Podcast / American Prestige / Feb 2, 2024

A Drone Strike on a US Base, Gaza Cease-Fire Talks, and Record US Weapons Sales

On this episode of American Prestige, discussing this week’s headlines from around the world.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Drone Strike on US Base, Gaza Ceasefire Talks, And Record US Weapons Sales | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this news episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek return with headlines from around the globe. This week: the ICJ decision on Israel (0:29), Israeli accusations of UNRWA (5:08), ceasefire talks (10:35), and Biden sanctions settlers (15:56); a U.S. outpost in Jordan is bombed by a drone (18:54); secret Sudan peace talks in Bahrain (23:52); several countries quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (25:37); in Ukraine, Zelensky fires a top commander (27:23); the Biden admin is reimposing sanctions on Venezuela (33:34); international intervention is in doubt in Haiti (37:13); and the U.S. had record arms sales last year (40:24).

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 30, 2024, saying he had decided on a response to a deadly drone strike on US forces in Jordan but did not seek a wider war in the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 30, 2024, saying he had decided on a response to a deadly drone strike on US forces in Jordan but did not seek a wider war in the Middle East.

(Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)

On this new episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek return with headlines from around the globe. This week: the ICJ decision on Israel (0:29), Israeli accusations of UNRWA (5:08), ceasefire talks (10:35), and Biden sanctions settlers (15:56); a U.S. outpost in Jordan is bombed by a drone (18:54); secret Sudan peace talks in Bahrain (23:52); several countries quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (25:37); in Ukraine, Zelensky fires a top commander (27:23); the Biden administration is reimposing sanctions on Venezuela (33:34); international intervention is in doubt in Haiti (37:13); and the US had record arms sales last year (40:24).

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Iran War Widens, Afghanistan–Pakistan Fighting, New U.S. Operation in Ecuador | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

We don’t have whatever they were giving JFK to power through the Cuban Missile Crisis, but we’re keeping up here. This week’s news: in the Iran War, the U.S. prepares to use Kurdish proxy forces against the Islamic Republic (1:26) while offering shifting timelines and contradictory explanations for the war (6:32), plus Iran searches for a new supreme leader (11:54); Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel after months of being bombarded, so Israel escalates its strikes across Lebanon (16:24); Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange airstrikes and artillery fire as fighting along their border displaces tens of thousands (19:26); Turkey considers reentering the F-35 program as part of new energy negotiations with the U.S. (22:56); Nepal holds a major election following last year’s protests (26:40); fighting intensifies in Sudan’s Kordofan and Blue Nile regions (28:05); M23 launches drone strikes deeper into the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the United States sanctions Rwandan military officials (31:56); a Russian LNG tanker is sunk in the Mediterranean amid suspicions of Ukrainian involvement (34:40); France proposes expanding its nuclear umbrella over Europe (38:01); the U.S. launches a new military operation targeting drug cartels in Ecuador (40:20); Congress strikes down legislation that would halt the Iran war (41:46); and the Trump administration moves ahead with new global tariffs while the courts order billions in refunds for the last batch that were struck down (44:41).

Grab a copy of Danny and Michael Brenes’ edited volumeCold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency. Use the discount code BESSNER26.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth. 

The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more. 

But this journalism is possible only with your support.

This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.

Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

More from The Nation

Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 02, 2026

Iran and the End of Restraint—With Trita Parsi and Akbar Shahid Ahmed Iran and the End of Restraint—With Trita Parsi and Akbar Shahid Ahmed

On the latest American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

War Clouds Over Iran

War Clouds Over Iran War Clouds Over Iran

On The Time of Monsters: Amir Handjani on Trump’s new threats.

Jeet Heer

Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan on January 13, 2026.

Can American Power Be Redeemed? Can American Power Be Redeemed?

On American Prestige: Shadi Hamid on American hegemony and whether it can be a force for good.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City.

Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin

On the latest American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner, Derek Davison, and Greg Grandin

A security volunteer stands at a roadside checkpoint during the conflict in the Thai province of Buriram, 10 kilometres away from the border with Cambodia.

Thailand–Cambodia Fighting, Venezuela Escalation, Yemen Separatists Thailand–Cambodia Fighting, Venezuela Escalation, Yemen Separatists

The news from American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

A boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media apps on December 13, 2025.

How Effective Is Australia’s Social Media Age Limit? How Effective Is Australia’s Social Media Age Limit?

Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Feb 2, 2024 A Drone Strike on a US Base, Gaza Cease-Fire Talks, and Record US Weapons Sales On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us:…

Podcast / Tech Won't Save Us

x