American Prestige - SoundSage

Danny and Derek talk with Drew McKevitt, the John D. Winters Endowed Professor of History at Louisiana Tech University, about his new book Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America.

Pick up a copy of Drew's book here.Subscribe at Supporting Cast!

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Writer and journalist Lily Lynch is back on the program to talk about her latest piece for The New Statesmen, "The neoliberal battle for Ukraine's reconstruction". The group discuss some of the entities already investing in the country's post-war future, Zelenskyy's TV career in the context of post-Cold War Ukraine, his theory of governance, the marriage of tech and anti-corruption, how war has affected the effort at liberalization, and more.

Follow Lily on Twitter @lilyslynch, and check out her work regularly appearing in The New Statesman and New Left Review.

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The hurricane is making landfall, but over the storm you can still hear Danny and Derek deliver the news. This week: an update on the latest escalations in Lebanon (1:13), the potential Israeli invasion (4:23), and Israel's rejection of the US-France ceasefire push (5:57); in Gaza, Israel may imminently besiege the north of the strip (8:22), the Biden administration gives up on a ceasefire (10:06), and the ProPublica report on an apparent humanitarian coverup by State Department leadership (13:24); heavy fighting continues in Al Fashir and Khartoum in Sudan (16:19); the US may be sending forces back to Chad (18:49); Sri Lanka elects a leftist president (20:37); Russia may be negotiating with the Houthis/Ansar Allah over missiles (22:42); Zelenskyy floats a "victory plan" for Ukraine (25:22); in Bolivia, more fighting between Arce and Morales supporters (30:41); a New Cold War update featuring China testing an ICBM (33:06) and Biden's last Quad meeting (34:59); and Joseph Robinet Biden gives his final United Nations General Assembly address (36:51).

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Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said emeritus professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, is back on the program for a discussion of where things stand regarding Palestine, the diaspora, and the Palestinian national movement. They talk about the abysmal state of US politics around the issue, Western and Israeli media coverage, the generational shift in Americans' outlook, Palestinian nationalism in the wake of the past year's onslaught, Fatah, current regional governing structures and the prospect of democracy, and more.

Be sure to check out our series with Dr. Khalidi, A History of Modern Palestine.

Grab a copy of his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine.

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Danny and Derek are joined by Elizabeth Chatterjee, assistant professor of environmental history at the University of Chicago, to talk about her essay "Late Acceleration: The Indian Emergency and the Early 1970s Energy Crisis", an excerpt from her forthcoming book Electric Democracy: An Energy History of India from Colonialism to Climate Change. Liz contextualizes India within the idea of the Anthropocene, narratives around India's carbon emissions, the country's approaches to governance with electricity in the early 1970s, the broader climate-food-energy crises at the time, the Emergency (constitutional dictatorship) of 1975, the rise of coal, and more.

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Danny's physically on-the-go this episode while we, as a podcast, are virtually moving to Supporting Cast. This week's news: bombings via consumer electronics, likely carried out by Israel, rock Lebanon (0:55); in Palestine-Israel, the US appears to be giving up on a ceasefire (8:08), medical conditions in Gaza sink to 19th century standards (10:21), and a Houthi ballistic missile strikes within Israel (11:48); MBS of Saudi Arabia chills normalization talks with Israel (13:59); Sudan sees “unprecedented” fighting around Al-Fashir (17:28); a Chinese aircraft enters Japanese waters (19:06); a jihadist attack on Bamako, Mali (20:39); South Sudan once again postpones its elections (23:10); in Russia-Ukraine, the Kursk counteroffensive appears to stall (25:01), Russia advances in Donetsk (27:14), and Biden appears to hold off on long-range strike permission for Ukraine (29:01); in Venezuela, four Americans are arrested in a "plot" against Maduro (32:26); Colombia-ELN ceasefire talks break down (34:30); and in Mexico, AMLO blames the US for rising cartel violence in Sinaloa (36:11).

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Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, and investigative journalist José Olivares join the show to talk about their recent piece for Drop Siterevealing how Ecuador’s US-linked attorney general is using her office to attack the country’s left. The group gives the background of Rafael Correa and his left-wing “Correísmo” movement, how Correa and his successors became targets of “anti-corruption” attorney general Diana Salazar, leaked messages of Salazar’s obtained by Drop Site leading to explosive allegations, the United States' potential links with assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and why the US remains interested in domestic Ecuadorian politics.

Along with checking out the story, be sure to claim your exclusive American Prestige discount for a Drop Site subscription!

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Danny and Derek once again speak with Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, for an update on what’s going on in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. They talk about the internal dynamics in Putin and Zelinskyy’s respective administrations, Russia’s Kursk counteroffensive, media framing around Ukrainian victories vs. those of Russia, when western governments wil…

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It’s not the good news, but Danny and Derek bring you, well, also not good news. This week: a Gaza ceasefire talks update (1:15) while the IDF kills American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi (5:18); Iraq is negotiating a deal for the US to withdraw its forces (11:43); the US gives Egypt a full military aid allotment (13:47); in Sudan, new Rapid Support Forces (RSF) activity in the country’s south (15:22); the Pentagon is trying to reconstitute a presence in West Africa (16:29); in Russia-Ukraine, the Russian counteroffensive in Kursk (19:24), claims of Iran supplying missiles to Russia (21:02), and Biden might be on the cusp of allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia (23:00); Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González flees the country (25:46); the Mexican Senate passes AMLO’s judicial reform (27:50); and a New Cold War update featuring US and Chinese theater commanders speaking for the first time since 2022 (30:02) and fears over a possible Chinese naval base (31:16).

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This episode was originally recorded and released in September, 2021

Danny and Derek begin the episode with some reflections on their 9/11 experience. They then interview Jim Lobe, director of LobeLog and contributing editor at the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft, about the intellectual origins of the coalition that after 9/11 pursued endless war. The episode ends with a discussion with Laila Ujayli, associate editor at Inkstick Media, about growing up as a young Muslim in post-9/11 America, the attacks' effects on the American Muslim community, and more.

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Danny and Derek called an emergency pod crossover with Chapo Trap House to break down the new Reagan film, where Dennis Quaid—supported by the likes of addled Hollywood heavy hitter Jon Voight and Creed crooner Scott Stapp—takes his stab at portraying the man who brought us “Morning in America”.

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Danny and Derek speak with Jake Werner, acting director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute, about his recent brief, “A Program for Progressive China Policy.” They define the current state of US policy toward China before exploring the background of US-China alignment starting in the neoliberal turn, the fundamental misconception of what’s happening in China by American policymakers, and his progressive vision for the US’s policy towards China regarding issues of the economy, military, human rights, and climate change.

Further Reading:

Michael Blaakman - Speculation Nation: Land Mania in the Revolutionary American Republic
Daniel Immerwahr - How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States
Paul Kramer

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It’s the second and final news-less week for AP as the team is on its annual podcast whitewater rafting retreat. In the meantime, please enjoy this unlocked episode covering Biden’s policy on Palestine/Israel.

Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Guyer, contributing editor at The American Prospect, about the piece he recently wrote for the magazine on Biden’s ideological commitment to Israel and his administration’s handling of the current crisis. The group discusses his obstinacy in changing his approach Israel/Palestine, the domestic and global political implications of America’s conduct, the enabling figures with whom he’s surrounded himself, the U.S.’s long-term goal for the region, how Trump might handle things differently, and more.

Check out Jonathan’s recent work in The Guardian, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, and follow him on Twitter @mideastXmidwest

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the program Aziz Rana, the incoming J. Donald Monan, S.J., professor of law and government at Boston College, for a multi-part discussion about how Americans came to revere the Constitution and the worldwide implications. In this episode, the group discusses the latest Supreme Court ruling as of the recording date (Trump v. Anderson), how America’s treatment of its constitution compares with those of other nations, the Constitution’s development in the country’s first century, debates around the document in the Civil War and Reconstruction, and more through the end of the 19th century.

The conversation continues on this Sunday’s bonus episode!

Be sure to grab a copy of the book inspiring this series, The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.

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Danny and Derek once again welcome to the program Michael Brenes, co-director of the Brady-Johnson program in grand strategy at Yale University and publisher of Warfare and Welfare, this time to talk about his article with William D. Hartung in The New Republic, “A.I. Won’t Transform War. It’ll Only Make Venture Capitalists Richer.” The group discusses …

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In the first of two consecutive non-news Friday releases, Danny sits down for another rigorous academic exchange, this time with David Austin Walsh, historian at Yale’s program for the study of antisemitism and author of Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right. The two dig into the big issues broached by the book, including the “right-wing popular front” opposed to socialism, communism, and New Deal liberalism, the nature of conservatism vs fascism, figures from Pat Buchanan to Richard Spencer to Donald Trump, the advent of the left-right divide, and what, if anything, American liberals and leftists can do to defeat American fascism/semi-fascism/fascistish-ism.

Also check out David’s May op-ed in the New York Times, “Do You Want a ‘Unified Reich’ Mind-Set in the White House?” and see him at the Brooklyn Book Festival on September 29 to talk about the 2024 election.

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Happy July 4th to American Prestigeheads and patriots holding citizenship elsewhere. Please enjoy this unlocked episode, and a gentle reminder that tomorrow will be another interview given the absence of our news sage, Derek, from the pod for the next two weeks.

Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Matthew Kruer, assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago, to discuss his essay “Indigenous Subjecthood and White Populism in British America”. The discussion focuses on the American colonies of the 17th and 18th century, touching on the antimony between sovereignty and subjecthood, England’s notion of “benevolent colonialism”, the Chesapeake region’s indigenous leaders and their forms of political theory as they interacted with the English, and more.

Check out Matthew’s book Time of Anarchy: Indigenous Power and the Crisis of Colonialism in Early America.

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Danny and Derek speak welcome to the program Marc-William Palen, senior lecturer in history at the University of Exeter, for a discussion on his book Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World. They delve into 19th century liberal radicalism and anti-slavery trade policies, how Marx and early socialists approached free trade, the role of consumption, where feminists and christian pacifists fell on the matter, the advent of neoliberalism, “free” vs “preferrred” trade, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Sam Lebovic, professor of history at George Mason University, for the second part of their discussion on the Espionage Act of 1917 and its use over the years. The group picks things up in the postwar era, exploring how the advent of the national security state and Cold War influenced America’s use of the Act, the Pentagon Pa…

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Danny and Derek speak with Bret Gustafson, professor of sociocultural anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, about the failed coup attempt in Bolivia this week: who were the players, what transpired, and what happens now.

Be sure to check out Bret’s book Bolivia in the Age of Gas.

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Yesterday was Debate Night in America, today we see the results. This week: in Palestine/Israel, a grim Save the Children report on Gaza (0:30), Netanyahu again rebuffs a ceasefire and suggests a new phase of the operation (2:41), a new court ruling on ultra-Orthodox Jews’ conscription (7:14), and Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich again pushes West Bank annexation (10:17); Lebanon is still on edge as the US—while hosting Israeli minister of defence Yoav Gallant—warns Hezbollah that it will not stop Israel from attacking (13:00); a preview of Friday’s presidential election in Iran (17:06); a disputed weapons test in the DPRK/North Korea (20:50); rumblings of an imminent coup in Burkina Faso (22:38); widespread protests break out in Kenya, leading President Ruto to back off of the controversial tax legislation (26:28); deadly attacks in Dagestan (29:47); the espionage trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich begins in Russia (32:02); a failed coup attempt in Bolivia (33:16); Kenyan police arrive in Haiti to face armed groups (36:23); and Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the United States (38:27).

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Sam Lebovic, professor of history at George Mason University, joins Danny and Derek for a look at the Espionage Act of 1917 and its use over the years. In this first part of the discussion, they explore the dominant ideologies at the time of its inception, its implementation in cases from Eugene Debs to Herbert Yardley, the law’s effect on whistle-blowing, America’s burgeoning “secrecy regime”, how the interpretation shifted from the early years of the Act’s existence, and more through World War II.

Subscribe to hear the second part of our discussion on our Sunday bonus episode!

Be sure to grab a copy of Sam’s book State of Silence: The Espionage Act and the Rise of America's Secrecy Regime.

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Danny and Derek speak with Steven Simon, senior research analyst at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and professor of Middle East studies at the University of Washington, to discuss he and Daniel Benjamin’s recent piece for The Atlantic, “New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity”. The group discusses the evidence presented in the…

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A day late and a lira short, Danny and Derek are back with the news roundup. This week: in Gaza, Israel announces “tactical pauses” (1:44), Netanyahu disbands his war cabinet (4:27), friction between Bibi and the Biden administration (7:59), friction between Bibi and the IDF (11:53), and an update on the humanitarian situation (14:05); fears of war are rising in Lebanon, meanwhile Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah threatens Cyprus over the island nation’s potential collaboration with Israel (16:11); another cargo ship is sunk off the coast of Yemen by Ansar Allah/Houthi forces (19:16); a report on China’s nuclear program (21:01); Putin visits the DPRK/North Korea (23:29); an update on the crisis in Sudan (27:02); a governing coalition is formed in South Africa (30:53); Mark Rutte gets approval to become the new secretary general of NATO (32:51); a Swiss “peace conference” for Ukraine, plus the US promises more air defense ammo (34:57); and shocking revelations about the US engaging in an “anti-vax propaganda effort” (40:01).

Be sure to check out The Night Won’t End: Biden's War on Gaza from Fault Lines on Al Jazeera English, produced by friend of the show Laila Al-Arian.

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Danny and Derek are pleased to welcome back to the podcast Luca Trenta, associate professor in International Relations at Swansea University and author of The President’s Kill List. The group discusses assassinations and international law, when and how assassination became a tool for US foreign policy, the difficulties in accessing declassified documents about this topic, unsuccessful attempts on the life of Fidel Castro and successful operations against the likes of Osama Bin Laden and Patrice Lumumba, the intelligence community using assassination as a “low level” (i.e. not nuclear) form of retaliation in the Cold War, contemporary justifications for assassinations as “self defense” and the notion of “imminence”, and more.

Check out Luca’s podcast on intelligence and covert action, Out of the Shadows.

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Happy Father’s Day! Patrick Wyman, host of the Tides of History podcast and author of The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World, returns to the program to talk about the all-important topic of fathers. Since it’s American Prestige, though, the group decided to focus on one of the great dads of history: Philip II of Macedo…

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Another Friday, another roundup courtesy of Danny and Derek. This week: in Gaza, Israel carries out a hostage rescue operation, massacring more Palestinian civilians in the process (0:30), while ceasefire talks amble along (10:54); Israel also kills a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon prompting an armed response (14:32); the field is finalized for Iran’s upcoming presidential election (17:41); in Myanmar, rebels advance in Rakhine State (21:21); tensions rise between the DPRK/North Korea and South Korea (24:20); an update on Sudan and the situation in El Fasher (28:44); coalition talks begin in South Africa in the wake of the recent election (30:31); the Right sees wins in European Parliament elections, plus Macron tries a gambit amidst the fallout in France (35:20); the G7 meets and pledges further support for Ukraine (41:26); the US considers expanding its nuclear arsenal (44:14); and a new Pew poll finds that global support for America/Biden is declining (46:03).

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Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Maria Repnikova, associate professor in global communication at Georgia State University, to talk about China’s use of so-called “soft power”. They explore the origin of the phrase and what Maria means by it, Confucius Institutes, public diplomacy, Chinese efforts to build a global media network, how the US frames these initiatives, and what kind of image China might be trying to project.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Maria’s book of the same name.

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Benjamin Fogel, head of publishing at the Alameda Institute and contributing editor to Jacobin, to talk about the May 29 general election in South Africa wherein the African National Congress (ANC) lost its 30-year majority.

Alameda is a research institute that connects with social movements to understand how…

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Danny and Derek once again speak with Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, this time to conclude our series on the history of Brazil. We’re now in the post-dictatorship era, with the group delving into the 1988 constitution, the economic and political situation of the 1990s, Lula da Silva’s political rise, he and the …

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In light of recent health news about Noam Chomsky, we wanted to re-release Danny and Derek’s discussion with him from 2022.

Danny and Derek sit down with linguist and antiwar critic Noam Chomsky to discuss his biography and a bunch of other subjects, from the responsibility of intellectuals to the antiwar movement to what to do in our present situation. This is the first of two parts.

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Derek welcomes back to the program Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, to talk about this week’s election in India. They discuss the issues facing voters, Modi’s presidential victory, his Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) surprise loss of i…

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Once again, it’s your patented AP News Roundup™. This week: in Palestine/Israel, Biden pushes a new ceasefire plan (0:30), an update on the situation on the ground in Gaza (8:06), Slovenia recognizes Palestinian statehood (11:37), and Congress (prematurely?) announces a Netanyahu visit (12:37); things further escalate between Hezbollah and Israel on the border with Lebanon (13:55); registration opens for candidates in Iran’s upcoming presidential election (16:45); India’s election sees another Modi victory, but the end of his BJP party’s 10-year majority (19:41); in Sudan, accusations of genocide in Darfur while another RSF atrocity is carried out in the country’s Gezira state (22:49); the results of South Africa’s election, where the African National Congress (ANC) has lost its parliamentary majority (25:21); Ukraine appears to have taken Blinken’s cue to begin using US/Western weapons in Russia (28:01); the results of Mexico’s election (31:02); Joe Biden issues a new executive order limiting asylum at the southern border (32:06); and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that May 2024 confirms 12 consecutive months of record-breaking global temperatures (35:12).

Check out our pre- and post-Mexican election specials with Alexander Aviña.

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On this 80th anniversary of D-Day, Danny and Derek speak with Andrew Gulli, editor-in-chief of The Strand Magazine, which recently put out a previously unpublished short story by Rod Serling, “First Squad, First Platoon”, based on his experiences fighting in the Philippines during WWII. They discuss Serling’s background, his work on The Twilight Zone, a…

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, this time to break down Sunday’s presidential election in Mexico. Topics include reactions to Claudia Sheinbaum’s victory, what we might expect in her upcoming tenure, and what this means for left-wing movements around the world.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. This final episode examines President Lyndon Johnson’s approach to nuclear weapons, the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and how Vietnam factored into its scope, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), tactical nuclear weapons, the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and more.

Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College.

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It’s Debate Day here at American Prestige, and Alexandre Lefebvre, professor of politics and philosophy at The University of Sydney, has graciously agreed to join us to discuss the major points of his book Liberalism as a Way of Life. He and Danny (along with Derek’s patented color commentary) have a spirited debate over the true nature of liberalism, h…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, to discuss the election happening Sunday, June 2, wherein left-wing party MORENA’s Claudia Sheinbaum will face the conservative National Action Party’s Xóchitl Gálvez and center-left Citizen’s Movement’s Jorge Máynez to see who will succeed Andrés M…

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Danny and Derek are innocent, with news to boot. This week: in Gaza, Israeli bombs displaced Palestinians in tents (0:29) despite the ICJ ruling calling for a halt in that operation (4:36), global opinion on Palestine continues to shift (7:12), Egyptian-Israeli border clashes (13:59), and more; some developments regarding Iran’s nuclear program (18:19); a summit attended by representatives of China, South Korea, and Japan (22:35); the DPRK/North Korea has a failed satellite launch (25:55); an update on Sudan, namely the besieged city of El Fasher (27:56); the Burkina Faso military junta delays the transition to civilian control (29:54); in Ukraine news, Vladimir Putin hints at a ceasefire recognizing the current territorial status (34:22) while Antony Blinken hints at the US greenlighting Ukraine using American long-range weapons to strike Russia (36:09); in Mexico, a presidential election on Sunday (39:56) while Mexico City is on the verge of losing its water supply (41:59).

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We’re back with the fifth episode of the collaboration between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! Paid subscribers get a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the bottom of the description, where you’ll also find the video for the Overtime segment.

00:07 The Nonzero-American Prestige apocalypse aversion project

1:29 Are Bob, Derek, and Danny surprised the Gaza war is still going on?

4:31 Biden’s simple political calculus on Gaza

13:08 Would Trump greenlight the ethnic cleansing of Gaza?

25:12 Israel’s plan (or lack thereof) for post-war Gaza

31:49 Heading to Overtime

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We all know about the United States’ deep commercial ties with China in this day and age, but has this been the case since America’s inception? Danny and Derek are joined by Stuart Rollo, postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, for a discussion of his book Terminus: Westward Expansion, China, and the End of American Empire. The group examines the United States’ imperial evolution alongside China’s parallel trajectory, considering the (sometimes oblique) role of China in major US conflicts, domestic Chinese milestones’ effect on the US-China dynamic, the watershed change in their trade relations in the 1970s, and how America is trying to manage its current imperial decline.

Note: Stuart was unfortunately ill with Covid when recording this episode, but said that the show must go on!

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Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, once again sits down with Danny and Derek to help us make our way through Brazil’s history. The discussion picks up in the postwar era, covering Getúlio Vargas’ fall from power, his famous “Carta Testamento” letter, the country’s rural-to-urban migration, President Juscelino Kubits…

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Danny and Derek return with the news roundup. This week: a Gaza update (0:35), three countries recognize Palestine (10:47), the ICC pursues arrest warrants (14:17), and an ICJ hearing wraps up (18:07); Yemeni Ansar Allah / Houthi forces down two US drones, plus the US admits its bombing campaigns have been futile (20:19); the death of Iranian president Embrahim Raisi (25:16); Taiwan inaugurates a new president and sees protests at the parliament while China conducts military drills nearby (27:38); protests and riots in France’s New Caledonia colony territory, prompting a visit from Macron (29:49); the US finally sets a date for withdrawing troops from Niger (33:52); Kenya’s William Ruto visits the US, with the former country’s mission to Haiti starting soon (34:40); an update on the Kharkiv offensive in Ukraine (36:58); and the UK schedules an election for July 4 (39:22).

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Danny and Derek speak with Katherine Zubovich, assistant professor of history at SUNY Buffalo, about her book Moscow Monumental: Soviet Skyscrapers and Urban Life in Stalin's Capital. The discussion broaches what distinguishes Soviet design in the history of monumental architecture, the ill-fated Palace of the Soviets project, postwar Soviet skyscrapers, how ideology is reflected in the architecture, the challenges of ambitious urban planning in Moscow, and more.

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Danny and Derek chat with AP Iran expert Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, about the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The group delves into Raisi’s background and ideology, the next steps to find a new p…

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, to discuss the history of Brazil. This episode starts in the late 19th century with Brazil’s “racial democracy”, exploring the rise of rubber as a primary commodity, industrialization, the abolition of slavery, Getúlio Vargas and the Revolut…

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Danny and Derek are back at “it” (the news). This week: in Gaza, a Rafah invasion update and Biden’s “red line” (0:29), more questions about Israel’s postwar plans (6:16), an update on the humanitarian situation and the American “aid pier” (11:10), and the Biden administration’s refusal to punish Israeli rights violations (15:05); Egypt-Israel tensions are escalating as Gaza continues to deteriorate (19:56); in Myanmar, a report on the forced conscription of the nation’s embattled Rohingya minority (22:49); in Sudan, the RSF has surrounded the city of El-Fasher, trapping about 2.5 million displaced civilians (25:36); the US withdrawal from Niger grinds on as the former sends a negotiating team to iron out the details (28:08); Vladimir Putin replaces defense minister Sergei Shoigu (30:34); in Ukraine, a new Russian offensive (33:34) and a visit from Antony Blinken (35:57); prime minister Robert Fico of Slovakia was shot five times in an attempted assassination (36:54); the State Department removes Cuba from a counterterrorism list only to keep it on a terrorism supporter list (38:23); a New Cold War update featuring Biden’s new tariffs on Chinese imports (40:29) and Putin visits Xi Jinping (42:23).

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Danny welcomes back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. This second part of the discussion picks up in the mid-1950s after Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech, non-proliferation movement leaders like Irish foreign minister Frank Aiken, the flexible response policy and other changes to America’s nuclear posture under the Kennedy Administration, the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, proliferation optimists vs pessimists, and more through the late 1960s.

Check out the first episode here.

Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College.

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The AP trifecta once again reunites to answer your thoughts, queries, and, in one case, riddles. This edition broaches such topics as which nations would respectively sanction Jake and Derek, how Danny maintains such a prolific output, whether we’re already in a regional war in the Middle East, Kurt Cobain as a proxy for the end of history, and more.

Tha…

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Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Khalid Medani—associate professor of political science, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and chair of the African Studies Program at McGill University—for a deep dive into the conflict that has engulfed Sudan since last Spring. They delve into its roots going back to the 1989 coup, break down the makeup of the primary combatants (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces), how these groups are able to continue recruiting and maintain support networks, the conflict’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis and regional effects, foreign mercenaries and whether it has become a proxy war, efforts of local civil leaders to quell the fighting, and what things might look like moving forward.

As Khalid noted, two places to which he recommends you donate are the Sudanese Doctors Union or the Sudan Solidarity Collective.

Some of Khalid’s recent work:

“The Struggle for Sudan” from Middle East Report’s Spring 2024 issue is a primer on Sudan.
Middle East Research and Information Project’s Spring 2024 issue has multiple contributors, including Khalid, writing about the conflict.
His book Black Markets and Militants: Informal Networks in the Middle East and Africa, which is free via Open Access.
“Opinion: The brutal conflict in Sudan is not a civil war. It’s a war on civilians” from The Globe and Mail.

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In light of the untimely death of engineer/producer/musician Steve Albini, we wanted to share an interview Danny did with him for an upcoming (non-American Prestige) podcast on grunge music. This was recorded in August 2020.

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Derek welcomes back to the pod , associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute, to discuss the situations in Niger and Chad now that the two nations have respectively kicked out most US troops. They discuss the State Department’s underwhelming treatment of some African heads of state, how this dynamic differs when working with a military junta, what specifically precipitated the US withdrawals from Niger and Chad, AFRICOM’s security-focused framing, how Russia’s role in the region factors into things, and more.

Be sure to check out Alex’s new Substack Sawahil, the successor to his excellent Sahel Blog.

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Danny and Derek are back with Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, talking about the history of Brazil. We’re now into the 19th century and Brazilian independence. The group discusses what led to this moment, the changing racial dynamics, liberalism in Brazil vs its European form, the emergence of coffee as its predom…

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In a follow-up to our special on students' pro-Palestine organizing, Danny speaks with Josh Rushing, founding member of Al Jazeera English and senior correspondent for its program Fault Lines, about the crackdown on Palestine advocacy on campuses since October 7 and what it means for academic freedom. They discuss his Fault Lines documentary on the subj…

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Antony Blinken might claim to play the blues, but Danny and Derek have to deliver…the news. This week: in Palestine/Israel, the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks (0:42), Netanyahu panics over a potential International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant (6:54), and Blinken backs off of a threat to use the Leahy Law against IDF troops despite evidence of human rights abuses (10:39); Colombia announces that it will cut diplomatic ties with Israel (15:26); Saudi Arabia pushes for a security deal with the US (18:58); in Sudan, an imminent RSF attack on El Fasher in North Darfur (24:01); the US agrees to withdraw forces from Chad (25:26); Dutch PM Mark Rutte may be in line to become secretary general of NATO (28:33); new US sanctions will target Chinese firms supplying Russia (30:46); Ukrainian forces are falling back in Donetsk (33:10); in Haiti, a surprise PM appointment sparks dispute (35:04); and a New Cold War update featuring the potential addition of South Korea and New Zealand to AUKUS (37:09) and the Solomon Islands parliament’s election of a new PM friendly to China (39:50).

Note: There will be no news next Friday, May 10, but there will be an interview episode!

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Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, joins Danny and Derek to talk about his eponymous book covering the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. In this first part, they discuss US efforts to maintain nuclear supremacy in the early Cold War, nuclear threshold states, nuclear propaganda, and more up until Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech.

Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College.

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Danny recently appeared on Shadi Hamid’s The Disagreement podcast to discuss what America’s role on the global stage should be. The conversation broaches US involvement in Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East, alternatives to hegemony, and whether the US is “the good guy”.

