American Exception

  We look at the existential issues raised by the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is the 24th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. Again I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy as well our own Seamus McGuinness who is producing the series. Note: the audio in the later segment s...

  We are joined by Dr. Piers Robinson , founding editor of Propaganda in Focus . We discuss a number of topics, including his 2022 article, " Cock-up or Conspiracy? Understanding COVID-19 as a ‘Structural Deep Event " and the recent tribute to Lance DeHaven-Smith published at Propaganda in Focus—a piece which Piers asked me to co-write with Professor Matthew Witt. Piers Robinson is also co-directo...

  We look more at JFK’s Cuba policies—specifically Operation Mongoose—and how these policies led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which we also begin to discuss. This is the 23rd installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. Again I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Geopolitical Economy as well our own...

  Sarah Kendzior joins us to talk about her book, They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent . She is also the author of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America and The View from Flyover Country: Dispatches from the Forgotten America . Sarah is the co-host of the podcast, Gaslit Nation . Special thanks to Dana Chavarria for the sound eng...

  We look at JFK’s conflicting Latin America policies—specifically the Alliance for Progress and his Cuba policies in the wake of the Bay of Pigs fiasco. This is the 22nd installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. Again I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus Mc...

  Jeffrey Kaye joins us to discuss a controversial topic—the alleged US use of biological weapons in the Korean War. A retired psychologist turned blogger and forensic historian, Kaye is the author of Cover-up at Guantanamo and a number of Korean War biowarfare articles on medium which we discuss: Secret History: U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps Flyers’ Confessions on Use of Biological Weapons in the...

  We examine how JFK dealt with Wall Street and the domestic US economy—with a special focus on his showdown with US Steel, aka “The Corporation.” This is the 21st installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. Again I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuinnes...

  We talk with Jefferson Morley about the latest developments in the JFK assassination—specifically the documents which were released in part yesterday, Thursday the 15th of December. Unsurprisingly, the CIA is still withholding many documents, after 59 years and counting. Jefferson Morley is a Washington author and veteran journalist whose novelistic non-fiction books explore untold chapters in t...

  In this episode, we look at how JFK approached the so-called Third World—examining Rostow’s modernization theory as well as cases in Africa and Indonesia. This is the 20th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. Again I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus...

  Aaron is joined by Grayzone UK Editor Kit Klarenberg —an investigative journalist exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions. They discuss three of Kit’s recent articles:   EXPOSED: Before Ukraine blew up Kerch Bridge, British spies plotted it   Leaked documents: British spies constructing secret terror army in Ukraine   FTX partnership with Ukraine is latest...

  In this episode, we look at how JFK approached American policy in SE Asia in 1961—the first year of his presidency. Specifically, we look at how handled Laos and Vietnam during this time—culminating in his November 22, 1963 NSAM which increased military support and training for South Vietnam, even as JFK resisted enormous Pentagon/CIA pressure to commit US ground troops. This is the 19th install...

  In this episode, we start to look at JFK’s presidency. Coincidentally, we are able to kick off our exploration of the Kennedy years right after our last episode (#87) on the 59th anniversary of the assassination in Dallas. In this episode, we discuss JFK’s background—his rise from son of privilege to World War II hero to Congressman to Senator to President. We look at the forces he had to accomm...

  A special double episode on the 59th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination: Aaron speaks with the venerable James DiEugenio. After the discussion, Aaron looks at JFK’s “Peace Speech” at American University in which JFK called for “not just peace in our time, but peace for all time.” Calling for an end to the Cold War and for moves toward full disarmament, the speech was repeatedly bro...

  Aaron discusses the latest in the world of “biodefense” with journalist Sam Husseini and the illustrious independent researcher who posts as Gumby on Twitter. Please check out Sam Husseini’s Substack page and his recent article “ Did West Africa’s Ebola Outbreak of 2014 Have a Lab Origin? ” which he cowrote with virologist Jonathan Latham. Special thanks to Dana Chavarria for the sound engineeri...

In this video version of the episode, we close out the Eisenhower years. Specifically, we look at Eisenhower’s policies in Cuba and Congo—as well as how he made weak, half-hearted attempts to respond to the threats posed by the dangerously unaccountable CIA and the murderously greedy military industrial complex. As you will see, Ike’s was indeed a legacy of Ashes! This is the 17th installment of o...

  Aaron talks to the tireless and iconoclastic historian of post-colonial Indonesia, Greg Poulgrain. In this final part, they discuss how JFK, Dag Hammarskjold, and Sukarno were unable to stop Allen Dulles’ murderous grand strategy to turn Indonesia into world history’s most valuable neocolony—under imperial US auspices. Greg Poulgrain teaches history at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Que...

  Aaron talks to the tireless and iconoclastic historian of post-colonial Indonesia, Greg Polugrain. In this first of two episodes, they discuss Allen Dulles' dark influence over US policy in Indonesia up through the Eisenhower administration. Greg Poulgrain teaches history at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He is the author of The Genesis of Konfrontasi: Malaysia, B...

  We look at how Eisenhower and the Dulles Brothers handled two geopolitical hot spots of the Cold War: Indonesia and Egypt. This is the 16th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuinness who is producing the...

  Nick Bryant discusses his prolific efforts to expose sexual blackmail as, in effect, a deep state institution. Nick is the author of The Franklin Scandal: A Story of Powerbrokers, Child Abuse & Betrayal and co-author of Confessions of a DC Madam The Politics of Sex, Lies, and Blackmail . He also has a new book coming out in a few months entitled The Truth About Watergate: A Tale of Extraordinary...

In this episode we briefly discuss what the deep state is and is not before looking at the Eisenhower administration’s imperial chicanery in Guatemala and Vietnam. This is the 15th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own...

  In this episode we look at Eisenhower’s ties to Big Oil and how they influenced Operation AJAX--the CIA conspiracy which overthrew Iran’s democratically elected Mohammed Mossedegh in order to install a US puppet, the Shah of Iran. This is the 14th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again...

  [Update: We fixed and replaced the original audio file which had a problem around the introduction] In this episode we look at the history behind NSC-68, the seminal document of the US military industrial complex. This is the 13th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again joined by series...

Ben Howard and Aaron continue the Long Shadow of 9/11 series with a discussion on the history of USUK imperial support for reactionary Islamism. The first article in the series is now up at American Exception: “ Prequel to Terror: The 9/9 Massoud Assassination .” Special thanks to Seamus McGuinness for his editorial work on the article and to Dana Chavarria for the sound engineering! Music: " High...

  In this episode, we begin our historical exploration of the post-World War 2 US empire. As explained in the book and in previous episodes of this history, the history of the post-World War 2 US empire is essentially the history of the US deep state. This is the 12th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration of my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep...

Aaron is joined by Christopher Mott to discuss his recent article, “Woke Imperium: The Coming Confluence Between Social Justice and Neoconservatism.” Christopher Mott is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy and the author of The Formless Empire: A Short History of Diplomacy and Warfare in Central Asia . Follow Christopher on Twitter and check out his personal website: geotricks...