The Aidan Project

One hundred years ago to the day of this episode's release, on 6 April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the US was at war with Germany. This is part two of a two-part series focusing on the role of the United States of America in the Great War of 1914-1918. In part one, Dr. Paul Dean explained the underlying tensions that led to war, the ambitions of the Central Powers and The Entente, and the tragically misplaced belief that it would all be over quickly. Part one concluded on the eve of the momentous Declaration of War on Germany. Part two surveys the path of the war following the US's official military intervention until the 11 November 1918 Armistice, but also beyond in wider political terms. What were Wilson's war aims? How did the US military perform? What overall impact did the US have? And what is the legacy of 'America's Forgotten War'? All judgements on the merits of the war aside, the events of 1914-1918 must never be forgotten. It appears there is much work to do to raise the Great War's profile in the US. This is the Aidan Project's small contribution towards reinvigorating this valuable historical memory.  The series' special guest, Dr. Dean, is a former instructor at, and alumni of, Washington State University, who is an expert on World War One and author of 'Courage: Roy Blanchard's Journey in America's Forgotten War'. For more information on Dr. Dean, please visit his web site at www.paultdean.com.

IG Farben was a ruthless former German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate which assisted the Third Reich during the Second World War. IG Farben's key personnel became rich, whilst its slave labourers were worked to death. In this bonus edition of the podcast, I am joined by acclaimed authors, Gerald and Trisha Posner, to discuss this ultimate form of corporate greed. This episode features unreleased audio from the full episode, 'The Sleep of Reason: The Third Reich and The Vatican'. You can find Trisha online at www.trishaposner.com, and Gerald at www.posner.com.

This is a bonus podcast from Aidan Coughlan's conversation with Sami Ramadani from the episode, 'The Tragedy of Iraq'. Sami grew up in Baghdad, departing as a political exile during Saddam Hussein's reign. In previously unreleased audio, Sami explains that, contrary to what is widely believed, the sectarian fighting in Iraq is something of a new phenomena.

In this edition of The Aidan Project, Aidan is joined on the line from Florida by acclaimed authors, husband-and-wife, Gerald and Trisha Posner. The Posners have an impeccable body of work behind them; this episode draws upon their work on the Holocaust, including the role of the Vatican in working with the Third Reich for financial gain. Trisha's most recent book is The Pharmacist of Auschwitz, which tells the little known story of Victor Capesius, who worked alongside Josef Mengele at the infamous death camp as its chief pharmacist. The San Francisco Book Review wrote that "words cannot even properly describe the devastation that unfolds within these pages." Gerald's most recent book, God's Bankers, is the result of nine years of extensive research. The book was described by The New York Times as "an exhaustive history of the financial machinations at the center of the church in Rome....an extraordinarily intricate tale of intrigue, corruption and organized criminality." For more information on these fantastic authors, you can find Trisha online at www.trishaposner.com, and Gerald at www.posner.com. Their books are widely available in book stores and online at Amazon.

In this edition of The Aidan Project, enjoy previously unreleased audio from the episode 'On Liberty and Free Speech' with Joshua Thomas. In this bonus episode, Aidan and Joshua discuss UKIP, voting reform, Brexit, and the British left. For more information on Joshua, you can catch Liberty Live every Saturday evening at 8PM GMT on YouTube, where you can also find the Political Conundrum Podcast. Joshua is on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalConundrum/) and YouTube (http://bit.ly/2g4ZXiN).

In this edition of the Aidan Project, Aidan is joined by Iraq-born writer, Sami Ramadani, to discuss important questions regarding Iraq and the Middle East. What is happening now in Iraq? We are now 14 years on from the controversial invasion, yet Iraq is not at peace, not least because of an ongoing battle with ISIS. Sami provides a whistle-stop history of the struggle of the Iraqi people, from imperial oppression from the United Kingdom up to the occupation of US-led forces in 2003. Sami also discusses US foreign policy under the Trump administration, speculating on a potential showdown with Iran. Sami grew up in Baghdad, but departed as a political exile during Saddam Hussein's reign. However, despite his objections to Saddam's government, Sami argued against US-led sanctions and opposed the 2003 invasion and occupation. A semi-retired lecturer in sociology, Sami writes on Middle Eastern affairs and sits on the Stop the War Coalition's steering committee. For more information on Sami, you can find him on Twitter (@SamiRamadani1) and the Guardian web site (https://www.theguardian.com/profile/samiramadani).

In this edition of the Aidan Project, Aidan is joined by Gary Herman to discuss press freedom, fake news, citizen journalism and the future of a free press in a digital age. Also discussed on this show is Donald Trump's scheduled autumn visit to the United Kingdom, why journalists often refrain from pressing public figures on evaded questions, 'Stop Funding Hate', the lack of trust of the public in the media, Facebook as a news source, Leveson, and much more. Gary is a member of the British National Union of Journalists and has been campaigning for press and broadcasting freedom for 37 years. Gary sits on the National Council of The Campaign for Press & Broadcasting Freedom (http://www.cpbf.org.uk/), which is funded by membership and trade unions. Established in 1979, the CPBF strives for a more accountable, freer and diverse media. Gary has a background in journalism and writing, beginning his career as a freelance journalist and author, specialising in film and popular music and authoring or co-authoring a number of books. If you would like to find out more information about Gary, you can visit http://www.keywordsassociates.com/.

The title of this episode is an homage to an important philosophical work by John Stuart Mill, 'On Liberty', which was published in 1859. In this edition of The Aidan Project, Aidan is joined by journalist, podcaster and activist, Joshua Thomas, host of Liberty Live and the Political Conundrum Podcast. Whilst Aidan and Joshua disagree on several points, a true liberal democracy's interpretation of free speech must surely mean that diametrically opposed arguments can be made without shouting your opponent down. In addition to the central theme of the episode, also discussed and defined are 'fake news', 'the regressive left' and 'social justice warriors'. Aidan and Joshua also look at the Daily Mail infamously labelling UK judges as 'enemies of the people', and much more. For more information on Joshua, you can catch Liberty Live every Saturday evening at 8PM GMT on YouTube, where you can also find the Political Conundrum Podcast. Joshua is on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PoliticalConundrum/) and YouTube (http://bit.ly/2g4ZXiN).

In this bonus edition of the podcast, enjoy previously unreleased audio from The Aidan Project episode, 'Pokemon Diplomacy and Transnational Culture' with Jared Miracle. Jared is an author, educator, researcher, martial artist, chef, and much else besides. You can follow Jared on Facebook (facebook.com/jaredmiraclewriter) and Twitter (@DocKungFu).

This is part one of a two-part series focusing on the role and experience of the United States of America in the Great War of 1914-1918. In these episodes, Aidan is joined by Dr. Paul Dean, a former instructor at, and alumni of, Washington State University, who is an expert on World War One and author of 'Courage: Roy Blanchard's Journey in America's Forgotten War'. In this episode, Aidan and Paul discuss the underlying tensions that led to war, the ambitions of the Central Powers and The Entente, and the tragically misplaced belief that it would be over quickly, before it became a desperate stalemate. This episode moves through the chronology of the war up until April 1917, all the while considering the US perspective; the view of the US public, and President Woodrow Wilson's policy towards the conflict. This episode concludes on the eve of the momentous Declaration of War on Germany, which was handed down on April 6, 1917. Following German antagonism at sea and the infamous Zimmermann Telegram, the US moved away from the Monroe Doctrine and into the fight. Part two will be released on April 6, 2017, one hundred years to the day that the United States officially entered into the global catastrophe that was, at the time, thought to be the war to end all wars. For more information on Dr. Paul Dean, please visit his web site at www.paultdean.com.