Imperialist Realism—With Danny Bessner
Danny Bessner joins Derek to discuss his new book, Imperialist Realism, and how American empire shapes both US foreign policy and popular culture.
Imperialist Realism—With Danny Bessner
Danny Bessner joins Derek to discuss his new book, “Imperialist Realism”, and how American empire shapes both US foreign policy and popular culture.
The Nation Podcasts
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Imperialist Realism w/ Danny Bessner / American Prestige
Derek welcomes back to the show his very own co-host, Danny Bessner, to talk about his new book, Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century, and how we see imperialist realism in American foreign policy and popular culture. They talk about the concept’s inspiration from the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the end of mass politics, the decline of grand ideology in U.S. foreign policy, the core features of imperialist realism, the Protestant missionary roots of American foreign policy, imperialist realism in pop culture, and a democratic socialist alternative to current U.S. foreign policy.
Order your copy of the book now.
Read the new piece from Danny’s Imperialist Realism Substack, “Empire of Grunge.”
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The sun sets behind American flags on July 27, 2026, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)Derek welcomes back to the show his very own co-host, Danny Bessner, to talk about his new book, Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century, and how we see imperialist realism in American foreign policy and popular culture. They talk about the concept’s inspiration from the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the end of mass politics, the decline of grand ideology in US foreign policy, the core features of imperialist realism, the Protestant missionary roots of American foreign policy, imperialist realism in pop culture, and a democratic socialist alternative to current US foreign policy.
Order your copy of the book now.
Read the new piece from Danny’s Imperialist Realism Substack, Empire of Grunge.
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.
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.
El Salvador Deploys Troops to Haiti, UN Ends Western Sahara Mission, Israeli Opposition Moves to Oust Netanyahu / American Prestige
The Blue Wave has hit AP headquarters, devastating our humble operation. In this week’s news: Danny and Derek discuss the prospects for military escalation and peace talks with Iran after the midterm elections (2:06); the Red Cross delivers aid to the Yemeni city of Taiz (9:46); Netanyahu’s position weakens as coalition talks begin after Israel’s election (11:39); the FBI accuses North Korea of a $6.3 billion cryptocurrency theft (16:09); Ethiopia and Sudan close each other's consulates amid accusations of support for the RSF (18:25); the UN shuts down its Western Sahara mission (20:48); the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine schedule new peace talks in Abu Dhabi (23:28); a temporary ceasefire in southern Ukraine allows aid deliveries and civilian evacuations around Oleshky (25:12); the Trump administration pushes Europe to resume Russian gas imports (28:27); youth-led protests spread to Germany as French unions launch a nationwide strike (32:26); the U.S. negotiates a status-of-forces agreement with Venezuela (35:55); and El Salvador deploys thousands of troops to Haiti after four Salvadoran military personnel disappear (37:54).
Catch Danny in-person, along with friend of the pod Nando Vila, at Stories Books & Cafe in LA, Friday Nov 6th at 6:30 PM.
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Watch last night’s livestream.
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