The Andrea Mitchell Center Podcast

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In their 2024 book Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos, Professors RUSSELL MUIRHEAD (Dartmouth) and NANCY ROSENBLUM (Harvard) analyze the emergence of "ungoverning," a political trend aimed at limiting or dismantling key functions of the administrative state. They situate this development within broader shifts in American politics, tracing its roots to earlier debates over the role of government and examining how it has been intensified in the Trump era.  In conversation with historian Matthew Roth, they reflect on what makes this movement distinctive, the challenges it poses for democratic governance, and the importance of safeguarding (and also reforming) the administrative state.

Interviewer: JOSHUA ROSE.  Historian and Penn Professor SOPHIA ROSENFELD discusses her new book The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life, exploring how choice became central to modern ideas of freedom — and why our obsession with it can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and divided. From the rise of shopping and religious freedom to romance, politics, and reproductive rights, she traces the surprising history and complicated legacy of living in an "age of choice."

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. When the Sars-CoV-2 spread across the world in the spring of 2020, it triggered unprecedented lockdowns in nearly every country, including democracies where such drastic measures were previously considered unlikely to be feasible. The hope was that the virus could be stopped and eventually eliminated, and that deaths could be minimized in the meantime. In their new book, In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, political scientists FRANCES LEE and STEPHEN MACEDO examine the sequence of decisions that led to these policies and conclude that not only did they not work as envisioned, but that the decision-making process itself was deeply flawed. In their conversation with historian Matthew Roth, the authors describe the pre-existing consensus among health officials, that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) would likely be counterproductive; how that consensus quickly flipped during the crisis, after which open debate was stifled; the political polarization that led to different measures in different U.S. states; and the reasons why the comparative, pre-vaccine mortality data from the states show no sign of that a more stringent approach helped. 

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, host Rafael Khachaturian speaks with sociologist and political theorist NARA ROBERTA SILVA about the trajectory of Brazil's left over the past two decades. Together, they unpack the rise and contradictions of the Workers' Party (PT), Brazil's role in the Latin American "pink tide," and the tensions between grassroots mobilization, state power, and neoliberal constraint. From participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre to Lula's turn to pragmatic governance, Silva offers a sharp, historically grounded reflection on the promises and limits of leftist rule in the Global South. The conversation also turns to the reactionary surge that followed, tracing the conditions that enabled Jair Bolsonaro's rise.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In an era that has seen the rise of right-wing populism, which has often pitted itself against the institutions of liberal democracy, recent election outcomes in Canada and Australia hint at a counter-trend. Political scientist LORI TURNBULL, an expert on not just Canadian politics but of the nuts-and-bolts of Canadian democracy, guides us through her country's recent election, which in many ways was similar to that of the 2024 US election. A highly unpopular leader was dragging down the electoral prospects of his party as it was challenged by an insurgent conservative movement. The outcome, however, was very different. In her discussion with historian Matthew Roth, she explores why the the national political landscape changed so swiftly, what the stakes of the recent election were, and how Canadian democratic institutions differ in their functioning and spirit from those of the US. And she assesses the long-term health of Canadian democracy as it faces many of the same cultural and political challenges reshaping the rest of the world, as well as some that are uniquely its own. 

INTERVIEWER: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, Rafael Khachaturian speaks with IRA ALLEN, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern Arizona University, about his latest book, Panic Now: Tools for Humanizing. Allen explores panic as a vital, practical response to the unfolding crises of climate, capitalism, and colonial legacies. He argues for embracing panic as a catalyst for solidarity, novel social forms, and collective resilience in the face of civilizational collapse—offering a provocative rethinking of how we might navigate and even thrive amid uncertainty.

INTERVIWER: YARA DAMAJ. Author SARAH TOWLE discusses her book, Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands.

INTERVIEWER: CATHY BARTCH. In this episode of the Andrea Mitchell Center Podcast, host Cathy Bartch is joined by environmental experts CAROLINA ANGEL BOTERO and FERNANDA JIMENEZ to explore innovative approaches to democracy that extend beyond traditional, human-centered perspectives. Together, they discuss the Rights of Nature movement emerging from Latin America, the complexities of recognizing ecosystems as democratic participants, and how redefining our relationship with the natural world could shape a more inclusive and equitable democratic future.

