American Prestige E242 - Can American Power Be Redeemed? w/ Shadi Hamid
29 snips
Jan 13, 2026 
Shadi Hamid, a columnist at The Washington Post and author of The Case for American Power, dives deep into the complexities of American foreign policy. He discusses how the recent Gaza crisis shifted his political perspective and influenced his writing. Shadi argues for a nuanced view of U.S. power, balancing its moral potential against historical harms. The conversation touches on themes like American decline, the limits of democracy promotion, and the possibility of justified intervention in crises, offering a thought-provoking roadmap for future policy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Gaza Forced Rethink Of The Book
- Shadi Hamid paused and rewrote parts of his book after October 7th because Gaza forced him to confront whether advocating for American power was defensible.
- He frames the book as an "anguished manifesto" arguing for an idealized, reformable American power that can be aligned with progressive aims.
Balanced View Of Postwar U.S. Role
- Hamid argues U.S. post-WWII power had important positive effects in Western Europe and democracy expansion globally.
- He acknowledges serious harms in the global South and frames the case as conditional, not uncritical praise.
Democracy Enables Self-Correction
- Hamid's main moral claim is that America's democracy makes it superior because it can self-correct its policies.
- He sees electoral turnover as the mechanism that allows meaningful foreign policy change over time.
