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Rethinking US World Power

On this episode of American Prestige, Michael Brenes and Stephen Wertheim on domestic histories of US foreign relations.

Daniel Bessner

March 29, 2024

President Clinton on Air Force One, November 2, 1997, in the United States. (Cynthia Johnson / Liaison)

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Rethinking U.S. World Power w/ Michael Brenes and Stephen Wertheim | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Michael Brenes and Stephen discuss the new volume Danny and Michael edited, Rethinking U.S. World Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign RelationsThey talk about the current tenor in DC around foreign policy, the degree to which domestic factors affect U.S. decisions therein, and how their careers thus far have shaped their thinking.

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On this episode of American Prestige, we welcome back friends Michael Brenes, codirector of the Brady-Johnson program in grand strategy at Yale University and publisher of Warfare and Welfare, and Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

They’re on the show to discuss the new volume Danny and Michael edited, Rethinking U.S. World Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations. We talk about the current tenor in D.C. around foreign policy, the degree to which domestic factors affect US decisions therein, and how their careers thus far have shaped their thinking.

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.

Iran and the End of Restraint w/ Trita Parsi and Akbar Shahid Ahmed | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek are back with a two-part episode on the war with Iran. First, they speak with Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute about the Trump administration’s decision to go to war, the belief that assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei would cause the regime to implode, the structure and failure of pre-war negotiations, the influence of Israeli officials and hawks, the potential for sending in ground troops, and the impact on Iranian society. They then speak with Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent at HuffPost, about the erosion of rules of engagement, the alignment of U.S. and Israeli military strategy, congressional inaction, compliant allies, and whether any realistic off-ramps remain.

Read Akbar’s piece “Trump Says He Brought 'Justice' To Iran. His War Boosts Fears The U.S. Has Gone Rogue.”

Keep up with Quincy’s work at Responsible Statecraft and Always at War.

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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.


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