Relevant Reading:

The Lost History of Liberalism: From Ancient Rome to the Twenty-First Century

What do we talk about when we talk about liberalism? For some, the word connotes an Enlightenment-era Anglo-American tradition going back to John Locke; for others, the roots go deeper, or lead elsewhere. Today “liberalism” is for some political actors a pejorative term; for others, a rallying cry. But there seems no consistent consensus about what it means.

In her new book The Lost History of Liberalism, historian Helena Rosenblatt traces the history of liberalism as a word and an idea. She argues against a narrowly Anglo-American interpretation of the concept, showing that its origins go as far back as ancient Rome and that the French and Germans made decisive contributions. And she shows why liberalism, throughout all its long history, has always been a term of contention.

This week, Rosenblatt joins Richard Aldous to discuss the book. Be sure to tune in, and don’t forget to follow @aminterest and @HelenaRosenblat on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself 

Empower Political Parties to Revive Democratic Accountability

All across the world, democratic reformers are seeking to bring more power directly to the people through referendums and ballot initiatives, direct selection of candidates via primaries, and electoral changes to encourage smaller and more representative parties. But what if such decentralizing reforms are actually making parties less accountable to the voters, and fueling the very grievances they are designed to address?

That’s the case made by Ian Shapiro and Frances McCall Rosenbluth in their new book Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself.  In a sweeping survey of electoral systems and their discontents, Shapiro and Rosenbluth argue that we have introduced too much democracy in the wrong places—and that robust competition between two large, disciplined parties remains the best model to foster real accountability.

The authors recently previewed the book with an excerpt in our pages. This week, Ian Shapiro joins the podcast to discuss its lessons for our own democracy, just one day after the midterms delivered the Democratic Party control of the House. Be sure to tune in, and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

The Working Hypothesis

The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America

For decades, American economic policy has been oriented toward consumption, aimed at expanding the size and share of the “economic pie” available to each American. But this narrow focus on GDP growth has hardly translated into consistent gains for all workers, nor has it nurtured the stable families and strong communities at the heart of any healthy society.

In his new book The Once and Future Worker, out November 13 from Encounter Books, Manhattan Institute scholar Oren Cass advances a new “working hypothesis” that puts workers and families first. Challenging conventional wisdom on both sides of the political spectrum, Cass offers a bold new agenda to reform the labor market to meet society’s long-term needs.

Cass recently previewed the book with an excerpt in our pages. This week, he joins the podcast to discuss it with Richard Aldous. Be sure to tune in, and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest and @oren_cass on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech

Will political debates of the future look more or less like they do today, only carried out via new technologies? Or will rapid innovation in technologies from artificial intelligence to virtual reality—and their consolidated control by big tech and the state—transform our politics in fundamental ways that we have not even begun to fathom?

In his new book Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech, Jamie Susskind makes the latter case. Drawing on examples that include China’s social credit system, Russian electoral meddling on social media, and even the pathologies of AirBnB ratings systems, Susskind illuminates the brave new world of politics in the digital age—and discusses how we can be masters of technology rather than slaves to it.

Tune in this week as Jamie joins Richard Aldous to discuss the book. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest and @jamiesusskind on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Melting Pot or Civil War?: A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders

These days, no issue divides the American electorate quite like immigration, as Donald Trump’s supporters on the Right thrill to his enforcement-heavy agenda and promises to build a wall, while activists on the Left increasingly call for open borders and abolishing ICE. With such disparate positions on both sides of the issue, there is precious little political incentive for compromise, or even for partisans on either side to entertain the good-faith arguments of their opponents.

In his new book Melting Pot or Civil War?, Reihan Salam attempts such a good-faith argument, advocating for tighter restrictions on immigration. Himself the son of Bangladeshi immigrants, Salam explains why a policy of unrestricted immigration is harmful to both immigrants and native-born Americans, and threatens to deepen our national divides. He also offers concrete policy solutions that can lead the way out of our current impasse.

Tune in this week as Reihan joins Richard Aldous to discuss the book. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest and @reihan on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up A Generation for Failure

The Bulverizing of the American Mind

College campuses these days abound with talk of “safe spaces,” “trigger warnings,” and “microaggressions,” therapeutic language designed to protect students from ideas that may offend or harm. Yet that mentality, apart from its chilling effect on free speech, has if anything made students feel more vulnerable, not less, as rates of depression and anxiety climb on campus and across the country.

In their new book The Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explore the social trends and bad ideas that have led to this moment, arguing that a culture of safetyism is doing serious damage to the intellectual and social formation of Generation Z. This week, they join Richard Aldous to discuss.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest, @JonHaidt, and @glukianoff on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment

Identity and the End of History

After a late-summer hiatus, The American Interest Podcast is back to discuss one of this fall’s must-read books: Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment by our own Executive Committee Chairman, Francis Fukuyama.

In the age of Brexit and Donald Trump, “identity politics” are said to be all around us, driving everything from the populist resurgence in the West to the increasing radicalism on college campuses to contemporary Islamism. But where did the modern notion of identity politics come from—and how can nations address particular demands for recognition without eroding a common sense of belonging?

Join Francis Fukuyama and Richard Aldous as they discuss these questions and many more. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest and @FukuyamaFrancis on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Haunted by Chaos: China’s Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping

How have China’s leaders conceived of the country’s rise and its place in the world? Are there consistent strategic principles that run from Mao to Xi? And is China’s strategic posture today fundamentally offensive or defensive?

This week, Richard Aldous discusses these questions and more as he speaks with Sulmaan Wasif Khan about his new book, Haunted by Chaos: China’s Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present

Why do social norms about drinking vary so widely from one country to the next? How did alcohol inform the foundational myths of the ancient Egyptians and Vikings? And what did the West’s leading lights, from Plato to Benjamin Franklin, have to say about the human capacity for drinking?

Tune in this Fourth of July week to learn the answers to these questions and more, as Richard Aldous speaks with Mark Forsyth about his new book, A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest and Mark Forsyth (@Inkyfool) on Twitter.

Relevant Reading:

Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics

Erdogan, Putin, Orban… and Trump—what, if anything, can a study of Richard III or Macbeth teach us about these leaders? Were Coriolanus and Julius Caesar really tyrants in the making? And is more democracy the answer to emerging tyranny?

This week’s podcast features our host Richard Aldous discussing Shakespeare with Stephen Greenblatt, author of Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest on Twitter.