US Empire: How Does It Project Power Globally? ft. Daniel Immer Wahr

Full Episode Link: https://youtu.be/7CL_8jnKBRk?si=S3dgqoeCM6-8ef-p In this conversation, Daniel and Anirudh explore the shape and dynamics of US power over the past 75 years, especially after 1945. They discuss the framework of understanding power through three main buckets—economic, military, and cultural/values-based influence. Anirudh presents an economic-first view of power, positing that economic strength is foundational to military and cultural dominance. The duo reflects on the historical context, examining the shift from direct colonial control towards a network of global military bases and cultural influence, which they term a 'pointillist empire'. This discussion also touches upon how technological advancements, particularly in communication, have facilitated a deterritorialization of power, allowing for a more subtle yet pervasive form of influence that does not rely on territorial annexation. Daniel and Anirudh's dialogue provides a nuanced analysis of the complex interplay between economic capacity, military strategy, and cultural transmission in shaping US global dominance. 00:00 Exploring the Shape of US Power Over 75 Years 00:37 Understanding Power: Economic, Military, and Cultural Dimensions 02:42 The Evolution of Global Power Dynamics 04:21 The Shift from Territorial Empires to Pointillist Military Presence Book Links: AnirudhSuri: The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri : https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My How to Hide an Empire: https://amzn.eu/d/hssq9QF About Daniel Immerwahr: Daniel Immerwahr (Ph.D., Berkeley, 2011) is Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities. His first book, Thinking Small (Harvard, 2015), offers a critical account of grassroots development campaigns launched by the United States at home and abroad. It won the Merle Curti Award in Intellectual History from the Organization of American Historians and the Society for U.S. Intellectual History's annual book award. His second book, How to Hide an Empire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), is a narrative history of the United States that brings its overseas territory into the story. It was a national bestseller, a New York Times critic's choice for one of the best books of 2019, and the winner of the Robert H. Ferrell Prize from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Immerwahr's writings have appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, the Washington Post, Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, and the New York Review of Books, among other places. More information and many of Immerwahr's writings are available at his website (https://history.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core-faculty/daniel-immerwahr.html) #GlobalPower, #Empire, #Dominate, #TechChanges, #EconomicPower, #MilitaryPower, #SoftPower, #CulturalPower, #Values, #GeopoliticalPower, #USPower, #EconomicInterests, #MilitaryIndustrialComplex, #AmericanValues, #Globalization, #Colonies, #Telegraph, #Decolonization, #CulturalTransmission, #EconomicRelations