American Prestige

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are back with a two-part episode on the war with Iran. First, they speak with ⁠Trita Parsi⁠ of the Quincy Institute about the Trump administration’s decision to go to war, the belief that assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei would cause the regime to implode, the structure and failure of pre-war negotiations, the influence of Israeli officials and hawks, the potential for sending in ground troops, and the impact on Iranian society. They then speak with ⁠Akbar Shahid Ahmed⁠, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent at HuffPost, about the erosion of rules of engagement, the alignment of U.S. and Israeli military strategy, congressional inaction, compliant allies, and whether any realistic off-ramps remain. Read Akbar’s piece ⁠“Trump Says He Brought 'Justice' To Iran. His War Boosts Fears The U.S. Has Gone Rogue.”⁠ Keep up with Quincy’s work at ⁠Responsible Statecraft⁠ and ⁠Always at War⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to hear the full episode and all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek give an update on the escalating regional conflict. They discuss the reported downing of three American F-15s over Kuwait, Israeli and U.S. operations inside Iran and Tehran’s missile retaliation, Hezbollah’s rocket fire and Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s shifting timeline and openness to ground troops, and the regional and domestic political fallout of the war so far. Note: Iran denies that they attacked Saudi oilfields. Recorded early mid afternoon, March 2, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Séamus Malekafzali to talk about the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s temporary leadership council and uncertainty around succession, continued U.S.–Israeli escalation and Iranian counterstrikes, the absence of a coherent American endgame beyond capitulation and regime change, and Israel’s use of the war to intensify restrictions and violence in Gaza and the West Bank. Recorded early Sunday afternoon, March 1, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek discuss the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran today, the goal of regime change, mass civilian casualties including a strike on a girls’ elementary school, Iran’s retaliation and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the status of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the risk of a widening regional war. Recorded midday, Saturday, February 28, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Warner Brothers shamefully won’t consider Danny and Derek’s aggressive offer. In this week’s news: U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva amid reports that the White House is weighing strike options (0:54), plus Trump claims in his State of the Union that Iran is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (9:58); on the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the EU fails to advance new Russia sanctions and a Ukraine loan package due to Hungarian interference (12:28); fighting again intensifies in the eastern DRC (15:53); Mexican authorities kill alleged cartel leader El Mencho, triggering widespread violence (18:49); the Committee to Protect Journalists reports a record number of media workers killed in 2025, mostly killed by Israel (22:07); the UAE backs construction of Israeli-controlled camps in Rafah (23:25); the U.S. extends consular services to West Bank settlements (25:34); the so-called Islamic State declares a “new phase” of operations in Syria (27:37); Pakistan launches cross-border strikes into Afghanistan amid renewed tensions (29:16); the RSF massacres civilians in North Darfur (31:44); a diplomatic spat erupts between Washington and Paris over rhetoric on left-wing violence (33:22); Cuba faces a firefight off its coast and limited U.S. easing of fuel restrictions for private firms (35:44); Trump proposes sending a hospital ship to Greenland (38:51); and the Supreme Court overturns Trump’s tariffs as the administration moves to reimpose duties via alternative means (41:14). Grab a copy of Danny and Michael Brenes’ edited volume Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency. Use the discount code BESSNER26. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek and Danny are joined by Dalia Dassa Kaye to talk about the decades-long hostility between the U.S. and Iran and the current escalation between the two countries. They talk about the odds of war and the absence of clear objectives; talk of “regime change”; the legacy of the hostage crisis and the Iran-Contra hangover; the domestic incentives that make diplomacy “too costly”; the post-9/11 opportunity to mend relations and how it collapsed after the “Axis of Evil” speech; how U.S. leaders frame Iran as uniquely fanatical and unchangeable; and how Israel’s interests and domestic U.S. politics constrain policy change. Read Dalia’s book Enduring Hostility: The Making of America's Iran Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Derek speaks with Alexander McKeever, publisher of This Week in Northern Syria, about the defeat of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) autonomous project and its integration into the new Syrian state. They discuss the fall of the Assad regime, the March 2025 integration agreement between Damascus and the SDF, the breakdown of negotiations and January fighting in Aleppo, the rapid collapse of SDF control in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, tribal defections and grievances against the autonomous administration, and the uncertain future for Kurdish rights under the centralized Syrian government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Join our Discord. Danny and Derek have been disqualified from the Games for incessant podium crashing. In this week’s news: tensions rise between the United States and Iran with reports of likely military strikes by the U.S. (1:32 ); Trump announces Gaza “Board of Peace” funding and troop details (11:39), Hamas refuses to disarm absent Palestinian