Podcast / American Prestige / Jul 29, 2026

Who’s Allowed Self-Determination? With Brad Simpson

Brad Simpson joins Danny and Derek to explore the history of self-determination, from decolonization and the Cold War to its enduring significance for conflicts today.

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.

Who’s Allowed Self-Determination? w/ Brad Simpson / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with historian Brad Simpson about the history and evolving meaning of self-determination in international politics and law. They talk about the Wilson-Lenin debate, the Atlantic Charter, the Nazi appropriation of ethno-nationalist self-determination, the decolonization movements of the mid-20th century, the failure of the new international economic order, and the idea's continuing relevance to places like Palestine and Greenland.

Get Brad’s book The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941–2000.

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Demonstrators stage a protest to thank countries that recognize the State of Palestine and to demand an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza in Ramallah, West Bank, on September 23, 2025.

(Issam Rimawi / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Danny and Derek speak with historian Brad Simpson about the history and evolving meaning of self-determination in international politics and law. They talk about the Wilson-Lenin debate, the Atlantic Charter, the Nazi appropriation of ethnonationalist self-determination, the decolonization movements of the mid-20th century, the failure of the new international economic order, and the idea’s continuing relevance to places like Palestine and Greenland.

Get Brad’s book The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941–2000.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

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.

Halloween Origins w/ Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, co-hosts of theWe’re Not So Different podcast and our collaborators onWelcome to the Crusades (Season 2 out now!) are on the show to help tell the story of Halloween. They explore Halloween's Christian (and possibly pagan) origins, medieval beliefs about death and purgatory, ghosts and the Protestant Reformation, the origins of costumes and jack-o'-lanterns, its commercialization and global spread, and the rise of sexy Halloween costumes.

Don't forget to subscribe to ⁠Welcome to the Crusades: The Second Crusade⁠!

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Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.

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.

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