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As the first European-based podcast dedicated to understanding the United States, we are staking out a new space in the media ecosystem. But its guiding principles will always be: truth, not lies; informed, but not insular; topical, but not a slave to the news cycle. Read more about our vision: https://america-explained.com/about/
In this post on the free America Explained newsletter, I argue that because NATO isn't serious about extending membership to or defending Ukraine, it would be better to admit the truth - and negotiate a new understanding with Russia from there.
Give Russia some, but not all, of what it wants
In the latest America Explained, I discuss the transformation that abortion rights are undergoing in the United States. This episode covers the history of Roe and its sister case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, analyzes the likely political impact of a decision to annul them, and also asks a question posed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg - was seeking to establish abortion rights in the courts rather than Congress ultimately a bad move for the left?
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Texas just outlawed abortion after six weeks, and the Supreme Court let it happen. Andy wrote about the erosion of abortion rights in America.
Thanks for reading America Explained, a free newsletter about American politics and foreign policy. It would be really helpful if you could forward this post on to anyone who might find it interesting, or share it on social media with the button below. If you’re receiving a forwarded version then ...
It's good that Biden ended the war in Afghanistan, but the disastrous way it unfolded poses a real political test for his administration which a lot of supporters don't want to face. Here's what he should do about it. New on the America Explained Substack - and remember to subscribe!
What’s been going on in Afghanistan over the last few weeks has been, I think we can all agree, terrible. It’s first and foremost a tragedy for people in Afghanistan who don’t want to live under Taliban rule, and especially for the women and girls whose future has been thrown into doubt. It’...
If you want to stay updated when something really important is happening in American politics and foreign policy - but without getting spammed the rest of the time - sign up for the new America Explained Substack newsletter, launching later this week with a post on why the political fallout from Afghanistan is likely to be worse for Biden than people think.
https://amerex.substack.com/
Who are you? I’m Andy Gawthorpe, host of the podcast America Explained. I’m my day job I teach about U.S. politics and history at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Apart from this I’ve done all sorts of stuff - I was a civil servant in the UK Cabinet Office, worked as a consultant for priv...
I recorded a new episode of America Explained looking at the issues raised by the fall of Kabul - it discusses the moral tragedy, if the war could have ended any other way, the likely political fallout for Biden, terrorism, and "credibility".
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 …
On the latest America Explained I interviewed writer and activist Jeff Le about the movement, in which he's been one of the most important voices. With his long list of experience in international, federal and state policymaking - including in California state government, where he was a Deputy Cabinet Secretary - Jeff speaks not just to his personal experiences but also the structural barriers facing Asian-Americans in U.S. politics. It's a vital interview at a time of rising hate crimes against the AAPI community, so check it out.
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…
New America Explained - about the charges against the Trump Organization, whether more might be coming, and why it is so dangerous and frustrating that modern presidents constantly escape accountability despite clear evidence of crimes committed while in office.
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 pr…
On the latest America Explained I interviewed polisci professor David Ricci about his idea that liberals handicap themselves by failing to boil their ideas down into simple, digestible stories in the way that conservatives do.
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On the latest America Explained, I talk about Joe Manchin's recent announcement that he won't back any conceivable voting rights legislation in this Congress, why he's done it, and what it means for the future of American democracy.
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 Repub…
A lot has been said in the past month about how the Democratic Party's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has changed. In the latest America Explained we break down what's true and what's been exaggerated about this shift.
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Andy's latest article for The Guardian is about how Republicans are trying to rewrite the history of the January insurrection and how dangerous it is for democracy when the two sides no longer inhabit a shared factual world.
By blocking a congressional investigation into what happened, the Republican party has proven itself beyond shame or dignity
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 by other issues and not yet having a clear strategy for the region - or even an ambassador in Israel - in place. This episode explores the recent background of American policy in the region under Trump and the challenges it has created for Biden today.