INTERVIEWER: MATT BERKMAN. In this episode, Matt Berkman speaks with OSMAN BALKAN, Associate Director of the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Dying Abroad: The Political Afterlives of Migration in Europe. Their conversation delves into the profound yet often overlooked decisions migrants face around death and burial—choices that reflect deeply contested questions about belonging, citizenship, and identity. Drawing from Balkan's firsthand experiences as an undertaker and extensive research in Berlin and Istanbul, this discussion sheds light on how death becomes a site of political struggle and a poignant measure of what "home" truly means in our globalized world.

INTERVIEWER: YARA DAMAJ. The collapse of the Assad regime has reshaped Syria's political landscape, bringing both significant opportunities and deep uncertainties. This episode unpacks the factors behind Assad's downfall, the power struggles within the opposition, and the ongoing fight for justice after years of repression. As regional dynamics shift, the future of Syria remains uncertain, with major implications for governance, security, and diplomacy. Penn PhD Candidate YARA DAMAJ interviews IBRAHIM BAKRI, Associate Director of the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. Since it was overturned in 2022, Roe v. Wade has continued to represent to many what the restoration of abortion rights would look like. As philosopher BERTHA ALVAREZ MANNINEN has long pointed out, however, Roe itself was vulnerable to challenges from the fetal personhood movement. Two years before Roe, on the other hand, an essay by Judith Jarvis Thomson presented a defense of abortion robust enough to withstand the claims of fetal personhood in an essay that is both famous and strangely ignored in the legal wranglings over abortion. In her discussion with historian Matthew Roth, Manninen describes the strengths and potential weaknesses of Thomson's argument, how it differs from the conceptual underpinnings of Roe, and why we should treat both fetal personhood and bodily autonomy seriously in the post-Dobbs (and now Trump 2.0) world. Manninen is the author of numerous articles and books, including Civil Dialogue on Abortion, co-authored with pro-life philosopher Jack Mulder, Jr.

INTERVIWER: JEFF GREEN. AMC Director Jeff Green is joined by Slavoj Žižek, renowned Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist whose work spans psychoanalysis, politics, and popular culture. Known for his sharp wit, provocative style, and ability to blend complex theory with humor, Žižek has been a major voice on the Western intellectual left since the 1990s. As one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time, his insights continue to challenge and inspire debates on ideology, power, and society. To watch the full Zoom interview with both speakers visible and subtitles included, use the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT5Jnx_E_rc&ab_channel=AndreaMitchellCenterfortheStudyofDemocracy.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In late 2020, in the midst of COVID lockdowns and the national election, speechwriter and opinion columnist FRANCIS BARRY bought an RV and, with his wife Laurel, traveled across from New York to San Francisco via the Lincoln Highway, interviewing citizens along the way to explore what still bound the nation together in divisive times. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, he focuses on two possibilities: our history, as memorialized by the monuments that marked his journey, and our democratic tradition. As monuments linked to white supremacy were being torn down in the wake of the George Floyd protests, he sought out the new ways that American history was being memorialized; and as the 2020 elections brought American democracy close to the breaking point, he looked for signs of resilience. The book that resulted from his travels – which recrossed the US near the southern border in the lead-up to January 6 – is Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In theory, the US Constitution established a system by which the three branches of government keep each other in check. Political scientist and constitutional scholar COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER argues that, in fact, it has more often been citizen pressure – not the courts or the legislature – that has rescued us from the anti-democratic exercise of presidential power. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, he describes how the core democratic principles of the Constitution, beginning with the opening phrase of the preamble, have inspired citizens to oppose autocratic presidents from John Adams to Richard Nixon and to push against the disastrously exclusionary racial politics of James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Woodrow Wilson. In doing so, they have often interpreted the constitution in ways that put them at odds with learned members of the judiciary. Brettschneider suggests that we might learn from their examples to recover fully from the first (and now second) Trump administration. Brettschneider is author of the new book, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. *Note: This podcast was recorded in October of 2024, prior to the most recent presidential election.

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, Professors MARC MEREDITH and MICHAEL MORSE from the University of Pennsylvania unpack Pennsylvania's pivotal role in the upcoming U.S. election. They explore Pennsylvania's unique political geography, its electoral laws, and the critical implications of mail-in ballots. The discussion dives into the evolving demographics and the shift in political messaging from both parties since 2016, particularly around issues resonating with Pennsylvania voters, from economic concerns to the broader narrative of defending democracy. They also examined how education and class nuances influence party support, and consider how early returns on Election Day might shape the perception and outcome of the election.