Also check out Danny and Shadi’s initial debate from two years ago.

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Danny and Derek once again speak with Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, about the history of Brazil. This episode picks up in the 17th century at the start of the sugar boom and all that comes along with it. They discuss sugar cultivation’s connection with the slave trade, the mechanics of trafficking people from A…

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Danny and Derek bring you another dose of Reality™️. This week: Congress passes Biden’s war funding package (0:59); Israel prepares to invade Rafah (7:31); the US begins construction of a Gaza pier (10:33); Antony Blinken may blacklist an IDF unit (12:58); mass graves are discovered in Gaza hospitals (16:57); US forces come under attack in Iraq and Syria (19:01); the IDF makes a small retaliation against Iran (21:42); Azerbaijan and Armenia make progress toward a peace agreement (24:06); Myanmar rebels withdraw from Myawaddy (27:18); the US finally agrees to withdraw forces from Niger (29:36); Russia makes gains in Ukraine (32:32); the US is sending long range weapons to and negotiating a military agreement with Kyiv (35:16); Ariel Henry resigns and a new Haitian council takes office (37:53); and a New Cold War update featuring Blinken visiting China (40:31) while Biden suggests that his uncle was eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea (43:02).

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Danny and Derek once again speak with Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, about the state of affairs in Russia and Ukraine. Topics include: the latest round of American aid, what happened with the Ukrainian counter-offensive, Russia re-purposing Soviet military infrastructure, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, assistant professor in the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University, to talk about his edited volume Did It Happen Here? Perspectives on Fascism and America. The group explores the utility of the so-called “fascism debate”, its popular resonance since the 2016 election, how Daniel curated the book, analysis of fascism in the Black radical tradition, perceptions of fascism in academia vs. those in organized labor, how social media fuels an otherwise arcane, academic discussion, and more.

Check out the debate on fascism between Danny and Jason Stanley, which Daniel moderated.

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Derek sits down with resident AP Iran expert Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, to discuss the recent escalations between Israel and Iran. They recap the events of the last several weeks, how domestic politics of Iran, Israel, and the US play into things, the thinking behind the scope of the strikes, how this…

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Danny and Derek once more speak with Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, to finish our series on Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. This episode picks up at the beginning of the Obama Administration, touching on Netanyahu’s deepening ties with American Christian Zionists, the …

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Danny and Derek update you with what we know so far about Israel’s strikes on Iran last night.

Recorded late morning Eastern Time, Friday, April 19, 2024.

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Producer’s note: This was recorded on Thursday, April 18, before Israel’s strike on Iran, hence us releasing this earlier than usual.

It’s the world news roundup with the ever loyal Danny and Derek. This week: Israel plans a retaliation for Iran’s strike last week, Iran floats the possibility of developing nuclear weapons in response (0:31), and plans for an IDF Rafah operation in Gaza are underway (8:09); the US is still pursuing Saudi normalization with Israel (10:40) and vetoes a Palestinian statehood resolution at the UN (13:38); the US is trying to create an “independent” sanctions monitor for the DPRK/North Korea (15:11); in climate news, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering the “worst” bleaching event ever (17:19); in Sudan, the fighting expands into North Darfur (19:46); the UN’s Libya envoy quits in frustration (21:18); a whistleblower says that the US is ignoring the order to withdraw from Niger (23:44); the US pushes back over oil refinery attacks in Ukraine (26:41) while the House of Representatives will take up military aid bills (30:01); and the US will reinstate sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector (32:12).

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Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast actor Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Call Me By Your Name, “Boardwalk Empire”) to discuss his role in the new play Patriots, which portrays billionaire Boris Berezovsky’s (Stuhlbarg) relationship with Vladimir Putin (Will Keen) in 1991. The group discusses the challenges in nuanced portrayals of Berezovsky and Putin, how preparing for the character pushed Michael to reframe his perspective on the end of the USSR, the resonance between the events of the play and the current situation in the United States, notions of homeland and patriotism for Berezovsky, and more.

Patriots is playing now on Broadway through June 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre at 243 West 47 Street. Buy your tickets here.

*Producer’s Note: The “Russia 1985–1999: TraumaZone” documentary series that Michael referenced was created by Adam Curtis.

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Danny and Derek are back with updates on the situation after last night’s bombardment on Israel, including international reactions, the potential Israeli response, and more.

Recorded early afternoon ET, April 14, 2024

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Danny and Derek speak with Tianyu Fang, MacArthur tech and democracy fellow at New America and contributing editor at Reboot, about the current discourse and legislation around “banning” the social media app TikTok. They explore the previous actions against the company taken by the Trump administration, the TikTok-focused Protecting Americans from Forei…

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Danny and Derek give an update on what we know about Iran’s attack against Israel in response to Israel’s April 1 strike on an Iranian embassy in Syria.

Recorded early evening ET, April 13, 2024

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Danny and Derek bring you stories from around the globe. This week: Iran warns of an imminent response to Israel bombing the IR’s embassy in Syria (0:31); Gaza ceasefire talks remain tenuous (6:15) while the IDF’s “withdrawal” has not yet enabled sufficient aid to enter the Strip (10:47); in Myanmar, rebels seize a key border town (15:27); battlefield dynamic shifts in Sudan with a supply of Iranian drones (19:00); in Ukraine, Russia strikes destroy a major power plant (21:17) and the Ukrainian parliament passes a new conscription law (23:17); international fallout ensues after the Ecuadorian goernment raids the Mexican embassy in Quito (25:36); a New Cold War update featuring Biden hosting Japanese PM Kishida and Philippine president Marcos Jr. (29:28); and in climate news, March continues a 10-month streak of the hottest respective month ever recorded (32:43).

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Danny and Derek again chat with Penny Von Eschen, William R. Kennan Jr. professor of American studies and professor of history at UVA, about her book Paradoxes of Nostalgia: Cold War Triumphalism and Global Disorder since 1989. This second part of the conversation picks up with Cold War nostalgia in American pop culture, the 90s search for a new “bad guy” in places like the DPRK/North Korea and the Balkans, the “kitschification” of the Cold War, ways this nostalgia manifested throughout the War on Terror, how U.S.-Russia relations were reshaped in the 1990s and 2000s, and the influences of this refracted view of the Cold War on the “New Cold War” dynamic we’re seeing today.

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Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Guyer, contributing editor at The American Prospect, about the eponymous piece he recently wrote for the magazine on Biden’s ideological commitment to Israel and his administration’s handling of the current crisis. The group discusses his obstinacy in changing his approach Israel/Palestine, the domestic and global pol…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Natalie Shure, writer and researcher whose work focuses on history, health, and politics, for an update on where we stand with Havana Syndrome. When Natalie (along with Bob Wright) first chatted with us in December 2021, little was known about the condition. It turns out, we still don’t know much, but stories contending conn…

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Welcome the fourth episode of the collaboration between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! Paid subscribers get a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the bottom of the description, where you’ll also find the video for the Overtime segment.

0:02 Derek and Danny stumble into Bob’s Zoom room 1:01 Israel’s doubly out-of-control week10:02 How Biden's Gaza failures will shape the Democratic Party24:32 Biden’s political incentives on Israel-Palestine28:02 Heading to Overtime

Nonzero Newsletter on Substack:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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Derek and Danny return with the news. This week: In Gaza, the IDF kills members of the World Central Kitchen organization (0:31), Biden follows up with Netanyahu (6:18), more reports on the IDF’s AI targeting systems (10:35), and more; Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian IRGC officers in Syria (20:59); a drone strike in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw (25:04); the DPRK/North Korea tests a hypersonic missile (26:51); the results of Senegal’s election (29:01); Somalia expels the Ethiopian ambassador (31:02); a terrorist attack in Moscow (32:43); NATO discusses a Ukraine fund (35:27); a UN update on displacement in Haiti (38:42); and a New Cold War update featuring a Biden-Xi phone call (41:28).

Look out for our special later today with Natalie Shure on Havana Syndrome.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Annelle Sheline, former foreign affairs officer at the State Department, to discuss her resignation over the Biden Administration’s handling of Israel and Gaza. They discuss her role at State, what changed there after October 7, her interactions with superiors and administration officials, how the response to Gaza differs from that of Ukraine, the efficacy of dissent channels, and more.

Check out Annelle’s piece at CNN about her resignation.

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Danny and Derek chat with Penny Von Eschen, William R. Kennan Jr. professor of American studies and professor of history at UVA, about her book Paradoxes of Nostalgia: Cold War Triumphalism and Global Disorder since 1989. In this first part of the discussion, the group explores the affective dimension of nostalgia, how the “end of history” and “clash of civilizations” narratives influenced U.S. policy starting in the 1990s, the post-Cold War malaise that took hold, and the proliferation of anti-government ideologies amidst a massive increase in military spending.

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Believe it or not, Brazil’s story didn’t start with Lula and Macron’s iconic photo shoot, and Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, has graciously agreed to help Danny and Derek tell that story! In this first episode of the History of Brazil series, the group explores the indigenous civilizations populating the land th…

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Since Derek is out of town, an unsupervised Danny welcomes back AP friends Michael Brenes, co-director of the Brady-Johnson program in grand strategy at Yale University and publisher of Warfare and Welfare, and Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss the new volume Danny and Michael edited, Rethinking U.S. World Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations. They talk about the current tenor in DC around foreign policy, the degree to which domestic factors affect U.S. decisions therein, and how their careers thus far have shaped their thinking.

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Danny and Derek speak with Michael G. Vann, professor of history at California State University, Sacramento, about Indonesia, which recently held an election resulting in Prabowo Subianto as president-elect. They discuss the country’s era of reform (Reformasi) since the end of Suharto’s rule in 1998, the composition of its elite class, Prabowo’s controversial career long predating his 2024 campaign, the issues motivating voters in this election, and potential legal challenges to him ultimately taking power.

Check out Michael’s work in Jacobin, as well as his book The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam.

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By popular demand, we’re unlocking this episode that was originally released January 28, 2024. Thank you to subscribers who gave feedback!

Danny and Derek speak with Sherene Seikaly, associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara and historian of Palestine, about the eponymous piece she wrote for Jadaliyya at the beginning of 2023. They discuss the framing of “the age of catastrophe”, where Palestine endures an ongoing Nakba as the climate crisis accelerates, how people find simple ways to make life in the midst of upheaval, cultural forms of resistance including food and storytelling, and how Palestine’s struggle resonates with other places confronting similar struggles.

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Daniel Immerwahr, Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University, is back on the pod to discuss his recent piece for The New Yorker, “What Frantz Fanon and Ian Fleming Agreed On”. After a Dune 2 update (see Daniel’s Dune episode with us), the group discusses revolutionary intellectual Frantz Fanon and James Bond author Ian Fleming, …

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Antony Blinken plays the blues while Danny and Derek bring you the news. This week: in Gaza, famine sets in (0:29), U.S.-Israel tensions rise over a potential Rafah invasion (3:52), and more; Pakistan conducts airstrikes in Afghanistan (12:11); Indonesia’s general election results are confirmed (14:37); the DPRK/North Korea tests a hypersonic missile engine (17:28); there’s new evidence of coral bleaching in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (19:15); a Sudan humanitarian update (20:55); Niger’s junta government kicks out U.S. forces (23:00); Vladimir Putin wins reelection in Russia (26:42); Ukraine strikes targets in Russia and is debating a new conscription bill (27:52); the EU debates using Russian assets to support Ukraine* (32:52); the Colombian government is in peace talks with the Clan Del Golfo (Gulf Clan) (35:41); an update on CARICOM’s transition plan for Haiti (37:26); and a new study finds no evidence of brain damage from Havana Syndrome (40:02).

Note: After the time of recording, the EU came to a preliminary agreement on a plan to use Russian assets.*

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Danny and Derek speak with Jemima Pierre, professor of global race in the Institute of Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ) at the University of British Columbia, about foreign intervention in Haiti—namely instances led by the U.S. and European powers— from the country’s inception to PM Ariel Henry’s resignation last week. They delve into the early history of Haiti’s relationship with the U.S. and Europe, America’s 1915-1934 occupation of Haiti, the Ottawa Initiative and Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s fall in 2004, the 2004-2017 United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and the current crisis.

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Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, is back to discuss Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. This episode picks up in the 1990s with the Oslo Accords, the push for a “Greater Israel”, the Left Behind books and the rise of apocalypticism, Christians United for Israel, and more unt…

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Derek and Danny are back, the latter without any rubles. This week: Russian kicks off its presidential election (1:47); a Gaza humanitarian update (4:29) and Biden speaks on a Rafah invasion (11:24); more Israeli strikes in Lebanon (15:30); U.S. policy potentially shifts on DPRK/North Korea (17:17); in Sudan, the military makes gains in Omdurman (20:20); Ukraine attacks Russian oil facilities (24:26) and receives a U.S. stopgap aid package (26:54); the right surges in Portugal’s election (29:37); PM Ariel Henry resigns as chaos ensues in Haiti (32:20); and the U.S. expands its lead in global arms sales (35:17).

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Danny and Derek welcome writer and co-executive producer John Orloff to the pod to discuss Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air miniseries. They go into John’s background, his work on HBO’s seminal Band of Brothers, the distinct horror of WWII aerial warfare, how MOTA tackled the POW experience, the challenge of writing and shooting such a massive production, and how a WWII-era drama is informed by the current global climate.

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Danny and Derek speak with Ryan Grim of The Intercept about the piece he co-authored with Jeremy Scahill and Daniel Boguslaw about The New York Times’ exposé of the October 7 attacks alleging systematic use of sexual violence by Palestinian militants. They discuss the piece itself, the role of Israeli volunteer group Zaka, the journalistic standards at …

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Danny and Derek bring you the world. This week: in Gaza, the U.S. makes airdrops while Biden announces a temporary port (0:30), some countries restore UNRWA funding (4:02), and more; a cargo ship is sunk and data cables cut in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen (12:26); the parliament of Pakistan elects a new prime minister (16:15); a renewed attempt at a ceasefire in Myanmar (18:02); an update on the crisis in Sudan (20:17); a new date is set for Senegal’s presidential election (23:16); an attack in Odesa during a visit by Zelensky and the Greek prime minister (25:32); Sweden officially joins NATO (27:08); in Haiti, a new gang offensive threatens to oust Ariel Henry (28:33); and we continue to break new climate records (33:54).

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Derek welcomes back Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), to discuss the humanitarian situation Gaza since the International Court of Justice’s rulings at the end of January in South Africa’s case against Israel. They get into what the court actually ordered, Israel’s response, the current humanitarian catastrophe, the “Flour Massacre”, U.S. aid airdrops, the undercutting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and more.

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This episode originally aired October 29, 2021

Danny and Derek speak with Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, about all things Dune. They discuss the importance of culture to understanding U.S. empire, the history of imperial U.S. fiction, the life and times of Frank Herbert, and how Herbert's particular vision of technology, empire, and indigenous politics informed the writing of Dune.

Check out Daniel's articles on Dune, in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times, and the Journal of American Studies.

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Danny and Derek speak with Gabriel Hetland, associate professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies and Sociology at the University at Albany, about his book Democracy on the Ground: Local Politics in Latin America’s Left Turn. They discuss the regional shift to the Left, how right-wing forces reacted to this trend, the ways democracy has been shaped by these conditions, and the different tacks taken by leftist movements (particularly in Bolivia and Venezuela).

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Danny and Derek speak with Trevor Strunk of No Cartridge Audiopodcast about the Third Reich in the gaming world, from action blockbusters like Medal of Honor to cerebral indies like Heal Hitler. They discuss the background of militarism in video games, different roles Nazis have played in games over the years, how World War 2 video games reflect the co…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming, to discuss his new piece in The Nation, “Taking Aaron Bushnell at His Word (and Deed)”. The group delves into Bushnell’s act of protest, what we know of his ideology and work as a member of the US Air Force, the public response to and framing of his death, and more.

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Danny and Derek work on leap days. This week: in Gaza, a massacre in Gaza City (0:29), ceasefire talks (5:20), and Netanyahu’s postwar plan (8:35); the U.S. and U.K. launch more joint airstrikes against Yemen (10:25); North Korea trades arms for food with Russia (11:54); in Sudan, military groups block aid shipments to Darfur (14:13); a new date is set for a presidential election in Senegal (15:58); a Ukraine War update (19:04); Sweden’s NATO accession is finally ratified (26:08); Colombia reopens talks with the ELN (28:29); NORAD intercepts a new balloon (29:55).

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Danny and Derek speak with Malak Silmi, a freelance journalist based in Michigan, about the state’s Arab American community, its relationship to the Democratic Party, organizing efforts in response to the Biden Administration, and the future of the “uncommitted” vote.

Read Malak and Joseph Stepansky’s piece in Al-Jazeera, “Birth of a Movement, Michig…

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Daniel Hummel, director for university engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, returns to continue the discussion on Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. In this episode, the group picks up with the rise of the new Christian right in the 1970s and the role of Zionism therein, dispensationalism and its notion of Jews and Israel, the Israeli right’s concurrent rise to power, Jimmy Carter as a non-Zionist evangelical, the Camp David Accords, Ronald Reagan’s relationship with Christian Zionism, and where the movement stood on the eve of the Oslo Accords.

Be sure to catch up on the first episode in the series!

Grab a copy of Daniel’s book Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations!

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Danny and Derek welcome returning champion Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, to give us a update on Russia and Ukraine. The get into the death of Alexei Navalny in Russia, the firing of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in Ukraine, the latter country’s manpower issues, and the state of the war now.

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Danny and Derek speak to Umair Javed, assistant professor of politics and sociology at Lahore University of Management Sciences, about this month’s general election in Pakistan. They discuss the major issues facing the country, the struggles of PTI and jailed candidate (and former prime minister) Imran Khan, the role of the U.S., and more.

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Danny and Derek are just the messengers. This week: in Gaza, ceasefire talks may be heating up again, America assesses the UNRWA allegations, and more (0:42); Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) militants potentially sink a cargo ship, damage another ship, and attack Eilat (12:11); a potential governing coalition is formed in Pakistan (14:31); tensions between Taiwan and China over the Kinmen Islands (17:13); in Senegal, Macky Sall agrees to reschedule the election, but hasn’t offered a new date yet (19:07); Somalia cuts new military deals with Turkey and the U.S. (21:19); Alexei Navalny dies in Russia (25:44); in Ukraine, the Russians take Avdiivka as we approach the second anniversary of the invasion (28:52); Hungary schedules a NATO ratification vote for Sweden (34:10); the ELN suspends peace talks in Colombia (35:06); the government of Ecuador backs out of a deal to send arms to Ukraine (38:35); and a New Cold War update featuring the restoration of panda relations between China and the U.S. (40:16).

Note: the U.S. announced that it is imminently imposing new sanctions on Russia after the time of recording.

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Danny and Derek speak with David Halperin, retired professor of Jewish studies at UNC Chapel Hill, about his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO. The group looks at the phenomenon of UFO encounters as part of a longer tradition of mythology, examining their relationship to the historical epochs in which they occur, their place in politics and culture, and what ultimately the search for aliens says about our own views of humanity.

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In the second half of a double header, Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale, speaks with Danny and Derek about our aged political leaders. The group touches on the history of gerontocracy in politics, what about it specifically reflects American culture around aging and mortality, why anyone would want to spend their final y…

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Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Danny and Derek from the headlines. This week: Global military spending reached new heights in 2023 (0:31); a Gaza update (3:51); a major exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah (12:12); contentioius election results in Pakistan (14:38); reports of the military in disarray in Myanmar (19:08); Indonesia holds a general election (22:36); protests continue in Senegal (25:11); allegations of a massacre in Ethiopia (27:19); Russia might be planning for space nukes (29:58); Venezuela is massing troops on the Guyana border (33:17); and an update on the United States’ military supplemental (36:17).

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Mohammad Alsaafin, journalist at AJ+, speaks with Danny and Derek about Israel’s imminent attack on Rafah in southern Gaza, the state of the Palestinian diaspora four months into this war, the prospect of a lasting ceasefire, and more.

Mohammad’s latest for AJ+.

Recorded Wednesday, February 14, 2024

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Derek speaks with Elizabeth Shackelford, former U.S. diplomat and current foreign affairs columnist for The Chicago Tribune, about U.S. involvement across Africa. They talk about Elizabeth’s own history in Somalia and South Sudan, America’s understanding of the places in which it’s involved, the generational timeline needed to change the trajectory of foreign policy, where the securitized view of Africa began, how the U.S. has approached places like Burkina Faso and Cameroon, and what a better U.S. policy in Africa might look like.

Elizabeth’s report with Ethan Kessler and Emma Sanderson, “Less is More: A New Strategy for US Security Assistance to Africa”.

Elizabeth’s book The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.

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Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale, makes his return to the pod to discuss his book Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times. The group examines the Cold War liberal intellectuals featured in the book like Isaiah Berlin, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Karl Popper, the interwar roots of Americ…

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Danny and Derek are just the messengers. This week: the U.S. hits targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the American troops killed in Jordan (0:30); Israel refuses Hamas’ terms for a ceasefire as IDF troops enter Rafah (6:06); in the Philippines, a feud between Sebastian Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. escalates (11:46); in Sudan, humanitarian assistance is cut off and telecom services are down as the catastrophe intensifies (15:04); President Macky Sall postpones elections in Senegal (17:47); Ukrainian president Zelensky fires top general Valerii Zaluzhnyi while a U.S. aid bill is stuck in Congress (22:23); in the Netherlands, coalition talks for the Geert Wilders-led government falter (26:38); the Colombian government extends its ceasefire with the ELN, while the latter swears off kidnapping (29:41); protests in Haiti demand the resignation of president Ariel Henry (31:22); Joe Biden's top Asia aide Kurt Campbell is confirmed as the new Deputy Secretary of State (33:21); and a new climate report says the opportunity for limiting warming to 1.5°C might be gone (34:26).

Note: Zelensky’s firing of Zaluzhnyi was officially announced after the time of recording

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Danny and Derek welcome back Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter for The Intercept, to discuss his recent piece detailing the situation at Tower 22, a U.S. garrison in Jordan that was struck by drones last month wherein three troops were killed. They discuss the site’s purported purpse, its inadequate defenses, and service members’ frustration with…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to talk about his new book, A Queer Theory of the State. The group discusses the various notions of queer theory and the state, how queer politics and activism can engage in state power, the neoliberal contingent of the queer community, where thinkers from Michel Foucault to Judith Sklar fit into this, and Sam’s vision of what a queer state might look like.

Be sure to check out Sam’s past AP appearances in Queer Theory and the Queer Germany series.

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Danny and Derek are again with Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, discussing Kurdish history. This episode takes a step back to catch up on the situation for Kurdish peoples outside of Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Picking up at the end of the first World War, the conversation focuses on Kurds in t…

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Welcome to the third installment of the collaboration between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! Paid subscribers get a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the bottom of the description, where you’ll also find the video for the Overtime segment.

0:00 Another high-synergy collaborative episode1:14 Do mainstream Israelis support ethnic cleansing?10:28 Biden’s electoral (mis?)calculations on Israel-Palestine 20:46 What does a left-wing foreign policy vision look like today?

Nonzero Newsletter on Substack:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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Danny and Derek return with headlines from around the globe. This week: the ICJ decision on Israel (0:29), Israeli accusations of UNRWA (5:08), ceasefire talks (10:35), and Biden sanctions settlers (15:56); a U.S. outpost in Jordan is bombed by a drone (18:54); secret Sudan peace talks in Bahrain (23:52); several countries quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (25:37); in Ukraine, Zelensky fires a top commander (27:23); the Biden admin is reimposing sanctions on Venezuela (33:34); international intervention is in doubt in Haiti (37:13); and the U.S. had record arms sales last year (40:24).

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Danny and Derek speak with Negar Mortazavi, journalist and host of The Iran Podcast, about Iran’s role in the current situation in the Middle East. They touch on the ideological and strategic view of Iran’s government regarding Israel-Palestine, its relationship with non-state actors such as Hezbollah and Ansar Allah (Houthis), this past weekend’s drone strike on U.S. forces in Jordan by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the Axis of Resistance, and more.

Recorded Thursday, February 1, 2024

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Danny and Derek sit down with Adam Ganser and Michael Swaim of the 1Upsmanship podcast to discuss the confluence of history, U.S. foreign policy, and capitalism in video games. The group broaches topics like the implicit politics of first-person shooters, the capitalist logic in games based on survival and growth, the portrayal of governments in different series, and how far developers can go to portray the reality of war in a game.

Check out more of Adam and Michael's work at their Small Beans podcast network!

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Danny and Derek chat with Aslı Bâli, professor of law at Yale Law School. Aslı, whose research focuses largely on human rights law and the law of the international security order, helps us break down the legal definition of genocide, the substance of the ICJ ruling and what was ordered, and the court’s ability to enforce it.

The conversation continues f…

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Danny and Derek speak with Sherene Seikaly, associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara and historian of Palestine, about the eponymous piece she wrote for Jadaliyya at the beginning of 2023. They discuss the framing of “the age of catastrophe”, where Palestine endures an ongoing Nakba as the climate crisis accelerates, how people find simple way…

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Danny and Derek catch subscribers up on today’s ruling by the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

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This week: Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks amble along (0:30), Netanyahu snubs Qatar (5:11), militants kill 21 IDF soldiers in a single attack (10:25), and more from Israel-Palestine; in Yemen, the U.S. prepares for a “sustained military campaign” (15:40) while a new report details the effect of sanctions on humanitarian relief (16:50); talk of (another) U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq (19:24); Pakistan and Iran agree to stand down (22:22); India’s Modi opens a controversial new temple (24:39); Cameroon begins implementing a malaria vaccine program (26:09); Somalia-Ethiopia tensions continue to simmer (27:24); Ukraine all but confirms it shot down a Russian plane carrying Ukrainian POWs (29:23); Turkey ratifies Sweden's NATO accession (31:01); and protests erupt in Argentina against Milei’s shock therapy policies (33:50).

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Patrice Lumumba, the first president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has become a mythic figure among the left, due in no small part to the CIA’s role in his ousting and assassination less than one year after the start of his premiership. Stuart Reid, editor at Foreign Affairs, joins Derek to discuss the full story of Lumumba’s downfall, as detailed in Reid’s recent book The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination.

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Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, returns to educate us on Kurdish history. We’ve reached the 1971 coup in Turkey, which has fractured the left. In its wake, a group led by Abdullah Öcalan forms what will become the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The discussion covers the PKK’s ideology, how it differentiates i…

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Official AP Taiwan Desk James Lin returns to the pod to give us a breakdown of the recent presidential election in Taiwan. The group discusses the three candidates, winner Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its moves to avoid repercussions from the PRC (China), the international response to the election, the evolving diplomatic norms …

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Derek and Danny report for duty. This week: Iran attacks targets in Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan (1:01); U.S. strikes on Ansar Allah (Houthi) targets fail to deter attacks on shipping (10:17); an Israel-Palestine update (12:55) including a Qatari medicine deal (15:26) and Netanyahu’s take on a Palestinian state (17:41); Taiwan’s presidential election (22:18); Kim of the DPRK (North Korea) lashes out at the South (25:16); tensions continue to escalate between Somalia and Ethiopia (27:06); a Ukraine War update featuring a drone strike on St. Petersburg (29:49); Guatemala’s Arévalo takes office after an apparent coup attempt (32:59); and Biden and Congress make progress on military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and border security (36:32).

Recorded Thursday, January 18, 2024

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John Gray, emeritus professor of European thought at the London School of Economics, joins Danny for a lively chat about liberalism, the powers that be, and what the duo calls “the bads”. Centering John’s recent book The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism, this wide-ranging discussion tries to make sense of the post-Cold War world, assess the threats posed by political and environmental factors, and reckon with what John sees as the extreme default condition of human life.

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Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, returns to the podcast to discuss his recent pieces covering the post-Gaza plans of top White House official Brett McGurk and the imminent departure of the White House’s special Middle East envoy on humanitarian issues. Then, for subscribers, the group gets into the NSC’s attempts to discr…

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Danny chats with Frank Costigliola, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, about diplomat and historian George F. Kennan. They discuss his legacy as a realist with an unending belief in diplomacy, the “long telegram”, his wariness of the public holding sway in foreign relations, the emphasis on industrial …

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Derek Sits down with Guillaume Long, senior research fellow at the Center for Economic and and Policy Research (CEPR) and former foreign minister of Ecuador, to discuss the outburst of armed conflict there over the last several days and how this fits into a larger context of issues facing the country.

Subscribe now for the full interview!

Recorded Friday…

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Spencer Ackerman, journalist at various outlets including Forever Wars, chats with Derek about South Africa’s case charging Israel with genocide at the ICJ.

Check out Spencer’s piece on the matter.

Recorded Thursday, January 11, 2024

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Danny and Derek come off the hottest year on record with the new year’s cold, hard facts. This week: South Africa brings a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) (2:39) while Antony Blinken tours the region (8:48); Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani is looking to request the withdrawal of U.S. forces (19:09); the Israel-Hizbollah border battles continue to escalate (22:23); the U.S. and U.K. launch strikes on Yemen (25:31); rebels in Myanmar take the border city of Laukkaing (28:49); Ethiopia looks to make a deal with the unrecognized state of Somaliland (33:56); Ukraine is running out of air defenses and shifting to a defensive posture (37:12); armed battles and chaos break out in Ecuador (40:23); 2023 was indeed the hottest year on record (43:55).

Recorded Thursday, January 11, 2024

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Danny and Derek welcome Carolyn Eisenberg, professor of history at Hofstra University, to explore Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon’s joint pursuit of war in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 70s. Using Carolyn’s book Fire and Rain as a guide, the group gets into the duo’s relationship, their aims in escalating conflict in the region while pursuing diplomacy with China and the Soviet Union, military events like Operation Lam Son 719, and what this story reveals about U.S. foreign relations.

Carolyn also contributed to the edited anthology The Good Die Young: The Verdict on Henry Kissinger, which was released after his death in December 2023.

Be sure to also check out Danny and Derek’s special episode with Greg Grandin on the life and legacy of Kissinger.

Become a founding member today and claim your year of a digital subscription to The Nation!

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We’re back into our History of the Kurds series with Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University. In this episode, the group explores changes in Kurdish nationalism during and after World War II (i.e. when it began to be framed in the context of decolonization), 1950s and 60s Kurdish politics in Iraq and Turkey, and the co…

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The news roundup returns next week, so in the meantime we thought we’d share our conversation with Christina Heatherton, Elting Associate Professor of American Studies and Human Rights at Trinity College, Connecticut. Her book Arise! Global Radicalism in the Era of the Mexican Revolution covers the Mexican Revolution as an international story, something that galvanized radical organizers of the era to fight global capitalism in new ways. The discussion broaches Dubois framing the color line as a tool of imperial expansion, touches on figures like Ricardo Flores Magón and Alexandra Kollontai, examines prisons used as organizing spaces, and how this era of radicalism can inform organizing today.

The book will be out in paperback from UC Press in February while the Spanish translation will be out from La Cigarra Press this Spring.

Recorded in June 2023

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Danny and Derek give subscribers an update on the recent events in the Middle East, including today’s blasts in Iran at a memorial for slain general Qasem Soleimani, Tuesday’s strike on a Hamas leader in southern Beirut, Israel’s recent strike in Damascus, and South Africa’s petition at the ICJ to declare the situation in Gaza a genocide.

Recorded Wednes…

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Jeffrey Lewis, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies on the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Faculty, joins Danny and Derek to discuss his new podcast The Reason We’re All Still Here, which covers scientists, analysts, and idealists who have gone above and beyond in the name of peace and diplomacy when state actors fail to do so. This discussion focuses on the podcast itself as well as questions about Marx’s theory of alienation, the hope of changing the massive structures all but guaranteeing our demise, and why being an “imperfect part of the solution” might be worthwhile.

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Denise N. Rall, adjunct research fellow at Southern Cross University in Australia, joins Danny and Derek to discuss the relationship between fashion, women and power. Topics include the origins of the fashion industry, sartorial diplomacy, figures like Elizabeth II and Michelle Obama, and the power suit.

Be sure to check out Denise’s book Fashion, Women,…

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Danny and Derek sit down with Sudha Rajagopalan, Senior Lecturer in East European Studies at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss her book Journeys of Soviet Things, an oral history of socialist globalization focusing on the journeys of Cold War era Soviet objects in Cuba and India. The conversation explores why Sudha focused on banal objects, what Soviet-made household technologies meant to people in Cuba and India, people’s views of American-produced goods of the time, whether a transnational identity was forged through these objects, and more.

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Danny and Derek chat with Brian Cuddy, lecturer in security studies at Macquarie University, and Fredrik Logevall, Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, about the eponymous collection of essays they co-edited, which examines the lasting impact of the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia and the wider Pacific. They discuss how the regional dynamics shaped the course of the war, what taking a regional perspective illuminates, the current state of the politics of Vietnam historiography, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Eleanor Janega, medieval historian, author, and broadcaster, to get down to brass tacks: What is Christmas? They discuss its practice in early and medieval Christian societies, mummers’ plays and gambling, Saint Nicholas providing dowries and resurrecting boys killed for their meat, the post-Reformation treatm…

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Danny and Derek amble across the finish line of 2023. This week: a Gaza update including the latest UN resolution, ceasefire talks, and a potential Geneva conference (1:15); the West/North Atlantic formally responds to Houthi actions in the Red Sea (8:50); General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi wins re-election (13:22); continued fighting in Myanmar (14:29); another ICBM test from the DPRK/North Korea (15:47); the RSF captures another city in Sudan (19:39); a possible resurgence of piracy in Somalia (21:43); the latest constituional referendum in Chile (24:09); a Venezuela-U.S. prisoner swap (25:56); and a Ukraine war update (29:02).

Recorded Wednesday December 20, 2023

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Derek welcomes back Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Palestinian-Israeli affairs, to discuss developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel proper over the past couple of weeks. Then Danny and Derek give a news update for subscribers.

Recorded Tuesday, December 19, 2023

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Merry (early) Christmas! Danny and Derek speak with historian Terri Blom Crocker to discuss the reality of the mythologized Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers in World War I made various agreements to cease fighting.

Check out Terri's book The Christmas Truce: Myth, Memory, and the First World War!

Originally published on Christmas 2021

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At AP headquarters, nothing brings holiday cheer quite like oil, so Danny and Derek are back with Gregory Brew, analyst at Eurasia Group in energy and Iran, to discuss Iran’s postwar “petro-state” period. They get into the country’s trajectory leading up to the 1953 coup, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his relationship with the U.S., the 1963 White Revolution, how oil revenue supported industrialization, middle class growth, and state expansion, the rise of the clerical opposition to Pahlavi’s reign, and more.

Check out Gregory’s book Petroleum and Progress in Iran: Oil, Development, and the Cold War.

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Danny and Derek sit down for one last time with Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss queer life in Germany from the 18th century through the Cold War. This episode focuses on the 1980s and the AIDS crisis, the different ways East and West Germany framed and dealt with it, the effect of the Soviet Union’s c…

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Sunny Danny tees up Iceman Derek. This week: an update on the grim situation in Gaza (0:59); the Yemeni Houthis respond with attacks in the Red Sea (15:13); the Egyptian presidential election (18:16); an Armenia-Azerbaijan prisoner exchange (19:55); a possible ceasefire in Myanmar (22:46); an actual ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (24:31); a Ukraine update (27:05); a Venezuela-Guyana update (33:34); and the conclusion of the COP28 climate conference (35:41).

Recorded Thursday, December 14, 2023

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Danny and Derek are joined by Sasha Senderovich, associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures at the University of Washington, for a discussion of his book How the Soviet Jew Was Made. They explore the background of Jews in the Pale of Settlement and lands that later made up the USSR, the role of the Jew in the Bolshevik imagination, Yiddish language culture and figures like David Bergelson, the role of the pogrom to Jews of the Soviet Union, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the far east of the USSR, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of the book, which was a finalist for the 2023 National Jewish Book Award and is presently short-listed as the Best First Book by the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL).

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Danny welcomes back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss queer life in Germany from the 18th century through the Cold War. This episode picks up in the late 1960s with the repealing of Paragraph 175 in West Germany, the proliferation of queer media in the 1970s, the racial dynamics of the gay rights moveme…

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Chag Sameach! Danny and Derek are joined by independent scholar Joseph Scales to talk about the history of Hanukkah. They discuss the rivalry between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that preceded the conflict; the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt and the family's ascension to power within Judea; the Judean expansion; and much more.

Originally published November 27, 2021

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Welcome to episode two of the collaboration between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! For those who missed the first one, we decided to join forces every couple of months and put out crossover episodes between the two projects. Paid subscribers get an extra 40 minutes of discussion plus a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the bottom of the description, where you’ll also find the video for the Overtime segment.

Public video:

Title: The Gaza War and the Palestine Question

0:00 A bold experiment in podcast synergy continues3:35 The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza9:51 Is full-on ethnic cleansing more likely than a political solution?19:21 If Biden loses in 2024, will elites rethink Israel-Palestine?29:23 The changing perception of Israel35:29 Heading to Overtime

Subscribe to Nonzero on Substack:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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Danny and Derek deliver the goods a day early. This week: an update on Gaza (0:36); more Ansar Allah (Houthi) activity off of Yemen’s coast in the Red Sea (11:46); Italy withdraws from the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (15:04); South Korea launches a spy satellite (16:51); an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau (19:35); a Russia-Ukraine update featuring prisoner exchange talks with the U.S. (23:03) and dwindling funds on Ukraine’s behalf (24:56); Venezuela-Guyana tensions on the rise over the Essequibo border region (28:35); and a COP28 update (32:36).

Recorded Thursday, December 7, 2023

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Danny and Derek chat with Mohamed Kheir Omer, a researcher and writer based in Oslo, Norway and former member of the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), about the current escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They get into the historical background of the two countries’ frought relationship, the respective roles of Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed, Eritrean support of Ethiopia in the Tigray War, where the current conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region fits into this, and more.

Check out Mohamed’s article on the topic in Foregin Policy.

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Everett Rummage, the man behind The Age of Napoleon podcast, joins Danny and Derek to break down Ridley Scott’s new film on Monsieur Bonaparte. They discuss Napoleon’s (English coded) portrayal, aspects his life the film chose to focus on, the centrality of Josephine in Napoleon on film, what the film gets right, conflates, or completely fabricates, and…

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Danny and Derek speak with Greg Grandin, author of Kissinger's Shadow: The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman, about the life and legacy of Henry Kissinger.

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The Tryptophan Twins return from the holiday to bring you up to speed. This week: an update on Gaza (0:42); Kuwait’s emir has a brief health scare (5:50); the U.S. accuses the Indian government of complicity in a murder plot in New York (6:59); the DPRK (North Korea) puts a spy satellite into orbit (9:32); a failed coup attempt in Sierra Leone (12:43); far-right populist Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) wins the Dutch parliamentary elections (14:54); a Ukraine update (19:37); Henry Kissinger shuffles off this mortal coil (24:55); and the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference kicks off in Dubai (26:33).

Check out all the latest updates on Gaza/Israel-Palestine here.

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Danny and Ben Burgis, host of the Give Them an Argument podcast, share their immediate thoughts upon the expiration of the infamous statesman.

Check out GTAA on Patreon and YouTube.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth follow-up discussion with Greg Grandin, author of Kissinger’s Shadow, coming tomorrow (Friday, December 1).

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Danny and Derek give subscribers a news update on the situation in Israel/Palestine, including the temporary pause in (some) hostilities, Ansar Allah/Houthi actions, and more.

Check out the rest of our specials on the current conflict.

Recorded Tuesday, November 28, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the pod Margaret O’Mara, historian and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, to conclude the story tracing Silicon Valley’s rise until the 21st century. The discussion starts in the late 70s/early 80s and covers the rise of biotech and the personal computer, competition from Japan, government interventions like SEMATECH and the High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (HPCA), the dot-com boom (and bust), and more.

Check out the rest of the series here.

Be sure to grab a copy of the book! You can find Margaret’s other work at her website.

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Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Marc J. Selverstone, head of the Presidential Recordings Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, to discuss what John F. Kennedy might have done had he lived and oversaw America’s involvement in Vietnam. Using his book The Kennedy Withdrawal: Camelot and the American Commitment to Vietnam as a launching …

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Danny and Derek speak with Leigh Claire La Berge, author of Marx for Cats: A Radical Bestiary. They discuss Leigh Claire’s unique approach to Marxist critique through the lens of cats, feline usage in the lexicon from the royal (Richard the Lionheart) to the proletarian (“wildcat strike”), how our feline friends help illuminate watershed moments in the advent and development of capitalism, and more.

Be sure to pounce on a copy of the book!

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Danny and Derek welcome David Silverman, professor of Native American, Colonial American, and American racial history at George Washington University, for a discussion of the historical Thanksgiving holiday. They get into the the origin and proliferation of the holiday’s myth, the historical Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony, the Wampanoag Indians, their culture, politics, and relationship with the English settlers, who and what the holiday serves in 2022 America, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of David’s book This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving!

Originally published November 22, 2022

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Danny and Derek continue the conversation with Aaron Good of American Exception on the JFK assassination.

Check out the first part here.

Originally published Dec 18, 2021

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Danny and Derek speak with the political scientist Aaron Good, author of American Exception: Empire and the Deep Stateand the new podcast American Exception, about the JFK assassination. They delve into the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination, the idea of Kennedy as a "peacenik," why it's important to study the assassination, and much more.

Fredrik Logevall's essay "Kennedy and What Might Have Been" can be found in The Vietnam War: An Intimate History by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward.

Check out the second part here.

Original published December 12, 2021

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Danny and Derek welcome back Andre Pagliarini, assistant professor of history at Hampden-Sydney College, for a breakdown of how so-called “anarcho-capitalist” Javier Milei was elected president of Argentina, what he can actually enact of his, er, ambitious plans, what this means for the country, and more.

Recorded Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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Danny welcomes back to the pod Margaret O’Mara, historian and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, to continue the story of how Silicon Valley came to be. They pick up in the midst of the Space Race, touching on the sources of tech capital the 1950s and 1960s, how the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) reshapes Stanford, figures like Stewart Brand and Steve Jobs, the transition from 60s counterculture to 70s “founder culture”, and more.

Check out the first episode here.

Be sure to grab a copy of the book! You can find Margaret’s other work at her website.

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Disclaimer: There are no musical numbers.

At long last, Producer Jake returns to tee up subscriber queries for Danny and Derek. In this edition, we explore whether nations “deserve” to exist, if Mearsheimer has stumbled onto something about China, the notion of military intervention on behalf of Mother Nature, what the gang thinks about the show “The Ame…

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Danny and Derek speak with Mariam Barghouti, a journalist and writer based in Ramallah, about where things stand in Palestine. In addition to the situation in Gaza, they catch up on what’s been happening in the West Bank, particularly since October 7.

Recorded Friday, November 17, 2023

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Righteous rage fuels these righteous brothers’ need to inform the people. This week: an update on Gaza (0:30); more U.S. airstrikes on Syria (7:36); an update on the war in Sudan (9:24); a rebel offensive in Myanmar (12:33); rebels in Mali take on the national army (15:49); the Ukrainian army crosses the Dnipro River (18:39) and a Ukrainian suspect in the Nord Stream bombing (21:57); the Polish opposition is close to forming a government (25:06); the Socialist Party in Spain forms a government (28:02); the U.K. sees a cabinet reshuffle while a court strikes down a plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda (29:47); and a New Cold War update featuring Biden and Xi meeting face to face (34:24).

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Derek catches up with Haggai Matar of +972 Magazine for an update on the domestic situation in Israel. Danny and Derek then give a news update for subscribers.

Some of Haggai’s recent work:

“How October 7 has changed us all — and what it signals for our struggle”
“Palestinians fear ‘slow death’ as hunger and thirst spread in Gaza”
“For Israeli leaders, ev…

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Taking a detour from our series on Silicon Valley, Derek speaks with Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, about the Biden administration’s decision to continue construction of a border wall through the Rio Grande Valley. They discuss the impact this will have on the region’s ecology, wildlife, and indigenous and local communities, how it fits into the larger trend of border militarization, and more.

Relevant links:

Construction contracts quietly issued (TX Observer)
Construction could begin as early as December (The Border Chronicle)
Laiken’s work on Medium
“100+ Groups Urge Biden to Cancel 'Baffling and Cruel' Border Wall Waivers” (Common Dreams)

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Danny and Derek speak with Ross Caputi, a PhD student in Modern U.S. and Italian history at UMass Amherst, about his experience serving in the Iraq War and his thoughts on Veterans Day. They go into what it was like in the Second Battle of Fallujah, how he and some of his fellow soldiers’ tenure compared with the idea of war they had going into the conf…

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Danny, fresh from the dentist, seeks relief in Derek’s news recap. This week: a Gaza War update (0:31); the U.S. attacks another weapons depot in Syria (16:51); Ansar Allah (Houthi) forces in Yemen down an American drone (18:31); Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah makes a speech on the region’s crisis (19:58); opium cultivation in Afghanistan is at a new low after the U.S. withdrawal (22:17); a major rebel offensive in Myanmar (23:59); in Sudan, the RSF advances in Darfur and near the South Sudan border (26:13); Putin to run for re-election while Russia quits the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) (28:41); the North Atlantic appears to be pushing for peace talks for the Ukraine War (29:56); the European Union advances Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia candidacies (32:48); peace talks with FARC-EMC groups suspended in Colombia (34:43); and more bad climate news (36:31).

Find all of our Gaza specials here.

Recorded Thursday, November 9, 2023

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Derek speaks with Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, about what is going on within the Biden administration around the Gaza War. Topics include sidelining the State Department, stifling voices therein, figures influencing Biden’s Middle East policy like Brett McGurk, and more.

Then, for subscribers, Danny and Derek welcome b…

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Emily Tamkin, author of Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities, to check in with how American Jews across the political spectrum are reacting to the current moment.

Check out Emily’s recent articles on the topic in The New Republic and Slate.

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Danny and Derek speak with Margaret O’Mara, historian and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, about how Silicon Valley came to be the behemoth we know today. In this first part of the conversation, they get into the origins of Silicon Valley from the days when it was most known for apricot orchards. Topics discussed include the transformation of research at Stanford and MIT in the postwar era, figures such as Vannevar Bush and Frederick Terman, the 1960s rejection of the military-intellectual complex, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of the book!

You can find Margaret’s other work at her website.

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Danny and Derek are joined by journalist Vincent Bevins to talk about his latest book If We Burn, which explores the past decade of mass protests which yielded little to no fundamental change. They discuss some of the cases examined in the book along with comparable movements preceding the 2010s, whether the protests’ revolutionary goals are attainable,…

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Danny and Derek are joined by Zachary Foster, historian of Palestine and editor of the Palestine, in Your Inbox newsletter. He and Danny compare their respective backgrounds as American Jews grappling with narratives of Israel and Palestine fed to them by Jewish day school, “Birthright Israel” trips, and related programs. The group then discusses the hi…

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Danny and Derek clock in to deliver the (grim) news. This week: an update on Gaza (0:31); Yemeni Houthis fire at Israel (18:30); potential escalation in Lebanon (20:55); new rebel offensives on the Myanmar-China border (22:44); China-U.S. arms control talks (25:14); a Sudan conflict update (26:56); a human rights report on Ethiopa civilian deaths (28:47); a Russian mob attack in Dagestan (30:20); and an update on the war in Ukraine (32:41).

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Derek speaks with Maryam Jamshidi, associate professor of law at the University of Colorado, about the legal ramifications of what’s happening in Gaza under international law. Then Danny and Derek give a news update for subscribers.

Here are Al Jazeera’s updates on the Jabaliya strikes and the conflict.

Note: since the time of recording, the casualty figu…

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Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter for The Intercept, returns to the program to discuss his recent article detailing a U.S. base recently constructed in Israel, 20 miles from Gaza. They explore the implications of such a classified “private-public partnership” project, America’s current geostrategic interest in Iran, how a base in such close proxi…

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Danny and Derek welcome Jim Gray, former chief of the Osage Nation, to the podcast to discuss Martin Scorcese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon. They explore Osage history leading up to the events depicted in the film, Osage culture and politics, the book upon which the film is based, to what extent the filmmakers worked with Osage people throughout production, what distinguishes this film from other Hollywood portrayals of Native Americans, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Udi Greenberg, associate professor of history at Dartmouth, back to the podcast to discuss the internal situation in Israel. They touch on domestic media coverage, the rhetoric surrounding the Hamas operation and Israeli bombardments, Netanyahu’s political calculus, public opinion on Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, an…

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Danny and Derek speak with Juan Ponce Vázquez, associate professor history at the University of Alabama, about Christopher Columbus. They explore his Genoese origins, his journeys to the Americas on behalf of the Crown of Castile, the geopolitical situation at the time, what we know about his contact with native peoples, how the modern holiday came to b…

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Danny and Derek give a news update and an analysis of where things stand today. They discuss the new phase of the war, the Israeli public’s response so far, the prospect of a hostage-prisoner swap, Friday’s UN General Assembly vote, the U.S. bombings in Syria, and more.

Catch up with all of the content related to this current war here.

Recorded Saturday, …

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The News That’ll Never Make You Snooze™. This week: Israel continues its relentless assault on Gaza with no ceasefire in sight (0:32); collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels raise tensions in the South China Sea (10:14); China's foreign minister Wang Yi pays a visit to Blinken while the PRC imposes export controls on graphite (found in electric vehicle batteries) (12:19); an update on the war in Sudan, where peace talks are reportedly underway once more (15:23); the U.S. officially suspends aid to Gabon due to the August coup d’état (18:24); an update on the Ukraine War (19:48); Sweden is close to sealing the deal for NATO membership (24:30); the Socialist Party (PSOE) and far-left Sumar coalition of Spain agree to form a coalition government (26:30); the first round of Argentina’s presidential election wraps up without a clear winner, leading to a November runoff (28:21); and Climate Change stays winning, with a study indicating that glacier melting in western Antarctica might be irreversable (31:01).

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Derek speaks with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), about the U.S. government’s decision to publicly question the statistics coming from Gaza’s Ministry of Health nearly three weeks into Israel’s bombardment of the enclave. They also discuss the dire humanitarian situation there including the collapse of the hospital system, the inadequate amount of aid being allowed to trickle into the strip, what’s been happening in the West Bank, and more.

You can find Omar’s work and more at HRW’s Israel/Palestine page: https://shorturl.at/ajuDJ.

You can also find all our episodes on the 2023 Gaza War here.

Recorded Wednesday, October 26, 2023

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Danny chats with filmmaker Lexi Alexander about what it’s like being Palestinian-American in the industry at this moment. They talk about Hollywood’s relationship with marginalized groups over the past decade, the space Arabs occupy in American films, how U.S. imperialism plays into globally consumed American entertainment, and more.

Check out Jack Shaheen’s 2006 documentary Reel Bad Arabs on Kanopy: https://shorturl.at/irOV2

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In the past two weeks, much has been made of Iran’s role in the current war on Gaza. Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, returns to the show to help contextualize Iran in the greater regional dynamics around the conflict.

Recorded Thursday, October 19, 2023

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The last bits of Derek’s sanity serve Danny’s need for the headlines. This week: Biden visits Israel as it pummels Gaza and an IDF ground invasion looms (0:38); a number of countries hold elections, including New Zealand (8:19), Liberia (9:34), Poland (10:57), and Ecuador (13:28); China holds its annual Belt and Road Forum (14:48) while a U.S. report says the People’s Republic is building its nuclear arsenal faster than previously believed (16:45); an update on the conflict in Sudan (18:02); Mali sees U.N. peacekeepers continue to withdraw from the north of the country, potentially leading to increased fighting (20:10); the State Duma in Russia greenlights the process to pull out of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (21:20); Ukraine hits Russian airfields in the occupied Luhansk Oblast (22:37) while the Russian assault on the Ukrainian city of Avdivka stalls (24:22); Islamist attacks in Belgium and France trigger free movement suspensions (25:59); Argentina prepares for the first round of its presidential election (27:48); the U.S. and Venezuela move forward with a sanctions relief deal (30:05); and the United States hits record oil production numbers (33:25).

Donate to Palestinian Medical Assistance here!

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Derek sits down with Seraj Assi, a Palestinian writer living in Washington DC, to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza including more background context on the Gaza Strip, Tuesday’s Ahli Arab Hospital strike, the overall humanitarian situation, looking ahead to the potential ground invasion, and more. Danny and Derek then give a news update for subscri…

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Danny and Derek sit down with journalist Lily Lynch to discuss her article for The New Statesman, “The Realists Were Right”, which assesses the state of the Ukraine War 18 months into the conflict. They discuss the shifting perspectives of the war within Ukraine, what exactly happened with the much-hyped Spring counteroffensive, the future of U.S. support, the response to Lily’s piece, the role of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on the international stage, what role the war might play in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and more.

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Danny and Derek sit down with Daniel Hummel, director for university engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, to discuss the emergence and rise of Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. In this first part, they get into the pre-WWII roots of the movement, Evangelical Christians’ relations with Muslims of the region in the early days of the State of Israel, the theological basis of Christian Zionism, figures like Douglas Young and Billy Graham, the concept of Judeo-Christianity, the effect of the 1967 War on the relationship, and more until the Nixon Administration.

Be sure to grab a copy of Daniel’s book Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations: https://www.danielghummel.com/covenant-brothers

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Danny and Derek give a news update on the Gaza War for subscribers.

We’ve also unlocked our discussion with Rashid Khalidi from our Monday update for everyone in addition to his series A History of Modern Palestine for those looking for an accessible history of the past 100 years of Palestine.

Recorded early afternoon EST, Friday, October 13, 2023

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Danny and Derek wouldn’t miss a Friday news roundup, folks! This week: the war in Gaza escalates with full U.S. support (0:30); Qatar is pressured by America to re-freeze $6 billion promised to Iran as part of the prisoner swap deal (5:29); the U.S. sends an aircraft carrier battle group to the South China Sea (8:54); Sudan normalizes its ties with Iran and an update on its domestic conflict (10:16); months after the fact, the United States recognizes the coup in Niger (12:36); a Russia/Ukraine update featuring a Russian attack on Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast (15:08), Zelensky’s “surprise” visit to NATO (17:00), and Russia losing an election to the UN Human Rights Council (19:37); the Finnish and Estonian Balticconnector pipeline/telecom cable is severed (21:34); Palestinian solidarity protests being banned in Europe (24:01); the ceasefire in Colombia with the former FARC group EMC begins, but is already under threat (24:55); a sanctions relief deal with Venezuela is reportedly in the works (26:30); pro-Arévalo protests continue in Guatemala (28:35); and Sweet Senator Bob Menendez is being charged with conspiracy to act as a foreign agent of Egypt (30:33).

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Danny and Derek speak with Nour Odeh, political commentator and analyst in Ramallah, about the state of the media coverage of this war. They then give a news update for subscribers.

Check out Al-Jazeera’s article on the issue of disinformation around the conflict.

Recorded midday EST, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

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Welcome to the first installment of a collaboration we’re trying between AP and Nonzero Newsletter! Basically, we love the work of Bob and the team so much that we are going to periodically put out crossover episodes between the two projects. Paid subscribers get a discounted membership to Nonzero— just scroll below the paywall near the bottom of the description, where you’ll also find the video for the Overtime segment.

(0:05) Nonzero/American Prestige cocktail with a hybrid episode twist (1:55) Was Hamas’s attack a predictable response to conditions in Gaza? (14:15) Did Biden’s foreign policy make the attack more likely? (24:52) America’s unstrategic Middle East strategy (30:07) Can anything good come out of the current crisis? (39:28) The Nonzero/American Prestige crossover arc (42:11) How to stay sane as a critic of US foreign policy (47:55) Biden vs Trump: Who’s the lesser evil on foreign policy? (51:44) Strains within the restrainer coalition (57:09) Is there any hope left for international law? (1:06:51) Bob’s pitch for (sober) AI alarmism (1:11:52) Heading to Overtime—and a special offer for listeners!

