# "Checkmate" is From a Persian Phrase Meaning "The King is Helpless"

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Podcast: [Hawk Podcasts](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hawk-podcasts-6751455)
Published: 2026-05-19T01:24:33+00:00
Episode link: https://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts
Audio file: https://cdn.simplecast.com/media/audio/transcoded/2f3709c2-07df-488d-92c9-f3103d2db29d/73d4921a-b648-432b-9ad6-c18c04a39172/episodes/audio/group/bd1cae10-c587-4eb0-9c82-9a57b543c323/group-item/80b66968-9aee-4334-9620-f39adc7b52de/128_default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=pPVtxSNJ
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Duration seconds: 1265

## Resource

Robert Kagan, longtime neocon columnist for The Atlantic and the man Dick Cheney called for encouragement during the Iraq War, wrote a piece called "Checkmate in Iran" — and it lays out something most political commentators are afraid to say out loud. The United States has suffered a strategic defeat in Iran, one that cannot be repaired or reversed.

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## Transcript

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