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A new foreign policy podcast from The American Conservative, hosted by Matt Purple, Kelley Vlahos and Daniel Larison.
A new podcast from The American Conservative, featuring guests and commentary from around the political right, hosted by Arthur Bloom, Helen Andrews, and Ryan Girdusky.
This week on Empire Has No Clothes, Kelley, Dan, and I discussed the insurrection at the Capitol building and how we can avoid making the mistakes we made after 9/11. We also talked with Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute about the Pentagon budget and why the taxpayer seems to get so little for so much.…
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The Capitol Riot, plus the Pell Trial with Keith Windschuttle
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This week's episode begins with two segments on the riot at the Capitol on Wednesday, first with TAC senior reporter Curt Mills, and second with editorial fellow Declan Leary, who was there. In the interview segment, we speak to Keith Windschuttle, editor-in-chief of Quadrant and author of a new book about the Pell trial.…
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Where the Nobel Peace Prize Went Wrong, with Marcus Nobel
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Who were the worst Nobel Peace Prize awardees, recent and long-past? Marcus Nobel, President of United Earth and a member of the Nobel family, joins the host to talk about where the prize went wrong, and what could fix it. Plus, the COVID relief debate and the anniversary of John Lennon's murder.By The American Conservative
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The Ethiopian Crisis, with HIH Prince Ermias Selassie
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Helen Andrews returns to TAC Right Now for a special interview with His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Selassie, grandson of the last reigning emperor and president of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, about the crisis there that, thankfully, appears to be winding down. In the intro, the flight from California and the COVID relief talks.…
This week on Empire Has No Clothes, we talked with Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council about Iran and whether Joe Biden can ease our tensions with Tehran. Kelley, Dan, and I also discussed the latest defense authorization bill and all the terrible provisions therein.
On the latest Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Dan speak with William Astore, retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), who teaches history at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. We discuss the Lloyd Austin appointment as Joe Biden's defense secretary, America’s endless wars, the missing antiwar movement, and the need for greater public engage…
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What Happened: The Trump Presidency in Review
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Last week, American Compass and The American Conservative collaborated on a discussion of the successes and failures of the Trump presidency. The print articles can be found on our website, but in this episode, Arthur Bloom moderates a panel with American Compass's Oren Cass, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, and Rachel Bovard of the Conservat…
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Grading the Trump Administration, with Oren Cass
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This Tuesday, TAC will run a series of articles on the successes and failures of the Trump administration in partnership with American Compass. Oren Cass, executive director of American Compass, joined Arthur and Ryan to preview them, and talk about the prospects for the realignment. Also, Georgia and the GOP Senate's giveaway to big tech.…
On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Rachel Esplin Odell of the Quincy Institute. She discusses China, what a Biden administration policy will look like, and the real nature of the threat from Beijing. We also talk about the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist and Israel's likely involvement.…
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Dave Brat on Why There Are No Free Markets
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Former Congressman Dave Brat has been at the center of some of the biggest political dramas of our times, starting with his upset defeat of Eric Cantor. In 2018 he became the latest elected official deposed by CIA agents, when he was beaten by Abigail Spanberger. Arthur and Ryan talk to him about 2022, and why there are no free markets.…
In this episode, Arthur and Ryan are joined by Pedro Gonzalez, associate editor of American Greatness, for a conversation about lessons from the 2020 election, what to expect in the next Congress, and how to realign the party.By The American Conservative
On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Justin Logan of the Center for the Study of Statesmanship. He discusses why the Middle East isn't that important and whether anyone has the faintest idea what to do about China. We also talk about the final days of Donald Trump's presidency, troop withdrawals and a possible…
In this week's episode, Adam Piper, Executive Director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, sits down with Arthur and Ryan to talk about how state attorneys general are leading the party in new directions. We discuss their antitrust lawsuit against Google, their legal challenges regarding the election in Pennsylvania, and what's likely …
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Will a President Biden Welcome the Hawks in?
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Jack Hunter, the libertarian writer for the Washington Examiner. He discusses the likely election of Joe Biden and whether the hawks will find a home in his administration. We also talk about Donald Trump's post-election stand and whether it's good for America's relations w…
On Wednesday afternoon, running on little to no sleep, Ryan and Arthur unpack the results from Election Day, and where things might be heading. Whoever is president in two months, the result shows Trumpism isn't going away.By The American Conservative
On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Stephen Wertheim, deputy director of research and policy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He discusses the rise of American global supremacy and why that idea is now breaking down. We also talk about the foreign policy presidential debate that wasn't and …
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What to Watch for on Tuesday, plus the 1619 Project's Most Formidable Foe
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In our last episode before Election Day, Arthur and Ryan talk about the suppression of the Hunter Biden story, and what to watch for in early voter data, especially in Florida, that might hold the key to how the election will turn out. And in the interview segment, we speak to Phil Magness, historian and Senior Research Fellow at the American Insti…
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Everything That Could Go Wrong Next Week, with FEC Chairman Trey Trainor
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We're nine days from the presidential election, and there are a lot of things that could go wrong. FEC Chairman Trey Trainor joins the podcast to discuss big tech censorship, election security, and the quorum-less FEC on this week's episode of TAC Right Now. In the intro and exit, Arthur and Ryan talk Hunter Biden and the final debate.…
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Gaming Out a Biden Administration Foreign Policy
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to TAC foreign policy reporter Barbara Boland. She breaks down the upcoming election and the possible impacts on foreign policy of a Biden victory. We also talk about why Donald Trump's maximalist negotiating policy towards North Korea hasn't worked out so well.…
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What Does a Pro-Family Policy Look Like?
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In conjunction with the American Principles Project and Bruderhof, TAC held an online conference this week about the need for robust family policies, especially coming from the political right. We had several distinguished guests including, for this panel, Jon Schweppe (APP), Sam Hammond (Niskanen Center), Oren Cass (American Compass) and Catherine…
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Debunking the Deep State's Iran and Russia Narratives, with Gareth Porter
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Investigative journalist Gareth Porter talks about why he’s spent so much time trying to debunk the Russian hacking story and Washington's institutional bias against Iran. In the first segment, Dan, Kelley, and Matt talk about throwback Vice President Pence and tough talking Democrat Kamala Harris.By The American Conservative
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How Republicans Can Take on Big Tech, with Rep. Gosar
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In this week's episode, Arthur and Ryan talk about Trump's bout of COVID and the new revelations about the trial of Cardinal George Pell in the Sunday Times of London. For the interview segment, Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican congressman from Arizona, joins the podcast to talk about his new bill he's cosponsoring with Tulsi Gabbard, taking on Big Te…
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The Missing Antiwar Movement with Bonnie Kristian
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Matt, Kelley, and Dan spoke with Bonnie Kristian from Defense Priorities about the absence of an antiwar movement despite 19 years of endless war, the "snapback" debacle at the U.N., and the prospects for progressive/conservative cooperation in opposing wars in the future. We also discussed Charles Kupchan's distortions of American history in conne…
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Refugees Are Everywhere, but Who Takes the Blame? With David Vine.
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This week, Kelley, Dan and Matt talk to David Vine, who co-wrote the Cost of War study that found that as many as 59,000 refugees were created in the wake of the U.S.-led 9/11 wars. We also hash out the pushback on the study’s methodology. In the first segment we talk about new U.S. threats to shutter our embassy in Iraq and why.…
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Debate Recap Roundtable, feat. Rachel Bovard and Curt Mills
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A shorter than usual episode this week, as we try to get our debate debrief out to you as fast as possible. Who won on Tuesday night? Did Trump's aggressiveness backfire? Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute and TAC's own Curt Mills join Arthur and Ryan for a debate recap.By The American Conservative
On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Giorgio Cafiero of the Middle East Institute. He assesses what's going on with the Sunni Gulf states and whether Saudi power is waning. We also talk about Will Ruger, Trump's realist appointment to be ambassador to Afghanistan, and how hawks are endangering his Senate confi…
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After RBG, with Ambassador C. Boyden Gray
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In this week's episode, former White House counsel and Ambassador to the European Union C. Boyden Gray joins Right Now to talk about the Supreme Court vacancy, the role of the court, and why Trump and the Senate should move forward with a nomination. In the intro, the latest Hunter Biden revelations and our story on the Ford Foundation.…
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Fear and Loathing in the Imperial Capital
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Harry Kazianis of the Center of the National Interest. He explains why America's policy on North Korea has gone awry and whether there's hope yet for the Trump/Kim bromance. We also talk about the new Bob Woodward book and its implications for Donald Trump's foreign policy.…
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Where Wokeness Came From, with Zach Goldberg and Chris Rufo
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In this week's episode, we have a double-header of interviews about the new lexicon of wokeness, where it started, where it came from and how it got into government. With Zach Goldberg, a researcher of the great awokening, and Chris Rufo, director of the Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth, Poverty & Morality, on critical race theory trainings i…
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Michael Anton on the Coming Coup and "The Stakes"
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Former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Anton, author of "The Flight 93 Election," joins the hosts to talk about his new book, "The Stakes, and his essay about the apparent coup being planned by elements of the Democratic Party, military and media. In the intro, whether we can trust the troop drawdown announcements, and in the final segment,…
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A Veteran on Endless War, Trump, and 2020 with Danny Sjursen
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On this episode, Danny Sjursen, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran-turned antiwar activist, talks about the most recent rift between Trump and the military and what veterans really think about the president and his policies. You may be surprised. Also, Kelley, Matt, and Dan talk about how successful---or not--- Democrats will be in trying to turn …
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Nostalgia for the 'Liberal Order' Myth with Patrick Porter
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In this week's episode, we talk with Patrick Porter of the University of Birmingham. Porter is the author of The False Promise of Liberal Order: Nostalgia, Delusion, and the Rise of Trump. We discuss why the liberal order has never really existed, and why it is a mistake to rely on nostalgia for it to guide our foreign policy. We also discuss the U…
On this week's episode, TAC senior editor Rod Dreher joins the podcast to talk about his new book, 'Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents.' Plus, MEK sock-puppets, Kenosha, and the death of American cities.By The American Conservative
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Quitting the Middle East, with Annelle Sheline
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In this week's episode, Matt, Kelley, and Dan talk to Annelle Sheline of the Quincy Institute. We discuss the Quincy Institute's recommendations from their recent report on U.S. policies in the Middle East, and we consider the possibility of rejoining the nuclear deal with Iran. We also discuss Pompeo's convention stunt and his failure at the U.N. …
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Grading the RNC, with Alex Marlow and Rachel Bovard
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Your hosts sat down Wednesday with Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow and Rachel Bovard, Senior Director of the Conservative Partnership Institute, to talk about night two of the Republican National Convention, and how it's exceeded our low expectations. In the intro, TAC Senior Political Reporter Curt Mills joins the show to talk about a rising…
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Tearing Down Bad Foreign Policy, One Brick at a Time, with Chris Preble
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On this week’s episode, Kelley, Matt and Daniel talk to Chris Preble about his New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council, leaving the Cato Institute, and how there is no better time than now to change people’s minds, on the left and right, about our failed foreign policy. In the first segment we talk about the new Israel-UAE-US dea…
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Social Conservatism and Minority Voters, with Bishop Harry Jackson
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For this week's Right Now, your hosts talk about the YouTube DNC, and in the interview segment, Bishop Harry Jackson joins us for a conversation based on his new book, A Manifesto: Christian America's Contract with Minorities. We talk about BLM, social conservatism, and serving on Trump's religious advisory board. And in the final segment, Helen an…
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Nationalism Goes International, The Ryan Girdusky Interview
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In this episode, we switch things up, Helen and Arthur are off while Ryan is in the hot seat, discussing his new book, They're Not Listening: How the Elites Created the National Populist Revolution, with John Burtka, Executive Director of TAC, and Emile Doak, our Director of Development.By The American Conservative
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Building a Better Blob, with Emma Ashford
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In our latest episode, Kelley, Matt, and Daniel spoke with Emma Ashford of the Cato Institute about the slipperiness of defining the foreign policy "Blob" in Washington, the narrow confines of many of our policy debates, and the wisdom of past and future rounds of NATO expansion. They also discuss the fight brewing over the future of Russia policy.…
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Dropping the Bomb: A Primer on American Exceptionalism (With Mike Vlahos)
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In our latest episode, Kelley, Daniel and Matt talk with Mike Vlahos, a former professor at the U.S. Naval War College, on the 75th Anniversary of the dropping of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mike describes the ability to end the war with nuclear power a “wish” that led to more than bargained for: total domination (and corruption) of worl…
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The Neocons Came for Rep. Massie. They Missed.