Nonzero Newsletter on Substack:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

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Note: In lieu of a new public episode this week, we’re re-posting this first episode of our History of Modern Palestine series. This episode will always be publicly available, but we also are unlocking the other five for the next week. Please check them out!

Danny and Derek speak with Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, about his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. This first episode explores Dr. Khalidi’s inspiration and methodology behind the book, discursive shifts surrounding Israel-Palestine, the advent of Zionism, and more.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book: https://bit.ly/3GLfgct

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Danny and Derek give a news update with where the conflict stands today. Then, for paid subscribers, they speak with Rashid Khalidi (16:30), the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, about the larger implications of the war.

We’ve also unlocked our series with Rashid, A History of Modern Palestine, for the next week.

Special episode recorded midday EST, Monday, October 9, 2023

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This second episode on the current conflict in Gaza and within Israeli territory is in three parts: first, Danny and Derek give us a news update on the situation. They then speak with Haggai Matar, executive director of +972 Magazine, about his piece contextualizing yesterday’s surprise attack from Gaza (23:53). Derek then closes out the episode speakin…

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Danny and Derek jump on the mic to lay out what we know so far about today’s offensive launched by Hamas from Gaza into Israeli territory (within the 1948 borders).

Recorded midday EST, Saturday, October 7, 2023

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Derek is Rocky, while Danny is Mickey, that is to say, there’s news. This week: in a climate update, it was the hottest September on record (0:31); a suicide bombing (claimed by the PKK) rocks Turkey’s capital of Ankara, leading to retaliatory airstrikes (2:00); the U.S. freezes aid to Egypt amid the Bob Menendez indictment (4:05); more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians flee the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave of Azerbaijan (6:11); Pakistan orders over 4 million undocumented persons, particularly Afghans, to leave (9:22); signs point to the DPRK making moves to reclaim weapons-grade plutonium from the reactor at their Yongbyon complex (11:34); Mali’s junta government continues to struggle with the rebel group Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) (13:03); reports emerge that the Niger junta government might be open to talks with ECOWAS and making the transition to civilian rule (15:19); tensions flare up between Kosovo and Serbia (17:02); a Ukraine update featuring questions about the reliability of certain foreign aid while Russia reportedly tests a nuclear-powered cruise missile (19:46); a schism in Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism (MAS) party (24:43); protests in support of Guatemalan president-elect Bernardo Arévalo intensify as the country’s post-election crisis continues (26:00); the U.N. gives the go-ahead for an intervention in Haiti (27:47); and the administration of U.S. president Joe “I’m Just a Humble Servant” Biden waives 26 laws to continue building a border wall in the Rio Grande Valley (29:23).

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Danny and Derek welcome Joseph MacKay, senior lecturer at the Australian National University, to talk about counterinsurgency— what it is, where it came from, and why it persists. The discussion focuses on several case studies over several centuries, using military manuals and their respective authors as a guide, to give us an idea of how counter-insurrectionary war developed and eventually took on its late twentieth and early twenty-first century forms.

Grab a copy of Joseph’s book The Counterinsurgent Imagination: A New Intellectual History: https://shorturl.at/zBCE5

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Derek and Danny sit down with Rachel Nolan, assistant professor at Boston University, to discuss the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election and its aftermath. They discuss the country’s recent history, the opponents’ respective political movements, the victory of the Semilla party’s Bernardo Arévalo, the contested result, who stands to gain from blocking…

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Danny and Derek conclude their discussion with Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming. We’ve reached the point of Lyle’s deployment to Afghanistan, with the conversation touching on his work as a signals intelligence officer, how his personal politics evolved…

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Ken Klippenstein, reporter for The Intercept and of his eponymous newsletter, returns to the podcast to help lay out what exactly Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has been accused of doing, what we know so far (including accepting gold bars and pursuing high-level Egyptian contacts), and what the implications are.

Check out Ken’s latest piece in The …

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Derek telepathically (and verbally) delivers Danny the news. This week: Antarctic sea ice breaks record lows (0:39); Saudi Arabia and Israel move forward with their normalization agreement, which includes a Saudi nuclear program (1:57); the U.S.-Iran prisoner swap is completed (6:05); an update on the humanitarian crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave of Azebaijan (8:02); a diplomatic spat between Canada and India over the latter carrying out an apparent assassination on Canadian soil (10:25); the DPRK releases the U.S. soldier who crossed the border from South Korea (12:40); France announces its withdrawal from Niger (15:15); a Ukraine update featuring attacks on Crimea and new tanks supplied by the U.S. (17:38); Colombia moves ahead with a six-month ceasefire with the with the National Liberation Army (ELN) (23:52); a New Cold War update featuring a potential Biden-Xi meeting (25:48) and America hosts the second U.S.-Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Summit (27:20); and Bob Menendez, of the great State of New Jersey, is charged with a number of bribery offenses (29:27).

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Danny and Derek chat with Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming. In this first part, they get into Lyle’s origins in Connecticut, how he became enamored with rightwing media, the galvinizing impact of 9/11, what exactly one learns at bootcamp in 2006, the culture among his peers and superiors, and more through the end of his training.

Be sure to grab a copy of Lyle’s book!

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We’ve reached the end of our “History of the Philippines” series featuring Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley. In this final episode, the group picks up at the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ rule, examining the economic and ideological factors in his downfall, the end of the Cold War in the archipelago, the tenure of president Corazon Aquino, the New People's Army (NPA), and where the US-Philippines relationship stands today.

Check out the rest of the series here: https://shorturl.at/bemW4

For more on contemporary Philippine politics, check out our non-series episode on the subject with Lisandro: https://shorturl.at/eJLNX

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Lisandro’s latest book Liberalism and the Postcolony: Thinking the State in 20th-Century Philippines: https://shorturl.at/hmzL5

Finally, the good people at The Un-Diplomatic Podcast (https://www.undiplomaticpodcast.com/) have a special offer for American Prestige subscribers! Just click the button below!

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Derek sits down with Laurence Broers, associate fellow at the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and author of Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a Rivalry, to discuss this week’s events in Nagorno-Karabkah, a predominantly Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. They get into the complex political history of the territory, the resulting conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan including the 2020 war, what Azerbaijan’s recent actions seek to achieve, the roles of Russia and Turkey, the human rights situation in the enclave, and more.

Grab a copy of Laurence’s book: https://shorturl.at/bvFS9

Recorded Thursday, September 21, 2023

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Timothy Gill, assistant professor in the department of sociology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, joins Danny and Derek for a discussion of how the US has attempted to undermine foreign governments, particularly Venezuela, by way of democracy promotion. They discuss the role of government groups like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and parastatal actors like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the history of US-Venezuelan relations and how they deteriorated, the two-party consensus in the US around democracy promotion interventions, how this tactic has also been used by the US in other regions, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of Tim’s book Encountering US Empire in Socialist Venezuela: The Legacy of Race, Neo-Colonialism, and Democracy Promotion: https://shorturl.at/aiEIN

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Our journey through Philippine history continues as Danny and Derek again speak with Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley. It’s now the time of Ferdinand Marcos, with the discussion exploring his origins, role in a broader regional context, declaration of martial law, interaction with student activists, figures like economist Gerardo Sic…

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Danny’s on the road, but finds the time to slow down and hear Derek out! This week: humanity has breached 6 out of the 9 planetary boundaries for the climate (0:30); a Houthi delegation from Yemen visits Saudi Arabia (1:46); the Iran prisoner swap moves forward as the undead JCPOA (nuclear deal) persists (2:58); the Biden administration’s purported priority on human rights again brought into question given some recent diplomatic partners (5:52); the DPRK’s Kim meets Putin in Russia (10:13); catastrophic natural disasters in Libya and Morocco (13:00); a renewed uprising in the north of Mali (16:40); the US sends long-range artillery to Ukraine (19:10); the G20 summit in India (23:43); a New Cold War update featuring a proposed US-backed India-Europe shipping network (25:57), Biden visiting Vietnam (27:58), and Maduro in China (29:36); and the anniversary of 9/11 (30:48).

Disaster Relief:

Morocco: https://shorturl.at/ipuK5
Libya: https://shorturl.at/klnsF

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Danny and Derek welcome back Spencer Ackerman, publisher of Forever Wars, to discuss his new piece in The Nation, “US Foreign Policy Has an Extinction Agenda”. The group gets into the article’s bleak analysis of where US foreign policy is headed in the era of climate collapse, which includes American declarations of world cooperation despite pursuing a cold war with China and arming Ukraine, fear-mongering around inevitable upticks in migration to the global north, whether the international left has a chance of affecting policy around climate change, and more.

Be sure to also check out Spencer’s work for DC Comics in Waller vs. Wildstorm!

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Danny and Derek are back with Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley, going through the history of the Philippines. This episode picks up at World War 2, exploring life under the Japanese occupation of the archipelago, post-war independence, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), the Bandu…

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Troubadour Derek sings songs of news for sweet Danny. This week: In climate news, the world keeps getting hotter (0:30); fighting between the Kurdish-led SDF and Arab tribes escalates in Syria (1:43); Saudi Arabia to continue oil production cuts (6:26); India prepares to host the G20 and there’s talk of possible name change (8:30); the DPRK’s Kim heads to Russia for a conference amid rumors of an arms deal (12:51); a Sudan update (15:01); the French negotiate with Niger’s junta government about the former’s military presence in the region (17:38); an update out of Gabon in the wake of the recent coup (19:18); the US is set to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium rounds (22:14); a massive decline in deforestation in Brazil (25:59); Biden tries to “Third Way” oil drilling with a ban protecting a large swath of Alaska after giving the greenlight to drill elsewhere (27:11).

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Emily Greble, professor of history at Vanderbilt University, to further discuss the story of Balkan Muslims’ place in the modern European project. They pick up at the formation of Yugoslavia and go into more detail about the rights and protections afforded to the Muslim populations, the sharia mandate, dynamics between the different Muslim communities, what their situations say about liberalism at the time, the impact of Yugoslav democracy and authoritarianism, Balkan Muslim communities’ interactions with the Nazis, and more.

Listen to the first part of the discussion here!

Be sure to grab a copy of Emily’s eponymous book, Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe!

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Danny and Derek are back with Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley, going through the history of the Philippines. They touch on changes by the Wilson administration to US colonial policy toward the Philippines, the “Filipinization” of the archipelago’s bureaucracy, Manuel Quezon and the Nationalist Party, Francis Burton Harris, state bui…

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Derek sits down with Nathaniel Powell, West Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica and honorary researcher at Lancaster University’s Centre for War and Diplomacy, for a discussion of Wednesday’s coup in Gabon. Nathaniel gets into the background of ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba and his family, what we know about the junta, the domestic and international reaction, the possible role of US military training, how France fits into the equation, and more.

Check out Nathaniel’s book France’s Wars in Chad and follow him on Twitter @natkpowell!

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Danny plays Ed McMahon to Derek’s...You don’t know who these people are, anyway. This week: the Palestian Authority continues to lose control in the West Bank (0:30); an update on the Sudan conflict (5:22); Niger expels the French ambassador while Algeria tries to play peacemaker (7:58); the coup in Gabon (11:34); Russia makes a shock announcement about Wagner chief Prigozhin’s death (17:14); Ukraine may possess long-range weapons and reaches a potential breakthrough in the counteroffensive (18:20); and a New Cold War update featuring BRICS expansion (24:08), US secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo in China (28:28), and China releasing a map that irritates the neighbors (30:19).

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Danny and Derek speak with Andre Pagliarini, assistant professor of history at Hampden-Sydney College, about the American left’s relationship with leaders and movements in Latin America in light of the recent trip several progressive legislators made to Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. They discuss the aims of this trip, what was actually accomplished, what…

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Danny and Derek are joined by Emily Greble, professor of history at Vanderbilt University, to discuss the story of Balkan Muslims’ place in the modern European project. In this first part, the group touches on the Balkans’ frequent exclusion from notions of Europe, how centering Islam contributes to the larger European story, the effect of rapid political change on Balkan Muslims beginning in the late 19th century, the “Muslim legal other”, and more leading to the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Be sure to grab a copy of Emily’s eponymous book, Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe!

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Derek chats with Alexandra Sharp, writer at Foreign Policy’s daily World Brief newsletter, about the BRICS political and economic bloc, which just wrapped up its annual summit last week in South Africa. Alexandra gets into the origin of BRICS, the main issues broached at the summit, what the newly added countries (which double its size) both bring to th…

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Danny and Derek continue their discussion with Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley, on the history of the Philippines. It’s the dawn of the 20th century and the beginning of American colonial rule. The group touches on William Howard Taft’s tenure as governor of the archipelago, Filipino roles in colonial politics, the Moro Wars on Mind…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Mark Ames, co-host of the Radio War Nerd podcast, to further discuss the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin this week. Mark helps try to make sense of why Prigozhin and Wagner’s top brass left themselves so vulnerable, contextualizes Prigozhin’s place among Russian military leadership like (former) General Sergey…

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Everyone wants to get to the Moon, but little do they know that Danny and Derek are the stars in their eyes. This week’s news: the 2023 BRICS summit sees the bloc expanding significantly (0:34); India makes a historic lunar landing (5:19); meanwhile, the DPRK has a disastrous satellite launch (7:11); Japan begins releasing waste water from the Fukushima disaster into the Pacific (8:46); an update on Sudan, where the militant group the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North has entered the picture (10:11); things remain tense as ECOWAS declares a “d-day” for intervention in Niger (12:25); Wagner Group head Yivginy Prigozhin is said to have died in a plane crash in Russia (15:43); an update of the situation Ukraine, where the counteroffensive continues to inch toward the city of Melitopol (18:14); and a New Cold War update featuring the Japan-South Korea summit at Camp David (23:04) and Chinese military exercises near Taiwan (24:51).

For more on Prigozhin’s death, check out our special from Wednesday and keep your eyes peeled for a follow-up with Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd.

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Danny and Derek jumped on the mic to catch us all up with the latest in Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash earlier today.

Recorded August 23, 2023

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Emma Ashford, senior fellow at the Stimson Center, joins Danny and Derek for a discussion on petrostates. They define what exactly “petrostate” means, the different ways these countries may use their resources to affect geopolitics, the intersection of oil wealth and personalized autocratic systems of government, the future of these states in the era of climate collapse, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of Emma’s book Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates.

Recorded April 14, 2023

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Kevin Klyman, researcher at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, picked up the red phone for the dedicated AP hotline, so Danny and Derek knew it was time for a special. This time, it’s about Biden’s recent executive order regarding outbound investment controls on China which ban a slew of tech relating to AI, semiconductors, and quantum information. The…

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Danny and Derek continue their discussion with Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley, on the history of the Philippines. We’re now at the end of the 19th century, the time of the Philippines’ independence struggle. The crew touches on La Liga Filipina and its revolutionary successor groups, the Philippine Revolution itself, figures like J…

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Leading the world in “Derek” podcasts, it’s the great Derek Davison (and Danny) with the news. This week: Saudia Arabia hits a speed bump in attempts to normalize with Israel (0:31) while the Kingdom continues successful talks with Iran (2:47); details emerge from the US-Iran prisoner swap (4:22); the DPRK ramps up activity in its defense industry (7:10) while claiming the American soldier who recently defected was disillusioned (9:14); an update on the Sudan conflict (11:26); promising developments collapse over the weekend as Niger braces for ECOWAS intervention (13:08); the Russian ruble crashes (16:20); an update on the Ukraine counteroffensive (19:04); a strong showing by far-right candidate Javier Milei in the Argentinian presidential primary (23:03); and a New Cold War update featuring Biden hosting a summit with South Korea and Japan (27:55) and new polling on US animosity toward China (29:26).

Recorded Thursday, August 17, 2023

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Erin Pineda, political theorist and professor at Smith College, brings Danny and Derek up to speed on the controversy surrounding the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) decision to hold its flagship conference in Los Angeles on Labor Day Weekend despite an ongoing hotel workers’ strike and requests by UNITE HERE Local 11 (representing over …

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Danny and Derek sit down with Noelani Ahia, a Kānaka Maoli community organizer in Maui, to discuss last week’s devastating fire that destroyed much of the city of Lahaina. They discuss the present situation there, the role of the American government’s resource and water management in exacerbating the conditions leading to the fires, the struggle of native Hawaiians, how climate change is affecting Hawaii, and more.

Donate to the Maui Mutual Aid Fund now to help Lahaina and its people recover.

Recorded Wednesday, August 16, 2023

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It’s Commodity Day here at American Prestige, so Danny and Derek decided to celebrate by speaking with Jonathan Robins, associate professor of history at Michigan Tech, about a ubiquitous product that somehow flies under the radar: palm oil. They touch on the history of oil palm cultivation, the different uses of the oil itself, its role in the story of global capitalism, commodity fetishization, the ecological impacts of oil palm cultivation, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of Jonathan’s award-winning book Oil Palm: A Global History!

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Danny and Derek welcome Luis Herrán Ávila, assistant professor of history at the University of New Mexico, to talk about, you guessed it, fascism in Latin America. They define its European forms vs those in Latin American countries, discuss the ideology’s influence on groups like the Tacuara Nationalist Movement (TNM) in Argentina, Nazi refugees’ collab…

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Your news roundup for the start of August…with Style. This week: climate collapse continues with heat records shattered and more of the Antarctic lost (0:35); the most recent leader of ISIS is killed in Syria (2:22) and Damascus agrees to open up humanitarian corridors (4:42); US-Saudi-Israel talks move along (6:59); in Iran news, the US deploys “deterrent” troops to the Red Sea (9:07) while Iran agrees to the release several US prisoners (12:09) and sees the Saudi embassy reopening in Tehran (15:05); the Azerbaijani blockade in Karbakh comes with warnings of humanitarian disaster (15:59); Imran Khan is again arrested in Pakistan as the country enters a presidential election amid reports of US involvement (19:14); an update of the situation in post-coup Niger (22:51); the Fano militia of the Amhara region of Ethiopia escalates the conflict with the government (26:03); presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio is assassinated in Ecuador (28:13); and a New Cold War update with US controls over the export of high tech products to China and limits on investment in Chinese tech (30:05), and some dismal numbers for China’s economy (31:21).

Recorded Thursday, August 10, 2023

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Danny and Derek speak with Dawn Marie Paley, investigative journalist and editor of Ojalá, a new online weekly dedicated to in-depth, independent coverage of Latin America in English and Spanish. They discuss a range of social challenges in modern Mexico, touching on the wave of disappearances dating back to Calderon’s so-called War on Drugs, how the drug war is a tool to assert social and territorial control, the role of global capital, US-Mexico security and migration policy, organized movements among marginialized groups in Mexico today, and more.

Be sure to sign up for Ojalá’s English language newsletter!

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Danny and Derek sit down with Quinn Slobodian, professor of history at Wellesley College, for a discussion of neoliberal globalism and capitalist extremism. They touch on Quinn’s own intellectual history, the dream of capitalism, the birth of neoliberalism, the Austrian and Chicago Schools, libertarianism, and more.

Check out Quinn’s books Crack-Up Capit…

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Danny and Derek slide on down to deliver the news with the grace of a Boston cop. This week: the Biden administration continues to push for Saudi Arabia-Israel normalization (0:33), an update on the humanitarian situation in Sudan (4:56), Niger’s military junta takes shape and faces a possible ECOWAS intervention (7:10), Ukraine sees some results from the counteroffensive as Saudi Arabia prepares to host peace talks (14:02), tensions between Poland and Belarus (17:59), Brazil sees a drop in deforestation compared with pre-Lula levels (20:44), the Colombia-ELN ceasefire takes effect (22:20), a UN intervention in Haiti takes shape (24:38), and a New Cold War update featuring the Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te visiting the US (27:37) and Italy wanting out of the BRI (28:59).

Recorded Thursday, August 3, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel with the Brennan Center’s Liberty & National Security Program, to the podcast for a discussion of the past and present of US constitutional war powers. They touch on the Mexican-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Korean War, congressional resistance to the expansion of war powers, security cooperation authorities, the AUMF, and more.

Check out Katherine’s recent report on the matter, “Secret War”, her piece in Just Security on the risks of codifying the 1202 authority, and her Irregular Warfare Initiative piece on the broken oversight regime for security cooperation.

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Danny and Derek sit down with David Hecht, associate professor of history and chair of the history department at Bowdoin College, to talk about Oppenheimer, both the film and man himself. They talk about his politics, the role of his Jewish identity, his accomplishments as a physicist, his personal life, the relationship between scientists and the milit…

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Derek welcomes back Alex Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, for a discussion of this week’s coup in Niger, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani and which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Check out Alex’s piece in Responsible Statecraftto learn more!

Recorded Friday, July 28, 2023

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Ariana Grande hasn’t broken up Danny and Derek…yet. This week: another grim climate update (0:31), the Knesset in Israel votes on the first part of the judicial overhaul package (2:38), Cambodia holds an election and Hun Sen steps down (5:42), a Sudan conflict update (8:22), the food crisis in Ethiopia (10:09), a coup in Niger (12:06), a Ukraine update (17:24), the general election in Spain (20:30), and a New Cold War update featuring John Kerry’s climate talks in China (23:13), the Chinese foreign minister sacked (24:48), and Antony Blinken in Tonga (26:32).

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Danny and Derek welcome back Udi Greenberg, associate professor of modern European history at Dartmouth, to help us understand the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul package, the initial legislation for which was passed on Monday. They discuss its implications, the influence of Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, why this is happening now, the domestic and inte…

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Danny speaks with Nando Vila, of the Shoot the Messengerpodcast, about Sunday’s general election in Spain, including the issues at play, how it was something of a victory for the left, and more.

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Danny welcomes back Aziz Rana, the provost’s distinguished fellow at Boston College, for a discussion of the US Supreme Court from a comparative international perspective. They get into the Court’s domestic role, when and how it assumed an anti-democratic function, how it compares with other supreme courts around the world, the possibility for reform, a…

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Danny and Derek are joined by Noah Gordon, acting co-director of the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to talk about how violent nonstate actors (VNSAs) might be empowered by climate change and the responses to it. They get into how climate change will likely affect state capabilities, the strategic implications of increasingly inhospitable areas, how the wealthy might be insulated from VNSAs, resource conflicts, the role of climate migration, and more.

Check out Noah’s piece around which the episode is centered, “How Climate Change Helps Violent Nonstate Actors”.

Noah also recently wrote this piece for The New Republic on water scarcity near the Colorado River as well as this article for the journal Environment on climate finance.

Recorded on April 19, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Greg Brew, analyst at Eurasia Group in energy and Iran, for a discussion of the 1953 ousting of then-prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran. They discuss the background of Iran’s oil history starting with the 1901 D’Arcy Concession, Great Britain’s interest in and control of the commodity, the Tudeh party, the Abadan Cris…

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Danny and Derek power through the heat to hit the headlines. This week: a new UN global poverty report (0:54), more depressing climate news (2:47), the UN ends Syrian aid operation (5:02), a Sudan update (6:40), protests in Peru (10:30), a defection to North Korea (12:28) and a ballistic missile test (13:45), Russia cancels Black Sea grain deal (14:40), Putin decides to skip August BRICS summit (18:20), Wagner apparently arrives in Belarus (20:25), a Ukraine war update (22:20) and a NATO summit (26:07), a Sweden/NATO update (29:11), and a New Cold War update featuring John Kerry in China (33:16) and the vice president of Taiwan coming to the US (35:08).

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Danny and Derek welcome back Christopher McKnight Nichols, Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies and professor of history at Ohio State University, to the program for a chat about rethinking American grand strategy. They talk about what exactly “grand strategy” is, grand strategy vs. first principle, the role of WWII and the end of the Cold War in US grand strategy, PEPFAR and the Bush administration, climate change vs other low-success grand strategies, technology and grand strategy, and more.

Be sure to check out the volume Christopher co-edited, Rethinking American Grand Strategy!

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Danny welcomes back Terry Renaud, assistant instructional professor in social sciences at the University of Chicago, to the pod to conclude the series on “new lefts”. They discuss the legacy of the 1960s in the American imagination, criticisms of the new left movements of that decade, neoliberalism and the “‘Me Decade”, how the US higher education syste…

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Note: Team AP is on the road this week, so no news. Instead, please enjoy this bonus episode on gaming!

Danny speaks with Clayton Kozan, a graduate student at Texas Tech University who analyzes how the Vietnam War is portrayed in video games. From 1980s-era games that have you playing as a lone wolf; to Call of Duty: Black Ops, which makes the Vietnam War about Nazis (??) and Soviets; to the more recent When I Was Young, which focuses not only on combat but the social experience of being a soldier, Danny and Clayton discuss how and why video games' portrayal of Vietnam changed over time.

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Danny welcomes Terry Renaud, assistant instructional professor in social sciences at the University of Chicago, back to the pod to continue the series on “new lefts”. This episode focuses on what most people know as “The New Left”, i.e. the new left movements of the 1950s and 1960s. They compare the new lefts of postwar decades vs. those in the prewar y…

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Danny and Derek are back with the #1 news digest in Rákosszentmihály. This week: climate news featuring skyrocketing ocean temperatures and the return of El Niño (0:34), Israeli military strikes in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp (2:22), Saudi Arabia and Russia cut oil production (6:11), Afghanistan sees more restrictions on women and a grim aid forecast (7:53), Rapid Support Forces gradually gain ground in Sudan (11:07), the government and ELN guerillas cease offensive operations in Colombia (13:57), former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro temporarily banned from political office (15:42), NATO sees more Sweden-Turkey tension and another year for Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general (17:14), a Ukraine update featuring American cluster bombs (22:05) and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant threat (24:28), the whereabouts of Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin remain uncertain (27:04), and a New Cold War update with Janet Yellen in China (29:08) and the United States’ glorious return to UNESCO (30:40).

Recorded Thursday, July 6, 2023

Note: There will unfortunately be no news update next week, but we will unlock a fantastic episode for everyone!

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Danny welcomes Christopher Layne, professor of international affairs and Robert M. Gates Chair in Intelligence and National Security at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, to discuss the recent article he co-authored with Benjamin Schwarz for Harper’s, “Why Are We in Ukraine?” They get into the discourse around the conflict among the public and international relations (IR) scholars, the history and nature of the field of IR, the role of NATO expansion in the current Ukraine conflict, US nuclear doctrine, the solipsism of the US foreign policy establishment, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome author China Miéville, whose most recent book is A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto.They discuss the role of the artist and intellectual in 2023, the genre of manifesto and potential for enacting change, labor relations without a workplace, private vs. personal property, criticism of Marx from a left perspective, ps…

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Danny and Derek are back with another news roundup for all! This week: more updates on the Wagner uprising in Russia (0:34), Sweden hits a speed bump in its path to NATO membership (10:53), a Ukraine update (17:04), conservative Mitsotakis wins re-election in Greece (19:46), Biden cuts funding for West Bank institutions (21:27), a Sudan update (22:39), the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali looks to be shut down (25:54), a new UN report on the the US’s human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay (28:59), a new study on devastating rainforest loss (30:07), and a New Cold War update featuring a meeting between China and New Zealand (33:19) and a Pew survey on the US’s reputation around the world (35:58).

Recorded Thursday, June 29, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Kelly Grieco, senior fellow in the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center, and Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss the US’s presence in the Indo-Pacific. The group defines what exactly constitutes the “Indo-Pacific”, touches on how the Beltway sees the US’s role in the region vs what it is actually doing there, how China is perceived in the region, the Taiwan issue, the dynamic with US regional allies such as Australia, strategic empathy, the future of the US’s role in the region, and more.

Check out Kelly and Jennifer’s article in Foreign Policy, “The Indo-Pacific Has Already Chosen Door No. 3”!

Kelly also recently authored the pieces “Reality Check #11: America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Requires Tough Choices” and “Trying Harder Is a Bad China Strategy”.

Likewise, Jennifer recently wrote “Japan’s New Defense Budget Is Still Not Enough”.

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Danny and Derek welcome Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, to the show to analyze the weekend’s events in Russia involving the Wagner Group, speculating on what Prigozhin’s aim was, what this all might suggest about the Russian state and power structure, Wagner’s future, the “Russia experts” who mobilized around the incident, and more.

Recorded Monday…

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Danny and Derek give an update and analysis of the events in Russia yesterday involving the Wagner Group.

Check out the special from yesterday!

Recorded Sunday morning, June 25, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Anton Jäger, historian of political thought, to the program to discuss the end of mass politics, or “hyperpolitics”, as he calls it. They touch on why this is a major issue for the left, the feasibility of organizing under the present structural conditions, Occupy Wall Street, where there is room for movement in the next decade, …

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Danny and Derek give an update on the situation with the Wagner Group in Russia.

Recorded midday EST, Saturday, June 24, 2023

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Danny and Derek return with absolutely no submersible-related news, and that’s a guarantee. This week: flights resume between Yemen and Saudi Arabia (0:31), the IDF and settlers clash with Palestinians in the West Bank (2:19), Mali wants UN peacekeepers removed (6:22), a Sudan update (9:53), NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg stays in power (14:59), a Ukraine update featuring an African peace delegation (16:00), the Ukrainian counteroffensive (18:29), and a Crimea bridge attack (20:33), and a New Cold War update featuring a recap of Antony Blinken’s visit to China (21:36), Biden insulting Xi (23:09), and Indian prime minister Modi’s visit to the US (24:38).

Recorded Thursday, June 22, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome journalist Emily Tamkin to the podcast to discuss American Jewish identity and politics over the past 100 years. They get into the salience of the term “Bad Jew”, how Jews fit into American social and legal definitions of whiteness, how American Jews have grappled with the Zionist project, generational shifts among American Jews, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of Emily’s book Bad Jews, and check out her recent article for +972, “‘A moment of disillusionment’: American Jews torn as Israel turns 75”.

Recorded in March 13, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome David Roth and Chris Thompson of Defector to the pod for a discussion of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger. They discuss the 2022 launch of LIV Golf, the initial competition between the two entities, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the antitrust questions surrounding the merger, what exactly LIV’s brand is, Saudia Arabia’s motives b…

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Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Luca Falciola, lecturer in history at Columbia University, for a discussion of the life and legacy of Silvio Berlusconi. They discuss his life as a property developer, his foray into politics, his terms as prime minister, his provocative behavior and how it was received in Italy, and more.

Check out Luca’s book Up Again…

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We went out in the AP Eyewitness News van only to find we’re not a local news show. This week: low-key US-Iran talks in Oman (0:32), a cyber attack on US government servers (6:09), the price paid by civilians in the Sudan Conflict (7:21), the long-awaited Ukraine counteroffensive (13:14), the Nord Stream investigation (15:06), Sweden inching toward NATO membership (18:05), Colombia peace talks with the ELN (20:46), and a New Cold War update featuring the US rejoining UNESCO (24:01), the US pushing reform at the UN (26:37), and Anton Blinken visiting China (29:57).

Recorded Thursday, June 15, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Kevin Klyman, researcher at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, for a discussion of the technology arms race between the US/EU and China. They discuss China’s role as the leading hi-tech manufacturer in the world, de-risking and export controls, the CHIPS and Science Act, the dynamic with Taiwan and its semiconductor industry, the advent of AI and quantum computing, and more.

Check out Kevin’s two recent pieces on the matter: "The EU joins Washington's campaign to contain China" in Just Security and "The US wants to make sure China can't catch up on quantum computing" in Foreign Policy!

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Danny welcomes back to the pod Terry Renaud, assistant instructional professor in social sciences at the University of Chicago, to continue the series on “new lefts”. This episode picks up during and after WWII in Germany, touching on the “inner exile” experienced by some German intellectuals during the Nazi regime, wartime intelligence work by leftist …

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Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor wildfire smoke shall keep Danny and Derek from their appointed rounds…giving you the news. This week: a new study on disappearing Arctic ice (0:31), wildfires ravage Canada (3:43), Antony Blinken visits Saudi Arabia (5:58), a Sudan update (9:39), political progress in Libya (12:41), human rights concerns in Ethiopia (13:32), a Ukraine update (15:39), a “soft coup” open letter and progress in ELN talks in Colombia (21:28), a New Cold War update featuring maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait (24:33), Fiji suspending a law enforcement pact with China (26:12), and China putting a listening post in Cuba (27:50).

Recorded Thursday, June 8, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Terry Renaud, assistant instructional professor in social sciences at the University of Chicago, for a series on “new lefts”, from the antifascist 1920s to the anti-establishment 1960s. In this first episode, they discuss the forms of alternative left organizations, György Lukács, 1930s German anti-fascist group Neu Beginnen (New Beginning), sexual liberation and transgression of traditional forms, Neu Beginnen’s role in the Spanish Civil War, World War II’s effect on new leftism, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition!

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Danny and Derek welcome to the pod Osita Nwanevu, columnist at The Guardian and contributing editor at The New Republic, to discuss the role of the media in politics. They discuss the disconnect between public opinion and policy, whether independent leftist media has a meaningful impact, the fetishization of manufacturing consent, how power in modern, A…

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Danny is the wind beneath Derek’s wings as they soar through the news. This week: the Turkish presidential election run-off (0:30), new IAEA reports on Iran (4:04), an Afghanistan-Qatar meeting and clashes at the Afghanistan-Iran border (7:20), a DPRK satellite launch falls short (10:34), a Sudan update (13:04), a Russia-Ukraine update with border shelling and drone strikes inside Russia (16:11), unrest in Kosovo (18:04), and a New Cold War update featuring China refusing a defense minister meeting (21:27).

Recorded Thursday, June 1, 2023

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Derek speaks with Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, to recap what happened in Sunday’s Turkish presidential election run-off, the dynamics at play, what to expect moving forward, and more.

Check out Djene at This Is Revolutionpodcast and his new radio program at KSMU Talking History!

Recorded Tuesday, May 30, 20…

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Arsalan Khan, assistant professor of anthropology at Union College, for a primer on Imran Khan, Pakistan’s cricket star-turned-prime minister-turned-opposition leader. They discuss his celebrity background, his early ideology, the state of Pakistan in the the 1990s, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), his relationship with the military, activity during the Musharraf government, his term as prime minister, the subsequent no confidence vote, and more.

Keep your eyes out for Dr. Khan’s book The Promise of Piety: Islam and the Politics of Moral Order in Pakistan, coming soon on Cornell University Press!

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Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Matthew Kruer, assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago, to discuss his essay “Indigenous Subjecthood and White Populism in British America”. The discussion focuses on the American colonies of the 17th and 18th century, touching on the antimony between sovereignty and subjecthood, England’s notio…

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Danny is back to full strength, so he and Derek combined forces to take on…The News. This week: a Sudan ceasefire update (0:30), a Turkey presidential runoff preview (3:41), Iran constructs a new nuclear facility (6:00), a Russia-Ukraine update including a sabotage operation in Russia (10:38), the NYT report on the Kremlin drone strike (13:34), Wagner taking Bakhmut (15:56), and more, and a New Cold War update including the G7 on China (25:03) and the new US-Papua New Guinea defense deal (28:18).

Recorded Thursday, May 25, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Gönül Tol, founding director of the Middle East Institute's Turkey program and author of Erdoğan's War: A Strongman's Struggle at Home and in Syria to discuss Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They touch on his origins with AKP in the early aughts, his interactions with the military, his relationship with Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Erdoğan’s foreign policy, the effect of the Arab Spring on his tenure, how he’s approached “the Kurdish issue”, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back James Lin, assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington, to conclude their discussion of the history of Taiwan. They pick up in the 1970s with Chiang Kai-shek’s death, democratization, the Tangwai movement, Lee Teng-hui, the Taiwan-PRC relationship in the aughts, Taiwan’s tech sector, and more…

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Danny has been upgraded with new gum implants, enabling him to better yammer on about God knows what while Derek actually educates us on what’s happening. This week: Round 1 of Turkey’s presidential election (0:48), a ceasefire for Gaza (5:21), Imran Khan released on bail in Pakistan (6:40), the Thai general election (9:21), a Sudan update (13:40), deforestation is down in Brazil (16:16), Guillermo Lasso dissolves the national assembly in Ecuador (17:58), Ukraine sees the Black Sea deal renewed, Chinese and African peace initiatives, and a new F-16 push (20:04), and a New Cold War update featuring Biden cancelling trips to Papua New Guinea and Australia (30:09), the Compact of Free Association agreements with Palau and Micronesia (32:29), and the US selling weapons to autocracies (34:20).

Recorded Thursday, May 18, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Milo Edwards, Phoebe Roy, and Patrick Wyman, recovering classicists and hosts of Rome, the podcast about HBO’s series Rome. They talk about the development of the show in the early era of prestige TV, the portrayal of the city itself, Vorenus and Pullo, the imaginary of the average Roman, Atia and depictions of Roman femininity, and more.

Also be sure to check out Milo and Phoebe’s Seinfeld podcast Masters of our Domain, Phoebe’s internet culture and history podcast Ten Thousand Posts, and her Substack.

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Happy Mother’s Day! Danny and Derek welcome Eleanor Janega, co-host of the We’re Not So Different podcast and author of The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society, to discuss one of the great mothers of history: The Virgin Mary. They discuss what actually makes Mary the ultimate medieval mother (despite being from ancient times)…

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Derek welcomes back another AP Champion, Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, to discuss tomorrow’s presidential election in Turkey. They discuss Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a “free and fair” election, the political fallout of the 2023 earthquake, how Erdoğan’s strengthening of the presidency plays into things, the stakes for Syrian refugees, and more.

Recorded Friday, May 12, 2023

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Danny welcomes back AP All-Star (and investigative reporter for The Intercept) Ken Klippenstein for another special episode. The first part concerns his article detailing the government’s creation of a disinformation office, the Foreign Malign Influence Center, and its considerable reach. The second part addresses Ken’s recent highlighting of the role o…

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It’s Danny’s Goose to Derek’s Maverick (sorry Danny)…time for the News Roundup. This week: Syria’s invited back to the Arab League (0:45), fighting in Gaza (5:20), a Sudan update (11:10), a Ukraine update (14:34), the Chilean constitutional assembly election (20:41), and Imran Khan arrested in Pakistan (24:58).

Updates since recording:

In Israel/Palestine, there has been one reported Israeli death due to Gaza rocket fire.
In Sudan, both sides of the conflict have agreed to protect civilians, but have not agreed to a ceasefire.

Recorded Thrusday, May 11, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, to discuss what he sees as democratic and economic breakdowns in India rooted in its post-independence period. They discuss the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru, people left behind by post-independence industrialization, parallels with postwar Japan, American investment in the subcontinent, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, the rise of modern Hindu nationalism, and more.

Check out Dr. Mody’s book India Is Broken: A People Betrayed, Independence to Today. Also check out his recent op-eds in Business Standard and Project Syndicate.

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Danny and Derek welcome back James Lin, assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington, to continue the discussion of the history of Taiwan. They pick up at the end of WWII and the Second Sino-Japanese War, assessing the effect of the war on Taiwan, the February 28th incident of 1947, the implementation of martial law, the …

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This week’s bonus episode, the third installment of The History of Taiwan series w/ James Lin, is coming tomorrow, so in the meantime we hope everyone enjoys this debate using Danny’s New Republic piece on fascism as a launching point!

Daniel Steinmetz Jenkins, assistant professor in history at Wesleyan College, moderates a debate between Danny and Jason Stanley, Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and author of the 2018 book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, about fascism discourse in the United States. The discussion was centered around Danny’s piece in The New Republic, “Does American Fascism Exist?”. Things get spicy, but we’re all friends in the end. Except with fascists.

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Derek releases the fire hose of news upon the trash fire of Danny. This week: the death of an Islamic State leader (0:39), clashes in the Gaza Strip (5:52), a Sudan update (8:27), the Kremlin drone strike and a Ukraine update (12:04), a damning human rights report on Peru (16:21), a New Cold War update (17:48) featuring the Paraguayan election and its relationship with Taiwan (17:52), a new US embassy in Tonga (19:40), a new NATO office in Japan (20:36), and Jake Sullivan’s Washington Consensus speech (24:08).

Recorded Thursday, May 4, 2023

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Danny speaks with Derek about the overnight drone strike on the Kremlin in an alleged assassination attempt on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s life.

Recorded Wednesday, May 3, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Zach Fredman, assistant professor of history at Duke Kunshan University, to discuss his book The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China, 1941–1949. They get into the background of the US military presence in China at the end of “the century of humiliation”, the US-China relationship prior to WWII, General Joseph Stilwell, the day-to-day interactions between American GIs and both Chinese military and civilians, the occupation’s place in the broader American imperial history in East Asia, and more.

Dr. Fredman will be speaking at the Harvard International and Global History Seminar (HIGHS) tomorrow, Wednesday, May 3, which will have a remote option to participate as well.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, to close out the discussion of rural guerrilla movements in Mexico and other topics from his book Specters of Revolution. In this episode, they discuss the myriad crises facing Mexico in the mid-1990s, Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatista Army of N…

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Ahead of closing out our Lessons of Guerrero series on Sunday, we’ve unlocked the second episode so you can catch up!

Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, to continue the discussion of his book Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. In this episode, they pick up in the 1970s and discuss President Luis Echeverría, the advent of neoliberalism in Mexico, the 1982 default, the transformation of the drug trade in the 1980s, changes in the PRI during the same era, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and more through the 1995 Aguas Blancas massacre.

Listen to the first episode here!

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Danny and Derek welcome Joshua Craze, writer and researcher specializing in Sudan, to discuss the current conflict taking place between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces.

Check out Joshua’s piece in New Left Review, and his other work at his website!

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Fresh off his debut television appearance, Danny comes crawling back to Derek to receive The News. It is said Derek the Magnanimous received Danny with a warm embrace. This week: a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) confirms record high global arms spending (0:53), continued fighting in Sudan escalates ancillary effects on civilians (2:16), polls show a tightening race ahead of the Turkish election (10:26), Azerbaijan imposes a checkpoint near Karabakh (15:25), President Yoon of South Korea visits the US (18:35), and a Ukraine update on both the battlefield and the diplomatic front (25:28).

Recorded Thursday, April 27, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter for The Intercept, to discuss his two most recent articles detailing revelations in leaked Pentagon documents. The first concerns $36 million earmarked for research and treatment of everyone’s favorite new disease, Havana Syndrome. The second examines a DOD assessment of “the strategi…

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Danny and Derek are joined by Juliet Lu, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and co-host of The Belt and Road Podcast, to discuss, you guessed it: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)! They get into China’s ideological vision for the project, the Sinophobia around it, how the project compares with non-Chinese institutions’ infrastructure development, the soft power angle, different populations’ reactions to Chinese-branded projects, the debt discourse, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Richard Maass, professor of political science at Old Dominion University, to discuss US annexation and his book The Picky Eagle: How Democracy and Xenophobia Limited U.S. Territorial Expansion. They discuss the importance of annexation in understanding contemporary US foreign policy, territorial expansion’s relation to class con…

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Derek tolerates Producer Jake filling in for Danny, who was off filming his new action vehicle Hans Speier: Social Science Slaughter. This week: escalating conflicts in Sudan (1:50), a prisoner exchange in Yemen (10:00), a diplomatic free-for-all in the Middle East (13:27), an unprecedented heat wave hits Thailand (20:32), continuing grain shipment woes for Ukraine (23:03), and government-FARC peace talks set to begin in Colombia (28:31).

Recorded April 20, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Adom Getachew, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Political Science and the College at the University of Chicago, and Jennifer Pitts, Professor of Political Science and the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, to discuss their co-edited volume W.E.B. Du Bois: International Thought, a collection of essays and speeches by Du Bois engaging in empire and internationalism. They touch on the book’s relation to the discipline of international relations, Du Bois’ encounters with the international as a young man, his notion of the color line, the recurring theme of democratic despotism in his work, his evolving relationship to liberalism, his views on Liberia, Japan, and Russia, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss queer life in Germany from the 18th century through the Cold War. After setting the stage of the early Cold War period last episode, the crew delves further into queer life (in this discussion, gay men, gay women, and trans people) in the FR…

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Our AI-generated Derek was working well until it kept insisting Danny’s name was “Darren” and that The Flat Earth was the news. On this spherical celestial body, however, we covered some other stories: Diplomatic progress in Saudi Arabia with Syria and Iran (0:50), peace talks in Yemen (5:30), the UN responds to the Taliban’s ban on female employees in Afghanistan (8:15), a new missile test from the DPRK (11:04), violence in Ethiopia’s Amhara region (13:01), Finland finally joins NATO (15:26), a New Cold War update featuring Emmanuel Macron in China (17:47), fallout from the recent document leak in the US (20:36), and a Ukraine update (24:43) featuring Seymour Hersh’s new piece (27:22).

*Note: US authorities have arrested the document leaker since the time of recording.

Recorded Thursday, April 13, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Helen Benedict, novelist, author, and professor at the Columbia Journalism School, to discuss refugees in European camps and the refugee crisis in general. They get into the genesis of the book she co-authored, Map of Hope and Sorrow: Stories of Refugees Trapped in Greece, which documents the experiences of refugees in one particular camp, working as a journalist vs. as a novelist, the US’s reputation as a bastion of human rights, the inherent colonialism of anthropology, the specific perils faced by women refugees, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, for the EXPLOSIVE conclusion to the history of the United States’ military-industrial complex (MIC). They pick up in the Reagan years, the transition from Cold War liberalism to neoconservativism, the…

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Danny and Derek welcome Laila Al-Arian, executive producer of Fault Lines on Al-Jazeera English, to discuss her family’s experience as Muslim, Arab Americans persecuted by the state before and after the War on Terror. They get into the case of her father, Sami Al-Arian, beginning in the 1990s and culminating with his 2015 deportation from the US, the imprisonment of her uncle, the phenomenon of “secret evidence”, George W. Bush’s pre- and post-9/11 relationship with Muslim and Arab Americans, and more.

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Hello Prestigeheads! We just wanted to share Derek’s grand return to podcasting over at Foreign Exchanges in the form of this great discussion of the Mamluks. Be sure to subscribe to FX for content like this, the daily World Roundups, and more. Enjoy!

Hello everybody! After a very extended hiatus we’re back with a real, full blown Foreign Exchanges podcast (more on that at the end of the show)! I’m joined by Carl F. Petry, Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani Professor of Middle East Studies and Professor of History Emeritus at Northwestern University and author of The Mamluk Sultanate: A History, a book that you can—nay, should—buy today. Professor Petry and I discuss who the Mamluks were, how they came to rule much of Egypt, Syria, and the Hejaz in the mid-13th century, and why it took until 2022 for the emergence of an accessible English language survey of their sultanate to emerge.

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Professor Petry’s book!

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Danny and Derek welcome Beverly Gage, professor of history and American studies at Yale University, to discuss the life and work of J. Edgar Hoover. They touch on his DC upbringing, early years at the nascent FBI, the 1930s War on Crime, the effect of WWII and the Cold War on the agency, COINTELPRO, his sexuality, religiosity, racism, and more.

Grab your copy of Beverly’s book G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century!

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Daniel Steinmetz Jenkins, assistant professor in history at Wesleyan College, moderates a debate between Danny and Jason Stanley, Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and author of the 2018 book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, about fascism discourse in the United States. The discussion was centered around Danny’s pie…

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Derek busted through the window with a boombox to “school” Danny on “how it is”, also known as giving the News Roundup. This week: an Israel update (0:31), the DPRK sees Kim ordering more nuclear material (6:39), Russia might be positioning nukes in Belarus (9:20) and the US pulls out of another part of New START (12:02), a Ukraine update on the situation in Bakhmut (14:01), France continues to see protests and King Charles delays his visit (15:39), an ELN attack threatens peace talks in Colombia (16:45), the US hosts the glorious Summit for Democracy (19:10), a New Cold War update featuring Honduras officially switching recognition to China (21:23), Saudi Arabic investing in Chinese companies and affiliating with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (22:33), and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visits the US (25:15).

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Danny and Derek speak with Udi Greenberg, associate professor of history at Dartmouth College, about the protests in Israel over Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s legislation seeking to overhaul the Israeli judiciary. They discuss the background and scope of the protests, concessions made to the far right while the legislation is shelved, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alex Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, to discuss the 2023 Nigerian presidential election. They discuss the three main candidates, controversy around the election itself, issues the country is currently grappling with, what a Bola Tinubu presidency might look like, the legacy of incumbent Muhammadu Buhari, the international response, and more.

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The greatest franchise in podcast history, the American Prestige Mailbag, is back with stunning developments. Actually, it’s like the other mailbags, where our dear paid subscribers submit questions and prompts of the highest quality for Danny and Derek (and sometimes Jake). This edition of the mailbag features questions about the New Cold War, world-sy…

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Our mainframe computer, DEREK, gave us the news before it became sentient and we had to unplug it. This week: the new IPCC report on climate and UN report on water access (0:38), good and bad news from Yemen (4:34), Israel makes moves on a new bill legalizing old settlements and Smotrich gets in trouble with Jordan (6:45), Ethiopia sees progress in implementing the Tigray peace deal (10:44), pension problems in France (13:42), a Russia/Ukraine update (18:16), and a New Cold War update (26:50) featuring Xi Jinping visiting Russia, Kishida Fumio visiting Ukraine, and Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen visiting the US.

Recorded Thursday, March 23, 2023

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Hello, Prestigeheads! We had such a great response last week that we’re bringing you another episode of Shoot the Messenger! This week we continue with the story of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi with friends of the pod Nando Vila & Rose Reid. We learn Khashoggi wasn't just targeted — he was hunted. This is the behind-the-scenes story of how Pegasus works, and how it was discovered (and found in Khashoggi's inner circle). This episode is part of Shoot the Messenger's 10-part series on "Espionage, Murder & Pegasus Spyware."

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Danny and Derek welcome Eric Alterman, CUNY distinguished professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College, to discuss the history of America’s relationship with Israel. They touch on Eric’s own story, the evolution of the Israeli and the Arab in the American Jewish imagination, the inflection points of the 1967 war and the 1982 Lebanon invasion, the Left’s history with Zionism, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of We Are Not One: A History of America’s Fight Over Israel!

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Danny and Derek are joined by Spencer Ackerman, journalist and founder of Forever Wars, to take a look back at America in the early days of the Iraq invasion. They discuss Spencer’s time as a lonely anti-war voice at a liberal hawk publication (cough thenewrepublic cough), how the failure of the war shook up the consensus at such establishments, Dem…

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Danny and Derek welcome back Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, to discuss the shocking, scandalous, and salacious history of the United States’ military-industrial complex (MIC). They pick up in the 1970s, touching on the advent of the all-volunteer force (AVF), …

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Finn, features editor at Jacobin and author of One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA, to continue their discussion on the history of the IRA. They cover the Irish War of Independence, including Sinn Féin’s historic victory in the 1918 Irish general election, the establishment of the Revolutionary Dáil, the IRA’s use of guerilla warfare, the organization’s interactions with the labor movement, and much more leading up to the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Danny and Derek speak with Daniel Finn, features editor at Jacobin and author of One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA, about the Easter Rising of 1916. They discuss the rising's long-term and proximate origins, how it proceeded, its aftermath, and the role it plays in Irish politics today.

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Derek now comes with USB-C connections, making it that much quicker to obtain…The News. This week: polling from Turkey as election season heats up (1:08), negotiations between Colombia and the ELN plus problems with the Clan del Golfo (5:14), a US drone and Russian jet close encounter (7:38), a Ukraine update (11:07), the Saudi-Iran diplomatic agreement (15:42), and a New Cold War update featuring AUKUS (18:21), the Japan-South Korea meeting (20:12), and Honduras switching recognition from Taiwan to the PRC (22:49).

Recorded Thursday, March 16, 2023

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This is the first episode of Exile Content Studio’s Shoot the Messenger: Espionage, Murder & Pegasus Spyware entitled “What Really Happened to Murdered Journalist Jamal Khashoggi?”, as the crew discussed on this week’s episode of AP. Check out the show (without Danny chiming in) wherever you get podcasts!

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Danny and Derek welcome Rose Reid and Nando Vila, co-hosts of the new podcast Shoot the Messenger: Espionage, Murder & Pegasus Spyware. They discuss mass surveillance, (the totally legal) Pegasus spyware, how the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi fits into this, the vulnerability of journalists, and more.

Check out the first episode of the podcast, which we put on our feed, and other episodes on Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your podcasts.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Bob Wright, of the Nonzero Newsletter and the Nonzero podcast, to discuss Vladimir Putin and the Ukraine War. The discussion also veers into ideology, discussing leftist vs. left liberal views of the conflict, the utility of the United Nations and international law, and more.

Checkout the Nonzero Newsletter and podcast!

Recor…

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It’s not quite Top Gun, but Danny, Derek, and Producer Jake fly high with a special theme song. Otherwise, in news this week: the situation in Bakhamut, Ukraine and a new narrative around the Nord Stream explosion (2:13), a Turkish politics update (8:45), Havana Syndrome is not the greatest threat to US citizens’ health (13:50), the USA is #1 [in arms deals] (16:06), a New Cold War update featuring South Korea patching things up with Japan (18:53), AUKUS making moves (21:27), Biden’s budget for the pacific islands (22:39), and McCarthy possibly pulling a Pelosi in Taiwan (26:41).

Recorded Thursday, March 9, 2023

If you like “New Cold War” and the rest of the show’s music, check out Producer Jake’s band Moloq!

“New Cold War” song lyrics:

Jake:“Tower, this is call sign PRESTIGE. Permission to open up on this balloon bogey.”

Danny: “Roger that. Take ‘em out. Put that s**t on TikTok.”

We’ll roast your ass / And we’ll give you cash / It’ll be a blast

Havana microwaves / There’ll be hell to pay /We’re in Taiwan to stay

We’ll make wet markets dry / We’ll blow you sky high / Because the end is nigh

The CCP / You won’t hear that from me / ‘Cause I’m American free, baby

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Happy Women’s History Month! Danny and Derek welcome Sarah Dunstan, lecturer in the international history of modern human rights at the University of Glasgow, and Katharina Rietzler, senior lecturer in American history at the University of Sussex, to discuss their new co-edited volume (along with Patricia Owens and Kimberly Hutchings), Women’s International Thought: Towards a New Canon, which is part of a larger multi-disciplinary project, “The History of Women’s International Thought”. They discuss the volume’s contributors, women’s erasure from the history of international relations (IR), the “historical woman”, how re-centering these thinkers contributes to the field of IR, historical recovery projects, and more.

Follow the larger project, Sarah, and Katharina on Twitter!

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Chag Purim Sameach! Danny speaks with Benjamin Balthasar, associate professor of English at Indiana University-South Bend, about the history of Jewish anti-imperialism from the 1930s until today.

Originally released March 19, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss queer life in Germany from the 18th century through the Cold War, and it’s Judgment Day: we’ve reached the Cold War. The crew discusses the quick transformation of Germany in the early Cold War period, queer life under the new Grundgesetz (e…

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Derek’s your brave captain, Danny your loyal steward…it’s another News Cruise. This week: an update on the tense situation in Palestine (0:31), a welcome bit of happy news from Yemen (4:18), Tunisia sees mistreatment of asylum seekers and Saied arrests critics (6:13), the election in Nigeria (9:00), Sweden and Finland amble along toward NATO accession (13:00), a Russia-Ukraine update (18:18), and the UK and EU reach a Northern Ireland deal (22:50).

Recorded Thursday, March 2, 2023

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Danny and Derek are back with a two-part special episode on the violence in Huwara, Palestine. In the first half, Derek speaks with Jalal Abukhater, a Palestinian writer based in Jerusalem, about the background of recent settler violence in the West Bank, the details we know of the Huwara attack, the impunity with which settlers and the Israeli government act, and the Palestinian Authority and international community’s reaction to Huwara. Danny and Derek then speak with Udi Greenberg, associate professor of history at Dartmouth College, about the domestic Israeli dynamics at play behind the recent violence, the makeup of the current far-right government, its relation to the settler movement, the legal framework it is hoping to create, and more.

Check out Jalal’s work on his website and Twitter.

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Derek welcomes Adrien Zakar, assistant professor of history at the University of Toronto and co-host of the virtual lecture series Technologies of Power, to discuss the response in Syria to the recent earthquake in Turkey which affected the former’s northwestern region. They cover Syria’s current political situation, what it means for opposition- and Turkish-controlled enclaves regarding relief efforts, the role of sanctions, what this all means for Syrian refugees at home and abroad, and more.

Check out the following organizations aiding in recovery efforts:

Disaster Philanthropy
Doctors Without Borders
International Rescue Committee
Save the Children
Syrian American Medical Society

Recorded February 24, 2023

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Danny and Derek give a quick update on today’s Israeli attacks in Huwara, a town just south of the West Bank city of Nablus. We will have a follow-up special with experts on this as soon as possible.

Recorded Sunday, February 26, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Josh Olson, podcaster and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, to discuss the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate and its 2004 remake. They explore the idea of brainwashing, the influence of the respective geopolitical atmospheres’ influence on each film, what makes the original so brilliant and the remake so baffling, glean insi…

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Danny tees it up, Derek hits it out of the park, that’s the way it works at the News Roundup! This week: a New Cold War update (0:37), tension at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (6:52), the DPRK conducts another ICBM test (9:39), Russia sees Putin giving a speech marking one year in Ukraine plus tension between the Wagner Group and Russian military (12:20), Biden makes a surprise visit to Ukraine (16:43), an Israel-Palestine update (18:22), higher uranium enrichment reported in Iran (25:30), and a devastating drought in the Horn of Africa (28:36).

Recorded Thursday, February 23, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to continue their series on the politics of money. This episode focuses on the work of the King of All Socialists himself, Karl Marx. The crew touches on his political economic approach to currency, distills an explanation of “capital” into a 20-minute sequence, explores how the 1857 Panic affected his work, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Pascal Robert, co-host of This is Revolution podcast, for a discussion on Haiti. Pascal gives a breathtaking, uninterrupted 200-year history of the country in 30 minutes, while also broaching US evolving interests in Haiti, the prosecution of the Jovenel Moise assassination case, current prime minister Ariel Henry, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to conclude their series on the politics of money. They pick up in the 1970s, discussing the end of the Bretton Woods system, petrodollars and eurodollars, democracy’s relation to finance, the collapse of the Soviet Union’s effect on currency politics, …

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If news was a watermelon, Derek would be a prop comic smashing it with a mallet for Danny’s benefit. This week: an update on the earthquake in Turkey and Erdoğan’s response (1:16), Russia makes gains in Ukraine’s Bakhmut (6:11), the fate of Finland’s NATO membership may lie with Turkey (12:54), a series of political arrests in Tunisia (15:41), o senhor Lula vai para Washington (18:12), and a New Cold War Update featuring The Balloon (22:09) and US moves in the South Pacific (26:56).

Recorded Thursday, February 16, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome James Cavallaro, professor of law and executive director of the University Network for Human Rights, for a discussion of the State Department’s recent decision to withdraw his nomination to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over comments categorizing the treatment of Palestinians by Israel as “apartheid”. They discuss James’ work in human rights advocacy, the weaponization of anti-Semitism, the US goverment’s particular aversion to the word “apartheid”, and more.

The University Network for Human Rights has released this statement on the incident.

Recorded Thursday, February 16, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Emma Ashford, senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, and Anatol Lieven, director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, for a discussion examining the Russian invasion of Ukraine one year into the conflict. They discuss the present circumstances of the war and how they compare with initial expectations, the response of Europe and the US, negotiations and what a potential endgame might look like, the ramifications of the rise in anti-Russian sentiment, the effect of sanctions on Russia, and more.

Check out Emma’s book Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates as well as Anatol’s most recent book Climate Change and the Nation State: The Case for Nationalism in a Warming World!

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Adam Tooze, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis professor of history at Columbia University and author of Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy. They discuss the phenomenon of the public intellectual, the role of intellectuals in the 2023 North Atlantic world, the current debate around fascism, the polycrisis, …

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Derek descended from Mount News and Danny received The Message. This week: the balloon saga (1:17), Israel continues killing Palestinians and ignores US pleas to pause settlement construction (10:00), Peru protests continue amid calls for an election (14:41), a Ukraine update (18:16), and the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria (24:05).

*Note: This episode was recorded earlier than typical News Roundups, on Wednesday, February 8, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Erin Bartram, school programs coordinator at the Mark Twain House and co-founder of Contingent Magazine, for a discussion of the decline of the history profession and humanities programs in general. They discuss the effect of consistent loss of knowledge production on a given field, the American Historical Association’s (AHA) response to the state of the academic job market, organizing in academia, moving on to non-academic fields after leaving the academy, and more.

Check out Erin’s controversial piece on leaving academia, “The Sublimated Grief of the Left Behind”.

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Danny and Derek are hot off the presses, albeit with serious injuries. Stories this week: violence in Israel and the threat of a Gaza war looms (0:32), Iran reacts to an (allegedly) Israeli drone strike on the city of Isfahan (5:40), Russia makes gains in Ukraine and Biden rejects prospect of supplying F-16s (9:10), the Sweden-Finland-Turkey NATO saga continues (17:34), the Tuareg Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) pulls out of the constitutional process plus other developments in Mali (20:31), and another New Cold War update featuring a new US-Philippine military agreement (24:03), the US opening an embassy in the Solomon Islands (25:21), and a disturbing USAF memo on a future conflict with China (27:29).

Recorded Thursday, February 2, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome American Prestige champion Matt Christman and first-timer Chris Wade—hosts of Chapo Trap House’s Thirty Years’ War spinoff series, Hell on Earth—for a special AP-Hinge Points-Hell on Earth mashup episode. What if Henry IV of France was not assassinated? What if there was no defenestration of Prague? What if Gustavus Adolphus lived?

Check out Hell on Earth and Hinge Points!

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Danny and Derek welcome Ken Klippenstein, investigative reporter for The Intercept, for a discussion of the hottest ticket for Bond villains: the 2023 World Economic Forum at Davos. They touch on what exactly the World Economic Forum is, the recurring themes among the participants’ commentaries, the ideology of the event, the warm welcome to gulf state …

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Derek, along with his trusty lackey Danny, again conquers the news. This week: the US restricts the flow of dollars into Iraq, the dinar collapses (0:33); Israel sees Netanyahu firing Deri and the IDF kills more Palestinians in the West Bank (2:45); NGOs threaten to withdraw from Afghanistan over Taliban restrictions on women’s rights (5:02); Eritrean soldiers are seen leaving the Tigray Region in Ethiopia as the peace deal is implemented (7:53); Burkina Faso gives France one month to withdraw troops (9:44); the US designates Russia-based Wagner Group a criminal organization (12:26); a Ukraine update including newly-arrived tanks (13:37); Turkey threatens to veto Sweden’s NATO application (18:41); and in Peru, Boluarte calls for a “truce” while protests carry on and a movement for her impeachment gathers steam in Congress.

Recorded Thursday, January 26, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome Lamin Keita, PhD candidate in political science at Northwestern University, and Alex Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, for a discussion on the situation in the Sahel, namely Mali and Burkina Faso. They talk about the 2022 coups in each country, the role of jihadist conflicts in the region, where the respective junta governments currently stand, the role of the United States in the coups and the Sahel in general, and more.

Note: This discussion was recorded before the expulsion of French troops by Burkina Faso.

Check out Alex’s work at Sahel Blog and his book Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel!

Check out Lamin’s AfroSaharo Research Network!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss queer life in Germany from the 18th century through the Cold War. In this episode, they pick up at the end of WWII and situate us in the era of Germany’s partition, exploring socialism’s relationship with homosexuality, queer life in Allied …

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Derek plugged into the mainframe, Danny mined the data…It’s the weekly News Roundup. This week: the Israeli Supreme Court orders Netanyahu to dismiss his interior minister (0:31), Israel is averaging about one Palestinian killing per day in West Bank so far this year (3:32); China’s population declined last year for the first time since 1961 (6:18), Jacinda Ardern resigns as prime minister of New Zealand (10:16); an update on the implementation of the peace deal in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region (12:50); a Ukraine update (14:57), Sweden and Finland inch along towards NATO membership (20:47), and protests continue in Peru (24:17).

Recorded Thursday, January 19, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, to discuss the undisputed greatest use of taxpayer dollars in our great nation’s history: the F-35. They discuss its war-fighting purpose, Lockheed’s business strategy with the jet, the effect of consolidation and privization on the arms industry, and more.

Check out Michael’s article on the F-35 in Jacobin: “The F-35 Is Everything Wrong With the Military-Industrial Complex”.

Also check out Michael’s Substack, Warfare and Welfare.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to continue their conversation of the politics of money. In this episode, they continue their discussion of John Maynard Keynes, his reaction to the the Great Depression, his seminal 1936 work The General Theory Of Employment Interest And Money, his per…

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Danny and Derek welcome Christopher McKnight Nichols, Wayne Woodrow Hayes chair in national security studies and professor of history at Ohio State University, to discuss the volume he co-edited, Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories. They define ideology vs. ideas, their effect on US foreign relations since colonial times, and more.

Grab a copy of the book here!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Benjamin Fogel, contributing editor to Jacobin, to discuss the events of Sunday, January 8, 2023 in Brazil’s capital Brasília as crowds of people attacked all three branches of government.

Recorded Monday, January 9, 2023

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they focus on the Holocaust, how it affected queer people, the perceived “internal” threat of gay men vs. the “external” threat of Jews, the infamous pink triangle, and more.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here!

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Danny and Derek are joined by the writer Jacob Bacharach and Matt Christman, co-host of Chapo Trap House and Hell of Presidents, about the "New Chronology" Soviet/Russian conspiracy theory. The four explore everything from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the history of chronology, Mormonism, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Jonathan Kirshner, professor of political science and international studies at Boston College, to discuss his book An Unwritten Future: Realism and Uncertainty in World Politics. They touch on structural realism/neorealism, the importance of classical realism, Mearsheimer, Thucydides, and more.

*Producer’s note: Due to a technical error, we unfortunately do not have audio for the beginning of this conversation, so the discussion picks up about 15 minutes in.

Grab up a copy of Jonathan’s book!

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Happy New Year! Danny, Derek, and Producer Jake welcome Catherine Bateson, associate lecturer of American history at the University of Kent, to discuss the music of American wars. They touch on music’s multifaceted role in different conflicts, musical literacy before mass media, appropriation and recycling of familiar melodies, the ideology of war music, protest songs, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of Catherine’s book Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood!

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Grab your flight suit, aviators, and baby oil: Will Menaker is in the house. The host of the Chapo Trap House podcast joins Danny and Derek for a discussion of the classic action flick Top Gun. The crew discusses Vietnam Syndrome, the lost trope of the fighter pilot, Tony Scott, and homoeroticism, as all three hosts revisit what may be the most “California” film franchise to date.

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Danny and Derek welcome Lauren Turek, associate professor of history at Trinity University, to discuss the influence of evangelical Christians on US foreign policy throughout the country’s history. They touch on the contentious definition of what an “evangelical” is, prominent thinkers in the evangelical tradition, the gender dynamics of evangelical organizing, the effect on evangelicals on human rights discourse, and more.

Grab a copy of Lauren’s book To Bring the Good News to All Nations: Evangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations!

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Danny and Derek welcome Jeremy Friedman, Marvin Bower associate professor at Harvard Business School, for a discussion about the Sino-Soviet split. They talk about the early days of the revolutionary states’ relationship, the differences in their ideologies, the external forces shaping each nation’s trajectory, the heyday of their cooperation, and the beginning of the fissure in the mid-1950s.

Grab a copy of Jeremy’s great book Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!

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Merry Christmas! Danny and Derek speak with the historian Terri Blom Crocker to discuss the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers in World War I made various agreements to cede fighting. We talk about the reality of the various truces and how the truce has been memorialized and remembered since 1914.

Please find Terri's book here!

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Season’s greetings! It’s the jolliest of episodes: The News Roundup. This week: Netanyahu forms a government in Israel, the Taliban bans women from university in Afghanistan, fears of a COVID wave in China, election results and a possible coup in Fiji, elections in Tunisia, a Russia-Ukraine update, Sweden-Turkey extradition, a Peru update, and Brandon Biden makes a profit on oil sales.

Recorded Thursday, December 22, 2022

Don’t forget about our special year end offer for 15% off annual subscriptions!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, for a discussion focusing on the career of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) of Mexico. They touch on his unsuccessful bids for president, the MORENA party, the current Mexican political culture, his relationship to neoliberalism, his administration’s foreign policy, COVID response, and more.

Check out Alexander’s book Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside, the basis of an angoing AP series.

Also check out our episode on the Christmas Truce of WWI!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they pick up after the Nazis take power, examining the effect of the Nuremberg Laws on gay, lesbian, and trangender life, Nazi notions of gender roles, the concept of third gender in German society, queer exiles, and more.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here!

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When not slinging NFTs featuring Producer Jake’s likeness, Danny and Derek give you one thing: The News. This week: ongoing protests in Peru (1:41), constitutional struggles in Chile (6:34), tensions in northern Kosovo (9:27), the mayor of Istanbul is convicted of insulting public officials in Turkey (13:45), a Ukraine update (16:47), the US-Africa Leaders Summit in DC (19:45), and Bernie caves on the Yemen war powers resolution (23:08).

Recorded Thursday, December 15, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Greg Brew, AP’s resident “oil man” and postdoctoral fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, to discuss oil: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems. They touch on the markets for oil beyond gasoline, international legal structures around the commodity, its effect on US foreign policy, emerging oil markets, the current Russian price cap, and more.

Pre-order your copy of Greg’s book Petroleum and Progress in Iran: Oil, Development, and the Cold War!

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Prestigeheads: The Mighty Mailbag. Producer Jake tees up subscribers’ questions, theories, and prompts, and Danny and Derek knock them all out of the park (mixing sports metaphors, blah blah). Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Danny and Derek speak with Javier Puente, associate professor of Latin American and Latino/a Studies and chair of Latin American and Latino/a Studies at Smith College, about the ongoing political crisis in Peru.

Recorded Friday, December 9, 2022

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All the news that’s fit for large print…it’s the News Roundup. This week: rumors of Iran doing away with the “morality police” (0:35), President Xi visits Saudi Arabia (5:49), an update on Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict (11:34), a far right plot is foiled in Germany (22:52), and the arrest of President Castillo in Peru (25:13).

Recorded Thursday, December 8, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Nando Vila, host of The Best Soccer Podcast in the World, to discuss the FIFA World Cup. They touch on the ubiquity of soccer around the globe, the structure of FIFA, corruption at the organization’s top levels, the controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup being hosted in Qatar, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, to discuss his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. In this final episode of the series, they discuss the US ramping up aid to Israel in the 1970s, the factors leading to the PLO conducting operations from Lebanon, the 1982 Israeli invasion of the country, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, and more.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book here.

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Back from break and full of boosters (well, Derek is, Danny is using crystals), it’s the News Roundup. This week: the third leader of Islamic State killed in Syria (0:36), protests continue in China (6:29), Russian fertilizer and grain trickles back out to the world (10:59), the US gives Chevron the green light for “limited operations” in Venezuela (15:02), and Monsieur Macron goes to Washington (17:28).

Recorded Thursday, December 1, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Jennifer Mittelstadt, professor of history at Rutgers University, and Mark Wilson, professor of history at UNC Charlotte, to discuss their new edited volume The Military and the Market. They talk about the military welfare state and the all-volunteer force (AVF), mercenaries within the system, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Immerwahr, Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University, to discuss his essay in Harper’s Magazine reviewing Pekka Hämäläinen’s book Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America. They touch on reclaiming the narrative of Native American history, the resistance-focused vs lachrymose conception of American history in liberal historiography, the political ends of these two approaches, the 1619 Project, and more.

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We’ve unlocked the first three episodes of our bonus series Queer Germany for the holiday weekend. Find all the episodes at the series page! Like and subscribe if you appreciate the content!

Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they continue the discussion of life in Weimar Germany, why it became seen as the birthplace of modern gay politics, material conditions in a country grappling with the War Guilt Clause during the Great Depression, the influence of queer German exiles on American culture, the rise of the Nazis and their virulent homophobia, fascist aesthetics and queerness, and more.

Check out Samuel’s book here.

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We’ve unlocked the first three episodes of our bonus series Queer Germany for the holiday weekend. Find all the episodes at the series page! Like and subscribe if you appreciate the content!

Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they pick up at the end of World War I, discussing domestic factors in that loss and the narrative around it, the Weimar constitution and Paragraph 175, queer writers of the time such as Friedrich Radszuweit and Klaus Mann, high profile gay fascists like Ernst Röhm, and more.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here.

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We’ve unlocked the first three episodes of our bonus series Queer Germany for the holiday weekend. Find all the episodes at the series page! Like and subscribe if you appreciate the content!

Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this first episode, they begin in the era of German unification in the 19th century, discussing the contemporary scholarship on sexuality, German liberalism and the rights available to homosexuals in Germanic states, the influence of the Enlightenment and French Revolution on proto-German laws, conservative ennobling of homoerotic bonding, and more until the WWI.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here.

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Danny and Derek welcome David Silverman, professor of Native American, Colonial American, and American racial history at George Washington University, for a discussion of the historical Thanksgiving holiday. They get into the the origin and proliferation of the holiday’s myth, the historical Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony, the Wampanoag Indians, their culture, politics, and relationship with the English settlers, who and what the holiday serves in 2022 America, and more.

Be sure to grab a copy of David’s book This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they continue the discussion of life in Weimar Germany, why it became seen as the birthplace of modern gay politics, material conditions in a country grappling with the War Guilt Clause during the Great Depression, the influence of queer German exiles on American culture, the rise of the Nazis and their virulent homophobia, fascist aesthetics and queerness, and more.

Check out Samuel’s book here.

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King of the News Derek and Baron of Bylines Danny are back for another News Roundup. This week: the G20 convenes in Indonesia (1:46), the NIC releases a report on the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) efforts to influence US politics (6:04), the Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) work to open up Tigray for humanitarian relief (8:26), at least six dead in a bombing in Istanbul (12:18), the Israeli government reacts to the FBI investigation into the killing of reporter Shireen Abu Akleh (14:27), and Danny and Derek tackle a week of Fake News™ regarding Iran (16:31) and Poland (20:29).

Recorded Thursday, November 17, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Samar Al-Bulushi, assistant professor of anthropology at UC Irvine, contributing editor at Africa is a Country, and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute, to discuss the US War on Terror in Somalia. They cover the background of US involvement in the Horn of Africa, the Islamic Courts Union, the 2006 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, the emergence of Al-Shabaab, AFRICOM, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Lisandro Claudio, associate professor at UC Berkeley, for the first episode in a series on the history of the Philippines. In this episode, they touch on the islands’ societies before the advent of Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the roots of Filipino nationalism, the Philippines in the context of 19th century Asia, Gomburza and the 1872 Cavite Mutiny, José Rizal, and the leadup to the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

Grab a copy of Lisandro’s book Liberalism and the Postcolony: Thinking the State in 20th-Century Philippines.

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The News makes another star appearance (featuring Danny and Derek). This week: A Ukraine diplomatic (0:50) and military (5:50) update, negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol (10:13), Responsible Statecraft’s new report on special visas for Afghan auxiliaries (13:54), the new far-right Israeli government (17:53), Ethiopian and Tigrayan negotiations to implement the new peace deal (21:50), Sudan’s junta government begins negotiations for a transfer of power (24:31), and the glory of COP27 (27:35).

Recorded Thursday, November 10, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Assal Rad, research director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), and Pouya Alimagham, historian of the Middle East at MIT, for an episode on the ongoing protests in Iran. They discuss protest tactics, Iranian Student Day, labor power from the bazaar, the state’s reaction, the role of sanctions, the situation in Sistan and Baluchestan, and more.

Order your copy of Assal’s book, The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran, and also pick up Pouya’s book, Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings.

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Danny and Derek welcome Udi Greenberg, associate professor of history at Dartmouth College, to discuss the 2022 Israeli legislative election.

Grab a copy of Udi’s book The Weimar Century: German Émigrés and the Ideological Foundations of the Cold War.

Recorded Monday, November 7, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, to discuss his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. In this episode, they cover topics including: Israeli regional dominance in the postwar years, the so-called Arab Cold War, changes in the US-Israel relationship between 1956 and 1967, factors leading to the 1967 War, UN Security Council Resolution 242, and more.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book here.

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Back from a residency at The Laugh Factory, it’s Danny and Derek! With news! This week: The return of Bibi in Israel (0:40), the Lebanese parliament struggles to elect a president (4:22), the Social Democrats hang onto power in Denmark (5:20), a Ukraine update (7:35), Imran Khan is shot in Pakistan (10:57), the DPRK responds to more Western military drills with missile tests (13:44), a peace deal in Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict (16:23), M23 once again on the move in the Democratic Republic of Congo (19:26), and Bolsonaro supporters take to the streets in post-election Brazil (22:15).

Recorded Thursday, November 3, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Joshua Olson, co-host of the new podcast The Audit, David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, and Kate Willett, stand-up comedian and co-host of Reply Guys podcast, to discuss The Audit. The conversation touches on the state of the post-2016 leftwing media ecosystem, the role and value of independent media, rehabilitating irredeemable figures, the damage done by The West Wing, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Joshua Olson, co-host of the new podcast The Audit, David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, and Kate Willett, stand-up comedian and co-host of Reply Guys podcast, to discuss The Audit. The conversation touches on the state of the post-2016 leftwing media ecosystem, the role and value of independent media, rehabilitating irredeemable figures, the damage done by The West Wing, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Andrew Fishman, president and co-founder of The Intercept Brasil, and Benjamin Fogel, contributing editor to Jacobin and historian of Brazil at NYU, to discuss Sunday’s presidential runoff in Brazil in which Lula da Silva narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro.

Make a donation to support The Intercept Brasil, which just went independent.

Also check out the late Michael Brooks’ interview with Lula from 2020.

Recorded Monday, October 31, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Andrew Fishman, president and co-founder of The Intercept Brasil, and Benjamin Fogel, contributing editor to Jacobin and historian of Brazil at NYU, to discuss Sunday’s presidential runoff in Brazil in which Lula da Silva narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro.

Make a donation to support The Intercept Brasil, which just went independent.

Also check out the late Michael Brooks’ interview with Lula from 2020.

Recorded Monday, October 31, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to continue their conversation of the politics of money. After touching on the gold standard as it existed in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the paper money/specie relationship at the time, the crew gets into the work of John Maynard Keynes. They talk about his response to the Treaty of Versailles, his time at the UK’s India Office, his focus on central banks, the Second Thirty Years War, and more.

Check out the series page here for all episodes and be sure to pick up a copy of Stefan’s book here!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to continue their conversation of the politics of money. After touching on the gold standard as it existed in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the paper money/specie relationship at the time, the crew gets into the work of John Maynard Keynes. They talk about his response to the Treaty of Versailles, his time at the UK’s India Office, his focus on central banks, the Second Thirty Years War, and more.

Check out the series page here for all episodes and be sure to pick up a copy of Stefan’s book here!

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Our own Dr. Frankenstein Derek, along with Igor Danny, bring to life another news aggregation creation. This week: Russia accuses Ukraine of a planned dirty bomb (0:33), the UK’s newest (and wealthiest) prime minister (8:12), Iran protests hit 40 days and Shiraz suffers a terror attack (11:01), a Myanmar military airstrike kills at least 80 concertgoers in the country’s north (13:38), Xi announces a third term as the Chinese Communist Party’s 2022 Congress wraps up (16:36), and the UN implements sanctions on and debates an intervention in Haiti (21:31).

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Our own Dr. Frankenstein Derek, along with Igor Danny, bring to life another news aggregation creation. This week: Russia accuses Ukraine of a planned dirty bomb (0:33), the UK’s newest (and wealthiest) prime minister (8:12), Iran protests hit 40 days and Shiraz suffers a terror attack (11:01), a Myanmar military airstrike kills at least 80 concertgoers in the country’s north (13:38), Xi announces a third term as the Chinese Communist Party’s 2022 Congress wraps up (16:36), and the UN implements sanctions on and debates an intervention in Haiti (21:31).

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, to talk about about his new essay, “The Galactic Vietnam: Technology, Modernization, and Empire in George Lucas’s Star Wars”. They discuss the ideological projects of Lucas’ early work, Star Wars as a “Vietnam film”, its characters’ real-life counterparts, the franchise’s orientalism, and more.

Check out Daniel’s chapter in the volume Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, to talk about about his new essay, “The Galactic Vietnam: Technology, Modernization, and Empire in George Lucas’s Star Wars”. They discuss the ideological projects of Lucas’ early work, Star Wars as a “Vietnam film”, its characters’ real-life counterparts, the franchise’s orientalism, and more.

Check out Daniel’s chapter in the volume Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, to discuss his book For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy. They pick up the discussion after the Korean War, touching on Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex” farewell address, the 1958 National Defense Education Act, Robert McNamara and the Kennedy administration, defense conversion and “anti-militarist” Democrats, the effect of the Vietnam War on the MIC, and more.

Check out the first episode here.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, to discuss his book For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy. They pick up the discussion after the Korean War, touching on Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex” farewell address, the 1958 National Defense Education Act, Robert McNamara and the Kennedy administration, defense conversion and “anti-militarist” Democrats, the effect of the Vietnam War on the MIC, and more.

Check out the first episode here.

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In the second and final part of the two-hour finale to our History of Afghanistan series, Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, moderates a panel discussion where he, Danny, and Derek are joined by Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, and Haroun Rahimi, lawyer and visiting professor at Università Bocconi. Pashtana and Haroun share more personal experiences from Afghanistan during the war, including the media important to them in this time, the nuances of intra-Afghan cultures, life in Herat and Kandahar, the presidency of Ghani, Afghan women’s rights initiatives, , and more.

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In the second and final part of the two-hour finale to our History of Afghanistan series, Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, moderates a panel discussion where he, Danny, and Derek are joined by Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, and Haroun Rahimi, lawyer and visiting professor at Università Bocconi. Pashtana and Haroun share more personal experiences from Afghanistan during the war, including the media important to them in this time, the nuances of intra-Afghan cultures, life in Herat and Kandahar, the presidency of Ghani, Afghan women’s rights initiatives, , and more.

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The number one news update in Dublin, Georgia returns for another weekly roundup. This week: Liz Truss’ farewell (0:40), the EU imposes yet more sanctions on Iran (7:45), a Ukraine update (10:35), renewed tensions in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict (13:38), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress (17:22), a potential intervention in Haiti (19:34), and Joe Biden dips into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (23:07).

Recorded Thursday, October 20, 2022

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The number one news update in Dublin, Georgia returns for another weekly roundup. This week: Liz Truss’ farewell (0:40), the EU imposes yet more sanctions on Iran (7:45), a Ukraine update (10:35), renewed tensions in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict (13:38), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress (17:22), a potential intervention in Haiti (19:34), and Joe Biden dips into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (23:07).

Recorded Thursday, October 20, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Aaron Good, host of the American Exception podcast and author of a book by the same name, for a discussion of American foreign policy education and historiography. They talk about what drove Aaron to write the book, individual actors’ power within the “US regime,” the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the value of highlighting the US’s political dark side for political change, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Aaron Good, host of the American Exception podcast and author of a book by the same name, for a discussion of American foreign policy education and historiography. They talk about what drove Aaron to write the book, individual actors’ power within the “US regime,” the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the value of highlighting the US’s political dark side for political change, and more.

