On this episode of American Prestige, headlines from around the globe.
President Donald Trump attends the US-UAE Business Council in the capital Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on May 16, 2025.(Waleed Zein / Anadolu via Getty Images)
Alex Jordan rejoins the show to see if he can impersonate Danny as well as he impersonated Derek a couple of weeks ago. We discuss the India-Pakistan ceasefire, Donald Trump’s big Persian Gulf tour (filled with deals, bribes, and announcements about Syrian sanctions and Iranian nuclear talks), the latest developments in Gaza, the US-China tariff pause, the PKK’s major disarmament announcement, a new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, major clashes between militias in Libya, the arrival of the first group of Afrikaner refugees to the US, Luis Arce’s decision to quit the Bolivian presidential race, the sacking of US National Intelligence Council staff for daring to contradict President Trump, and whether the US is going to have habeas corpus for much longer.
You can watch Alex Jordan on the Quincy Institute’s inaugural episode of the YouTube program “Always at War,” which he co-hosted with Courtney Rawlings.
Topics:
01:23 India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement.
04:18 Trump’s Persian Gulf tour and deals.
07:49 Trump’s announcement regarding Syria sanctions.
10:40 Efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
15:28 Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians in Gaza.
17:24 New US-led humanitarian foundation for Gaza.
21:27 Release of American-Israeli hostage by Hamas.
26:46 US-China trade war détente.
29:13 PKK’s announcement of major disarmament.
32:19 Diplomatic efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war.
35:45 Major clashes between militias in Libya.
39:33 Arrival of the first group of Afrikaner refugees to the US.
41:17 Luis Arce’s decision to quit the Bolivian presidential race.
43:09 Sacking of US National Intelligence Council staff for contradicting President Trump.
46:04 Potential suspension of habeas corpus in the US.
48:47 Habeas corpus suspension and executive power.
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Danny and Derek speak with historian Andrew Preston about the origins and development of the American national security state as we know it. They discuss the original meaning of “national security” in the early days of the republic; the idea of free security; the New Deal and the relationship between social security and national security; World War II, the Cold War, and the expansion of the security state; liberalism and American empire; and what national security looks like moving forward.
Be sure to grab a copy of Andrew’s book on the subject, Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security.
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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.
Derek DavisonDerek 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.