The American Question: Recent Episodes
Lawrence Caplan
A 30-minute current affairs and political question and answer show with important public and private figures in politics, government, and finance as guests. The host poses one particular question that heretofore remains unanswered, such as the constitutional process should the President lose reelection yet refuse to leave office voluntarily.
In this episode of The American Question, we look at the ongoing plight of the Uighurs, a Muslim group of peoples who live in far western China, and who have been suffering severe trauma and who have been forced into reeducation camps and forced labor by the government of the People's Republic of China at the hands of the PRC government in Beijing.
Our guest is Nina Gardner, an adjunct professor of international law at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, dc.
This episode focuses on The Application of International Law, including statutes and court decisions, in state and federal courts in the US. Special emphasis will be placed on recent decisions of the US Supreme Court impacting whether international law should be given any effect in the US, legal decision making at all. Our guest is Prof. Steven Schneebaum of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
This week The American Question takes on the pressing issue of the continued existence of a free and independent Taiwan in light of increasing pressure from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The guest this week is Derek Grossman, Senior Defense Analyst at The Rand Corporation based in Santa Monica, CA.
This week we take a look at the current state of the death penalty in America. Our guest is Prof. Steven Schneebaum of the School of Advanced International studies at Johns Hopkins. We look at the relative effectiveness if the death penalty, prejudice In its application, and why the US is one of the very few Western nations still employing ut.
This episode of The American Question deals with the challenge of building electric cars while being careful to respect basic human rights, such as avoiding the use of child labor and poisoning valuable water supplies.
Our guest is Nina Gardner, an adjunct professor in the International Law Department at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a graduate of both Harvard and Columbia Law School. Gardner is a well-known expert in human rights and its intersection with high technology.
The guest is Charles Ries (picture below), former US Ambassador to Greece and US Minister for Economic Affairs and Coordinator for Economic Transition in Iraq.
With the UK, after almost five years, having finally negotiated its "Brexit" from the EU, it is time to look back and see what mistakes were made with the Brexit process and what steps can now be taken to lessen the damage to European trade and unfettered access to European markets. We will particularly look at the problems posed by Brexit to the shaky relationship between Northern Ireland (UK) and the Republic of Ireland, and the concerns related to ongoing tourism on the island of Gibraltar, which is a UK territory lying extremely close to Spain and very dependent on unfettered tourist access. Finally, we take a look at how the nascent Biden Administration will work with both the UK and the EU to ensure that the US is not adversely impacted in foreign trade and military planning by the breakup.
With the "America First" Trump Administration in the rearview mirror, how will America go about convincing its allies that it is a dependable partner in trade, health, and security? The guest is Marcia Wiss, a professor of international law at Georgetown Law School and professor of international investment law at Johns Hopkins University school of advanced international studies (SAIS). She was also a partner at Hogan Lovells in DC and is the founder and managing director of Wiss Partners, a boutique international law firm.
In this episode, we ask whether the time has come for the US to cease being the "World's Policeman"? The guest is Jim LeBlanc, who has spent the last 35 years serving as a trusted counselor and advisor to domestic and international business concerns. Jim also managed a major NGO in Iraq for several years. This podcast centers on how US foreign policy will evolve during the incoming Biden Administration and whether President Trump's isolationist policies will be reversed, and whether the US will rejoin the WHO and reengage with Iran in light of its nuclear program ambitions.
This podcast episode is entitled "What is Donald Trump's endgame? and it deals with what additional actions Trump might take prior to January 20th in order to effectively handicap the incoming Biden Administration and make it that much more difficult for the new administration to get off to a fast start. In particular, we look at the possible firing of key government officials, removal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and even the threat of launching limited air attacks against Iran prior to the Inauguration. The podcast also looks at the Presidents almost unlimited power to pardon officials and even his own family for federal crimes, even if a crime has not yet been found to have been committed.
This episode is focused on an analysis of whether civility in American politics is dead with no hope of returning anytime soon. The guest is Shelby Scarbrough, who worked in the advance and protocol departments of the White House and State Department in the Reagan administration of the 1980s. Shelby has written a new book entitled "Civility Rules," which discusses the civility rules as promulgated by a very young George Washington in the 1700s. Specific issues discussed in the episode include the lack of civility in the Trump administration, the recent Supreme Court appointment, and a look back at how the concept of civility in politics has slowly seemed to disappear.