American Prestige

Historian Erik Baker, a lecturer at Harvard and associate editor at The Drift, discusses his book on America’s entrepreneurial work ethic. He dives into the evolution of this ethic from the Protestant work ethos to its impact on marginalized communities. The conversation covers key figures like Henry Ford, the role of Harvard Business School in shaping leadership, and how America’s entrepreneurial spirit changed post-World War II. Baker also addresses the racial disparities in entrepreneurship and the future challenges within the gig economy.

E. Tammy Kim, a contributing writer at The New Yorker specializing in Korean politics and gender dynamics, dives into the transformative shifts in South Korea's political landscape. She discusses the power transition from President Yoon to Lee Jae-myung and its implications, including the impact of U.S. xenophobia on Korean relations. The conversation also includes the challenges faced by the American federal workforce and the need for bold actions to spur structural change and address Medicaid and Medicare issues. A thought-provoking blend of international dynamics and domestic politics!

Tensions escalate as Houthi fighters target commercial vessels in the Red Sea, raising international concerns. In Israel-Palestine dynamics, Netanyahu rejects a Palestinian state during a White House visit, complicating ceasefire talks. Meanwhile, Kenya faces deadly protests amid rising political unrest. As Trump engages with foreign leaders, new tariff threats loom over BRICS nations. The U.S. navigates controversial migration policies, transferring migrants to South Sudan, sparking significant legal and safety debates.

Mark Weisbrot, an economist and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, dives deep into the harsh reality of economic sanctions. He reveals their devastating impact on civilian populations, labeling them as unethical and akin to war crimes. The discussion covers how sanctions contribute to migration crises and critiques U.S. policies that fail to benefit ordinary Americans. Weisbrot also explores the role of the U.S. dollar in facilitating these sanctions and questions whether tariffs could be seen as another form of economic punishment.

Derek speaks with Sina Azodi, an expert in Middle East politics and nuclear programs from GWU, about the aftermath of the Iran-Israel conflict. They delve into Iran's evolving military strategies and improved tactics against Israel, alongside the fallout from sanctions and IAEA actions. The conversation highlights Iran's isolation and nuclear ambitions, probing the implications for international negotiations and regional relations. Azodi also discusses the broader geopolitical shifts and the lasting impact on alliances in the Middle East.

Subscribe now for the full episode. Get your limited edition "Robo Washington" poster now. Subscribers get a 50% discount! Danny and Derek speak with writer and director Daniel Waters about the films Demolition Man and Batman Returns, both screenplays of his. They discuss the state of screenwriting now vs. when Daniel first arrived in Hollywood, the two films’ criticism of the security state, Demolition Man’s commentary on the stultifying effect of “political correctness” of that era, the duality of Stallone and Snipes’ characters, the challenge for a writer centering an institution they’re critical of, the horror of a utopia, the film’s ambivalence toward violence, Batman Returns coming at the beginning of IP-driven Hollywood, Max Schrek as Mitt Romney, and the reassessment of Daniel’s work in the last couple of decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Order our limited edition ⁠"Robo Washington Crossing the Delaware" ⁠poster now. Paid subscribers get a 50% discount! Our news roundups are sometimes big, but never beautiful. This week: the PKK to begin its disarmament in Turkey (1:17); Iran suspends its cooperation with the IAEA (4:30), but remains open to negotiations with the US (6:53); the debate continues on how far the war set back Iran’s nuclear program (9:18); in Gaza, a new ceasefire push (12:24) while journalists investigate the massacres at “humanitarian aid” sites (16:15); Russia recognizes the Talbian-led government in Afghanistan (20:20); the Constitutional Court of Thailand suspends PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra (21:57); Malaysia bans US plastic waste (23:55); Trump ramps up US airstrikes in Somalia (26:07); the DRC and Rwanda sign a peace deal (28:48); Russia makes advances in Ukraine (33:31) plus the US freezes military aid (35:46); the UN says the security situation in Haiti is worsening (37:51); and the US and China make another trade deal (39:29).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all news specials. Derek welcomes back to the show Jason Stearns, associate professor at Simon Fraser University and author of The War That Doesn't Say Its Name: The Unending Conflict in the Congo, to talk about the state of play between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as the ceasefire between the DRC and Rwanda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! Get our "Welcome to the Crusades" miniseries! Derek welcomes back to the show Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues, to talk about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. They recap what has been happening to Palestinians in Gaza while the world was distracted by Israel’s war with Iran, discuss the lost generations of Gazan children, the massacres at “aid distribution centers,” increased home demolitions and settler violence in the West Bank, the current relationships of the Palestinian Authority and Jordanian government with Israel, the regional dynamics after the recent war with Iran, and what Netanyahu’s next move might be. Read Dalia’s piece from March in The Guardian, “For Palestinians, this was never a ceasefire.”       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Don’t forget to purchase our “Welcome to the Crusades” series before the price increases next week. Subscribers get a 25% discount! Richard Beck, senior writer at n+1 and author of Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life, joins the program to talk about the rise of interest in studying the far right since 2016. They discuss liberal critics’ focus on the fascistic style of the current right, how the recent “rise” of the right is more of a political dealignment occurring in both parties, whether Trump has an ideology and the role of ideas in the Trump administration, the pitfalls of trying to cohere such an incoherent figure, the effect of long election cycles on liberal commentators, and whether Trump is just a symptom of a political rupture that can’t be reduced to a single figure.     Read Richard’s piece in n+1, “Fret, Hedge, React: On reading the right.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices