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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.

Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner

October 4, 2024

Palestinian Civil Defense 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)

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Letting It All Burn w/ Derek Davison | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

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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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.

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.

Houthis Escalate Red Sea Conflict, Pentagon Report on Iran War Costs, BRICS Summit Exposes Divisions / American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

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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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.


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


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