statehood (15:31), and the UN Human Rights Office says that Israel is committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank (17:12); the Wall Street Journal reports the United States withdraws from Syria (21:00), Cambodia’s prime minister accuses Thailand’s military of occupying Cambodian territory (23:54); a UN investigation finds evidence of genocide in Sudan by the RSF (26:51); the U.S. deploys military personnel to Nigeria (28:38); another round of Ukraine peace talks makes little progress (31:01); British police arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former prince, on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to Jeffrey Epstein (34:00); Peru’s congress removes President José Heri amid ongoing instability (36:20); Cuba’s fuel crisis worsens as the U.S. blockade restricts oil supplies (39:09); Marco Rubio and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez deliver Munich Security Conference speeches (41:26); and the EPA rescinds the 2009 endangerment finding as the administration rolls back more U.S. climate regulation (44:51). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Derek and Danny are joined by Bill Hartung and Ben Freeman to discuss the system that drives permanent war for the United States. They talk about the growth of the Pentagon budget and the bipartisan politics of defense spending; the U.S. dominating the global arms trade and the prevalence of U.S. weapons around the world; the rise of defense tech companies and the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon; the structure of defense lobbying, foreign government lobbying for arms sales, and how contractors benefit; think tank funding, Pentagon involvement in Hollywood and gaming; and public opinion, the national debt, and whether structural change is possible. Read their book The Trillion Dollar War Machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode. Nikhil Pal Singh joins Danny and Derek to discuss Trump’s second term and the consolidation of executive power. They talk about how Trump’s second term differs from the first; revenge politics and the liberal “lawfare” frame; mass deportation and the war on migrants; “domains of rightlessness” and undocumented people as a lever to expand state power; the imperial presidency and unitary executive theory; how the carceral state and the war on terror laid the groundwork for Trump 2.0; the breakdown of postwar liberal anti-fascist constraints and the collapse of the Nazi taboo; and China and spheres of influence. Read Nikhil’s essay “Homeland Empire.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content. Danny and Derek feel that their ice dance routine was strong, but ultimately respect the IOC judges. In this week’s news: the first round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks begin in Oman (0:31); new Israeli security cabinet measures move forward de facto annexation in the West Bank (4:26); Indonesia is prepared to send troops for a proposed Gaza stabilization force (7:23); Israel uses its 2023 law to revoke the citizenship of Palestinian Israelis for the first time (9:07); RSF forces launch drone strikes in Sudan’s Kordofan region and open a new offensive in Blue Nile state (11:08); fighting resumes around Uvira in the eastern DRC (14:43); elections are held in Bangladesh (17:57), Thailand (19:58), Japan (22:08), and Portugal (23:26); the new START deal with Russia expires (25:24); the Trump administration sets a June deadline to end the Ukraine war (27:47); Keir Starmer faces political fallout over his connection to Jeffrey Epstein (29:43); Haiti’s transitional council dissolves without organizing elections (31:52); Cuba approaches collapse as fuel shortages worsen (33:54); organizers prepare for the inaugural “Board of Peace” meeting (37:40); Trump orders the Pentagon to purchase coal-based electricity (39:17); and the FAA briefly shuts down airspace over El Paso after a misidentified party balloon (41:08). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. Journalist Borzou Daragahi joins Danny and Derek to talk about the end of international journalism as we know it. They talk about how podcasting and alternative media both depend on and undermine legacy reporting, the economic pressures on foreign desks, the shift to commentary and “quick takes”, the limits of newsletters and Substack as newsroom replacements; the role of tech in accelerating these changes, and more. Read Borzou’s piece “Your Podcast Leaches Off My News Outlet.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek and Danny are joined by Tariq Kenney-Shawa from Al-Shabaka for an update on conditions in Gaza and a discussion of Jared Kushner’s proposed “reconstruction” plan. They talk about the current phase of the so-called ceasefire; ongoing Israeli military actions; population displacement; humanitarian access; the expansion of Israeli control inside Gaza; Israel’s long-term objectives; population management; Kushner’s vision for Gaza requiring mass displacement, surveillance, and the end of Palestinian political life; and Palestinian-led alternatives for reconstruction. Read Tariq’s piece for The Nation, “Jared Kushner’s “Plan” for Gaza Is an Abomination.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and hear all of our episodes! Join the Discord (subscribers get more channels). Danny and Derek are still in talks with The Muppets' people about an appearance, so we'll keep things buttoned up for now. This week: The U.S. and Iran hold talks in Oman, averting an U.S. strike for the moment (0:31); in Gaza, Israeli strikes kill dozens while Rafah reopens under tight restrictions amid concerns over “slow motion” displacement (5:58); the Trump administration’s Gaza “reconstruction” effort raises more red flags (8:48); Reuters reports that the Biden administration suppressed a USAID memo on Gaza’s humanitarian conditions with potential legal implications (12:07); Syria’s government and the SDF announce a new agreement to integrate SDF forces and administrators into the Syrian state (14:39); Sudan’s military claims it has opened a road into besieged Kadugli as militants make gains elsewhere (17:44); Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is assassinated in Zintan, Libya (20:57); in Nigeria’s Kwara State, gunmen kill roughly 170 people in an allegedly jihadist-linked attack (23:44); U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi yield little on ending the war, but Washington and Moscow agree to keep honoring New START’s terms (25:29); Pakistan launches a massive counterinsurgency campaign in Balochistan with the death toll approaching 300 (28:21); Trump touts a major U.S.