Departures With Robert Amsterdam

For much of China's history, the Communist Party leadership sought to portray the country's experience in World War II as that of a victim of Japan. But now, as China grows much more powerful and influential, the historical memory is also adapting to tell a different story. This week we are joined by Rana Mitter, a professor of history at Oxford University, who is the author of "China's Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism." Mitter's book argues that China’s reassessment of the World War II years is central to its newfound confidence abroad and to mounting nationalism at home. These arguments, which include the promotion of China's role in creating the postwar global order, are reinforced by stronger efforts of public memory of the war, including museums, movies and television shows, street art, popular writing, and social media. Through these lens, "Wartime China" emerges as victor rather than victim. This reinterpretation of history has both positive and negative impacts on China's abilit

The United States is a country that spent most of its history avoiding interventions, avoiding entanglement in great power politics, content to be isolated looking after their own affairs. Then suddenly, in just the past 75 years, it has become the world's preeminent armed power in a position of global leadership. How did such a dramatic remaking of America's role take place so quickly? Historian Stephen Wertheim explores this question and more in his fascinating new book, "Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy," examining the months leading up to Washington's decision to enter the conflict and the impact this decision had on reshaping the nature of the international system leading up to today. "For most of America's history, the United States did not seek and did not tell itself it was seeking military dominance across the globe," Wertheim says. "Having military dominance, stationing bases around the world, being responsible in principle for enforcing world order - that was not what the Uni

Over the past several years, Turkey's relations with both the European Union and the United States have come under strain by factors both internal and external. The complexities of these relationships, in addition to the management of tensions with Russia and the Middle East on numerous fronts are not often clearly understood, even by well informed observers. This week we have the unique opportunity to hear an insider's perspective from the highly respected former diplomat and senior statesman Onur Öymen, whose numerous diplomatic postings included Ambassador to Denmark, Ambassador to Germany, Permanent Representative to NATO, and Under Secretary of State for National Security. Dr. Öymen is the author of the new book, "Political Memoirs: Resisting Pressure," which was recently released in Turkish, English translation pending in the future.

Following the World War I breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Prince Faisal came into Damascus to declare his determination to build a constitutional democracy which would serve as the primary building block of a new sovereign state with guaranteed rights for a pluralistic population. Secular modernizers and Islamic reformers created groundbreaking new alliances which could have served as governance models across the Middle East. But instead, Syrian democracy appeared to be too threatening to British and French colonial interests in the region. The two Western powers refused to recognize the Damascus government and instead imposed a system of mandates on the pretext that Arabs were not yet ready for self-government. In July 1920, the French invaded and crushed the Syrian state. The story of this period is told in exquisite narrative detail and deeply researched insights by Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, a professor of history at American University and the author of the new book, "How the West Stole Democracy from the Ar

A favorite historical hypothetical question we often hear tossed around is what should the world have done differently to halt the rise of Nazi Germany and prevent World War II from taking place. But the truth is, the number of signals and signs of this approaching threat were numerous and often rather clear, and so were the opportunities to take action. But instead, Western liberal democracies hesitated and blinked. Paul Jankowski, a Professor of History at Brandeis University and the author of the excellent book, "All Against All: The Long Winter of 1933 and the Origins of the Second World War," believes it would be reckless for us to ignore these lessons from history in our consideration of current geopolitical challenges. In this podcast interview with Robert Amsterdam, Jankowski discusses many of the lesser-known developments in the winter of 1933, from Japan's consolidation of power in China, Mussolini's expansion into Africa, and how disputes over debts and trade broke the alliance structures of 1918.

While the Internet has given us a lot of good things, from comprehensive consumer choices to powerful movements to hold the powerful accountable, it also has its darker corners where hatred is thriving, where acts of terrible violence in the real world are inspired. As a Jewish writer who had often been targeted by anti-Semitic and misogynistic attacks online, Talia Lavin decided to go undercover and dive deep into these strange online worlds, where she finds deeply vulnerable, alienated, and dangerous individuals who pose a considerable threat to society. Her latest book, "Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy," presents a number of real stories of people she encountered during these investigations which helps us understand how extremists find themselves pulled toward white nationalism online. Lavin argues that it is wrong for us to consider white nationalist terror attacks such as the Charleston Church shooting, the attack on the Christchurch mosque, or the Tree of Life Synogogue

This week we are pleased to welcome to the podcast Erica De Bruin, an Assistant Professor of Government at Hamilton College and the author of the new book, "How to Prevent Coups d'État: Counterbalancing and Regime Survival." At the time of this conversation with Robert Amsterdam, the Michigan Republican Party board of electors had refused to certify election results from one of the most populous counties, then certified, then sought to rescind their votes after receiving phone calls from President Donald Trump. Later that same afternoon, President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, gave a disturbing press conference chock full of unproven allegations and evidence-free conspiracy theories. So is this truly a coup attempt? Not so fast, says Prof. De Bruin, who literally wrote the book on coups. "Scholars that study coups across the globe understand them to be illegal, overt attempts to seize executive power within a country, backed by the use of force," De Bruin says. "I think that thus far, the actions taken within

For the past 70 years, the United States has toyed with interventionism in the Middle East on numerous occasions, from  Iran to Afghanistan (twice), Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, among others. And yet, despite the consistently disastrous consequences of these efforts, the same policies continue to attract support, as US decision-makers consistently underestimate the costs and fail to learn the lessons of the past. Dr. Philip H. Gordon, a former diplomat and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins the podcast this week to discuss his excellent new book, "Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East." Although one can sympathize with those suffering under a brutal, tyrannical regime engaged in atrocities, there seems to be a common failure to grasp that when you remove a regime, a security vacuum is opened up where chaos thrives, which is very hard to fill. "The costs are almost always much higher than anticipated, and there are always many unintended consequen

Having gone through the tumultuous experience of this past election in the United States, with provocative propaganda, disinformation, fake news, and pervasive and extreme distrust, many feel like we're experiencing an unprecedented moment. But arguably, we've been here before. This week we are joined by Prof. Heidi Tworek, author of "News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900–1945," for a fascinating conversation about the very early days of information warfare, back when when the great powers competed to control and expand their empires through the support of media. Tworek explains how her years of archival research revealed a concerted effort taking place over the course of 50 years as Germany struggled to gain control over global communications - and nearly succeeded. Her book News from Germany is not a story about Germany alone. It reveals how news became a form of international power and how communications changed the course of history.

President-elect Joe Biden has won the 2020 US Presidential elections, but outgoing President Donald Trump is continuing with a show of defiance. Right from the heart of Philadelphia where the final votes are being counted, we are joined by constitutional and international law expert, Prof. William Burke White, who shares his view of what's been happening throughout the long process of the election count, the unexpectedly strong performance of downticket Republican candidates, and President Donald Trump's limited legal remedies to contest the outcome of the election.

Up until his recent resignation due to health concerns, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cast a long shadow as one of the most remarkable global statesman, shaping the country's alliances and leadership position in an extremely difficult and threatening region of the world. Journalist and author Tobias Harris, author of "The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan," joins the Departures podcast to discuss the complexities of the legacy he leaves behind, and the challenges his successor Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will face. Harris argues that one aspect of Abe's legacy will be his transcendence of partisan factions, as the coalitional nature of the Liberal Democratic Party allowed the organization to internally battle over policy positions and cabinet positions as opposed to the Prime Minister dictating policy to his party. And yet, despite the cross-factional consensus Abe was able to develop and the nationalist pursuits of great power status and the reforms of Abenomics, "his legacy is one of failure,

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 the Republic of Tanzania held presidential elections. Though many feared that it would be neither free nor fair, what came to pass was much worse than could have been imagined. Robert Amsterdam, the host of this podcast, acts as an international attorney for the main opposition candidate in this election, Tundu Lissu, so consider that a disclaimer that we are not objective. We did however seek out an expert voice to talk about what is happening in Tanzania and why. Dan Paget, a professor at the University of Aberdeen and the author of numerous academic articles on President John Magufuli and the politics of Tanzania. "My reaction is one of shock, whether we predicted it or not," says Paget in the interview with Amsterdam. "It's a 'pinch yourself moment' when an election appears to be rigged on this scale and rigged with such audacity, rigged in some ways so blatantly, and in many cases so amateurly, while on top of that, while the election results are still being counted." "The

From 1976-1983, a brutal military dictatorship disappeared some 30,000 citizens and arrested and tortured scores more in Argentina. As a young lawyer at the time known for representing dissidents and political prisoners, Juan Méndez himself was arrested and subjected to torture. The story of his career, rising to become the Special Rapporteur on Torture to the United Nations, Special Advisor to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and also Co-Chair of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute, is a remarkable example of personal experience translating into powerful global advocacy. Méndez joins the Departures podcast this week along with Alfredo Forti, a member of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, for a discussion on what it was like to live through the dirty war, some of the key cases they've worked on, and the Istanbul Protocol - a new set of proposed guidelines for documenting torture. A professor of Human Rights Law in residence at the American University – Washington College of