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In this week's episode, your hosts speak to Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Congressman who was recently sandbagged by the chair of his own conference, Liz Cheney. We discuss being libertarian in the age of Trump, and his meat localism bill. In the intro, the new George Floyd video and what it means, plus a foreign policy for Zoomers.…
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The New Populist Right, with Matthew Goodwin
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In this week's episode, the hosts cover last week's Google hearing, what happened and what is left to be done, and why Trump was right to rescind the AFFH rule entirely. In the interview segment, Matthew Goodwin, professor at the University of Kent and author of National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy joins us to discuss Boris's con…
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Challenging Power at the Risk of Career Suicide (with Max Blumenthal)
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Kelley and Daniel speak to Max Blumenthal, who founded Grayzone to provide like-minded journalists a chance to flip the narrative and report on regional politics, wars, and U.S. policies that were being ignored by the corporate mainstream media. We also talk about Mike Pompeo’s declaration of Cold War with …
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Sick of Google Censorship (with Jacob Siegel)
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Jacob Siegel of Tablet magazine joins the hosts to discuss his article on Google's censorship of coronavirus treatment information, a disturbing new frontier with implications beyond politics. We also get into the brief moment Tuesday when conservative sites disappeared from search. Plus, in the intro, two enormous recent factual errors at the New …
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Joe Biden: Just Another Liberal Internationalist
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottowa. He explains why America never seems to get it right on Iran. We also talk about Joe Biden's incoming foreign policy advisors and why his administration is likely to be more of the same warmed-over liberal internationalism.…
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Commies for Biden (with Darryl Cooper)
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Angela Davis, the longtime communist and activist, has endorsed Joe Biden for president. Darryl Cooper of the MartyrMade podcast joins the hosts to fill in some of the details about her past that are virtually unknown today, and how the New Left went from rioting against the Democratic Party in 1968, to supporting its most lukewarm members. Plus, t…
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How the Democrats Lost the Working Class, in 1970 (with David Paul Kuhn)
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Author and journalist David Paul Kuhn joins your hosts for a lively discussion about his new book, on the Hard Hat Riot in New York City in 1970. It's a key event in the story of how the Democratic Party started to lose the white working class. And in the intro segment, Arthur talks about the death of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and Helen issues a…
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The Art of the North Korea Deal, with Jessica Lee
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak to Jessica Lee of the Quincy Institute. She tells us what Donald Trump has gotten right and wrong on North Korea and whether there's still hope for a peace deal. We also talk about H.R. McMaster's new piece pushing back against the realists and why he wants to keep the forever…
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Inside the Mind of the Shy Trump Voter, With Robert Cahaly
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In this week's episode, the hosts talk to Robert Cahaly, a pollster from the Trafalgar Group, and one of the few to call several 2016 states correctly, on why the "social desirability bias" that causes Trump voters to not tell pollsters their real views is even stronger this year. In the intro segment, insurgent Trumpers beat Trump-endorsed candida…
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Elizabeth Shackelford on America's Accountability-Free Foreign Policy
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On this edition of Empire Has No Clothes, Matt, Kelley, and Daniel speak with Elizabeth Shackelford, a former Foreign Service Officer and the author of The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age. She talks about her experience in the State Department, the damage done to the department in the Trump years, her resignation, and the lac…
