Foreign Exchanges: the Podcast

I'm joined by Michael Brooks, returning champion and host of The Michael Brooks Show as well as co-host of The Majority Report with Sam Seder and Jacobin's Weekends with Ana Kasparian and Michael Brooks. We're discussing his new book, Against the Web: A Cosmopolitan Answer to the New Right. We're talking the "Intellectual Dark Web," Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and how the left can counter their message. Michael’s book is out April 24 and is already available for pre-order from your favorite booksellers, for example here.There’s a catch to this interview, unfortunately: because of some huge and as yet bafflingly unexplained (though I’m certain human error was involved) technical issues on my end I had to re-record my portion of the audio and trim a few sections where Michael and I are talking in quick succession. Fortunately his audio was fine, it’s just me who sounded like I was talking through a tin can. The result is a coherent interview that is a little choppier than I would like in parts, so please be advised of that. You may still hear a very low-quality version of me in the background a couple of times but thankfully I think I’ve eliminated most of it. My apologies. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

I’m joined by returning guest David Adler of the Democracy in Europe Movement to discuss how Europe has risen—or failed to rise—to the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. David offers his thoughts on the lack of collective action within Europe and what it might mean for the eurozone and the European Union moving forward, as well as some ideas for improving European institutions.David’s Guardian piece (co-authored with Jerome Roos), which we reference in the interview, can be found here. You can also follow him on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

I’m joined by historian and podcaster Patrick Wyman, whose “The Fall of Rome” and “Tides of History” are two of the very best historical podcasts out there, to discuss pandemic diseases in Roman history. We’re talking the Antonine Plague, the Plague of Cyprian, and the Plague of Justinian, and what they meant to the Roman Empire and (especially in the latter case) to world history in general. Later, and apropos of nothing in particular, we discuss Patrick’s recent piece for Mother Jones, “How Do You Know If You’re Living Through the Death of an Empire?”The Fall of Rome and Tides of History are both available via Wondery or wherever you get your podcasts, and I can’t recommend them enough. As Patrick notes toward the end of the interview he’s got a book coming out in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. You can find Patrick on Twitter @Patrick_Wyman. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:I’m joined by defense technology journalist Kelsey Atherton to talk about wars, pandemics, COVID-19, US sanctions, and his latest piece for Inkstick Media, “The Plague and the Long War,” which you can find here. Kelsey writes a newsletter on the intersection between national security and technology for C4ISRNET called Tomorrow Wars, which you can find here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:I’m joined by John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus (fpif.org) at the Institute for Policy Studies, to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and its worldwide political ramifications. John has written three recent pieces on the pandemic:* Will the Coronavirus Kill Globalization?* What the Coronavirus Says about Us* The Politics of the Coronavirus This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

In this discussion, David Adler from the Democracy in Europe Movement and Daniel Bessner from the University of Washington delve into the U.S. dollar’s significant global influence. They explore how dollar diplomacy intertwines with military strategy to maintain American power. The conversation highlights historical expansionism and its evolution towards economic dominance, particularly in Latin America. They also call for a shift in focus for activists to include economic factors in challenging systemic power dynamics, advocating for a progressive rethinking of dollar power.

Returning guest Alex Thurston discusses the recent dust up between the leaders of the G5 Sahel nations and French President Emmanuel Macron, then guides us through an introduction to Mauritania and its current political crisis.You can find Alex on Twitter at @sahelblog. His recent World Politics Review piece on the squabbling at the top of Mauritanian politics can be found here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

Fatemeh Aman, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and expert analyst on Iran and South Asia, joins me to discuss the effects that the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 are having inside Iran. She breaks down the protests, assesses the impact of the “Maximum Pressure” campaign, and offers some insights into Iranian politics as things stand right now. If you’ve been following Iran news lately I think you’ll find her perspective extremely valuable. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

In today’s episode I’m joined by journalist Branko Marcetic to discuss his new piece at In These Times looking at the transformation of Luis Almagro, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, from foreign minister for a leftist government in Uruguay to useful tool of right-wing US foreign policy. We look particularly at the role the OAS has played in the coup that ousted former Bolivian President Evo Morales and at Almagro’s wild changes of opinion with respect to Venezuela.OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2017 (Wikimedia Commons)All of Foreign Exchanges’ interview episodes are available to the public, but if you’d like to support these shows and get access to the rest of FX’s content, please subscribe! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

I’m joined by defense technology journalist Kelsey Atherton of C4ISRNET to discuss several recent stories related to technology in the military, from the alleged need for a fully autonomous nuclear deterrent (!) to the Pentagon’s plan to create a domestic quadcopter industry from whole cloth. You can find Kelsey’s “Tomorrow Wars” newsletter here, and you can find Kelsey himself on Twitter here. Enjoy!LINKS* War on the Rocks: “America Needs a ‘Dead Hand’”* Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “Strangelove Redux”* The Atlantic: “Coming Soon to a Battlefield: Robots That Can Kill”* New York Times Magazine: “Are Killer Robots the Future of War?”* New York Times: “Dear Tech Workers, U.S. Service Members Need Your Help”* Foreign Policy: “Pentagon Seeks to Counter China’s Drone Edge”* Fifth Domain: “Can Congress legislate a secure technology supply chain for the Pentagon?” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe