The Lawfare Podcast

Chatter: Gaming Out an Insurrection with Jesse Moss

Aug 20, 2024

Jesse Moss, a producer and co-director known for his investigative documentaries, dives deep into the fictional insurrection scenario depicted in his new film, "War Game." He discusses the chilling premise where military revolt coincides with electoral certification. Moss reveals how real-world experts role-play critical decisions in a simulation, grappling with the invocation of the Insurrection Act. He also reflects on navigating political tensions ahead of elections and the impact of political violence on democracy, highlighting the importance of dialogue and collective healing.

01:04:28

Creator website

Episode guests

Jesse Moss

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The film 'Wargame' presents a speculative scenario where military revolt complicates the government's response to an insurrection, highlighting democratic fragility.

Veterans play a crucial role in the war game, simulating complex decision-making processes and embodying the emotional weight of crisis leadership.

The documentary emphasizes the delicate balance leaders must maintain between authority and public perception during domestic conflicts to preserve democracy.

Deep dives

Imagining the Next Insurrection

The film 'Wargame' is set on January 6, 2025, a date chosen to evoke the real insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021. This speculative documentary follows a war game where participants, including veterans and former senior government officials, simulate how the U.S. government would respond to a fictional insurrection characterized by widespread chaos and military involvement. The scenario includes fictional electoral candidates and captures the tension of decision-making in the White House Situation Room, emphasizing the difficulty of addressing a national crisis that escalates rapidly. By placing the insurrection in the future, the filmmakers aim to provoke thoughts on the implications of political violence and the fragility of democracy in a not-so-distant context.

Intro

2min

Wargame: A Simulation of Civil Unrest

21min

Navigating the Insurrection: Authority, Violence, and Reflection

22min

Navigating Political Tensions Ahead of Election Day

2min

Navigating Hope and Despair in Political Times

4min

From Capitol to Camera: A Political Journey

15min

Exploring the Depths of Spy Thrillers and Film Recommendations

3min

It’s January 6, 2025. Congress has convened to certify electoral votes in the presidential election. But members of the U.S. military are in revolt, throwing their support behind the losing candidate. The legitimate president huddles in the Situation Room with his top advisers and Cabinet. They have six hours to prevent violent protests from exploding into civil war.

That’s the dire scenario imagined in the new documentary “War Game.” Real-world experts--including former elected officials and retired military officers--play the roles of government decision-makers. Over the course of the game, they are surprised with new and increasingly perilous complications, from the spread of online propaganda to a renegade general who exhorts military service members to take up arms against their commander-in-chief. All the while, they grapple with whether the president should invoke the Insurrection Act, a fateful decision that risks undermining the government’s legitimacy at the very moment the president is trying to preserve it.

Shane Harris spoke with the film’s producer and co-director, Jesse Moss, about what inspired him to make this real-life thriller and what it tells us about the state of the union as we head into the home stretch of an election.

Articles, organizations, and television shows discussed in this episode include:

The Washington Post op-ed that inspired the war game: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/17/eaton-taguba-anderson-generals-military/

Vet Voice Foundation: https://vvfnd.org/campaigns/war-game-film/

Trailer for the film: https://wargamefilm.com/

“The Bureau”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4063800/

More about Moss and his work: https://www.jessemoss.com/Jesse-Moss-1

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.