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*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ *** Last week Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced a new security agreement aimed at militarily containing China. In this episode IContinue reading “The pivot to Asia is back”

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam *** It’s been about a month since Kabul fell to the Taliban, signifying America’s defeat in one of the longest wars it has ever fought. WhileContinue reading “Who lost Afghanistan?”

The Taliban are back in Kabul. The U.S.-backed Afghan government and military have collapsed much faster than almost anyone predicted. What does this mean for U.S. politics and foreign policy? And was there another way? Host Andy Gawthorpe breaks down the issues and looks at the long-term issues raised by the weekend’s events. Follow AndyContinue reading “The Taliban rout America”

Over the past year, more and more attention has been focused on an issue which has long been submerged in mainstream discussions of American politics – racism and discrimination against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. A wave of scapegoating and hate crimes related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the tragic spa shootings in Atlanta have madeContinue reading “#StopAsianHate”

Last week Trump’s business and its Chief Financial Officer were hit by criminal charges related to a tax evasion scheme. But Trump himself hasn’t been charged, and there seems little prospect that he will be held accountable for the legion of crimes he seems to have committed both while president and beforehand. What does thisContinue reading “Lock Trump up?”

The most successful politicians are often the most successful storytellers. Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan – they all excelled at telling spinning narratives with which their supporters could identify. But what if one side of the political battle is much more adept at telling stories than the other? That’s the argument of David Ricci,Continue reading “Why liberals can’t tell stories”

On Sunday, the Democratic Senator from West Virginia dropped a bombshell. Joe Manchin said he will refuse to vote for any legislation to advance or protect voting rights in America unless ten Republican senators back it as well – an impossibly high bar, particularly at a time when Republicans all over the country are pushingContinue reading “Joe Manchin’s America”

As violence shook the Middle East over the past few weeks, a debate was raging in the United States over American support for Israel. It has seemed to many observers that the Democratic Party is increasingly turning against Israel. This episode breaks down the party’s debate over Israel and argues that less has changed thanContinue reading “Are the Democrats anti-Israel?”

It’s no secret that American politics has been filled with rage in recent years. On cable news, on social media feeds, at demonstrations, riots and insurrections, a seemingly limitless supply of anger has been spilling into view. But what are the consequences of this rage for the health of American democracy? My guest today, StevenContinue reading “RAGE!!!”

Just a few weeks ago, former Trump administration officials were still claiming that they had brought peace to the Middle East. But the latest round of violence demonstrates that their approach was deeply flawed and only set the conditions for long-term escalation. Meanwhile, the Biden team has clearly been caught flat-footed, having been distracted byContinue reading “Trump, Biden and Israel (bonus episode)”