The Un-Diplomatic Podcast

Checking in on the dumpster fire that is world politics.This week:South Korea’s president declares martial law in what is clearly an attempted self-coup.Trump threatens to annex Canada.Trump threatens 100% tariffs on BRICS nations for a non-existent alternative currency.New Zealand’s Labour Party declares its independent foreign policy.Let them eat nuclear subs—Americans are struggling while the White House tries to add $7.3 billion to the defense budget for nuclear-powered submarines.Further Reading:Sh*tting BRICS: Trump, Dollar Primacy, and MultipolarityBurger King and Popeyes franchises fined for child labor law violationsSouth Korea’s Conservative Government Is Cracking Down on the Country’s Militant Labor UnionsRelease: A Labour Government will not join AUKUS

Julia, Matt, and Van convened for a mailbag episode to answer all the questions you sent in. Is Korea Asia’s hottest flashpoint? What concerns us about Trump’s political appointees? What do we say when someone claims that Trump is “antiwar?” How should we understand the rise of ethnonationalism, and how can we beat it? What does a democratically accountable foreign policy look like?All that and more! 

Checking in on the dumpster fire that is world politics.This week:Polling shows that Liz Cheney’s endorsement depressed enthusiasm for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania and Michigan.Trump’s national security adviser co-signs Jake Sullivan’s threat perceptions.Senator Lindsay Graham’s plans to plunder Ukraine—“It’s about the money!”The Philippines’ vice president threats assassination on…the Philippines’ president.Fareed Zakaria lavishing praise on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy (!).Lessons for surviving autocracy, from a former Hungarian parliamentarian.Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.comFurther Reading:Data for Progress polling snapshotTrump’s national security pick: I’m on same page as Jake Sullivan about ‘our adversaries’Lindsay Graham on UkraineThe Philippine vice president publicly threatens to have the president assassinatedFareed Zakaria shares why he’s excited for Trump’s DOGEI Watched Orbán Destroy Hungary’s Democracy. Here’s My Advice for the Trump Era

How does the incoming Trump administration affect the future of EU defense? What obstacles does Europe face in advancing strategic autonomy? Nevada Lee joins the podcast to discuss recent initiatives to bolster European self-reliance, and why the United States should support them.Read Nevada’s policy memo on the topic, here: https://www.stimson.org/2024/eu-defense-this-time-might-be-different/Watch out for publication of her thesis, which she’s trying to un-embargo, here: https://doi.org/10.2870/0338094Follow her on X if you’re still there: https://x.com/nevadajoan

The world is a dumpster fire right now. For my own sanity, but also for yours, we need more critical takes about current events. There’s too much happening and it’s hard to keep track of everything that matters.So as a bonus for patrons of the newsletter, I’m going to check in each week with a run down of stories that deserve amplification, with critiques from the Un-Diplomatic perspective.This week:The gigification of Temu supply chains amid great-power rivalry.The Russian missile crisis and what it has to do with North Korea.The hikoi protest march in New Zealand as a beacon of hope for humanity.Further Reading:Biden Allows Ukraine to Strike Russia With Long-Range U.S. MissilesThe U.S. Chinese immigrants running Temu shipping centers from their homesLive updates: Hīkoi concludes as attention shifts to inside parliament

Free preview crossover with the Bang-Bang Podcast!Arguably the most successful revolutionary film of all time, Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers boasts many legacies. For film buffs, its import derives from its landmark status in the pantheon of Italian neorealism and political cinema. For anti-imperialists, its value comes from its hardnosed but sympathetic depictions of armed struggle. And for imperialists or right-wing strongmen, the film has been deployed as a realistic guidebook for counterinsurgency. Van and Lyle relate these competing readings to the War on Terror and the latest debates around Gaza, Palestine, and liberation.Get the full episode and subscribe at https://www.bangbangpod.com/p/the-battle-of-algiers-1966.Further Reading:A Savage War of Peace (1977), by Alistair HorneDiscourse on Colonialism (1955), by Aimé CésaireThe Wretched of the Earth (1961), by Franz Fanon“Negroes are Anti-Semitic Because They’re Anti-White” (1967), by James Baldwin“Open Letter to the Born Again” (1979), by James BaldwinOn Violence (1970), by Hannah Arendt“No regrets from an ex-Algerian rebel immortalized in film” (2007), Interview with Saadi Yacef“The Communists and the Colonized” (2016), Interview with Selim NadiHamas Contained (2018), by Tareq BaconiThe Hundred Years’ War on Palestine (2020), by Rashid Khalidi

How exactly do police end up supermilitarized? What is the imperial booming that brings militarism abroad to the Homefront? And what does the feminist standpoint offer analysts of these problems? Part of the answer are obscure programs called 1033 and 1122. The founders of the Women for Weapons Trade Transparency (W2T2) join the pod to explain. W2T2: https://www.w2t2.org Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com

Is the War on Terror really over? Or is it just less visible? Julia is joined by Sarah Yager and Yumna Rizvi to discuss the makings of a militarized, counterterrorism-based U.S. foreign policy, how it impacts the world, and how to change it.Sarah is the Washington Director at Human Rights Watch, where she leads the organization’s engagement with the United States government on global human rights issues, with a particular focus on national security and foreign policy. She has previously served at both the Department of Defense and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Yumna is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Victims of Torture, focusing on human rights, national security, and refugee and asylum protections. She previously served as a human rights expert with Huqooq-e-Pakistan, a joint project of the European Union and Pakistani government aimed at improving the country’s compliance with international treaty obligations.Further Reading:Counterterrorism Copy Cats: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/counterterrorism-copy-catsOther recent work by Sarah and Yumna:Opinion: A debate tip for the candidates — there’s a correct answer on weapons to Israel, Sarah Yager: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-09-09/debate-philadelphia-kamala-harris-donald-trump-gazaThe Abu Ghraib case is an important milestone for justice, Yumna Rizvi: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/4/28/the-abu-ghraib-case-is-an-important-milestone-for-justice

Does foreign policy matter in the presidential election? The answer might surprise you. Chris Shell joins the pod to discuss recent survey findings about foreign policy and the presidential election. Gaza, Ukraine, immigration, climate change, and China all feature in the discussion, as well as what's really going on with the African American vote. Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com How Do Americans Feel About the Election and Foreign Policy?: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/american-voters-election-foreign-policy?lang=enRace, Foreign Policy, and the 2024 Presidential Election: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/election-survey-2024-foreign-policy-race?lang=enFind Chris on Twitter: https://x.com/ChrisShell95

Crossover episode! Van appeared on Convergence Magazine’s Block and Build podcast, hosted by Convergence founder Cayden Mak, to talk about Kamala Harris’s foreign policy. They end up covering all the big issues--Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, and China rivalry. They also gab about what it’s like working as an unpaid foreign policy adviser to a presidential campaign. Subscribe to Block and Build: https://convergencemag.com/podcast/the-future-of-american-foreign-policy-with-van-jackson/Subscribe to the Un-Diplomatic Newsletter: https://www.un-diplomatic.com