Danny and Derek speak with Michael G. Vann, professor of history at California State University, Sacramento, about Indonesia, which recently held an election resulting in Prabowo Subianto as president-elect. They discuss the country’s era of reform (Reformasi) since the end of Suharto’s rule in 1998, the composition of its elite class, Prabowo’s controversial career long predating his 2024 campaign, the issues motivating voters in this election, and potential legal challenges to him ultimately taking power.

Check out Michael’s work in Jacobin, as well as his book The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam.

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By popular demand, we’re unlocking this episode that was originally released January 28, 2024. Thank you to subscribers who gave feedback!

Danny and Derek speak with Sherene Seikaly, associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara and historian of Palestine, about the eponymous piece she wrote for Jadaliyya at the beginning of 2023. They discuss the framing of “the age of catastrophe”, where Palestine endures an ongoing Nakba as the climate crisis accelerates, how people find simple ways to make life in the midst of upheaval, cultural forms of resistance including food and storytelling, and how Palestine’s struggle resonates with other places confronting similar struggles.

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Daniel Immerwahr, Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University, is back on the pod to discuss his recent piece for The New Yorker, “What Frantz Fanon and Ian Fleming Agreed On”. After a Dune 2 update (see Daniel’s Dune episode with us), the group discusses revolutionary intellectual Frantz Fanon and James Bond author Ian Fleming, …

Antony Blinken plays the blues while Danny and Derek bring you the news. This week: in Gaza, famine sets in (0:29), U.S.-Israel tensions rise over a potential Rafah invasion (3:52), and more; Pakistan conducts airstrikes in Afghanistan (12:11); Indonesia’s general election results are confirmed (14:37); the DPRK/North Korea tests a hypersonic missile engine (17:28); there’s new evidence of coral bleaching in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (19:15); a Sudan humanitarian update (20:55); Niger’s junta government kicks out U.S. forces (23:00); Vladimir Putin wins reelection in Russia (26:42); Ukraine strikes targets in Russia and is debating a new conscription bill (27:52); the EU debates using Russian assets to support Ukraine* (32:52); the Colombian government is in peace talks with the Clan Del Golfo (Gulf Clan) (35:41); an update on CARICOM’s transition plan for Haiti (37:26); and a new study finds no evidence of brain damage from Havana Syndrome (40:02).

*Note: After the time of recording, the EU came to a preliminary agreement on a plan to use Russian assets.

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Danny and Derek speak with Jemima Pierre, professor of global race in the Institute of Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ) at the University of British Columbia, about foreign intervention in Haiti—namely instances led by the U.S. and European powers— from the country’s inception to PM Ariel Henry’s resignation last week. They delve into the early history of Haiti’s relationship with the U.S. and Europe, America’s 1915-1934 occupation of Haiti, the Ottawa Initiative and Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s fall in 2004, the 2004-2017 United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and the current crisis.

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Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, is back to discuss Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. This episode picks up in the 1990s with the Oslo Accords, the push for a “Greater Israel”, the Left Behind books and the rise of apocalypticism, Christians United for Israel, and more unt…

Derek and Danny are back, the latter without any rubles. This week: Russian kicks off its presidential election (1:47); a Gaza humanitarian update (4:29) and Biden speaks on a Rafah invasion (11:24); more Israeli strikes in Lebanon (15:30); U.S. policy potentially shifts on DPRK/North Korea (17:17); in Sudan, the military makes gains in Omdurman (20:20); Ukraine attacks Russian oil facilities (24:26) and receives a U.S. stopgap aid package (26:54); the right surges in Portugal’s election (29:37); PM Ariel Henry resigns as chaos ensues in Haiti (32:20); and the U.S. expands its lead in global arms sales (35:17).

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Danny and Derek welcome writer and co-executive producer John Orloff to the pod to discuss Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air miniseries. They go into John’s background, his work on HBO’s seminal Band of Brothers, the distinct horror of WWII aerial warfare, how MOTA tackled the POW experience, the challenge of writing and shooting such a massive production, and how a WWII-era drama is informed by the current global climate.

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Danny and Derek speak with Ryan Grim of The Intercept about the piece he co-authored with Jeremy Scahill and Daniel Boguslaw about The New York Times’ exposé of the October 7 attacks alleging systematic use of sexual violence by Palestinian militants. They discuss the piece itself, the role of Israeli volunteer group Zaka, the journalistic standards at …

Danny and Derek bring you the world. This week: in Gaza, the U.S. makes airdrops while Biden announces a temporary port (0:30), some countries restore UNRWA funding (4:02), and more; a cargo ship is sunk and data cables cut in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen (12:26); the parliament of Pakistan elects a new prime minister (16:15); a renewed attempt at a ceasefire in Myanmar (18:02); an update on the crisis in Sudan (20:17); a new date is set for Senegal’s presidential election (23:16); an attack in Odesa during a visit by Zelensky and the Greek prime minister (25:32); Sweden officially joins NATO (27:08); in Haiti, a new gang offensive threatens to oust Ariel Henry (28:33); and we continue to break new climate records (33:54).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.americanprestigepod.com