Letting It All Burn
On this episode of American Prestige, Danny interviews Derek on whether he sees any way out of the status quo in Western/North Atlantic politics.

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On this episode of American Prestige, Daniel Bessner interviews Derek Davison on whether he sees any way out of the status quo in Western/North Atlantic politics.
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Palestinian Civil Defence firefighters douse the flames during a fire in a fruit market in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, on August 31, 2024.
(Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)This week, instead of the world news roundup, Danny interviews Derek about his piece for FX, “Letting it All Burn.” They talk about what goes into Derek’s journalistic work, what drove him to write this unusually reflective column, what he thinks is particularly different (or not) about the current moment in the Middle East, and whether he sees any way out of the status quo in Western/North Atlantic politics.

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.
Derek has journeyed to Bolivia seeking contact with the newly discovered cat species, so Alex Jordan of Always at Warsteps in to bring you the headlines. This week: in New Delhi, BRICS member states issue a fractured joint statement on restraint in the Middle East (1:12); Iran strikes a U.S.-contracted vessel near the Strait of Hormuz (5:42); a cyberattack disables Texas-bound tankers (8:30); a new Pentagon report puts the Iran war’s cost at $33.4 billion (9:59); the Houthis/Ansar Allah advance in Taiz and hit Saudi Arabia (14:46); Yemeni government forces strike back while the U.S. rules out direct involvement (19:00); China pushes Iran to restrain the Houthis (22:37); an Israeli strike collapses a building in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people (25:12); the U.S. approves a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel (27:34); Russia and Ukraine strike each other’s energy infrastructure (30:57); the House passes a Russia sanctions bill named in honor of Lindsey Graham (33:37); a banking scandal roils Brazil’s presidential race (37:53); and in Sweden, a left-wing bloc narrowly wins an election (41:12).
Don’t forget to grab your copy of Danny’s new book Imperialist Realism.
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