Crashing the War Party

While all eyes have been turned on Ukraine and China, a nuclear threat continues on the Korean peninsula and in the last few weeks, tensions have gotten a lot worse. The U.S. called North Korea's accusations that Washington and South Korea have been provoking the North "baloney." Meanwhile Pyongyang has been testing missiles and artillery closer to its border with the South, while Seoul and the U.S. have continued their biggest joint war games in four years. Prolific writer and Cato Institute fellow Doug Bandow joins us on the show today to talk about the potential of Kim Jong Un going nuclear and how the Biden administration has lost all juice for addressing what could be a real military conflagration on China's doorstep.More from Doug Bandow:Xi plays Mao without the Madness -- The American Conservative, 10/20/22Who attacked Nord Stream 2? -- 19FortyFive, 10/14/22Washington huffs and puffs — but its adversaries aren’t shaking -- Responsible Statecraft, 10/11/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Washington was all agog this week after the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats came out swinging against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which refused to influence OPEC-Plus against cutting oil production last week. The move has the potential to roil already struggling energy markets and right before the November midterm elections. Biden is hopping mad — but is he surprised? And why did it seem to take him this long to get wise to MBS's venal machinations? We talk to Middle East expert Jon Hoffman about this and other dynamics that are making the Americans look like fools and sops in the region. In the first segment, we talk about those midterms and whether or not the Ukraine War will affect them — or be affected by them.More from Jon Hoffman:The Abraham Accords and the Imposed Middle East Order -- The National Interest, 10/3/22The United States Doesn’t Need to Recommit to the Middle East -- Foreign Policy, 7/11/22Counter-revolutionary? A deeper look at Israel’s relationships with Arab autocrats -- Responsible Statecraft, 1/28/22Washington’s Blank Check for the United Arab Emirates Must End -- Foreign Policy, 11/3/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Ever feel like the Washington crowd doesn't talk your language when it comes to how the government solves its problems overseas? After 20 years of war, it seems Americans are much more circumspect about war powers, sending weapons to dictators, the US military footprint in Asia, even the current war in Ukraine, according to a new poll by the Eurasia Group Foundation. Senior researcher and podcast producer Caroline Gray joins us to break down the results, which show younger voters are perhaps the most resistant to the status quo of all. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about the Biden Administration's latest efforts in cajoling the Pacific Island countries into its anti-China web. Listen to the Eurasia Group Foundation podcast, "None of the Above"See the full poll results, here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

In this episode, longtime US foreign policy author and critic Ted Carpenter talks about his new book cataloging the editorial crimes of the American press corps, starting with Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War, through Vietnam, the Iraq War, and Ukraine today. Media bias in favor of American primacy and exceptionalism has allowed Washington to not only get the public behind their political wars of choice but stay in them long after they've been lost. In the second segment, Kelley and Dan talk about Russia's apparent plans to annex four areas of Ukraine and what that will mean for the U.S.-NATO proxy war moving forward.More from Ted Carpenter:Unreliable Watchdog: The News Media and U.S. Foreign Policy -- Scheduled for release Nov. 29, 2022Uncle Sam’s Long Trail of Wreckage -- The American Conservative, 9/28/22North Korea Is A Nuclear Weapons State. America Needs A New Strategy -- 19FortyFive, 9/27/22Biden’s UN speech misreads global unity -- Responsible Statecraft, 9/24/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week Dan and Kelley talk to Dave DeCamp, who has literally written thousands of news reports for AntiWar.com, the nearly 30-year-old independent news and views source for the non-interventionist, anti-imperialist community. Dave just started a new podcast there, and talks to us about how he landed at Antiwar, what motivates him to work 24/7 for the cause, and this week's headlines regarding U.S. policies toward China and the war in Ukraine. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about Biden's strange "gaffe" in which he declared on 60 Minutes that he would send U.S. troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.More Dave DeCamp:State Department Stops Publishing Military Expenditures, Arms Transfer Report -- Antiwar.com, 9/19/22China Lodges Complaint to US Over Biden’s Comments on Defending Taiwan -- Antiwar.com, 9/19/22Senate Panel Advances Bill That Would Radically Change US Taiwan Policy -- Antiwar.com, 9/14/22Liz Truss and the Future of British Imperialism -- Libertarian Institute, 9/6/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Is progressive foreign policy in crisis? Stephen Wertheim, author of Tomorrow the World: The Birth of U.S.Global Supremacy doesn't really think so, but he does recognize a serious debate between progressives who want to actively promote democracy and confront global authoritarianism, and those who believe such efforts could entangle the U.S. in conflicts that are averse to national interests. These divisions have been put into stark contrast during today's war in Ukraine. Dan and Kelley talk to Stephen about that, and a possible war with China over Taiwan. In the first segment, our hosts discuss a new Senate bill that could make a great power conflict in the Asia Pacific more of a reality.More from Stephen Wertheim:The Crisis in Progressive Foreign Policy -- Foreign Affairs, 8/24/22Is America Overextending Itself? -- Q&A, Foreign Policy, 8/24/22The Ukraine Temptation -- Foreign Affairs, 4/12/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The headlines are almost scary these days: China and Russia together engaging in massive military drills — including live-fire exercises in the Sea of Japan — the US sailing so-called 'freedom of navigation" operations through the Taiwan strait, Taiwan boosting its defense budget in anticipation of a Chinese attack. The tensions are high since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to visit Taipei this summer in a sort of declaration of defiance against China. Is the US asking for something it can't readily finish? China military expert and author Lyle Goldstein thinks so. He talks to us this week about the strategic dynamics in the Pacific, and the potential consequences of American hubris. In the second segment, Kelley and Dan discuss "The Rise of the Liberal Hawks" — the latest attempt by the Atlantic magazine to smear anyone who doesn't agree with the company line.More from Lyle Goldstein:How Beijing Is Changing Its Rules Around Taiwan — Defense One, 8/16/22The US should keep a cool head over China’s courting of the Solomon Islands — The Hill, 4/27/22The new Indo-Pacific Strategy is too shallow — Defense News, 2/24/22 Stop counting warships. China's special-operations forces are Taiwan's real problem — Insider, 1/22/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

For decades Americans have been conditioned to support the idea of American Exceptionalism and the nation's obligation to promote its liberal values globally, even if it means war. This is at the very root of the American Empire, author and podcaster Daniel Bessner tells us in this week's episode. Movements are afoot to expose the narrative and start adjusting to new realities on the world stage — if only the Washington blob would get out of the way. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the violence in Baghdad this week and how the U.S. screwed up its chance to make amends for breaking Iraq after the 2003 invasion.More from Bessner:Empire Burlesque — Harper's Magazine, July 2022American Empire is headed into the sunset — can we handle it? Q&A w/ Tevah Gevelber — Responsible Statecraft, 7/25/22Ending primacy to end U.S. wars — The Quincy Institute, 4/7/22The case against humane war — New Republic, 9/8/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

It's been a year since the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took over, leaving Afghans behind with an uncertain future. The 20-year war had ended but instead of facing its mistakes and making sure Afghanistan doesn't become a festering wound, Washington has refused to work diplomatically with the Taliban or help ease the economic situation that is driving the country into a spiraling humanitarian crisis. U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Quincy Institute fellow Adam Weinstein breaks it down for us. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the establishment media's latest attempt to sell a coherent "Biden-Blinken doctrine," and why it's as shallow as the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.More from Adam Weinstein:Mourning a Lost War: Why Nation Building Failed in Afghanistan — The National Interest, 8/22/22Strategic Patience: Sustainable Engagement with a Changed Afghanistan, The Quincy Institute, 8/15/22Why the Afghan government collapsed after US withdrawal, Responsible Statecraft, 5/20/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

In this episode, Daniel talks to Ali Wyne, author of “America’s Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition.” They discuss the potential dangers of defining U.S. foreign policy simply in terms of countering Russia and China, the need for internal American renewal, and steps to be taken to avoid the Great Power war. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about a compelling new report that shows the European people are actually tired of the US-led security umbrella. The question is, are their governments willing and able to start investing in their own defense?More Wyne:Ali Wyne on US Foreign Policy in the Era of Great Power Competition -- Q&A with Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat, 8/16/22The problem with ‘great power competition’ — Q&A with Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 7/25/22How the 'great power competition' model leads to costly entanglements — review by Daniel Larison, Responsible Statecraft, 7/15/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The U.S. has been locked in a delicate dance with its European partners and Iran over re-entry into the Iran nuclear deal for more than a year. Meanwhile, relations between the two countries are either frozen or dangerously hot — never in-between. How did it get this way? Is there anyone in the US government who doesn't view Tehran as the enemy? Will Iran's own mullahs dial down the rhetoric long enough to see their country through to a better way? Author and MIT researcher John Tirman shares his extensive research with Dan and Kelley this week. In the first segment, our hosts talk about Biden's "new" Africa strategy. Just more great power politics or an actual corner turned?More from John Tirman:Republics of Myth: National Narratives and the US-Iran Conflict, w/ Hussein Banai and Malcolm Byrne, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022.How the war complicates Biden's Iran diplomacy, 4/6/22, Democracy in Exile (DAWN) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