Korea is a deeply unique, complex, and interesting place in the world. Upended by repeated waves of war and occupation throughout its history, the modern nation has propulsively launched itself in the stratosphere culturally and economically and grown perhaps faster than any other.  This presents undeniable benefits and prosperity, but also a number of accompanying social discontents, from racism to identity fissures to pervasive mental health issues. Theodore Jun Yoo, an associate professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Yonsei University in Seoul, joins the podcast this week to discuss his very interesting new book, "The Koreas: The Birth of Two Nations Divided." Jun's book presents a "demythologized history" of the North Korea-South Korea split, with a focus on a number of deeply compelling personal stories and interviews with subjects supported by broad multidisciplinary empirical research. Why is it that a country that has been so incredibly successful, prosperous, and dynamic sho

We often defer to superlatives when describing our current political age, but the truth is that in many respects, we have been here before. In the summer of 1901, the tycoon JP Morgan was assembling a merger that would give him a monopoly position over America's railroads. His strong supporter in the White House, President William McKinley, was then suddenly assassinating, bringing a less hospitable interloper into power, President Theodore Roosevelt. In Susan Berfield's new book, "The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism," the reader is brought into close contact with the characters, personalities, and ambitions which would come to define the role of money and raw financial power in US politics. Speaking with Amsterdam on the podcast, Berfield says she was drawn to the question during this period that is still relevant today - how do we hold business to account and create a version of capitalism that is fairer and more equal? The story of Roosevelt's

For more than 20 years, Mike Masnick has been writing prolifically on the intersection of technology, freedom of speech, IP law, and politics at the award-winning blog Techdirt, helping to elevate awareness of how these crucial issues are impacting society. Joining the podcast with Robert Amsterdam today, Masnick discusses the recent drama around the Trump administration's peculiar intervention against the popular Chinese-created video app, TikTok, and what this means for the future free and open internet and innovation in Silicon Valley. Following last month's executive order to effectively "ban" TikTok from US users (which is now held up in appeals), a number of potential buyers have come forward, interestingly some with close financial ties to the president's re-election campaign. Masnick is not buying the argument that TikTok represents a unique national security threat to the United States, at least not a threat any different from the common data brokers collecting information from a wide variety of apps

Only a few years after the Arab Spring failed to convert Middle Eastern dictatorships into democracies (with the exception of Tunisia), many scholars and analysts stopped talking about it entirely, as if to pretend these events never took place. Harvard law professor and constitutional scholar Noah Feldman set out to change that with his latest book, "The Arab Winter: A Tragedy." "Why not try to think through what was good about it, what went wrong in its aftermath, and try to draw some lessons before we just end up in world where it's as though there just never was an Arab Spring," Feldman says. In his analysis of why for many states democracy failed to take root following these massive public uprisings and cries for self-determination, Feldman argues that most were unprepared for the management of deep divisions in the society. "The biggest challenges in the aftermath of a democratic transition are how to manage deep social division," Feldman says. "In Egypt, all of the parties were looking for outside acto

This week we are pleased to be joined by Kurt Andersen, a polymath Peabody-award winning journalist, novelist, and radio host to talk about his latest book, "Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America." But before we get into the prerecord discussion of the book, we couldn't resist bringing Kurt back on the show for an update following one of the wildest weekends in American politics, as President Donald Trump was hospitalized for his COVID-19 infection and all the bizarre behavior that has ensued. Asked by host Robert Amsterdam what he makes of this bewildering but not unexpected turn of events, Andersen compares the experience to watching a television series, as Americans are left to wonder why the writers are trying to cram too much incident not just into the last episode, but the last 30 minutes. Judging by the video of the maskless ceremony in the Rose Garden last week, Andersen argues that Republican elites had "convinced themselves that the fantasy they were purveying, that this isn't really a problem, was

Like no other president before him, Donald Trump and his inner circle have sought to monetize the White House - but has it been a good business? Dan Alexander, a journalist at Forbes and the author of the new book, "White House Inc.: How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency Into a Business," joins the podcast to discuss in detail the assets and revenues of the Trump empire, and how what's been presented in the New York Times' reporting on his tax returns may not be the complete picture. Shortly before we recorded the episode, the bombshell news broke that President Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. Alexander offers his analysis on how he believes that will impact the election.

FDR and Churchill. Kennedy and Macmillan. Reagan and Thatcher. Bush and Blair. Trump and Johnson. The so-called "special relationship" enjoyed between the United States and the United Kingdom in the past 75 years since the end of World War II, often guided by the personalities of the respective individual leaders, has come to define so much of what we understand about the liberal world order. And yet today we now find a US and UK who are turning their backs on that order with an uncertain future ahead. Ian Buruma joins Robert Amsterdam on the podcast this week to discuss his new book, "The Churchill Complex: The Curse of Being Special, from Winston and FDR to Trump and Brexit." Speaking on the podcast, Buruma says that his book presents a history that challenges many of the myths of Churchill as a wartime hero and likewise Chamberlain as a failed symbol of appeasement. "Out of the glory of winning the war, with of course the vital help of the Soviet Union, the British and the Americans got rather high on the