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So far this year, there has been at least one mass shooting per day in the United States. And while you might think that this would lead to calls for tighter gun regulation, the Supreme Court just decided to take up a case which will probably see it declare unconstitutional just the type of regulation which is needed to stem the epidemic of violence. In this episode we explore the surprising origins of the modern gun rights movement in black activism, and the changes which subsequently made it such a powerful force in conservative politics.
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ea2e7429-df96-4911-999b-06c77c348b58
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In response to the Big Lie - that last November's election was stolen from them - Republicans are moving to pass voter suppression legislation across dozens of American states, most prominently in Georgia. In this episode I'm joined by former Obama campaign official Karin Robinson to discuss the scariest parts of the voter suppression effort, how the politics of it affect the Democratic and Republican coalitions, and what the Biden administration might do in response.
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/801236af-2309-4220-a983-ff9537eccaa0
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Saturday listening: a bonus episode of America Explained on the Afghanistan withdrawal decision. We look at the arguments for and against, why it isn't a straightforward win for progressives, and how Afghanistan fits into U.S. security going forward.
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Andy wrote for The Guardian about how we should take increasing GOP tensions with big business seriously - and how Democrats can gain from them by becoming the party of reformed capitalism, growth and competent economic management.
As corporations flee the Republican Party, liberals should welcome them into the Democratic coalition – with conditions
All over the world, democracy is in retreat and authoritarianism is on the march. The Biden administration has put the advancement of democracy around the world at the center of its foreign policy agenda. But at the same time, American foreign relations always involves relationships with autocrats and dictators. In this episode we take a survey of the world - from the Middle East to Russia and China - to talk about American relations with autocracies and what they mean for this broader pro-democracy agenda.
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The latest America Explained is about the situation at the southern border, where arrivals could be on track to hit the millions this year - the highest in 20 years. Republicans blame Biden for being soft on immigration, but the truth is a lot more complicated. This episode explores why people are coming, what the Biden administration is doing about it, and how the politics will shake out.
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The coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and animal cruelty in industrial agriculture - all are contributing to a growing awareness that something is amiss in our relationship with animals. Meat alternatives have never been more popular. But at the same time, there are enormous headwinds which keep meat on our plates - cultural, political, even ideas about how meat is linked to masculinity. In this episode I speak to Chris Deutsch, a historian from the University of Missouri, about the history of meat production and consumption in America - and how the U.S. government has worked to encourage Americans to eat more meat.
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It often seemed over the last four years that with so much media attention focused on Donald Trump's daily outrages, there was little oxygen left for more normal types of political scandal. But the coronavirus and the monster winter storm which recently battered the United States have left many state governors trapped in a quagmire of scandal of their own. This episode explores how three of the largest states in the U.S. - Texas, California and New York - are each having struggles of their own.
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Andy wrote an article to mark a grim milestone: half a million deaths from coronavirus in the United States.
This tragedy was preventable. It happened because Republican politicians believe some people are worth more than others
America's sense of itself as an exceptional place - one with a unique set of ideas and institutions at home, and a special mission abroad - has been challenged by the presidency of Donald Trump. In this episode I talked to Dr. Hilde Restad, an expert on American exceptionalism, about the past, present and future of the concept.
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Key takeaways from Biden's first foreign policy speech:
1) Aiming to draw a sharp contrast with Trump, he put democracy at the forefront of his rhetoric, lashing out at the recent coup in Burma and the arrest of Alexei Navalny in Russia. Referencing the events of January 6th, he said that America's commitment to democracy abroad had recently been strengthened by having to fight for it at home. But what measures would actually follow against Burma and Russia was unclear, and the U.S. has few tools to reverse recent events there. It is notable however that this is the first administration since the end of the Cold War which has come into office not promising a "reset" to improve relations with Moscow.
2) He said little about China. The administration is still working behind the scenes and with allies to figure out a comprehensive approach, and they're not yet giving much away.
3) He announced an end to American support for the Saudi Arabian war in Yemen. The Saudi planes used in this conflict are manufactured by the U.S., sold by the U.S., serviced on the ground by Americans, and guided by American intelligence. They have also been involved in numerous atrocities. Ending American support has been a key demand of the left wing of the Democratic Party. At the same time, Biden did not (yet) announce a broader reassessment of U.S. support for Saudi Arabia, and pledged to continue to provide it with defensive weaponry.