After the fall of the Soviet Union, scholar (and former Army linguist) Monica Duffy Toft noticed something odd: the number of U.S. interventions overseas seemed to go up, not down, after the Cold War was supposedly over. Today, she is fully embroiled in a project that is collecting data on all of those interventions, their toll on the American taxpayer, and on peace across the globe, and is coming up with some disturbing conclusions about the nature of American exceptionalism and the military-industrial complex. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about Nancy Pelosi's big trip to Taiwan this week and why Washington today appears to be completely inept at foreign policy and realpolitik.More from Monica Duffy Toft:America’s modern addiction to the big stick — Responsible Statecraft, 6/21/22What the United States needs to own in Russia’s war on Ukraine, Responsible Statecraft, 5/16/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The U.S. seems determined to manage the world order, even if that means taking the current integrated global economic system and re-calibrating it based on shared national security concerns — like the West on the one side, China and Russia on the other, and the 'non-aligned' like India and the rest of the Global South pressured to pick a team. That seems to be afoot given recent statements by the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the State Department. Here to talk about it is the Quincy Institute's advocacy director and economic policy expert Marcus Stanley. In the first segment, Daniel and Kelley discuss the increased U.S. military presence in Somalia, which has gone all but unnoticed by official Washington and the media.More from Marcus Stanley:Stop using the China ‘threat’ to throw more money at the Pentagon (w/ Michael Swaine), Responsible Statecraft, 6/18/22The US Has No Endgame in Ukraine, an interview with Jacobin Magazine, 6/22Did Janet Yellen just signal a new world economic order? Responsible Statecraft, 4/28/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Nick Turse is the master of annoying the Pentagon with his pesky questions about their secret military deployments and how they're spending U.S. taxpayer dollars in places you've never heard of. He lives up to his reputation with a new Intercept piece, written with Alice Speri: "How the Pentagon uses a secretive program to wage proxy wars." This week, we discuss how their Freedom of Information requests resulted in a ton of new information about special operations missions across the Middle East and Africa, and how successive administrations and Congress have done nothing about it. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about whether the Biden administration will declare Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman immune from a civil lawsuit alleging his role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi — or will his new desire to make nice with the Kingdom come between Khashoggi's loved ones and final justice?More from Nick Turse:How the Pentagon uses a secretive program to wage proxy wars — The Intercept (w/Alice Speri), 7/1/22Civilian Victim of U.S. Drone Strike Starts a Go Fund Me to Save his Legs — and His Life, The Intercept, 5/218/22The military isn’t tracking US-trained officers in Africa — Responsible Statecraft. 3/30/22Are we training future coup leaders and creating new terrorists in West Africa? — Responsible Statecraft, 1/31/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

After four months the war is grinding on with Russia gaining territory in the east, day by day. Scholar and author Rajan Menon joins the show this week to talk about the ways this could end: De facto partitioning? Neutrality with sweeteners? A new Russia? In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aklheh in May. A U.S. forensic investigation found this week that the bullet indeed came from an Israeli Defense Forces gun, but also determined it was "unintentional." How do they know? We'll discuss.More from Rajan Menon:How can the war in Ukraine end? Let’s count the ways — Responsible Statecraft, 6/28/22The war in Ukraine has entered a new, and more difficult, phase — The Guardian (w/ Daniel DePetris), 6/23/22The U.S. Can’t Force the Rest of the World to Support Ukraine. Here’s Why — Politico (w/ Daniel DePetris), 5/25/22How to Make Peace With Putin: The West Must Move Quickly to End the War in Ukraine — Foreign Affairs (w/ Thomas Graham), 3/21/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

As President Biden sets out to fit the world into a "democracies versus autocracies" frame and more importantly, firm up allies in his China containment policy, the countries in Southeast Asia — including Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia — have other ideas. We talk to Sebastian Strangio, Southeast Asia editor for The Diplomat, on how these countries are positioning on China, the war in Ukraine, and their complicated relationship with the United States. In the first segment, Kelley & Dan talk about reports of the CIA secretly operating in Kyiv and what this means for Biden's "no boots on the ground" strategy in Ukraine.More from Strangio: Australian FM Embarks on Trip to Vietnam, Malaysia, The Diplomat, 6/27/22Philippines Nixes Joint Maritime Resource Exploration Talks With China, The Diplomat, 6/24/22Indonesia’s President Jokowi to Visit Russia, Ukraine, The Diplomat, 6/21/22Why Have Southeast Asian Governments Stayed Silent Over Ukraine? The Diplomat, 2/23/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent oil and gas embargoes have triggered an energy crisis and sent the Biden Administration in search of the dreaded fossil fuels to increase world supplies and stave off price hikes. This is where Venezuela comes in. William Neuman, author of "Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela," gives us a clear-eyed view of the recent history of Venezuela's economic collapse, its broken relations with Washington, and America's regime change desires. He also talks about how Ukraine has upended all of that, opening a window for new relations. Maybe. In the first segment, Kelley & Dan talk about the assassination of Iranians in Tehran, and Israel's suspected links to them.More on William Neuman:Venezuela Sanctions Aren't Working. Don't Repeat the Mistakes of the Cuba Embargo — The Guardian, 6/2/22The Disaster That Is Venezuela -- New York Times book review, 3/15/22Venezuela's Train to Nowhere -- The Atlantic, 3/7/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Media and cultural analyst and podcaster Bob Wright talks to us this week about his recent look at the Institute for the Study of War and its predominant role in mainstream coverage of the War in Ukraine. This Washington think tank, founded during the height of the Iraq War by Kimberly Kagan, specializes in maps and rigorous regional analysis, but hidden in the attic is a string of defense industry, Pentagon, and neoconservative connections. Wright puts them, and ISW's shaded reports on Russia-Ukraine, under the microscope. In the first segment, we talk about how the toughest sanctions in history have so far not had a major effect on Russia. Why?More from Bob Wright at this Nonzero Newsletter on Substack: Propaganda, American Style, June 6Biden's pan-American party faces RSVP problems, June 3Ukraine speech code violated--McCarthyism ensues, April 29 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Black gold: Oil is responsible for making great powers, provoking endless military conflict, and splitting the world between dependents and power brokers. There is nothing like a petrostate, says Emma Ashford, who just released the book, "Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates." Emma's book explores why this resource is the most powerful driver of not only global economics, but politics and foreign policy, and how its influence is a lead actor in today's headlines, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and global inflation. In the first segment, Kelley & Dan discuss Ben Sasse's sassy foreign policy speech calling out American "defeatists" and "isolationists."More from Emma Ashford:Is Biden Being Machiavellian or Misguided on Taiwan? -- Foreign Policy, 5/27/22NATO Should Think Twice Before Accepting Finland and Sweden -- Bloomberg, 5/30/22How the War in Ukraine Could Get Much Worse, w/ Josh Shifrinson -- Foreign Affairs, 3/22/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Is Russia poised to invade Sweden or Finland? Likely not. So what problem does adding both countries to NATO solve? Furthermore, how much is the U.S. willing to defend these countries down the road? Kelley and Dan talk to Cato Institute's Justin Logan about why offering them membership is an "impetuous move" that will likely cost more than the immediate benefit. In the first segment, we explore the potential disaster that awaits the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this month, as several Latin American leaders have threatened to boycott the annual event because Biden insists on playing the "democracies versus autocracies" game.More from Justin Logan:The Case against Finland Joining NATO --The National Interest, with Ben Friedman, 5/22/22We’re Not All Ukrainians Now -- Politico Europe, 5/17/22Ukraine Has a Right to Fight for Its Survival, but the US Can’t Take on Unlimited Risk to Help It Do So -- Business Insider, with Gil Barndollar, 4/28/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Iraq war veteran Dan Caldwell talks to Dan and Kelley this week about his work at Stand Together, Concerned Veterans of America, and about how he is trying to challenge Washington's hubristic war policies, including its current approach to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He says the American people have had no say in the $50 billion in weapons and aid pledged and fast-tracked to Kyiv, and senses that lawmakers, mostly Republicans, are starting to push back because their constituents are getting restive. In the intro segment, we talk about Tom Cotton's new turn as a Jacksonian-America First-interventionist. More Dan Caldwell:CSPAN Washington Journal: Dan Caldwell on Veterans and Military Issues -- 2/19/22 U.S. in Iraq: A Distinction Without A Difference -- The American Conservative -- 1/12/22Congress Has a Chance to Reclaim Its War Powers -- Newsweek -- 6/1/21Dan Larison on Tom Cotton: Tom Cotton, Fanatical Militarist-- Antiwar.com -- 5/11/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Wondering why the Biden administration's Ukraine policy seems so scattershot? Who exactly is giving him advice and where did they come from? Asia Times columnist and longtime blob-watcher James Carden joins us to answer some of these million-dollar (or should we say $40 billion) questions. He finds that most of the tight inner circle are Obama holdovers — surprise! — toeing the status quo foreign policy consensus in Washington. In our first segment, Dan and Kelley chat about the third anniversary of Trump ripping the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, and the window slowly closing ahead of the midterms for its renewal.More from James Carden:Brink delights foreign policy consensus, sails through confirmation hearing — Responsible Statecraft, 5/11/22American progressives join the War Party — Asia Times, 5/6/22The company men behind Biden’s foreign policy ‘Blob’ — Asia Times, 5/3/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The United States makes a lot of stupid mistakes and policy choices driven by the idea that not only are we the center of the universe, but by our obsession with maintaining "credibility." Tulane professor Chris Fettweis, author of Pathologies of Power, and Psychology of a Superpower, talks to Kelley and Dan about how it's comforting to think we are in control and can shape the way other leaders — like Vladimir Putin —behave. Can't we? In the first segment, we discuss the not-so-subtle shift in Washington rhetoric toward a direct, existential conflict with Moscow, with at least one lawmaker, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, calling for a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Russia.More from Fettweis:Psychology of a Superpower, 2018, Columbia University PressThe Pathologies of Power, 2014, Cambridge University Press This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

It's our one-year anniversary at Crashing the War Party, and what better way to celebrate it than to interview one of our favorite voices on foreign policy restraint— Senator Rand Paul. Dan and Kelley talk to the Kentucky senator about that exchange with Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week, where he challenged the administration dangling NATO in front of Ukraine while agitating Putin before the March invasion. He discusses the perils of escalation, the possibility of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Putin's miscalculations, as well as the ongoing war in Yemen, and his support for rejoining the Iran nuclear deal. What a perfect way to celebrate our birthday!We'd also like to extend our absolute gratitude to our producer Remso W. Martinez who has been an integral part of putting together, setting up, and executing Crashing the War Party from the very beginning and weekly. Please check out his own podcast On the Run w/ Remso W. Martinez here!More on Senator Paul:Senator Rand Paul Argues U.S. Support for Ukraine NATO Membership Contributed to Russian Decision to Invade, CSPAN, 4/27/22Sen. Rand Paul bucks party, says getting out of Iran deal was ‘a mistake’ — Responsible Statecraft, 3/23/22Why I want to kill Biden's massive US-Egyptian arms deal, Responsible Statecraft, 2/10/22 Rand Paul: America Must Stop Enabling The Saudi War In Yemen, The American Conservative, 12/7/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Wheat, corn, and sunflower exports from Eastern Europe have been severely impacted by the war, and guess what, the countries most affected are those already reeling from Western-led/assisted wars and famine (Yemen), economic breakdown and instability (Lebanon), and systemic corruption and repression (Egypt). Bottom line, says energy and markets expert Amir Handjani: the poorest people of the Middle East. While everyone has been talking about skyrocketing energy prices due to the war in Ukraine, a more potentially catastrophic situation is just around the corner. In the first half, Dan & Kelley discuss Sweden and Finland and their sudden yearning to be in NATO — and what kind of havoc that might wreak in regards to an already NATO-phobic Russia.More from Amir Handjani:Amir Handjani – Ukraine war is causing a commodities ‘super cycle’ and likely global food crisis – Responsible Statecraft — 3/16/22CNBC: Three ways the victory of the Taliban might reverberate around the world (Quoted) – 8/23/22CNBC: Amir Handjani on Afghanistan Withdrawal – 8/17/2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week we talk about time running out for Washington to seal the Iran deal and why the talks have seemingly stalled. George Washington University PhD candidate Sina Azodi discusses how lifting the IRGC terrorism designation has become a key sticking point in the debate, and how political pressures on Biden get worse as the midterm elections loom. In our first segment, Kelley and Daniel compare the "two Americas" as described by neoconservative and optimistic primacist Robert Kagan on one hand, and Daniel Bessner, a critic of empire on the other.More from Sina Azodi:I was once conscripted into the Iranian armed forces. Here’s why the IRGC designation is punishing conscripts — the Atlantic Council — 3/11/22 Also:What Price Hegemony? — By Robert Kagan — Foreign Affairs — 4/6/22Ending Primacy to End U.S. Wars -- By Daniel Bessner — The Quincy Institute — 4/7/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

It usually takes a crisis to show who your real friends are. Writer Mitchell Plitnick joins us to talk about how Middle East despots are suddenly jockeying to make sure their own interests are protected if not enhanced in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Even Israel, which gets $3 billion in US taxpayer dollars each year, is threading needles to avoid hurting its own relationship with Moscow. We talk about that as well as Biden's attempt to square his "democracies versus autocracies" campaign with Washington's embrace of the Middle East despots. Dan and Kelley also speculate about Biden's "regime change" declaration last weekend: gaffe or trial balloon?More from Mitchell Plitnick:Why is Israel MIA on Ukraine-Russia crisis? -- Responsible Statecraft, 3/3/22Ukraine shows we need a third option besides war and sanctions -- ReThinking Foreign Policy, 3/1/22Top Israeli military officials say Trump’s Iran deal exit was a ‘mistake,’ bad for Israel -- Responsible Statecraft, 12/3/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

As the mainstream media pumps out report after report on military developments in Ukraine, Washington lawmakers use those headlines to call for more weapons and assistance to Kyiv. Military technology journalist Kelsey Atherton breaks down some of the mythology surrounding no-fly zones, drones, and other popular "magic bullets" that people think could save the day in Ukraine. In the first segment, Kelley & Dan dish on the Top 4 Outrageous Hawk Talkers in the news this week.More from Kelsey Atherton:Everything to know about Switchblades, the attack drones the US is giving Ukraine -- Popular Science -- 3/22/22What a no-fly zone over Ukraine would actually mean -- Popular Science -- 3/18/22These are the weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal -- Popular Science -- 3/3/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week Ben Friedman, policy director for Defense Priorities, joins Dan and Kelley to talk about the ongoing struggle of restraint amid the mainstream push for an aggressive response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He talks about recent decisions to send more U.S. weapons to Kiev, and efforts by hawks in the U.S. to do more, including imposing a no-fly zone and sending Polish fighter aircraft (MiG-29s) into Ukraine via Germany. We also talk about the effort to marginalize, even demonize voices who question the utility of such endeavors. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about the Russians flinging a monkey wrench into the Iran nuclear deal talks and whether the JCPOA may possibly be doomed. More from Ben Friedman here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Soldier, whistleblower, veteran, and peace advocate Matthew Hoh tells us what it was like to realize that the Afghanistan mission was a failure and that everyone around him knew it — but kept it going for 20 years anyway. Hoh resigned his post as a State Department official in 2009 making space for other dissenters inside the government to criticize the war policy, though the U.S. role in that war would go on for more than a decade longer. Matt talks to us about that, and how he fears the same forces for regime change and military aggression are present in today's crisis in Ukraine. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about how our "friends" in the Middle East are hedging their bets with Russia and making us beg for oil. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

During his State of the Union address this week, President Biden announced that the global community of democracies was facing off against Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the international rules-based order is stronger than ever. We talk to Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of DAWN (which was founded by Jamal Khashoggi, murdered by killers tied to U.S. friends in the Saudi government) about some uncomfortable truths relating to this battle against evil — namely that many of our partners and friends around the world are not democracies, nor has Washington acted in a democratic fashion, waging its own wars of choice across the globe. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the Blob's maximalist vision on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.More from Sarah Leah Whitson:The human rights vs national security dilemma is a fallacy -- The Business Standard -- 1/12/22 Congress Must Halt Biden’s Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia -- Foreign Policy magazine -- 12/6/21With weak response, US will pay price for Israel’s terror designations -- Responsible Statecraft -- 10/29/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

In this special edition of the podcast, Kelley & Dan talk about Vladimir Putin's move to send 'peacekeepers' into Eastern Ukraine after he recognized the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states in a fiery speech on Sunday. Will Washington and Kyiv hold back and not take the bait, or will pro-war hawks and humanitarian interventionists push us closer to war and global economic chaos? We also talk to longtime nuclear weapons expert and author Joe Cirincione about his frustration over Biden's status quo nuclear posture, which is all about Great Power Competition and kowtowing to industry interests. We also discuss how this plays into the Russian crisis today.More from Joe Cirincione: Biden promised nuclear-policy reform. He’s not delivering. -- Washington Post, 2/22/2022Achieving a Safer U.S. Nuclear Posture -- The Quincy Institute, 2/9/2022How the nuclear game is rigged to maintain the status quo -- Responsible Statecraft, 11/9/2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Longtime author and Cato Institute Ted Carpenter joins us this week to talk about how the US-Russia-Ukraine crisis is an illustration of Cold War American military primacy and hegemony. If there is a conflagration in upcoming days and months it will be in no small part because of poor decisions made by U.S policymakers, pushed by establishment thinking and interests, over the last two decades, says Carpenter. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about Biden's decision to give half of the Afghans' frozen bank funds to a settlement for 9/11 families at a time when the country's economy is collapsing.More from Ted Carpenter:Gullible Superpower: U.S. Support for Bogus Foreign Democratic Movements (2019)Hawks Smear War Opponents, Again -- Antiwar.com - 2/8/22With Russia & China, America’s righteous crusader routine is getting old -- Responsible Statecraft -- 2/1/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

As Kim Jong Un continues testing missiles and South Korea warns of a crisis, it seems just like old times. But why? The Biden Administration has not yet restarted serious talks with North Korea and demands of denuclearization is always the mountain standing in the way. The Quincy Institute's Jess Lee joins Kelley & Dan this week to talk about what needs to be done to change the thinking in Washington on this issue, whether Kim Jong Un will ever change his mind on the nukes, and what the U.S. can do to bring peace to the peninsula and perhaps end the longest war in American history. In the first segment, we talk about that massive joint statement signed by China and Russia ahead of the opening Olympic ceremonies in Beijing last week.More from Jess Lee:Peace for Korea -- Plough Quarterly, Jan. 22, 2022 Attacks on possible Korean peace plan are politically and financially motivated -- Responsible Statecraft, Dec. 6, 2021‘Squid Game’ invites Americans to binge on another, human Korea -- Responsible Statecraft, Oct. 22, 2021. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week, Kelley and Dan talk with researcher and Bourse & Bazaar Foundation founder Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, who has been digging deep into the issue of U.S. sanctions on Iran and how they have been driving inflation and mostly impacting the middle and working households there. More importantly, he discusses whether or not U.S. sanctions are even successful in bringing Tehran to heel. In the first segment, we talk about recent mainstream smears against those opposed to a possible war with Russia over Ukraine, particularly on the right, as hawks and their handmaidens in the press single out some of the contrarian conservative populists as marginalized kooks.More from Esfandyar Batmanghelidj:The Inflation Weapon: How American Sanctions Harm Iranian Households -- Sanctions & Security -- 2022Shared interests: Why both China and the West support the Iran nuclear deal -- ECFR -- Jan. 17, 2022.The Hidden Toll of Sanctions: Why Washington Must Reckon With the Devastating Inflation Its Policies Cause, w/ Erica Moret -- Foreign Affairs -- Jan. 17, 2022The Case for Optimism on Iran in 2022 and Beyond -- -- Bourse & Bazaar Foundation -- Jan. 2, 2022 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The more people are talking about the cockeyed foreign policy of this country, the better. This week Dan and Kelley join Kyle Anzalone and Connor Freeman (both at the Libertarian Institute) to chat about their own podcast "Conflicts of Interest," and how they each came to dedicate their energies to challenging establishment orthodoxy and opposing U.S. military policies overseas. We talk about the usual suspects ratcheting up anxiety over Russia and China, and how the 9/11 wars forged their own passion for the issues. In the first segment, Dan & Kelley talk about fresh violence in Yemen and why Congress and the Biden Administration seem to have given up on ending U.S. assistance to Saudi Arabia and ending the war.More from Kyle & Connor:Russia Roundtable – Can the Ukraine Crisis Be Resolved Without War? --podcast episode 1/27/22Cold War Served Hot, Hawks Cry For Russian Blood -- podcast episode 1/26/22Biden's Gaffe's Highlight a Year of Foreign Policy Missteps -- podcast episode 1/20/22 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

If you talk to anyone this week they’ll say that Russia may be closer than ever to invading Ukraine. But why? President Vladimir Putin has drawn a red line over further NATO expansion but Washington isn’t budging, leading to the critical standoff we see today. Joshua Shifrinson, associate professor at Boston University and author of Rising Titans, Falling Giants: How Great Powers Exploit Power Shifts, walks us through the history and missteps that brought us to this place, and whether he thinks war is on the horizon. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about whether NATO has gotten too “big and baggy” to even be effective anymore.More from Joshua Shifrinson:Acting too aggressively on Ukraine may endanger it — and Taiwan: Washington Post — 12/21/21Russia, a problem, not a threat: Newsweek — 4/21/21The dominance dilemma: The American approach to NATO and its future: Quincy Institute brief — January 2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

