Always at War

In the latest Always at War, Courtney and Alex are joined again by historian and Quincy Institute non-resident fellow Daniel Bessner to talk about his new book, Imperialist Realism. Daniel walks us through what the American empire actually looks like today and the three-part psychological structure — cynicism, "missionism," and what he calls tragic guilt — that makes empire always seem l...

Anthropic's Claude has been used in Pentagon targeting — including the Iran strike that killed more than 150 civilians. Non-state actors like the Houthis have used Claude to help build guided weapons. And the AI industry is racing to embed itself deeper into the military-industrial complex, with no sign of slowing down. At the same time, the same executives warning that AI could wipe out huma...

In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Tori Bateman, the Quincy Institute's Director of Advocacy, to talk about her work trying to end Washington's addiction to endless war. Tori splits her time between two audiences that need almost opposite treatment. Grassroots constituents already know what they want: fewer wars and lower costs for Americans. Capitol...

In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick — authors of the new book Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power — to understand how a concentrated network of pro-Israel donors and organizations became the most formidable special interest in Washington, and how it helped push  the United States toward war with Iran. BUY THE B...

In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with QI Senior Research Fellow Khaled Elgindy — former adviser to the Palestinian leadership on permanent status negotiations with Israel and author of Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump — to understand why America's constant interventions in the Israel-Palestine peace process have been doomed to f...

In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex examine Israel's $1 billion campaign to shape global opinion and policy toward Israel with the researcher who's done the work to expose it: QI Fellow Nick Cleveland-Stout. Nick's new paper, "The Eighth Front: Inside Israel's $1 Billion Influence Campaign," is the most detailed accounting yet of Israel's ch...

In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Almut Rochowanski, a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and longtime grassroots activist who spent nearly two decades working with civil society organizers across Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union. Almut walks Courtney and Alex through the "NGO-industrial complex": how grant cycles, donor prioriti...

SUPPORT QI'S FIRST AMENDMENT FUND: https://givingtools.com/give/939 CHECK OUT TRITA'S SUBSTACK: https://tritaparsi.substack.com/ In the latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Quincy Institute co-founder and Executive Vice President Trita Parsi, an expert on Iran and US-Iranian relations. Trita has spent years warning Washington against a disastrous war with Iran...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex expose the secret plan to end US military grant aid to Israel while permanently shielding US military support for Israel from congressional oversight — and from you. First, they break down Section 224, a provision buried in the annual defense spending bill that would fuse US and Israeli military sectors — weapons procurement, production, AI, biot...

This week, we're bringing you a special episode in collaboration with our friends at Trip the Beltway Fantastic! Your hosts Courtney and Alex joined Kelley Vlahos, Editor-in-Chief of Responsible Statecraft , on her podcast to break down the recent will-they/won't-they diplomacy between Washington and Tehran. The trio dissects the rhetoric pushed by prominent pro-war figures—particularly...

On this latest episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Jake Werner, head of the Quincy Institute’s East Asia program, to find out the answer to the question on everyone's lips in Washington: China bad? First, the three discuss the pervasive, bipartisan myth that Beijing wants to supplant America's role as the global military hegemony, tracing how the US foreign policy e...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex reveal the Department of War's newest scapegoat, Artificial Intelligence, and debate whether Congress will ever defend their constitutional power to declare war.  First, they break down the technical distinction between LLMs like Claude and targeting systems like Palantir’s Project Maven, explaining how these tools are designed to maximize &...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex explore the many, disturbing creative writing exercises of the Washington "Blob."  First, they deconstruct the latest outlandish op-eds from think tank war hawks, including an effort to frame the war on Iran as Tehran's "War of Choice," and discuss the solipsism of US foreign policymakers.  Next, they reveal what Donald T...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex sit down with Catherine Lutz, co-founder of the Costs of War Project and professor emerita at Brown University, to dissect the culture of war in Washington that keeps America perpetually at war — with taxpayers footing the bill.  First, they discuss the "base coat" of fear that defines Americans' understanding of the world. Catheri...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex are joined by returning guest Nick Cleveland-Stout, co-creator of the Quincy Institute’s Think Tank Funding Tracker, to pull back the curtain on the financial interests shaping how Americans are being sold the war in Iran. First, they discuss the stark gap between the American public and the Washington foreign policy establishment on the Iran war...

On this emergency episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex are joined by Kelley Vlahos, Editor-in-Chief of Responsible Statecraft, to discuss the US-Israel attack on Iran and subsequent war. First, they discuss why Trump chose war over diplomacy, whether the administration is feeling a sugar high after regime change in Venezuela, and why the endgame in Tehran remains dangerously unclear.  Next,...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex go deep with Noah Kulwin, journalist and co-host of the hit documentary podcast Blowback, on why American interventionism thrives on the very chaos it claims to be fighting. First, they get into how Noah came to be interested in America’s role in the world, the origins of Blowback, and how chaos figures into America’s strategy to maintain global...

On this episode of Always at War , Courtney and Alex dive into the Trump administration's escalating threats against Iran and Cuba, exploring why Washington seems hell-bent on repeating its regime change failures of the past. First, they examine the looming threat of war with Iran and discuss how pro-Israel figures are pushing a "poison pill" for Iran talks that would ensure their f...

Courtney and Alex are breaking down the latest news that explain why the U.S. remains perpetually at war — this week, courtesy of our benevolent overlords in Davos at the World Economic Forum. First, they congratulate Larry Ellison on Oracle's acquisition of TikTok and swift shadow-banning of Courtney’s account. Next, they discuss Trump's "Board of Peace" and plan to build a &q...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex are joined by Lee Schlenker, research associate with the Global South program at the Quincy Institute, to unpack the fallout from the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro — what it means for Venezuelans, for Trump's foreign policy, and for Americans who are sick and tired of paying for these endless mil...

Courtney and Alex go deep with tech journalist Taylor Lorenz on how social media shapes our perceptions of US foreign policy, and why war hawks like Hillary Clinton want to make it harder for Americans to get access to independent info on war and peace. First, they discuss how the internet went from being treated by US politicians as an emancipatory tool during the Arab Spring to a dangerous sourc...

Courtney and Alex are back to break down the latest stories that help explain why the US is always at war.  First, they break down a pair of recent stunning  statements by former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about how young people are getting the wrong ideas about Israel from the terrible images they're seeing of the genocide in Gaza. The solu...

This week, Courtney and Alex discuss the news stories from around the world that caught their attention.  First, they get into how American arms companies are profiting off of the push for regime change in Venezuela and the military buildup in the Carribean. Next, they unpack the Pentagon's "acquisition reform" — a terrible  idea that will make it easier for the military-industrial...

On this episode of Always at War, Courtney and Alex talk with Jim Lobe, contributing editor at Responsible Statecraft, about the life and legacy of Dick Cheney after his death this week at the age of 84.  Together, they unpack Cheney's long and gruesome record, from working with Donald Rumsfeld to derail Kissinger's strategy of detente with the Soviet Union, to helping the perpetrators o...

In this episode of Always at War, hosts Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan are joined by Lara Friedman — President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) — to examine the recent Gaza ceasefire deal. Together, they discuss what makes ceasefire deals work, America's sordid history as a "peacemaker" in the Middle East, why the current deal is unlikely to restrain Israeli aggress...