem?”

7. Other Global Updates

• North Korea’s Succession:

  • Kim Jong Un is rumored to be grooming his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir, potentially setting up an intra-family power struggle.
    • Ben (62:01):

      “The soap opera that is the succession in North Korea... this matters by the way, just because Kim does not look like he's in perfect health.”

• Rick Grenell’s Fall:

  • Once a rising Trump loyalist, Grenell is now derided as a “construction manager” for the Trump-Kennedy center after alienating both Trump insiders and external partners.
    • Eamon (65:11):

      “Rick Grenell is a joke of an official... nobody in diplomacy has anything nice to say about him... this is kind of the perfect end to his career... he has now been basically reduced to a construction project manager.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Rubio on Western Civilization: (05:37)
• Ben on Europe’s response to U.S. bullying: (06:41)
• Eamon on American arrogance: (07:22)
• Ben on Ukraine “domino effect”: (08:50)
• AOC on income inequality and authoritarianism: (14:09)
• Eamon on AOC’s Gaza comments: (16:14)
• Ben on Gaza as the foreign policy litmus test: (20:16)
• Ben on West Bank annexation: (22:50)
• Eamon: “The veil has been lifted” in Israel’s annexation: (25:15)
• Eamon on the Board of Peace: (33:25)
• Ben on Riza Pahlavi’s fantasy of regime change: (43:52)
• Eamon on regime-change challenges in Iran: (46:23)
• Ben on Cuban suffering: (54:39)
• Trump’s “humanitarian” excuse on Cuba: (56:37)
• Eamon on U.S. culpability in Cuba: (57:42)
• Ben challenging U.S. human rights hypocrisy in Cuba: (60:47)
• Ben on North Korea: (62:01)
• Eamon on Rick Grenell: (65:11)

Memorable Moments

• The metaphor of U.S.-Europe relations as “an abusive relationship” where the victim expresses gratitude.
• AOC’s moral litmus test—Gaza—emerges as a touchstone for the next generation’s foreign policy standards.
• Trump’s assumption that Cuba is still run by “Castro,” underscoring lack of attention to facts.
• A rundown of Rick Grenell’s trajectory from would-be Secretary of State to the butt of jokes as a construction manager.

Summary Tone & Concluding Thoughts

The tone is frank and often critical, oscillating between dark humor, dismay, and moral seriousness. Both Ben and Eamon call out hypocrisy—especially where regime change, human rights rhetoric, and realpolitik collide. They emphasize generational and global divides over what American leadership means today, and who will define it in the years ahead.

For listeners who missed the episode:
This installment covers a whirlwind of international worries but brings focus to the lack of serious answers from either major U.S. party establishments—while sketching the outlines of possible emerging leaders and new litmus tests for American global responsibility.