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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.

The War In Sudan with Khalid Medani | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Khalid Medani—associate professor of political science, director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, and chair of the African Studies Program at McGill University—for a deep dive into the conflict that has engulfed Sudan since last Spring. They delve into its roots going back to the 1989 coup, break down the makeup of the primary combatants (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces), how these groups are able to continue recruiting and maintain support networks, the conflict’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis and regional effects, foreign mercenaries and whether it has become a proxy war, efforts of local civil leaders to quell the fighting, and what things might look like moving forward.

As Khalid noted, two places to which he recommends you donate are the Sudanese Doctors Union or the Sudan Solidarity Collective.

Some of Khalid’s recent work:

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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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