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In the first part of our two-hour finale to our History of Afghanistan series, Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, moderates a panel discussion where he, Danny, and Derek are joined by Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, and Haroun Rahimi, lawyer and visiting professor at Università Bocconi. In this first part of the discussion, Pashtana and Haroun share experiences of their respective childhoods in Afghanistan and Iran, their families’ connections to the modern events in Afghanistan, cultural touchstones for them in the eras of the Taliban and Karzai, and more.

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In the first part of our two-hour finale to our History of Afghanistan series, Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, moderates a panel discussion where he, Danny, and Derek are joined by Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, and Haroun Rahimi, lawyer and visiting professor at Università Bocconi. In this first part of the discussion, Pashtana and Haroun share experiences of their respective childhoods in Afghanistan and Iran, their families’ connections to the modern events in Afghanistan, cultural touchstones for them in the eras of the Taliban and Karzai, and more.

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Danny and Derek once again deliver The News™. This week: more trouble in the US-Saudi relationship (0:48), the Lebanon-Israel maritime deal (5:47), a new president of Iraq (9:34), the continuing Iran protests (12:50), an Ethiopia war update (15:22), protests in Haiti (17:26), a Ukraine war update (19:58), and a new US national security strategy (24:50).

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Danny and Derek once again deliver The News™. This week: more trouble in the US-Saudi relationship (0:48), the Lebanon-Israel maritime deal (5:47), a new president of Iraq (9:34), the continuing Iran protests (12:50), an Ethiopia war update (15:22), protests in Haiti (17:26), a Ukraine war update (19:58), and a new US national security strategy (24:50).

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Danny and Derek welcome Katie Halper, host of The Katie Halper Show, to discuss her recent dismissal from The Hill’s program Rising due to a segment critical of Israel. They discuss the segment itself, the accusations thrown her way, voices of support in the wake of her firing, and more.

Like and subscribe Katie on YouTube or throw her some support on Patreon.

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Danny and Derek welcome Katie Halper, host of The Katie Halper Show, to discuss her recent dismissal from The Hill’s program Rising due to a segment critical of Israel. They discuss the segment itself, the accusations thrown her way, voices of support in the wake of her firing, and more.

Like and subscribe Katie on YouTube or throw her some support on Patreon.

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Danny and Derek speak with Greg Brew, postdoctoral fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, about OPEC+’s oil production cut, the bloc’s history, the state of the global oil market, and the US-Saudi relationship.

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Danny and Derek speak with Greg Brew, postdoctoral fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, about OPEC+’s oil production cut, the bloc’s history, the state of the global oil market, and the US-Saudi relationship.

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Danny and Derek speak with Rob Karl, professor of arts and humanities at Minerva University, about the history of Colombia. They discuss wars between liberals and conservatives in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Colombian political structure, the Colombian state, and more, in this first episode of a series.

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Danny and Derek speak with Rob Karl, professor of arts and humanities at Minerva University, about the history of Colombia. They discuss wars between liberals and conservatives in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Colombian political structure, the Colombian state, and more, in this first episode of a series.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, to continue the discussion of his book Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. In this episode, they pick up in the 1970s and discuss President Luis Echeverría, the advent of neoliberalism in Mexico, the 1982 default, the transformation of the drug trade in the 1980s, changes in the PRI during the same era, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and more through the 1995 Aguas Blancas massacre.

Check out Alexander’s book here!

Listen to the first episode here!

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Danny and Derek welcome back Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, to continue the discussion of his book Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. In this episode, they pick up in the 1970s and discuss President Luis Echeverría, the advent of neoliberalism in Mexico, the 1982 default, the transformation of the drug trade in the 1980s, changes in the PRI during the same era, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and more through the 1995 Aguas Blancas massacre.

Check out Alexander’s book here!

Listen to the first episode here!

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Danny and Derek are back with the hottest news update on this side of the dial. This week: a Ukraine update (0:31), the DPRK conducts numerous missile tests over several days (10:22), a Yemen ceasefire expires (15:34), OPEC cuts oil production (18:46), the second coup of the year in Burkina Faso (22:00), and an update on the Brazilian election (25:54).

Recorded Thursday, October 6, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome to the program Hamza Zafer, associate professor in the department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Washington, to discuss the world as it stood in the early days of Islam. The conversation focuses on the material conditions of the Arabian peninsula around the 7th century, touching on culture and economy of Mecca, the Red Sea Wars, early historiography of the Qur’an, pre-Islamic civic cults, ḥunafā’, the controversial ideas of Hagarism, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Benjamin Fogel, contributing editor to Jacobin and historian of Brazil at NYU, to discuss the results of the first round of the 2022 Brazilian general election, the far right and left in Brazil, what the results portend, and more.

Check out Benjamin’s piece on the election in the Daily Maverick and another one in The Nation.

Recorded Monday, October 3, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, for the final narrative episode on Afghanistan's history. The discussion covers the Trump administration’s policy toward Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the Doha Agreement, the Taliban-Al-Qaeda relationship in the era of the so-called Islamic State (IS), the role of independent contractors in Afghanistan, and the 2021 US withdrawal.

We will conclude the series with a panel episode taking a macro perspective of the country, its historiography, and more. You can find the other episodes of the series here.

Check out Tim's book here!

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Danny and Derek report on the Nord Stream leaks (0:53), Russians’ reaction to the recent mobilization (7:26), referendums in eastern Ukraine and an update on the conflict (9:19), the Italian general election (14:59), economic troubles in the UK (16:33), protests in Iran (18:45), MBS becoming prime minister of Saudi Arabia (22:28), the upcoming Brazilian election (25:35), and a ceasefire in Colombia.

Recorded Thursday, September 29, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Fritz Bartel, assistant professor at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University, for a conversation on his book The Triumph of Broken Promises: The End of the Cold War and the Rise of Neoliberalism. They lay the groundwork for the neoliberal era, discussing the particularities of the original Cold War as compared with the new one with China, why great power competition might end peacefully when that’s not anticipated, the social contract promising “modernity’s good life”, the politics behind making promises, and more.

Grab a copy of Fritz’s book here!

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Danny and Derek welcome Paolo Gerbaudo, sociologist at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, to discuss the 2022 Italian General Election, in which the far right Brothers of Italy won a significant portion of the vote.

Recorded Monday, September 26, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stefan Eich, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, to continue the discussion of his book The Currency of Politics. They focus on the oft-overlooked work of Johann Gottlieb Fichte, state experimentation with fiat currencies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, parallels with modern crypto currencies, MMT, and more.

Check out Stefan’s book here and Episode 1 of the series here.

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Danny and Derek welcome Sussan Tahmasebi, co-founder and Executive Director of FEMENA, to talk about the ongoing protests in Iran. They discuss the background of the inciting incident, the history and enforcement of dress laws in Iran, government reaction to the unrest, underlying grievances among protesters, and more.

Check out FEMENA’s work at their official website.

Recorded Friday, September 23, 2022

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Danny and Derek discuss the UN General Assembly (0:53), the Tigray Conflict in Ethiopia (3:05), protests in Iran (5:02), protests in Haiti (8:55), Ukraine annexation referendums (12:36), the Russian mobilization (15:19), and a Havana Syndrome update (32:24).

Recorded Thursday, September 22, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss his new article in Foreign Affairs, “The Crisis in Progressive Foreign Policy”. They discuss DC’s rhetoric around Ukraine, the schisms within “progressive” foreign policy, Joe Biden and Taiwan, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this episode, they pick up at the end of World War I, discussing domestic factors in that loss and the narrative around it, the Weimar constitution and Paragraph 175, queer writers of the time such as Friedrich Radszuweit and Klaus Mann, high profile gay fascists like Ernst Röhm, and more.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here.

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Danny and Derek discuss the Ukrainian counter-offensive (0:58), renewed tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan (9:27), Ethiopia and Eritrea’s Tigray offensive (16:50), Islamic State in the Sahara making gains in Mali (19:36), Sweden’s new far-right majority parliament (21:21), and DPRK legislation codifying itself as a nuclear power (25:06).

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Danny and Derek welcome back Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, to discuss the blockade of Gaza. A follow-up to our special episode on the recent Israeli attacks on the Strip, this episode touches on the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza, the effect of Gaza’s isolation from the West Bank on Palestinian civil society, Israel’s Gaza “policy”, regional enablers of the Strip’s isolation, the Abraham Accords, and more.

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Danny welcomes Kathryn Lamontagne, lecturer in social sciences at Boston University, to discuss the life and death of Elizabeth II, her vision of empire and the commonwealth, the gender politics surrounding her, King Charles, Princess Diana, Prince Andrew, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the program Lauren Poyer, assistant teaching professor at the University of Washington, to discuss the use of viking culture in the context of white supremacy. They explore 19th century efforts to create a Scandinavian and Germanic Volk, the dialogue between viking age archaeology and mythology, Scandanavian immigrants in the early 20th century US, Nazi interest in viking age imagery, how scholars of the viking age reoncile with white supremacist appropriation, and more.

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Originally recorded and released in September, 2021

Danny and Derek speak with Leslie Lee III, the host of Struggle Session, about post-9/11 culture and how the United States' imperial adventures influenced movies, TV, and video. They discuss a number of cultural products, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC universe, 24, The Shield, and …

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This episode was originally recorded and released in September, 2021

Danny and Derek begin the episode with some reflections on their 9/11 experience. They then interview Jim Lobe, director of LobeLog and contributing editor at the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft, about the intellectual origins of the coalition that after 9/11 pursued endle…

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Derek and Danny give an update in light of the ongoing counter-offensive in northeastern Ukraine.

Recorded Saturday, September 10, 2022

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In lieu of a News Roundup this week, Danny and Derek welcome René Rojas—assistant professor of human development at SUNY Binghamton, member of the editorial board of Catalyst, and contributor to Jacobin—to discuss the September 4 Chilean constitutional plebiscite and what it means for Chilean politics.

Check out René’s latest essay in Catalyst, “Chile’s Resurgent Left”. Also, keep an eye out for his piece on the plebiscite in Jacobin this coming weekend, as well as an upcoming book on 21st Century leftist movements for Verso.

Recorded Friday, September 9, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Jason Stearns, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University and director of the Congo Research Group at NYU, for a discussion of the conflicts currently transpiring in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They unpack a number of topics, including the background of the March 23 Movement (M23), the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the controversy over UN and East African peacekeeping missions, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Ituri Conflict, and more.

Grab copies of Jason’s books Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africaand The War That Doesn't Say Its Name: The Unending Conflict in the Congo.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, for the eighth episode on Afghanistan's history. They pick up at the end of the Obama administration, examining the Afghanistan War’s place in the American imagination, why the war was hardly discussed in the 2016 election, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Jalaluddin Haqqani and the Haqqani Network, the push for peace talks, Trump’s influence on the war, and the 2019 Afghanistan presidential election.

Check out Tim's book here!

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Danny and Derek discuss flooding in Pakistan (0:30), the Greenland ice sheet melting (3:11), violence in Baghdad (4:39), factional fighting in Tripoli, Libya (8:15), the expansion of the Tigray War in Ethiopia (10:45), IAEA inspectors and the beginning of a counteroffensive in Ukraine (13:31), the EU suspending visas for Russians (17:54), tension in the Solomon Islands (20:11), and the Pentagon’s new initiative to minimize civilian casualties (23:50).

Recorded Thursday, September 1, 2022.

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Danny and Derek welcome Michael Brenes, associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University, to discuss his book For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy. They discuss the origins of the Military-Industrial Complex (MIC), the MIC-New Deal connection, NSC-68, the MIC as a tool of social mobility, labor unions’ relation to the security state, and more.

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It’s time for subscribers’ favorite feature: Danny and Derek divulging their personal financial data! No, our mailbags don’t get quite so transactional, but the two hosts happily respond to questions and comments from our dear subscribers. Topics of this mailbag include: CPAC, Ukraine, the art of regional branding, an update on the Blob, a prognosis on Brazil, and more.

Recorded Wednesday, August 17, 2022

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Danny and Derek discuss fighting between U.S. and Syrian militias, the JCPOA, Imran Khan's legal troubles, the resumption of fighting in Ethiopia, the murder of Darya Dugina, and Joe Biden's $3 billion arms transfer to Ukraine.

Recorded Thursday, August 25, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Assal Rad, research director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), and Poulya Alimagham, historian of the Middle East at MIT, for the first episode in a series on modern Iran. The crew sets the stage for the 1953 coup against prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, discussing Iranians’ attempts to wrest sovereignty from the hands of foreign powers since the 19th century, the 1890 tobacco concession, the ousting of the Qajars, the rise of the Pahlavis, the 1941 allied occupation, Mosaddegh’s background, “Third World” nationalism, and more.

Pre-order your copy of Assal’s book, The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran, and also pick up Poulya’s book, Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, to talk about about his new essay, “The Galactic Vietnam: Technology, Modernization, and Empire in George Lucas’s Star Wars”. They discuss the ideological projects of Lucas’ early work, Star Wars as a “Vietnam film”, its characters’ real-life counterparts, the franchise’s Orientalism, and more.

Check out Daniel’s chapter in the volume Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories.

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With the recent FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago and the revelations of this particular investigation into Donald Trump, the Espionage Act is the talk of the town. Danny and Derek spoke with Maryam Jamshidi, professor of law at the University of Florida and specialist in national security law, in order to contextualize the Espionage Act, past cases where it has been implemented, and more.

Recorded Friday, August 19, 2022

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Danny and Derek talk about the Kenyan presidential election (0:35), the UK prime minister race poll (4:53), Ukraine (7:11), the Iran nuclear talks (14:39), and Biden's decision not to release Afghan central bank funds (18:17).

Recorded Thursday, August 18, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Aziz Rana, Richard and Lois Cole Professor of Law at Cornell University, for a discussion on his recent article in Dissent, “Left Internationalism in the Heart of Empire”. They discuss left foreign policy as it relates to postcolonial movements, transnational programs like the NIEO, the post-Bernie moment, institutional impediments past and present, the post-Cold War era, and more.

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Djene Bajalan, associate professor of history at Missouri State University, to continue their miniseries on the history of the Kurds. In this episode, they begin in post-World War I Turkey. They discuss life under the Kamalist regime, the new republic’s changing geostrategic position in the 1920s, the “Kurdish Question”, the Sheikh Said Rebellion and other Kurdish nationalist uprisings, the influence of fascism in the 1930s, and more.

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Danny and Derek discuss the Antarctic ice sheet melting (0:34), the attack on Gaza (4:05), election polls in Israel (6:53), JCPOA negotiations (8:29), Russia and New START inspections (12:20), Ukraine (16:00), Sweden & Finland and NATO (20:08), and Antony Blinken's Africa trip & US Africa policy (23:00).

Recorded Thursday, August 11, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, for a special discussion contextualizing the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Check out Omar’s work at Human Rights Watch.

Recorded Tuesday, August 9, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Kevin Klyman, researcher at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, to discuss science, technology, and US imperialism. The discussion covers vaccine diplomacy/colonialism, digital democracy and authoritarianism, the role of Big Tech, the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, the Chips and Science Act, and more.

Check out Kevin’s (Twitter handle @kevin_klyman) work discussed in the episode:

“Biden's Campaign for ‘Digital Democracy’ is Really a Giveaway to Big Tech” (Jacobin)

“Biden's Successor to TPP is a Boon for Big Tech (The American Prospect)

“Vaccine Apartheid has Reinforced US Empire” (Jacobin)

“High-Tech Pandemic Solutions Don't Save Lives. They Just Boost Profits

(Jacobin)

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Danny and Derek welcome back James Lin, assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington, to continue the discussion of the history of Taiwan. In this episode, they discuss the indigenous peoples who originally inhabited the island, the co-colonization of the Dutch and Han Chinese during the Ming Dynasty, the House of Koxinga, the island under Qing rule, the Japanese occupation, and more leading up to the February 28th Incident in 1947.

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Danny and Derek talk about the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri (1:01), Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan (6:53), the war in Ukraine (14:30), protests and the political situation in Iraq (20:10), and the ceasefire in Yemen (23:19).

For a more in-depth analysis of Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, check out our special episode with James Lin.

Recorded August 4, 2022

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Danny and Derek picked up the big red phone to James Lin to help us all make sense of the rhetoric surrounding Nancy Pelosi’s contentious trip to Taiwan.

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Danny and Derek welcome Michael Franczak, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, to discuss his book Global Inequality and American Foreign Policy in the 1970s. The conversation explores the role of the 1970s in US historiography; the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations’ respective responses to the food, oil, and debt crises of that decade; the New International Economic Order (NIEO); figures like Earl Butz, Henry Kissinger, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan; and more.

Grab a copy of Dr. Franczak’s book here!

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Danny welcomes back Nu-Anh Tran, assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, to continue the discussion of her book Disunion: Anticommunist Nationalism and the Making of the Republic of Vietnam. In this episode, they pick things up at the 1954 Geneva Conference and the partition of Vietnam. They discuss the implications of partition, President Ngô Đình Diệm’s struggles to centralize control, the 1955 Battle of Saigon, the Bình Xuyên Force, the Cần Lao Party, and more.

Grab a copy of Dr. Tran’s book here: https://bit.ly/3cKggnG

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Danny and Derek talk about the Tunisian constitutional referendum (1:01), Iraqi protesters storming parliament (2:55), the Iran nuclear deal (7:05), executions in Myanmar (12:26), al-Shabab on the Somali-Ethiopian border (15:14), Ukraine (17:51), Biden's phone call with Xi (27:15), and the melting of the Greenland ice sheet (28:26).

Recorded July 28, 2022

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Greetings!

We’re trying a new series, “This Week in History” brought to you by Foreign Exchanges (FX). I (Producer Jake) will choose a few interesting historical events each week based on what Derek has compiled for FX, and I’ll turn them into a mini podcast episode. Maybe I’ll end up using some of that ol’ “radio magic”, anything is possible! This will also be a series for paid subscribers, but we’re putting this first one out for everyone.

This week we find ourselves at the beginning of French colonization in the Americas and, remarkably, the conclusion of several major wars. Enjoy!

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Danny and Derek welcome Nu-Anh Tran, assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, for a discussion on her book Disunion: Anticommunist Nationalism and the Making of the Republic of Vietnam. In this first episode, they discuss the ideologies of independence movements dating back to the 1920s, the Japanese occupation of World War II, the Việt Minh, the roles of the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo religious movements in anticolonial resistance, the outbreak of the Anti-French Resistance (First Indochina) War, and more until the Geneva negotiations of 1954.

Grab a copy of Dr. Tran’s book here: https://bit.ly/3cKggnG

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Danny and Derek talk about Biden's Middle East trip (0:33), the apparent Turkish attack in Northern Iraq (4:05), Putin's and Erdoğan's trip to Iran (7:16), Sri Lanka's new president (12:49), Bolsonaro's claims of election fraud (15:36), Draghi's resignation in Italy (19:21), Ukraine (23:02), and the European heatwave (31:02).

Recorded July 21, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome back Samuel Huneke, assistant professor of history at George Mason University, to discuss his book States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany. In this first episode, they begin in the era of German unification in the 19th century, discussing the contemporary scholarship on sexuality, German liberalism and the rights available to homosexuals in Germanic states, the influence of the Enlightenment and French Revolution on proto-German laws, conservative ennobling of homoerotic bonding, and more until the WWI.

Check out Dr. Huneke’s book here: https://bit.ly/3OdZMBn

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Danny and Derek wish you a happy day-after-Bastille Day! They discuss tensions around Kaliningrad Oblast (1:19), the war in Ukraine (4:13), protests in Sri Lanka (8:50), the Pacific Islands Forum (13:36), the UN Security Council and Syria (15:35), and Biden's Middle East trip (18:18).

Recorded July 14, 2022

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Danny welcomes Jamie Martin, assistant professor of history and of social studies at Harvard University, to talk about his new book, The Meddlers: Sovereignty, Empire, and the Birth of Global Economic Governance. They discuss global economic governance, the League of Nations, interwar imperialism, the transition from dollar diplomacy to the IMF, and more.

Check out Dr. Martin’s book here: https://bit.ly/3AEMLOh

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This is a free preview of the special we put out on Abe Shinzo. Sign up for the paid list or trial it for two weeks to see all the bonus content you can get, including exclusive series, discussion threads, and more.

Danny and Derek welcome Chelsea Szendi Schieder, author of Coed Revolution: The Female Student in the Japanese New Left, for a special episode in the wake of former prime minister of Japan Abe Shinzo’s assassination. They discuss postwar Japan and the “peace constitution”, the Abe family’s political history, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Nippon Kaigi, Abe’s terms as PM, and more.

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Derek and Danny—through Covid and the sniffles, respectively— reunite for a news update. This week, they cover the fraught Iran nuclear discussions in Doha (0:31), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting (3:47), the start of the Chilean constitutional campaign (8:05), Ukraine (11:00), Finland and Sweden inching towards NATO membership (17:11), and dear Boris Johnson’s resignation (21:23).

The music played under our Bojo sendoff is “Nimrod” from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar.

Recorded July 7, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Matthew Specter, senior fellow at the Institute for European Studies at UC Berkley and lecturer of history at Santa Clara University, to talk about his pathbreaking book The Atlantic Realists. They discuss the origins of realism, thinkers at the fin de siècle, the national interest, Hans Morgenthau, the finer points of liberal internationism vs. realism, and more.

Grab a copy of The Atlantic Realists here: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=28906

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Derek is on vacation, so no news recap this week!

With Derek out of town, Producer Jake takes the opportunity to chat with Danny a bit about his new article in Harper’s, “Empire Burlesque”. They discuss some of the concepts presented in the piece, including the American century, liberal internationalists and restrainers, the latter two ideologies’ approaches towards US-China relations, where the American public stands on US armed primacy, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome Margaret Peacock and Erik Peterson, associate professors at the University of Alabama, to discuss their book A Deeper Sickness: Journal of America in the Pandemic Year. They discuss the book’s aims, how history informs the COVID moment, where the pandemic intersects with the political, the state of the historian profession, and more.

Grab a copy of the book here: https://bit.ly/3NpZhE8

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ICYMI, here is Danny and Derek’s guest appearance on the UNFTR podcast for a new series of theirs called “Phone a Friend”.

Episode Web Page

Episode Transcript

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Derek and Producer Jake (filling in for Danny) bring you news highlights of the week, including: an update on Ukraine (2:32), the parliamentary election in France (11:43), the presidential election in Colombia (17:00), protests in Ecuador (21:40), the collapse of the Israeli coalition government (25:06), Mohammed bin Salman’s Middle Eastern tour (31:09), and the earthquake in Afghanistan (36:26).

If you’d like to support victims of the earthquake, here are some places you can go:

Red Cross

Global Giving

Islamic Relief

Doctors Without Borders

Recorded June 23, 2022

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Danny and Derek welcome Eli Clifton, senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and Investigative-Journalist-at-Large at Responsible Statecraft, for a discussion on Beltway think tanks. They talk about the recent kerfuffle at Brookings Institution, the Foreign Agent Registration Act, dark money, the influence of think tanks on legislation, and much more.

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Danny and Derek discuss Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel (1:06), the potential collapse of the ruling Israeli political coalition (6:41), the M23 conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (10:01), the first round of the French parliamentary election (14:11), and Ukraine (17:25). They then speak with Lisandro Claudio, assistant professor at UC Berkley, about Philippine politics from the 1980s through today. They discuss the Duterte and Marcos families, the U.S.-Philippines relationship, the Philippines “balancing act” between the U.S. and China, and much more.

Check out Dr. Claudio’s book Liberalism and the Postcolony: Thinking the State in 20th-Century Philippines here: https://bit.ly/3Hz0BTH

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Danny and Derek do a lightning round of news: they talk about a potential Chinese naval base in Cambodia (0:54), the SIGAR report on missing Afghanistan funds (5:01), the IAEAs' censure of Iran (8:33), the recent Israeli vote on settlements (12:54), Ukraine (16:52), and the Summit of the Americas meeting (22:05). They they speak with Samuel Huneke (29:52), assistant professor of history at George Mason University, about queer theory. They discuss Foucault, the rise of sexual identities, essentialism vs social constructionism, the role of the state in gay liberation, and more.

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Danny and Derek talk about Ukraine (0:34), the Yemen ceasefire extension (20:18), and the Colombian election (23:59). They then speak with Alexander Aviña (27:34), associate professor of history at Arizona State University, about his book Specters of Revolution: Peasant Guerrillas in the Cold War Mexican Countryside. They discuss the background of the Mexican state of Guerrero, the Mexican Revolution and historical memory, how rural teachers formed the revolutionary vanguard of the 1960s, and the major players in the fight against the ruling PRI.

Check out Alexander’s book here: https://bit.ly/3an4DBX

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Danny and Derek talk about the Australian election (0:33), Biden's Asia trip (6:48), island transfers in the Red Sea (14:22), and Ukraine (21:08). They then speak with Stefan Eich (32:44), assistant professor of government at Georgetown University, about his new book The Currency of Politics. They discuss the history of money, the relationship between war and currency, and much more through the time of John Locke.

Check out Stefan’s book here: https://bit.ly/3NEHyt3

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Danny and Derek are joined by James Lin, assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington, to discuss Joe Biden’s “gaffe” about U.S. policy toward Taiwan.

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Danny argues with the folks at the Wisdom of Crowds podcast. Enjoy!

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Danny and Derek discuss the Lebanese election (0:35), fighting in Libya (6:28), problems confronting Finland and Sweden's attempt to join NATO (10:23), and Ukraine (16:28). They then speak with Annelle Sheline (20:28), research fellow at the Quincy Institute, about the UAE, how it functions and its growing geopolitical prominence, before pivoting into a discussion of the current situation in Yemen and tensions in US relations with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

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Danny and Derek talk with Daniel Finn, features editor at Jacobin and author of One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA, about the May 5 Northern Ireland Assembly election, wherein Sinn Féin became the largest party. They discuss the factors leading to this result, why an Irish nationalist/republican party winning a majority is significant, what it means for the prospect of Irish reunifcation, and more.

Check out Daniel's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3755-one-man-s-terrorist

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Danny and Derek talk Ukraine (0:33), the crisis in Sri Lanka (11:36), the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine (17:59), and a possible Summit of the Americas boycott (23:40). They're then joined by Lauren Poyer (29:24), assistant teaching professor at the University of Washington, to discuss the movie The Northman, what it gets right and wrong, Viking legends’ influence on American mythology, and the history of the Vikings more broadly.

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In recognition of Ada Ferrer receiving the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in History, we’re re-posting the two episodes in which she’s the featured guest.

Danny and Derek begin by talking about Havana Syndrome (1:44), the Houthi attack in Abu Dhabi (7:31), U.S. diplomacy with regards Ukraine (17:14), and the recent North Korean missile tests (28:02). They are then again joined by Ada Ferrer (32:50), professor of history and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU, to discuss the history of Cuba in the first half of the twentieth century. They talk about a variety of issues, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba's political economy, the U.S. (re)occupation of the island, Gerardo Machado and Fulgencio Batista, and more. Grab Ada's book here!

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In recognition of Ada Ferrer receiving the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in History, we’re re-posting the two episodes in which she’s the featured guest.

Danny and Derek talk about the Nicaraguan elections, MBS and his pro-Republican oil policy, and last weekend's attack on the Iraqi prime minister. They then speak with Ada Ferrer (21:00), professor of history and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU, about the history of Cuba from the precolonial period until the Spanish-American War/War of 1898.

Grab Ada's book here: https://bit.ly/3CevBUK

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Danny and Derek give updates on Ukraine (0:56), Finland and Sweden's attempts to join NATO (17:40), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Saudi Arabia (22:06), North Korea's recent weapons test (28:05), and the potential return of the British Virgin Islands to direct UK rule (29:49). They then speak with Silyane Larcher (33:20), tenured research fellow at the French National Center for Scientific Research, about the results of the French election. They discuss the results, five years of Macron’s policies, Le Pen’s surprising gains, Mélenchon’s bold next steps, and more.

