American Prestige

This episode originally aired October 29, 2021

Danny and Derek speak with Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University, about all things Dune. They discuss the importance of culture to understanding U.S. empire, the history of imperial U.S. fiction, the life and times of Frank Herbert, and how Herbert's particular vision of technology, empire, and indigenous politics informed the writing of Dune.

Check out Daniel's articles on Dune, in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times, and the Journal of American Studies.

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Danny and Derek speak with Gabriel Hetland, associate professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies and Sociology at the University at Albany, about his book Democracy on the Ground: Local Politics in Latin America’s Left Turn. They discuss the regional shift to the Left, how right-wing forces reacted to this trend, the ways democracy has been shaped by these conditions, and the different tacks taken by leftist movements (particularly in Bolivia and Venezuela).

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

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Danny and Derek speak with Trevor Strunk of No Cartridge Audio podcast about the Third Reich in the gaming world, from action blockbusters like Medal of Honor to cerebral indies like Heal Hitler. They discuss the background of militarism in video games, different roles Nazis have played in games over the years, how World War 2 video games reflect the co…

Danny and Derek welcome back Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming, to discuss his new piece in The Nation, “Taking Aaron Bushnell at His Word (and Deed)”. The group delves into Bushnell’s act of protest, what we know of his ideology and work as a member of the US Air Force, the public response to and framing of his death, and more.

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

Danny and Derek work on leap days. This week: in Gaza, a massacre in Gaza City (0:29), ceasefire talks (5:20), and Netanyahu’s postwar plan (8:35); the U.S. and U.K. launch more joint airstrikes against Yemen (10:25); North Korea trades arms for food with Russia (11:54); in Sudan, military groups block aid shipments to Darfur (14:13); a new date is set for a presidential election in Senegal (15:58); a Ukraine War update (19:04); Sweden’s NATO accession is finally ratified (26:08); Colombia reopens talks with the ELN (28:29); NORAD intercepts a new balloon (29:55).

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

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Danny and Derek speak with Malak Silmi, a freelance journalist based in Michigan, about the state’s Arab American community, its relationship to the Democratic Party, organizing efforts in response to the Biden Administration, and the future of the “uncommitted” vote.

Read Malak and Joseph Stepansky’s piece in Al-Jazeera, “Birth of a Movement, Michig…

Daniel Hummel, director for university engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Upper House, returns to continue the discussion on Christian Zionism in the United States since 1948. In this episode, the group picks up with the rise of the new Christian right in the 1970s and the role of Zionism therein, dispensationalism and its notion of Jews and Israel, the Israeli right’s concurrent rise to power, Jimmy Carter as a non-Zionist evangelical, the Camp David Accords, Ronald Reagan’s relationship with Christian Zionism, and where the movement stood on the eve of the Oslo Accords.

Be sure to catch up on the first episode in the series!

Grab a copy of Daniel’s book Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations!

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

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Danny and Derek welcome returning champion Mark Ames, co-host of Radio War Nerd, to give us a update on Russia and Ukraine. The get into the death of Alexei Navalny in Russia, the firing of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in Ukraine, the latter country’s manpower issues, and the state of the war now.

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Danny and Derek speak to Umair Javed, assistant professor of politics and sociology at Lahore University of Management Sciences, about this month’s general election in Pakistan. They discuss the major issues facing the country, the struggles of PTI and jailed candidate (and former prime minister) Imran Khan, the role of the U.S., and more.

Danny and Derek are just the messengers. This week: in Gaza, ceasefire talks may be heating up again, America assesses the UNRWA allegations, and more (0:42); Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) militants potentially sink a cargo ship, damage another ship, and attack Eilat (12:11); a potential governing coalition is formed in Pakistan (14:31); tensions between Taiwan and China over the Kinmen Islands (17:13); in Senegal, Macky Sall agrees to reschedule the election, but hasn’t offered a new date yet (19:07); Somalia cuts new military deals with Turkey and the U.S. (21:19); Alexei Navalny dies in Russia (25:44); in Ukraine, the Russians take Avdiivka as we approach the second anniversary of the invasion (28:52); Hungary schedules a NATO ratification vote for Sweden (34:10); the ELN suspends peace talks in Colombia (35:06); the government of Ecuador backs out of a deal to send arms to Ukraine (38:35); and a New Cold War update featuring the restoration of panda relations between China and the U.S. (40:16).

Note: the U.S. announced that it is imminently imposing new sanctions on Russia after the time of recording.

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