All of the taxpayer-funded security assistance — including US troops, arms and advisors — given to African countries in the name of "counterterrorism" over the last 20 years has only resulted in more coups, more violence, and more terrorists. This week we talk to Elizabeth Shackelford, a former career diplomat with the U.S. State Department and author of The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age, about why. She also explains how this is a microcosm of the failed Global War on Terror writ large. In the intro segment, Dan and Kelley talk about the recent protests in Kazakhstan and how the Blob (including the mainstream media) rushed to make it "all about Russia."More from Shackelford:Democracy had a rough year in 2021. But don't give up -- Chicago Tribune (paywall) -- Dec. 31, 2021For the American Public, Military Conflict Is the New Normal (with Dina Smeltz) -- The Hill -- Oct. 18, 2021 I Know Firsthand How Ugly a Wartime Evacuation Really Is -- Politico -- Sept. 4, 2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

The U.S. is on a mission to contain China and it hopes to accomplish this by forging enough agreements with and among partners and allies to create a security hedge against Beijing. The problem is, Washington seems to be tone-deaf and doesn't get it that a number of countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, have no interest in getting on board the anti-China train. Sarang Shidore, director of studies at the Quincy Institute and expert in Asian geopolitics and global geopolitical risk, sets the table for what could be a serious foreign policy tripwire in 2022. In the first segment, Kelley & Dan talk about the 2-year anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and its reverberations today.More from Sarang:New Japan-Australia military pact takes anti-China coalition to new level -- Responsible Statecraft -- Jan. 6, 2021The U.S. should stop coddling abuser allies -- Dec. 13, 2021 -- Washington PostWhy South and Southeast Asia must cooperate to prevent a new Cold War amid US-China rivalry -- Oct. 5, 2021 -- SCMPDe-Risking the India Relationship: An Action Agenda for the United States -- March 10, 2021 -- Quincy Institute This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