4) He pledged to begin raising the number of refugees admitted by the United States to 125,000 per year, which had dwindled to nearly zero under the Trump administration. However, what he didn't say is that this is easier said than done because the American agencies responsible for refugee resettlement have been badly and purposefully damaged under Trump.
5) He also stressed that diplomacy would be back at the center of American foreign policy, and that a key part of reinvigorating this diplomacy is reinvigorating America's commitment to democratic and liberal values at home. He strongly linked his domestic agenda to his foreign policy agenda, saying that "building back better" is key to reasserting America's role in the world. This rhetoric is very similar to Trump's, although the goals he has in mind are different.
6) He also stressed several times that "America is back". Of course, America never left - but its international activities which are generally seen as most constructive by the rest of the world (such as participation in the Paris Climate Accords, or the World Health Organization) were cut back under Trump. Biden's speech presupposes a world which is happy to have back American "leadership" (he used the word seven times), but to many countries the Trump years have made it hard to see and trust America quite the same way as before.
U.S. Department of State HeadquartersHarry S. Truman BuildingWashington, D.C. 2:45 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary, it’s great to be here with you. And I’ve been looking forward a long time to be able to call you “Mr. Secretary.” Good afternoon, everyone. It’s an honor to be back a...
Andy wrote a new op-ed arguing that the Democrats need to seize this moment to push through an agenda of radical democratic reform, both because it's the right thing to do and because it's the only way to save America from a repeat of Trumpism.
This is no time for incrementalism. Only a bold effort to strengthen US democracy will prevent the return of rightwing minority rule
Insurrections be damned, Joe Biden is now the president of the United States. In this episode we take a look at the three big policy issues he is moving on early - immigration, the environment, and the economy. We dissect his proposals, their chances of success - and how what he learned from the Obama administration is shaping his actions now that the buck stops with him.
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Last year, China overtook the United States as the world's top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI). The change was driven by a nearly 50% drop in investment into the United States, a cost of the country's atrocious handling of the pandemic, especially compared to Beijing's conquest of the disease.
But another way of looking at this data is that in a normal year, investment into the United States is double that into China! This reflects America's much more open, efficient market economy, and there's little reason to think that after the pandemic, America won't eclipse China in this regard again.
China was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the world during the course of the year, with the Chinese economy having brought in $163 billion in inflows.
" “Democracy is precious,” Biden said at his inauguration. “Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
It’s a stirring sentiment, but wrong. Democracy barely survived. If America actually abided by normal democratic principles, Trump would have lost in 2016, after receiving almost three million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. The American people did not want this presidency, but they got it anyway, and the result was carnage. In 2020, Trump lost by about seven million votes, but if about 40,000 votes had switched in key states, he would have won anyway. The Senate is split 50-50, but the 50 Democrats represent more than 41 million more Americans than the 50 Republicans. This is not a good system."
You don’t get re-elected for things voters don’t know about.
With Lloyd Austin, the U.S. now has its first African-American Secretary of Defense. But his confirmation was controversial for another reason - Austin is a former general, so his appointment calls into question the principle of civilian control of the military.
The retired general was approved overwhelmingly, after Congress granted him a waiver from a law restricting those who are retired from military service fewer than seven years from leading the Pentagon.
"In the days leading up to Trump’s departure from office, his online followers watched with horror as his pardons that were supposed to go to allies and supporters instead went to people who were inherently swampy: white-collar criminals convicted of tax fraud, family friends, Steve Bannon, even Democrat Kwame Kirkpatrick.
“So just to recap: Trump will pardon Lil Wayne, Kodak Black, high profile Jewish fraudsters … No pardons for middle class whites who risked their livelihoods by going to ‘war’ for Trump,” fumed a user in a white supremacist channel on Telegram, the encrypted messaging service that has gained thousands of new subscribers since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots."
The prophecies did not come true. And people are fuming about it.
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