Jeffrey Lewis, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies on the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Faculty, joins Danny and Derek to discuss his new podcast The Reason We’re All Still Here, which covers scientists, analysts, and idealists who have gone above and beyond in the name of peace and diplomacy when state actors fail to do so. This discussion focuses on the podcast itself as well as questions about Marx’s theory of alienation, the hope of changing the massive structures all but guaranteeing our demise, and why being an “imperfect part of the solution” might be worthwhile. 

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E129 - Hope at the Brink w/ Jeffrey Lewis

A podcast from Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison that provides listeners with everything they need to know about what’s going on in the world. 

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Danny and Derek speak with Katherine Zubovich, associate professor of history at SUNY Buffalo, about her book Moscow Monumental: Soviet Skyscrapers and Urban Life in Stalin's Capital. The discussion broaches what distinguishes Soviet design in the history of monumental architecture, the ill-fated Palace of the Soviets project, postwar Soviet skyscrapers, how ideology is reflected in the architecture, the challenges of ambitious urban planning in Moscow, and more.  

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E149 - Soviet Monumental Architecture w/ Katherine Zubovich

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Danny and Derek chat with AP Iran expert Sina Toossi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, about the late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday along with foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The group delves into Raisi’s background and ideology, the next steps to find a new p…

Special - The Death of Ebrahim Raisi w/ Sina Toossi

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Danny and Derek are once again joined by Bryan Pitts, assistant director of the Latin American Institute at UCLA, to discuss the history of Brazil. This episode starts in the late 19th century with Brazil’s “racial democracy”, exploring the rise of rubber as a primary commodity, industrialization, the abolition of slavery, Getúlio Vargas and the Revolut…

Bonus - The History of Brazil, Ep. 4 w/ Bryan Pitts

Danny and Derek are back at “it” (the news). This week: in Gaza, a Rafah invasion update and Biden’s “red line” (0:29), more questions about Israel’s postwar plans (6:16), an update on the humanitarian situation and the American “aid pier” (11:10), and the Biden administration’s refusal to punish Israeli rights violations (15:05); Egypt-Israel tensions are escalating as Gaza continues to deteriorate (19:56); in Myanmar, a report on the forced conscription of the nation’s embattled Rohingya minority (22:49); in Sudan, the RSF has surrounded the city of El-Fasher, trapping about 2.5 million displaced civilians (25:36); the US withdrawal from Niger grinds on as the former sends a negotiating team to iron out the details (28:08); Vladimir Putin replaces defense minister Sergei Shoigu (30:34); in Ukraine, a new Russian offensive (33:34) and a visit from Antony Blinken (35:57); prime minister Robert Fico of Slovakia was shot five times in an attempted assassination (36:54); the State Department removes Cuba from a counterterrorism list only to keep it on a terrorism supporter list (38:23); a New Cold War update featuring Biden’s new tariffs on Chinese imports (40:29) and Putin visits Xi Jinping (42:23). 

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News - Biden's Carte Blanche for Israel, Slovakia PM Shot, Myanmar's Rohingya Conscription

Danny welcomes back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. This second part of the discussion picks up in the mid-1950s after Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech, non-proliferation movement leaders like Irish foreign minister Frank Aiken, the flexible response policy and other changes to America’s nuclear posture under the Kennedy Administration, the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, proliferation optimists vs pessimists, and more through the late 1960s.  Check out the first episode here. Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College. 

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E129 - Hope at the Brink w/ Jeffrey Lewis

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