We celebrate our last episode of 2021 with Robert Wright — author of The Moral Animal , BloggingheadsTV podcaster, and publisher of the popular Nonzero newsletter. We discuss the continued U.S. military operations in Syria, the spiraling tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine, neocons, and humanitarian interventionists. A virtual holiday grab bag! In the first segment, Kelley & Dan talk about Talon Anvil, the secret U.S. military kill team responsible for thousands of bombings and untold number of civilian deaths in Syria from 2014-2019, according to a new New York Times report.Kelley and Dan will be taking off the next two weeks for the holidays and will be back with a new episode Jan 7. Thank you for your continued support and all the best for a Happy and Healthy New Year! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Lyle Goldstein, author of Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry, and director of Asian engagement at Defense Priorities, breaks down the fragile dynamics in Russia over the Ukraine issue, and blames in part, NATO expansion and Washington rhetoric for pushing the boundaries and putting Ukraine itself in "the crosshairs." What would happen if Russia invaded? Goldstein warns the West needs to be careful what it wishes for. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about this week's Democracy Summit and the hypocrisies borne out of the Biden Administration deciding who is "in" and who is "out" of Washington's warm embrace for the two-day confab.More from Lyle Goldstein:What The Georgia War Means for U.S.-Russia Relations -- The National Interest -- November 2021Here's How China Sees North Korea's Military Strategy -- The National Interest -- November 2021Where is the Russia-China Relationship Headed? -- The National Interest -- November 2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week, Stephanie Savell, researcher and co-founder of Brown University's Costs of War Project, joins us to talk about her study of how U.S. military assistance — ostensibly for counterterrorism — has created more terrorists and killed untold more people over the last 20 years. She also talks about how Costs of War became an essential tool for measuring not only the financial toll, but the human destruction left behind in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In our first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about the new "Global Posture Review" and how the Biden Administration doesn't seem keen on scaling back the military footprint abroad, at all. More from Stephanie Savell:The Costs of United States’ Post-9/11 “Security Assistance”:How Counterterrorism Intensified Conflict in Burkina Faso and Around the World (March 4, 2021)“The Problem with War: Digital Exclusive Panel” with Jon Stewart (television panelist, October 4, 2021) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week we had the privilege of talking to author and columnist Peter Van Buren, who served with the State Department in Iraq and experienced such a traumatic eye-opener he became a whistleblower and full-time critic of U.S. war policy ever since. We discuss the New York Times investigation of a 2019 bombing of women and children by a secret U.S. special forces unit in Syria, and the delusion that this was an aberration not the rule in Washington foreign policy. In the intro, Kelley and Dan talk about Washington buzz — again — over a possible Russia-Ukraine war. Will the hawks get what they wish for?More from Peter Van Buren:The US makes the rules, and Syria massacre was no exception -- Responsible Statecraft, 11/16It Looks Like We Forgot -- The American Conservative, 9/27We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, 2012.Who Pays the Moral Price for War? -- The Nation, May 2017 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Chris Preble, director of the New American Engagement Initiative, joins us this week with some optimistic news: the age of American hegemony may be over, but there are amazing benefits to this new reality! For one, there's plenty of evidence that the so-called "rules-based order" will be just fine without Washington meddling in every problem, planting a troop in every country, or serving as the spear point for liberal democracy across the globe. Chris walks us through the steps to hegemonic recovery. In the intro segment, Kelley and Dan discuss the recent assassination attempt on the Iraqi prime minister and the tinder box of US-Iran relations.More from Chris Preble:Assumption #3: US leadership is indispensable to the health of the global order -- Nov. 3The consequences of a US overreaction to the perceived threat of terrorism -- Nov. 1What Washington owes the American people after its Afghanistan failure -- Aug. 19 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Longtime insider critic Col. Doug Macgregor schools us on what the military's real motives are as it continues to hype up the threats and build up for WWIII in the South China Sea. He talks about how the generals — there are way too many of them — turned out to be far less capable, less competent, and over-estimated than anyone gave them credit for in the last 20 years. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about Afghanistan on the verge of economic and social collapse, and why the Biden Administration is still refusing to work with the Taliban to avoid it.More from Doug Macgregor:With All Due Respect —The American Conservative— 10/8/21A Required Course For Americans: Strategic Failure 101 — The American Conservative — 8/21/21The revenge of Col. Douglas Macgregor —By Mark Perry — Responsible Statecraft —11/12/2020 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week on the show, Dan and Kelley are joined by Danny Davis, who as a career Army soldier and officer, risked it all in 2012 to publish a searing essay taking the generals to task for lying about conditions on the ground in Afghanistan and painting a rosy picture about what we know now was an unwinnable war. We talk about that, the Army's pivot to Asia, and increasing Washington chatter around whether America will defend Taiwan against China. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about that damning 60 Minutes interview in which a Saudi exile accuses MBS of running a death squad against his rivals.More from Danny Davis:Eleventh Hour in 2020 America: How America's foreign policy got jacked up - and how the next Administration can fix it (2020)Our troops are targets in Syria. Why is Biden keeping them there? -- Responsible Statecraft -- 10/28/21 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week, Quincy Institute scholar, author and journalist Anatol Lieven talks to us from Sochi, Russia, where he was a speaker this week at the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club. We talk about the mixed messages the administration is giving out on NATO, and the persisting tensions between Washington and Moscow, and hopes for some semblance of cooperation over Ukraine and nuclear missile agreements. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley wrestle with the legacy of Colin Powell, who died this week at the age of 84.More by Anatol Lieven:Ending the Threat of War in Ukraine: A Negotiated Solution to the Donbas Conflict and the Crimean Dispute -- June 2021 paper for the Quincy Institute. Vindicating Realist Internationalism -- September 16 -- Survival magazine Has neo-Orientalism killed our ability to sense the limits of Western influence? -- September 28 -- Responsible StatecraftMost Recent from Daniel Larison: Note to Blinken: Israel’s ‘military option’ shouldn’t be on our table - October 15Most Recent from Kelley Vlahos: Remembering Powell’s revealing exchange with Madeleine Albright -- October 18 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

This week, Assal Rad, senior research fellow a the National Iranian American Council, joins us to talk about why the JCPOA (Iran nuke deal) talks have faltered, if not killed completely by a lack of interest, Washington politics, and no effort taken by the Biden administration to put down the whip and admit the US was wrong to get out of it in the first place. We also discuss the limits of sanctions as a tool of warfare. In the intro segment, Kelley and Dan talk about members of Congress who are literally begging to give the president more war powers to attack China.More by Assal Rad: Responsible Statecraft: Ending forever wars must include economic warfare -- July, 19, 2021The American Prospect: Iran’s Presidential Election Demonstrates Limits of U.S. Pressure Campaign -- June 24, 2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

We have the pleasure of talking with longtime author and reporter Andrew Cockburn about his new book, “Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine” How are we ever going to scale back our overseas and endless military commitments when it is so damn profitable for the defense industry and the political, parasitical culture around it? Andrew talks candidly about the “living organism” he calls the military-industrial complex, a tangled system of codependency, culture, and the almighty dollar. In the first segment, Dan and Kelley talk about Senator Ted Cruz’s obsession with Russia and the Nordstream 2 pipeline. More from Andrew Cockburn:Why America Goes to War - The Nation, Sept. 9How the U.S. Military Got Rich from Afghanistan, July 19Iraq was Donald Rumsfeld’s War. It will forever be his legacy -- The Guardian, July 5. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Samuel Moyn, author of "Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War," joins Dan and Kelley to talk about how well-intentioned efforts over the last 75 years to make war "less lethal" has legitimized and made war more palatable, therefore protracting conflict rather than shutting it down. He talks about criticisms of his thesis by anti-war advocates and liberal interventionists alike. In the first segment, our hosts discuss the defense budget bonanza, an annual Washington ritual in which common sense and taxpayer dollars are sacrificed on the altar of the military-industrial congressional complex!More from Samuel Moyn: America Is Giving the World a Disturbing New Kind of War - New York Times -- Sept. 3"The False and Dangerous Promise of More Human Wars" (Review) -- Robert Kaplan, New York Times. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com