-India trade framework, but key details remain unclear (30:12); Trump signs a new Cuba executive order increasing pressure around oil supplies (33:16); the U.S. president also hosts Colombia’s Gustavo Petro after recent threats (35:33); and the State Department holds a critical minerals conference as Trump announces “Project Vault” and Japan tests environmentally risky deep-sea mining (37:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Derek speaks with Jack Mirkinson, senior editor at ⁠The Nation⁠, about “A Day for Gaza,” a one-day project where the magazine is devoting its entire website to coverage of Gaza. They discuss the decision to turn over all coverage to this single issue, the decline in mainstream media attention since the October “ceasefire” announcement, and why events in Gaza remain central to media responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and access all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are joined by sociologist Paul Starr to talk about the transformation of American politics from the postwar period to the present. They discuss the idea of a foundational American contradiction, how the civil rights movement helped break the midcentury political consensus, why economic inequality and labor decline reshaped party coalitions, immigration, the expansion of presidential power, the decline of institutional legitimacy, and how these changes contributed to the rise of both Obama and Trump. Read Paul’s book American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now. Recorded in December 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek and Danny are joined by historian Alex Thurston to talk about the rise and decline of area studies in the United States. They discuss how regional expertise was once central to the management of American power; why policymakers increasingly ignored that knowledge when it existed; how programs like Fulbright, Title VI, and the Wilson Center fit into a postwar arrangement between the state and the academy; DOGE; the retreat of private foundations; the turn toward technocracy and quantitative approaches; and what the collapse of area studies says about the end of Progressive Era faith in expertise. Read Alex’s piece for Foreign Exchanges, “The Decline and Fall of Area Studies.” Statement from SSRC on ending its International Dissertation Research Fellowship program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads. While Danny looks after his gold assets, Always at War’s Alex Jordan once again helps Derek bring you headlines from around the globe. This week: the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight (0:54); the Trump administration renews threats against Iran while demanding a new deal that would eliminate uranium enrichment, missile programs, and regional proxies (3:47); Syria’s government and the SDF agree to a ceasefire extension following more violence in the northeast (12:58); in Gaza, Israel recovers the remains of the final Israeli captive tied to Phase One of the ceasefire, partially reopens the Rafah crossing, and advances plans for large camps in Rafah (16:28); Myanmar’s military completes a staged election delivering the expected victory for the junta-backed party (27:24); China faces fresh turbulence in its military leadership as a senior PLA figure is investigated (30:07); Sudan sees reported new fighting in Blue Nile and claimed gains in Kordofan (34:28); the government of South Sudan launches a campaign against rebels (38:04); there are reports of clashes between government and Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia (40:53); talks involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine fail to produce progress (44:02); the EU and India announce a major free trade agreement (47:00); Trump threatens sweeping tariffs against Canada over trade and China policy, amid diplomatic friction and reports of contacts with Alberta separatists (49:32); the U.S. moves toward reopening its embassy in Venezuela as reporting points to CIA interest in establishing a permanent presence (54:07); and a new U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasizes dominance in the Western Hemisphere while maintaining preparations for potential conflict with China (58:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes! Danny and Derek speak with historian Sean Delehanty about the invention of shareholder value and the transformation of the American corporation in the late twentieth century. They discuss postwar conglomerates and corporate social responsibility, the crisis of Fordism, the rise of financial economics, and the theory of the firm. They also look at hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts, private equity, the collapse of the public corporation, and the bipartisan consolidation of shareholder primacy in the 1990s. Buy Sean’s book Company Men: The Invention of Shareholder Value and the Splintering of the American Economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe now for the full episode! Derek is joined by Washington Post columnist Ishaan Tharoor for a roundup of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. They discuss Trump’s return to the forum, the Greenland annexation threat and its fallout inside NATO, Mark Carney’s speech declaring the end of the rules-based order, the unveiling of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Jared Kushner’s Gaza reconstruction presentation, and what Davos revealed about elite attitudes toward the war in Gaza, European rearmament, and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices