Walter Russell Mead discusses America’s new lithium wealth; the Palestinians’ bargaining position in Saudi-Israeli peace talks; the drugs, violence, and migration problems in America’s backyard; and why you should read Sir Walter Scott on his podcast What Really Matters.

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This photograph shows a Dassault Rafale aircraft parked on the tarmac of the French Air and Space Force Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase in Saint-Sauveur, France, on March 18, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)