Departures With Robert Amsterdam

Looking back almost 60 years ago when the United States and the Soviet Union came within an inch of destroying the world via all-out nuclear war, we continue to gain new insights into the dramatic events, the changing of thinking and decision-making that went on in both ExComm and the Presidium. This week we're proud to be joined Serhii Plokhy, a professor of history at Harvard University and the author of the excellent book, "Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis." Plokhy's book provides an international perspective on the crisis, featuring unprecedented access to Soviet archives and documentary materials showing how Nikita Khrushchev navigated the incredibly tense diplomatic showdown as well as the struggle for influence going on within the Presidium. Plokhy's findings reveal that CIA intelligence could have catastrophically misjudged Russia's ability to fight in Cuba and launch warheads, including how they appeared to miss the presence of nine short-range Luna missiles with nuclear warheads,

As Kennedy and Khrushchev just barely navigated their way out of a world-destroying nuclear armageddon, there remain many lessons to be explored with regard to statecraft, diplomacy, and decisionmaking in a crisis. The Pulitzer-winning historian joins the Departures podcast this week to discuss his book, "Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis," which not only provides fresh insight into the critical meetings which changed Kennedy's thinking on the proper response, but also explores the deep roots of the crisis, how Washington played with nuclear escalation with a monstrous recklessness. In his discussion with Amsterdam, Sherwin argues that the disadvantages of nuclear weapons outweigh their advantages, discarding the conventional wisdom that the bombing of Hiroshima was instrumental in Japan's surrender. Sherwin makes it clear that if the Joint Chiefs of Staff had had their way, the US government would have mounted an full-scale armed invasion of Cuba. But lucki

The rapid collapse of Kabul in the final weeks of the US withdrawal has forced a reckoning of not only Washington's failure in the region, but broader questions about US foreign policy and what the Biden administration wants (or is actually able) to achieve. This week Departures with Robert Amsterdam is pleased to welcome a return guest for this special emergency podcast, Prof. Alexander Cooley of Barnard College, who is a highly regarded expert on Central Asian politics and the coauthor of the excellent book, "Exit from Hegemony: The Unraveling of the American Global Order." According to Cooley, Biden's mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal should be understood in the context of his own history on this area of this world, including his opposition to previous surges, and his insistence that the pullout had to happen now without any extensions, without any further excuses to be further, inextricably drawn into a permanent military presence. Robert Amsterdam offers the comment that US policymakers have allo

The chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and rapid fall of Kabul to the Taliban brought back in sharp focus the misguided policies of the George W. Bush administration that led the US into the War on Terror. In “To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq,” Robert Draper, a writer at large for the New York Times Magazine and the author of several books tells the story of the Bush Administration’s misguided invasion of Iraq in 2003. Draper delves into the relationships between the President, his key advisors, and the US intelligence community while painting a vivid picture of the misguided decision-making process that led to groupthink and a colossal intelligence failure. The popular narrative on the invasion of Iraq points to the politicization of intelligence on the question of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction. Draper’s book delves into this question, revealing in intimate detail the intense pressure piled onto the agency by Vice President Dick Cheney and hi

China’s rise on the global stage has sparked both envy and fear across the globe. Much has been written about how China might reshape the international order, but few have taken the time to delve into the myriad Chinese actors and interests that collectively make up China’s newfound global influence rather than viewing Beijing as a monolith. Shaun Breslin, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick analyzes the nature of Chinese power and the extreme – and often contradictory – responses that it has triggered across the globe in his book “China Risen? Studying Chinese Global Power.” The book takes the unique approach of delving into the complex Chinese-language debates and discussions surrounding the nature and aims of Chinese power in the 21st century to form a more comprehensive picture of what China actually wants on the global stage. Breslin highlights the contradictory analyses of China’s rise, noting that “You can end up with two very different conversations about China

In "Don't Call it a Cult," Vancouver-based investigative journalist Sarah Berman tells the story of the bizarre cult known as NXIVM. Founded by longtime pyramid scheme mastermind Keith Raniere in 1998 who referred to himself in the group as the "Vanguard," the group roped in many rich and prominent individuals from socialities Buffy and William Cafritz, actress Nicki Clyne, and Clare Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune who enabled and funded the cult. Raniere was sentenced last year to 120 years in prison for sex trafficking, racketeering, and forced labor and Berman's book tells the story of the group through Raniere's trial. Many of the women in NXIVM found themselves blackmailed and literally branded with Raniere's initials on their bodies, near-starved, and enslaved. Raniere built a wall of silence and went after enemies and whistleblowers until the very end, and convinced his members that they had joined an "executive coaching" group rather than a dangerous and exploitative cult. Raniere does not just

By many measures, 2020 was a year to forget. With natural disasters, a climate crisis, a vicious pandemic, a massive economic crisis, a cruel and dishonest president, unprecedented demands for racial justice and its corresponding ugly backlash, US society has been taken to the brink. For Prof. Andrew Bacevich of Boston University, these events represent an American Apocalypse, one which requires a thorough rethinking of how Washington engages with the wider world based on the needs of its people and the very different circumstances we face now as compared to the postwar period. Bacevich's book, "After the Apocalypse: America's Role in a World Transformed" argues that American foreign policy has in many ways failed to protect the safety of its people. The insistence on global military primacy and spreading market economy has not delivered a stable world order, but instead has brought endless wars and a succession of moral and material disasters. In his discussion with Robert Amsterdam, Bacevich outlines his th

In the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, more than 1.8 million people have been disappeared into a vast network of concentration camps without any clear charges, due process, or fair trial. How are these victims selected? Via state-of-the-art predictive artificial intelligence and surveillance technology systems deployed by Beijing that seek to punish people for political activity they may be profiled to potentially commit in the future. This week on the podcast we're very pleased to feature journalist and author Geoffrey Cain, discussing his excellent new book, "The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China's Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future." Cain's deep dive into the issues surrounding Xinjiang explores how the hardening of Xi Jinping's positions and adversarial tilt toward foreign powers has influenced this implementation of Big Tech in the service of crushing dissent among Uighur Chinese citizens. The book tells this fascinating story through the eyes of three subjects who

In power since 2005, Angela Merkel's CDU coalition has managed to govern Germany with an admirable level of success, but at the same time during this period, Vladimir Putin's Russia has invaded multiple countries, interfered in elections both near and far away, and run amok with jailings and assassinations of dissidents. How is it possible that still today, many German public officials fail to see that they have a problem in managing relations with Moscow? Author John Lough, a friend of the podcast and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House's Russia and Eurasia Programme, tackles this thorny issue in his latest book, "Germany's Russia Problem: The Struggle for Balance in Europe." Lough explores the uniquely close historical ties between Russia and Germany, including some practices and perceptions dating back to the GDR, as well as Vladimir Putin's training in East Berlin to communicate with and influence prominent German political leaders. Lough argues that Moscow's attempts to rebalance Europe by weakening the

When we think about dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, we tend to think of extremes. Places like North Korea, with brutal, absolutist rulers vanquishing their opponents with prejudice and limitless power. But that's really not the reality for most autocratic countries, in fact, there are usually a series of executive constraints, rules, procedures, and structures even in the most non-democratic countries which shape and limit what the leader can do, and how stable transitions of power take place. That's the focus of attention in Anne Meng's terrific new book, "Constraining Dictatorship: From Personalized Rule to Institutionalized Regimes," in which she sets out to study these institutions, exploring how these rules get created in dictatorships, and how key appointments are made.  Meng argues that the first couple of years in a given autocratic regime are instrumental in the creation of executive constraints, especially when weaker leaders come into power and find themselves creating "institutional promi

To commemorate the 100th episode of our Departures with Robert Amsterdam podcast, for the first time we have invited back a return guest, one of our favorite authors, Philip Zelikow. Dr. Zelikow is a renowned former diplomat, historian, lawyer academic, and author of extraordinary talent. He has formerly served as the Director of the 9/11 Commission, the former Counsel to State Department, National Security Council, and currently serves as the director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia. In his latest book, "The Road Less Traveled: The Secret Battle to End the Great War, 1916-1917," Zelikow examines the pivotal period of time when World War I could have ended - right before that fragile peace was squandered. Zelikow's book unpacks and demystifies a period of failed diplomacy during the great war, and shows how the machinery of engagement works while providing a much more nuanced presentation and appreciation for the operational craft of peacemaking. Speaking in the podcast wi

The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has obliterated many standing global norms, but it's less clear how this crisis could change our approach to solving the world's biggest challenges. According to Ian Goldin, who is a Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, the coronavirus pandemic could serve as the necessary catalyst to set in motion a much stronger response to a vast array of challenges, from climate change to inequality to conflicts. With the pandemic, Goldin argues, the entire world is sharing the same experience at the same time for the first time. After going through the crisis together, many people finally understood the essential role of government in their lives. Governments understood that many taboo policies, such as direct relief payments to citizens, banning bankruptcies and evictions, were now possible.  By focusing on reducing the number of participants to a solution, instead of just kicking problems up to the UN level where nothing happens, there ar

This July, the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its 100th anniversary, marking a major milestone and underlining some major questions about its future. No other communist party has lasted this long, and certainly no other ruling authoritarian government has held its grip on power for a similar period of time in the modern era. But that's not to there was ever inertia. The party's history has been fraught with difficult decisions, successes, mistakes, and sweeping changes of perspective, ideology, and strategic engagement in the global environment. To mark this important anniversary, Robert Amsterdam is joined by Hans van de Ven and Philip Bowring, who along with others respectively edited and contributed to the excellent new book, "The Chinese Communist Party: A Century in Ten Lives." The book takes a novel approach to presenting this complex history, with each author presenting the story of a single individual for each decade, bringing engaging and colorful personal histories to reflect on the Party's rele

There is little debate over the fact that Russia is an authoritarian state in Vladimir Putin's grip, one which oppresses the rights of its citizens and suppresses the voice of the political opposition. But this does not mean that elections and the democratic process - weakened as it may be - is not still important in terms of applying pressure on the Russian government and constraining and shaping its choices. In her fascinating new book, "Elections, Protest, and Authoritarian Regime Stability: Russia 2008–2020," Prof. Regina Smyth of the University of Indiana explores these questions, closely studying a decade of elections to determine how much electoral competition matters to the Putin regime and how competition leaves Russia more vulnerable to opposition challenges than is perceived in the West. "When there is so much manipulation of elections, elections aren't about winners and losers per se, they are about the information or what you learn from the electoral process," Smyth argues. "Do you learn that the

Vladimir Putin never seems to go away. No matter what economic or political crisis, invasions of neighboring nations, or crushing oppression of basic civil liberties, he somehow manages to sustain enough of a perception of popular support and legitimacy to keep on going. Why? That's the question studied in the terrific new book "The Red Mirror: Putin's Leadership and Russia's Insecure Identity" by Gulnaz Sharafutdinova. Taking a social identity theory approach to the puzzle of Putin's popularity, Sharafutdinova argues that he was able to successfully mobilize a collective identity, that "he secured Russia's insecure identity." The Kremlin captured upon the idea of the juxtaposition between the Putin era of Russia and the chaotic 1990s, Sharafutdinova argues, and was able to build a coherent community of support around that idea, in addition to their revival of many pillars of social identity used in the past by the Soviet Union. In her discussion with Robert Amsterdam, the author discusses the idea that this

Since Xi Jingping rose to power in 2012, China has embarked on a new phase of expanding their role as a global superpower. Gone are the days of the charm offensive and the peaceful rise, here come the 'wolf warriors.' Xi's "Chinese Dream" has been pitched by state propaganda as a visionary plan for a "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" leading up to the year 2049, but now it seems they are entering a phase where the internal threats significantly outweigh the external challenges to realizing this dream. Prof. Jing Sun of the University of Denver, who formerly worked as a correspondent for Chinese state media, joins Departures with Robert Amsterdam this week to discuss his fascinating new book, "Red Chamber, World Dream: Actors, Audience, and Agendas in Chinese Foreign Policy and Beyond." Sun argues that the development and implementation of major Chinese foreign policy decisions are hardly unilateral dictates from the party leadership. Instead, there are a multitude of actors and sources of pressure fr

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongol horde exercised control over an unfathomably large empire, spanning thousands of miles from Europe to Russia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. History has often not looked kindly upon these nomadic civilizations, which has led to some major blindspots regarding astonishing achievements, explosive growth in trade, commerce, and communications, and even a certain level of resilience and tolerance of governing very different and often opposing groups. Prof. Marie Favereau joins the Departures with Robert Amsterdam podcast this week to discuss her fascinating new book, "The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World."  As Favereau argues in her book, the Mongol empire had its own unique political regime, including a complex power-sharing arrangement among the khan and the nobility which rewarded the best administrators and diplomats and fostered an economic order that was mobile, organized, and innovative. The success of this empire provided a early governance model for

This week we are beyond thrilled to have Mahmood Mamdani on the podcast, one of the world's most highly regarded public intellectuals, author of dozens of books, and a decorated professor at Columbia University. Dr. Mamdani has had diverse life experience, from marching on Birmingham for civil rights to being chased from Kampala by the Idi Amin regime to fighting apartheid in South Africa, and in his new book, "Neither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities," he explores the decolonization of justice and the separation between national identity and culture and state power.

As competition in the field of cyberwarfare heats up between Russia and the United States, there are few other experts with more experience working inside the Central Intelligence Agency than Jack Devine. For 32 years Devine worked as a US spymaster, serving as Acting Director and Associate Director of CIA’s operations outside the United States from 1993-1995, where he had supervisory authority over thousands of CIA employees involved in sensitive missions throughout the world. In addition, he served as Chief of the Latin American Division from 1992-1993 and was the principal manager of the CIA’s sensitive projects in Latin America. Devine's new book, "Spymaster’s Prism: The Fight Against Russian Aggression," explores a number of major espionage incidents which have taken place between the two nations since the end of World War II, and what lessons can be drawn to prepare for the next phase of competition in the clandestine services. The inside anecdotes alone make this book an exciting read, and Devine prese

When a government wants to break into someone's iPhone or Android device, there's a marketplace where that kind of vulnerability hacking service is bought and sold - costing sometimes as much as $2.5 million. The very fact that such a marketplace exists for cyberwarfare is an illustration of the rapidly growing field of threats we face, and also a sign of how dramatically unprepared we are to defend against these attacks. From the SolarWinds hack in 2020 which was one of the largest breaches of sensitive government data to the more recent attacks on small municipal water plants, utilities, and pipelines, there is an expanding intensity of the sophistication of cyber weapons and the United States is rapidly falling way behind the curve. Nicole Perlroth, the award-winning New York Times journalist, joins the podcast to discuss her excellent book, "This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race," a stunning work of investigative journalism spanning seven years of detailed research and interv