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Danny and Derek talk about the war in Ukraine (1:02); the Global South's reaction to the war (4:57); Russian war aims and Moldova (11:39); food insecurity in the Horn of Africa (14:57); and the elections in France (17:04) and Slovenia (20:51). They are then joined by Emma Ashford (24:34), senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, for an update on where the DC foreign policy establishment stands today. They talk about the future of US grand strategy, analyze Ukraine in a realist framework, look at inter-generational and party stances on liberal internationalism, and more in a wide-ranging discussion.

Check out Emma’s upcoming book Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates: https://bit.ly/3y3Z0CQ

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Danny and Derek discuss the war in Ukraine (2:04), the U.S.-China rivalry in the Solomon Islands (23:20), North Korea's latest weapons test (27:55), and violence in Israel-Palestine (30:21). They then speak with James Lin (35:54), assistant professor of international studies at the University of Washington, about the history of Taiwan. The group covers the first part of the twentieth century until 1949, including the Communist (CCP) and Nationalist (KMT) parties’ respective ideologies and relationship, Chiang Kai-shek, the political economy of China at the time, and more.

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Danny and Derek give updates on Ukraine (1:04); Finland and Sweden beginning internal debates about joining NATO (12:42); Imran Khan's loss of Pakistan's prime ministership (18:46); and China's recent security deal with the Solomon Islands (21:37). They then speak with Emile Chabal, reader in history at the University at Edinburgh, about the recent French election results.

Check out Emile’s latest book France: https://bit.ly/3xLAZ3l

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Danny and Derek are over at Substack now! In this news-only episode, they talk about the state of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Russian military generally (7:28); atrocities in Ukraine (17:38); Putin's domestic position (22:23); Viktor Orbán's reelection in Hungary (24:44); Aleksandar Vučić's reelection in Serbia (31:14); Marine Le Pen gaining on Emmanuel Macron in French polls (34:59); Sri Lankan protests (42:05); Pakistan's no confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan (45:45); and the ceasefire in Yemen and President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's ceding of power (49:39).

Note: You will still be able to listen to American Prestige on any podcast app of your choice. You can also directly download the episode MP3 below.

If you have any issues, please reach out to podcasting@substackinc.com for dedicated support.

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Danny and Derek speak about potential Russia-Ukraine peace talks (0:51), Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s facing a no-confidence vote (9:36), Ansar Allah/Houthi and Saudi ceasefires (14:28), and the DPRK’s most recent ballistic missile test (17:39). They are then joined by Alejandro Velasco, associate professor of history at NYU, to discuss Venezuela and Chavismo. They talk Venezuelan history since the 1950’s, Chavez’s early life, ideologies informing his approach to state power, and much more.

Check out Alejandro's book Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela: https://bit.ly/3DqgMki

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Danny and Derek speak about the opening and closing of girls' schools in Afghanistan (0:39), the North Korean missile test (6:56), and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (11:51). They then speak with E. Tammy Kim (31:42), a writer, contributing opinion writer at The New York Times, and co-host of the Time to Say Goodbye podcast, about the recent presidential election in South Korea.
Check out Tammy's article on the South Korean election: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2022/03/16/exit-polls-in-seoul/
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Producer Jake remixes the bleakest of the bleak—Nancy Pelosi's reading of a poem by Bono— for the real heads.

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Danny and Derek discuss the state of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2:49); Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech before the U.S. Congress (12:27); Russia-Ukraine peace talks (15:35); the South Korean election (18:57) and the North Korean missile test (20:52); a potential Yemen peace conference (24:20); and the Iran missile attack on Erbil and the JCPOA (26:38). They then speak with Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson (33:10), associate professor of international relations at Boston University, about the history of NATO expansion from 1989 until 2008.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, for the third episode on Afghanistan's history. They pick up at the collapse of the Soviet Union, the start of the Afghan Civil War, and go into particular detail on the Taliban—their ascendance in the mid-90s, ideology, patrons, relationships with foreign powers and the Afghan people, and more.

Check out Tim's book: https://bit.ly/3w3fQAO

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Danny and Derek begin the episode by talking about the recent election in South Korea, the oil market, and a new ISIS leader who just came on the scene. They then speak with Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft about the history of Russia-Ukraine relations, European countries' response, what this suggests about international relations, and more.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, to discuss his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. In this third episode, they examine how the Zionist movement was affected by World War II; the postwar conflicts in the region; the development of a Palestinian national identity; and more leading up to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book here: https://bit.ly/3LNDLJV

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Danny and Derek give an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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Danny and Derek finally do their first mailbag episode, the clip show of podcasts. They answer a multitude of questions relating to the theory and practice of U.S. foreign policy and also give some book and TV recommendations. This one was fun, enjoy it!

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Danny and Derek give an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the domestic reaction within Russia; Russian nukes; western responses to the invasion; Turkey's closing its straits to Russian ships; Germany's dedicating €100 billion to its defense spending; and media coverage surrounding the conflict.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, to kick off a 10-part series on the history of Afghanistan. In this first episode, they cover the major players in the formation of modern Afghanistan, its interactions with colonial powers, Afghan nationalism, the country’s role in the Cold War, and a number of other topics leading up to the 1978 coup.

Check out Tim's book: https://bit.ly/3M8tQyI

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, for the second episode on Afghanistan's history. They cover the Soviet Invasion of 1979, the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship, the major players in 1980s Afghanistan politics, ideological influences on the Mujahideen, and other topics leading into the 1990s civil war.

Check out Tim's book here: https://bit.ly/3BYdPXh

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Danny and Derek analyze Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine: what's happening, its potential causes, its potential consequences, and the United States' and West's responses.

For more on Putin and Ukraine, see Jacob Lassin and Emily Channell-Justice's article at The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-putin-has-such-a-hard-time-accepting-ukrainian-sovereignty-174029

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Danny and Derek give an update about Vladimir Putin's directive that sends Russian "peacekeepers" to the Donbas.

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Danny and Derek welcome back Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, to discuss his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. In this second episode, they cover Mandatory Palestine, how the English navigated Zionist and Arab nationalist interests, the 1936-39 uprising, the White Paper of 1939, and more leading up to the 1947 UN partition plan.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book here: https://bit.ly/3LNDLJV

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Danny and Derek give another update on Ukraine in light of what appears to be a Russian escalation.

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Danny and Derek give a world-historical update on the fate of Nick Kristof's gubernatorial campaign (0:38) before turning to the French withdrawal from Mali (3:16), Biden's discussions with Saudi Arabia over oil (10:12), the Iran deal (14:49), the Afghanistan central bank (17:32), and Ukraine (23:23). They then speak with Nicholas Mulder (28:05), assistant professor of history at Cornell, about his new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War.

Check out Nicholas' book: https://bit.ly/35cXL80

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Danny and Derek give a special update about what's been going on in Ukraine. What, exactly, has occurred in the last two weeks? How does the Ukrainian situation today compare to what happened in Crimea in 2014 and Georgia in 2008? What is Putin's domestic position? And most important, is war on the immediate horizon?

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, to kick off a 10-part series on the history of Afghanistan. In this first episode, they cover the major players in the formation of modern Afghanistan, its interactions with colonial powers, Afghan nationalism, the country’s role in the Cold War, and a number of other topics leading up to the 1978 coup.

Check out Tim's book: https://bit.ly/3GMqygL

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Danny and Derek welcome back Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, to kick off a 10-part series on the history of Afghanistan. In this first episode, they cover the major players in the formation of modern Afghanistan, its interactions with colonial powers, Afghan nationalism, the country’s role in the Cold War, and a number of other topics leading up to the 1978 coup.

Check out Tim's book here!

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Danny and Derek begin by talking about Libya's appointment of a new prime minister, though the country already has one (1:17), General Kenneth McKenzie's comments on Yemen (7:02), Ukraine (11:00), and a new report released by the Costs of War Project on the War on Terror (21:11). They then speak with Rashid Khalidi (24:53), the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, about his book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017.

Grab a copy of Professor Khalidi's book: https://bit.ly/3GLfgct

Dig into the Costs of War Project report: https://bit.ly/3gCSuZF

Enjoy Danny vs Vaush: https://bit.ly/3JfZ7NG

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Danny speaks with Jay Caspian Kang, writer at The New York Times and author of The Loneliest Americans, about the history of Asian American Studies, the role of empire in shaping his perspective, contemporary progressive politics, and much more. Check out The Loneliest Americans here! Become a patron today for the full ep! www.patreon.com/americanprestige

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Danny and Derek speak about the attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau (1:38), North Korea's missile test (6:26), Ukraine (12:13), the U.S. operation that killed an Isis leader in Syria (18:49), and recent reports about Iran's nuclear breakout capability (24:26). They then speak with Yar Batmanghelidj (29:52), founder and CEO of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, about the human toll of U.S. sanctions on Iran. Check out Yar's study, his piece in Just Security, his interview with Spencer Ackerman, and the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation! Become a patron today!
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In this seventh and final narrative episode on the history of Vietnam, Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about Vietnam's postwar history. They talk about the unification of North and South Vietnam, the Vietnam-Cambodia war, the Vietnam-China War, the U.S. trade embargo, and various economic and political developments that took place in the 1980s and 1990s. They conclude with a discussion of modern Vietnam, and where the country finds itself today.

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Danny has a fun conversation with Aaron Good about propaganda on the American Exception podcast!

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Danny and Derek talk about the coup in Burkina Faso (1:15), Xiomara Castro's inauguration in Honduras (8:21), Ukraine (13:03), and the State Department's deal with Egypt (21:28). They then speak with Rebecca Gordon (25:54), who teaches at the University of San Francisco, about the history and present use of autonomous weapons.

Check out Rebecca's recent piece in TomDispatch here, and grab her books Mainstreaming Torture and American Nuremberg!

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Danny and Derek sit down with linguist and antiwar critic Noam Chomsky to discuss his biography and a bunch of other subjects, from the responsibility of intellectuals to the antiwar movement to what to do in our present situation. And Chomsky disagrees with Danny. This is the second of two parts.

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Danny and Derek begin by talking about Havana Syndrome (1:44), the Houthi attack in Abu Dhabi (7:31), U.S. diplomacy with regards Ukraine (17:14), and the recent North Korean missile tests (28:02). They are then again joined by Ada Ferrer (32:50), professor of history and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU, to discuss the history of Cuba in the first half of the twentieth century. They talk about a variety of issues, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba's political economy, the U.S. (re)occupation of the island, Gerardo Machado and Fulgencio Batista, and more. Grab Ada's book here!

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In the sixth episode of our series on Vietnam, the boys speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the last stages of the American War in Vietnam. They talk about the political situation in North and South Vietnam in the early 1970s, U.S. bombing campaigns, the peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam, the Easter Offensive, the Paris Peace Accords, the final fall of South Vietnam, and more.

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Danny and Derek discuss Boris Johnson's problems in the UK, US/Russia/Europe talks, the situation in Kazakhstan, the Saudi-Hezbollah feud, and the decline of the Saudis. They are then joined by Djene Bajalan, assistant professor of history at Missouri State University, to continue their miniseries on the history of the Kurds. In this episode, the boys discuss Kurdish history during the long nineteenth century.

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Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the history of Vietnam. They discuss the life and times of Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese nationalism and communism, the French and Japanese occupations of Vietnam, and much more. This is the first in a series on the history of Vietnam from the perspective of the Vietnamese.

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Danny and Derek sit down with linguist and antiwar critic Noam Chomsky to discuss his biography and a bunch of other subjects, from the responsibility of intellectuals to the antiwar movement to what to do in our present situation. This is the first of two parts.

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Danny and Derek discuss what's been going on in Kazakhstan; next week's series of meetings between the United States, Europe, and Russia; the security cooperation treaty signed between Australia and Japan; the U.S. military budget; and why everything feels so strange these days. They then speak with Djene Bajalan, assistant professor of history at Missouri State University, about the history of the Kurds from the medieval period until the 19th century.

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In this fifth episode of our series on Vietnam, Danny and Derek talk with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the situation of South Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and Huế massacre of 1968. They talk about developments in rural South Vietnam, urban South Vietnam, and the increasing delegitimization of the administration of Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's government.

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Danny and Derek speak with Chapo Trap House's Matt Christman about 2021 before going into a discussion about the possibilities and pitfalls of modern politics. A fun episode for all of our Prestigeheads!

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Merry Christmas! Danny and Derek speak with the historian Terri Blom Crocker to discuss the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers in World War I made various agreements to cede fighting. We talk about the reality of the various truces and how the truce has been memorialized and remembered since 1914.

Please find Terri's book here: https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813166155/the-christmas-truce/

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Merry Christmas! Danny and Derek talk about Libya’s postponed election, Chile’s new president-elect, Russian designs on Ukraine, Omicron, and the Pentagon’s systemic failure to protect civilians from its bombs. Then, the NIAC’s Sina Toossi returns to conclude our discussion of Iran’s nuclear program from the 2013 election of Hassan Rouhani through the first year of the Biden administration.

Sina’s “Iran Unfiltered” project: https://bit.ly/3qqyqhy

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Danny and Derek speak with the political scientist Aaron Good, author of American Exception: Empire and the Deep State and the new podcast American Exception, about the JFK assassination. They delve into the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination, the idea of Kennedy as a "peacenik," why it's important to study the assassination, and much more.

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Danny and Derek discuss the upcoming elections in Chile and France, Turkey changing its name to Türkiye, the U.S.-UAE relationship and the "New Cold War" with China, and U.S. war crimes in Syria. They then speak with Sheyda Jahanbani, associate professor of history at the University of Kansas, about liberalism and development, and why liberals have over time embraced development as a key platform in their foreign policy.

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Danny and Derek speak with the political scientist Aaron Good, author of American Exception: Empire and the Deep State and the new podcast American Exception, about the JFK assassination. They delve into the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination, the idea of Kennedy as a "peacenik," why it's important to study the assassination, and much more.

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Danny and Derek give updates on Russia-Ukraine tensions, the recent change of government in Germany, the U.S.' boycott of the Olympics, and the Summit for Democracy. They then speak with Natalie Shure, of The New Republic, and Bob Wright, of The Nonzero Newsletter, about Havana Syndrome.

Check out Natalie's piece at Slow Boring: https://bit.ly/3Gz3rGu
Check out Bob's piece at the Nonzero Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3DH49jm

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Danny is joined by Nando Vila, a producer and co-host of Jacobin Weekends, and Noah Kulwin, a writer and co-host of Blowback. The three gentlemen have gathered to discuss You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Adam Sandler's 2008 meditation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They talk about a variety of issues, from American Jews' relationship to Israel to Sandler's oeuvre to Sandler's role as the last comedy megastar.

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Danny and Derek begin the episode with updates on the omicron COVID variant, the Honduran election, developments in Ethiopia, and the re-opening of the discussions surrounding the Iranian nuclear agreement. They then speak with Sina Toosi, Senior Research Analyst at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), about the history of the Iranian nuclear program from the 1950s until the 2010s.

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Chag Sameach! Danny and Derek are joined by independent scholar Joseph Scales to talk about the history of Hanukkah. They discuss the rivalry between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that preceded the conflict; the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt and the family's ascension to power within Judea; the Judean expansion; and much more.

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Danny and Derek wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate, and a good holiday weekend to anyone who doesn't. The boys begin the episode talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict; the German coalition agreement between the SPD, FDP, and Greens; and Joe Biden's tapping into the US' Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). They then have a wide-ranging conversation with Patrick Wyman, host of the podcast "Tides of History," about history’s first poster, Martin Luther, and Patrick's new book The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World.

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Derek is joined by historian Michael Franczak, Postdoctoral Fellow in Global Order at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, to recap the COP26 summit. They discuss the history of the international environmental movement and the US role in it, Mike’s own experiences in Glasgow, and his assessment of what took place after he left.

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Danny speaks with Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, about the Netflix show Narcos and the long history of the Mexican drug war, from the beginnings of colonization until the late-1990s. They cover the origins of drug use in Mexico, U.S. campaigns against drug use, the development of the modern drug trade, and how Narcos addresses these and other complex topics.

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Danny and Derek open with an update on Danny’s COVID and then segue into a discussion of the border conflict in the Caucasus, the migrant crisis in Eastern Europe, and this week’s big Biden-Xi summit. Derek is then joined by the University of Florida’s Terje Østebø, who takes us through the roots of Ethiopia’s year-long civil war and assesses where things stand now.

Check out Terje's book: https://bit.ly/3kRZrbK

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Danny speaks with Alexander Aviña, associate professor of history at Arizona State University, about the Netflix show Narcos and the long history of the Mexican drug war, from the beginnings of colonization until the late-1990s. They cover the origins of drug use in Mexico, U.S. campaigns against drug use, the development of the modern drug trade, and how Narcos addresses these and other complex topics.

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Danny and Derek talk about the Nicaraguan elections, MBS and his pro-Republican oil policy, and last weekend's attack on the Iraqi prime minister. They then speak with Ada Ferrer (21:00), professor of history and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU, about the history of Cuba from the precolonial period until the Spanish-American War/War of 1898.

Grab Ada's book here: https://bit.ly/3CevBUK

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Danny and Derek have a fun conversation with the guys over at This is Revolution Podcast!

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Danny and Derek are joined by the writer Jacob Bacharach and Matt Christman, co-host of Chapo Trap House and Hell of Presidents, about the "New Chronology" Soviet/Russian conspiracy theory. The four gentlemen cover a wide area, exploring everything from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the history of chronology, Mormonism, and much more. This is a fun one!

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Danny and Derek talk about the COP26 climate summit, the Ethiopian civil war, recent developments in Sudan, and Israel's budget drama. They're then joined by Sarah Miller-Davenport, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield, to discuss the history of Hawai'i, focusing on the United States' long-standing colonial relationship to the territory, its eventual statehood, and its cultural meaning for Americans.

Check out Sarah's book Gateway State: Hawai'i and the Cultural Transformation of American Empire!

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Danny and Derek speak with Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, about all things Dune. They discuss the importance of culture to understand U.S. empire, the history of imperial U.S. fiction, the life and times of Frank Herbert, and how Herbert's particular vision of technology, empire, and indigenous politics informed the writing of Dune.

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Danny and Derek talk about China's hypersonic weapons test, Mohammed bin Salman's return to the United States' good graces, and recent developments in Sudan. They then speak with Alden Young, assistant professor of African American Studies at UCLA, about the history of Sudan from the 19th century until today.

Check out Alden's book Transforming Sudan: Decolonization, Economic Development, and State Formation!
https://bit.ly/3bnMqle

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In the fourth episode of our series on Vietnam, Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the early period of Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's reign, Richard M. Nixon's "Vietnamization" strategy and the war's expansion to Laos and Cambodia, the American anti-war movement, and North Vietnam's position after the failure of the Tet Offensive.

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Danny and Derek discuss the life and career of Colin Powell, Russian moves on NATO and Afghanistan, and bombshell revelations about the Biden Administration and the Iran nuclear agreement. They then speak with Emma Claire Foley, Research Associate at Global Zero, and John Carl Baker, Nuclear Field Coordinator and Senior Program Officer at Ploughshares Fund, about the U.S. nuclear program, focusing on its history and present posture.

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In this third episode of our series on Vietnam, Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about Lyndon Baines Johnson's decision to escalate the war in 1964-1965, the political rivalry between Nguyễn Văn Thiệu and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, South Vietnamese ideology, the Tet Offensive and the Huế massacre, and much more.

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Danny and Derek talk about Nick Kristof's resignation from the NYT, developments in ME diplomacy, the Norwegian elections, and Democratic hawkishness on Taiwan. They then speak with Anatol Lieven, senior research fellow on Russia and Europe at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, about his recent article on liberal internationalism as well as his realist approach to foreign affairs.

Check out Anatol's article: https://bit.ly/3DPBdGp

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Danny and Derek welcome back Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, to continue their series on Vietnam. They discuss the history of South Vietnam, focusing in particular on the life and times of Ngô Đình Diệm, the first president of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and U.S. foreign policy in the 1950s and early 1960s.

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Danny and Derek discuss the Pandora Papers; the recent EU summit on whether six Western Balkan states will enter that org; and developments in intra-Middle East diplomacy. They then speak with Leah Bolger, president of World BEYOND War, Patterson Deppen, researcher for WBW, and David Vine, prof of anthropology at American University in DC, about their Quincy Institute report (https://bit.ly/3FugUjd) about the U.S.' global basing structure.

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Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the history of Vietnam. They discuss the life and times of Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese nationalism and communism, the French and Japanese occupations of Vietnam, and much more. This is the first in a series on the history of Vietnam from the perspective of the Vietnamese.

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Danny and Derek speak with Sean Fear, lecturer in international history at the University of Leeds, about the history of Vietnam. They discuss the life and times of Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnamese nationalism and communism, the French and Japanese occupations of Vietnam, and much more. This is the first in a series on the history of Vietnam from the perspective of the Vietnamese.

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Danny and Derek begin the show with the UK and Brexit woes; the meeting between Jake Sullivan and MBS at Neom; Canada-China relations; and more. Danny then interviews Christy Thornton, assistant professor of sociology and Latin American studies at Johns Hopkins University, about her book Revolution in Development, which explores the role Mexico played in shaping approaches to international development.

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Christy's book: https://bit.ly/2ZPuhKD

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Danny and Derek speak with Tim Nunan, lecturer in global history at the Free University of Berlin, about the recent German elections. They discuss the origins and legacy of Angela Merkel, what the election results say about German politics, and what we may expect in the future.

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Danny and Derek talk about this week’s UN General Assembly session, AUKUS and the New Cold War, and Boris Johnson’s diminished hopes for a better commercial relationship with the United States. They’re then joined by Kate Kizer, policy director at Win Without War, to discuss the state of the DC foreign policy establishment, the Biden administration’s failures to live up to its rhetoric, and making a career in foreign policy.

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Danny is joined by David Parsons of Nostalgia Trap to discuss the GI coffee houses that emerged during the Vietnam War and served as important sites of debate about the war and US empire. Danny and David discuss a variety of issues, from culture's role in shaping history to the failures and successes of the coffee house movement and what these might teach us today.

Grab a copy of David's book here: https://bit.ly/2Xs9cEE

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Danny and Derek talk about North Korea's new weapons developments, the chaos going on in Haiti, the announcement of a new US-UK-Australian military pact (and France's response), and recent revelations about how General Mark Milley responded to Donald Trump's post-election breakdown. The boys then speak with Samuel Moyn, Luce Professor of Jurisprudence and Professor of History at Yale University, about his new book Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War and Danny's review of it in The New Republic.

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Danny and Derek speak with Leslie Lee III, the host of Struggle Session, about post-9/11 culture and how the United States' imperial adventures influenced movies, TV, and video. They discuss a number of cultural products, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC universe, 24, The Shield, and much more, to explore how Americans used culture to work through their anxieties and anger about the attacks.

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Danny and Derek begin the episode with some reflections on their 9/11 experience. They then interview Jim Lobe, director of LobeLog and contributing editor at the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft, about the intellectual origins of the coalition that after 9/11 pursued endless war. The boys then interview Laila Ujayli, associate editor at Inkstick Media, about growing up as a young Muslim in post-9/11 America, the attacks' effects on the American Muslim community, and more.

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Danny and Derek discuss COVID-19 and how vaccine colonialism reflects longer-term trends in U.S. history, the recent coup in Guinea, the formation of the new Afghanistan government, and the upcoming German elections. The boys then speak with Alexander Aviña, an assistant professor of history at Arizona State University, about the history of Mexico and U.S.-Mexican Relations from the 1810 Mexican War of Independence to the "drug war" of today.

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Danny speaks with Clayton Kozan, a graduate student at Texas Tech University who analyzes how the Vietnam War is portrayed in video games. From 80s games that have you play the lone wolf; to Call of Duty: Black Ops, where the War is about Nazis (??) and Soviets; to When I Was Young, which focuses not only on combat but the social experience of being a soldier, Danny and Clayton discuss how and why games' portrayal of Vietnam changed over time.

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Danny and Derek begin the show with an update on Afghanistan before turning to Biden's speech on the withdrawal and the status of the U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement. The boys then speak with Keith Pluymers, an Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University, about the deep history of climate change, starting with human settlement about 12,000 years ago and continuing up to today. Turns out that capitalism might be a problem.

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Danny and Derek give an update on Afghanistan, discuss Based Biden's rejection of European complaining, do a reading series on Obamanaut Ben Rhodes' recent article in Foreign Affairs, and address some dubious ambassador appointments. They then talk to Emily Atkin, who founded the essential newsletter Heated (https://heated.world), about climate change (it's real bad, folks) and what we need to do to make sure humanity makes it past the year 2100.

Thank you to Courtney Rawlings and Don Hughes for their help with the LeMay University ad

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Danny and Matt Christman from Chapo Trap House talk about “The Suicide Squad,” the latest cinematic masterpiece from the DC Universe. They go into director James Gunn’s fetish for subversion, the exhaustion of liberal culture, and how the film reflects the United States’ long-standing and brutal relationship with Latin America.

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Danny and Derek give an update on Afghanistan before turning to Lebanon, which is presently in chaos, and Cameroon, where climate change has engendered new conflicts. They are then joined by Spencer Ackerman, whose new book "Reign of Terror" charts the many failures that have defined the "War on Terror" for the past twenty years.

Grab a copy of Spencer's book!
https://bit.ly/3B34USV

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Danny and Derek do a quick breakdown of what's been going on in Afghanistan, who the major players are, and what's likely to happen in the coming days, weeks, and months.

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The boys spend the episode's first part discussing the recent report by the IPCC on climate change, the fate of the Afghan government against the Taliban, and Mauritius' inability to get the United States to play by the rules of Joe Biden’s “rules-based order." In the episode's second half, the boys talk with the Quincy Institute's Annelle Sheline about the United States' best friend Saudi Arabia and its role in broader Middle Eastern politics.

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Danny and Derek are joined by Will Menaker and Matt Christman of Chapo Trap House to talk about one of the great 90s war movies: Three Kings. The gang discusses how the film relates to the "end of history" moment in which it was made, what the film says about the American approach to war, how it fits into the larger history of war films, and much more.

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Danny and Derek spend the first part of the episode talking about Libya from its independence through the rise and fall of Muammar Gaddafi, the civil war, and its faltering peace process. Then, Derek is joined by Assal Rad, senior research fellow at the National Iranian-American Council, to discuss her recent piece on the role economic warfare plays in extending the US empire and on the state of American-Iranian relations.

Check out Assal's article here:
https://bit.ly/2TZR8AD

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This week, Danny and Derek take you from Iran, to China, to Iraq, to Tunisia, before speaking with Matt Duss, the chief foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders. They talk with Matt about the Olde Blogosphere, how he got to work for Bernie, and interrogating the foreign policy “consensus” from inside the belly of the beast.

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The boys talk with Aziz Rana, professor of law at Cornell University and the author of the book The Two Faces of American Freedom, about the Cold War and why so many of our leaders act like they are living in a different era. They address everything from the insular cases of the early 20th century to why Biden and his team do the things they do. Surprise, surprise, it’s not great folks!

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In this episode, Danny and Derek talk with Matt Christman, co-host of Chapo Trap House and the new podcast Hell of Presidents. The gang explores the institution of the presidency and how it changed over time, asking the age-old question: “Presidents: good or bad?”

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In the premiere episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek get into the nitty gritty of the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Did the military intentionally botch the withdrawal? Has the imperial frontier contracted in any meaningful way? Will the Taliban gain legitimacy with the Afghan people?

Plus, an in-depth interview with Stephen Wertheim, discussing his new book “Tomorrow, the World”, which explores how and why during World War II U.S. elites decided that their nation should, indeed must, dominate the world.

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American Prestige: Recent Episodes

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

American Prestige: Recent Episodes

Daniel Bessner &amp; Derek Davison

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison