American Exception

  In this episode, we wrap up our social science exploration of imperial criminality. We discuss dark power—i.e., top-down or despotic political power. Dark power is to be contrasted with open or democratic power—power derived from consensus and persuasion. This is the 11th installment of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and th...

  Aaron and Ben Norton of Multipolarista discuss Establishment scholar Francis Fukuyama and his strange intervention into deep state discourse. I am hoping that Fukuyama is just building up to addressing the deep state construct in future installments because he does mention some important aspects of the emergence of the state, even as he leaves out many other angles: Valuing the Deep State, Part...

  Aaron and Ben Norton of Multipolarista discuss Establishment scholar Francis Fukuyama and his strange intervention into deep state discourse. I am hoping that Fukuyama is just building up to addressing the deep state construct in future installments because he does mention some important aspects of the emergence of the state, even as he leaves out many other angles: Valuing the Deep State, Part...

    Ben Howard and Aaron kick off the Long Shadow of 9/11 series with a discussion on their own personal reckonings with the great terror spectacle of 2001. 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, to Casey Moore for the episode art, and to Dana C...

  We discuss trace the development of parapolitics, deep politics, and the deep state in this penultimate episode on the social science of imperial criminality. This is Part 10 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well as our own Seamus McGui...

Aaron and Seamus discuss the Security Research Staff (SRS), the inner sanctum of the CIA’s Office of Security. We also discuss James McCord’s friend Lee Pennington and related issues from Jim Hougan’s masterpiece, Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat, and the CIA . Special thanks to Seamus McGuinness for the episode art and Dana Chavarria for the sound engineering! Music: " World of Machines " by...

  We discuss the higher immorality and crackpot realism as described in The Power Elite —the scholarly masterpiece of sociologist C. Wright Mills—and how these concepts can inform the sociology of the imperial American deep state. This is Part 9 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am again joined by series...

  Aaron and Seamus discuss the deep state personage of James McCord and related issues from Jim Hougan’s masterpiece, Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat, and the CIA . Special thanks to Seamus McGuinness for the episode art and Dana Chavarria for the sound engineering! Music: " Til the Mornin " by Mock Orange Aaron and Seamus discuss the deep state personage of James McCord and related issues f...

Aaron and Seamus discuss and expand on a Watergate timeline from two critical luminaries—Jim Hougan (author of Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat, and the CIA ) and Peter Dale Scott . Because this is a unique episode in terms of the minutiae we cover, I created and posted a PDF of the timeline that might be helpful for anyone who is not steeped in this material. Special thanks to Casey Moore fo...

  We discuss The Power Elite —the scholarly masterpiece of sociologist C. Wright Mills—and how it informs our understandings of the imperial American deep state. This is Part 8 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on 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 McGuinne...

  Aaron and Seamus discuss and expand on a Watergate timeline from two critical luminaries—Jim Hougan (author of Secret Agenda: Watergate, Deep Throat, and the CIA ) and Peter Dale Scott . Because this is a unique episode in terms of the minutiae we cover, I created and posted a PDF of the timeline that might be helpful for anyone who is not steeped in this material. Special thanks to Casey Moore...

  We discuss the dual state and Professor Michael Glennon’s double government. This is Episode 7 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on 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 series. Special thanks to Casey Moore for the episode ar...

  We discuss American scholars and their failure to grapple with US imperialism. This is Episode 6 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuiness who is producing the series. Special thanks to Casey Moore for the episode art and...

  We discuss the historians and historiography of the US empire. This is Episode 5 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuiness who is producing the series. Special thanks to Casey Moore for the episode art and Dana Chavarria...

  Released in conjunction with the upcoming publication of Peter's "lost" (read "stolen by the CIA in 1970") article originally intended for Ramparts, we present a 2011 debate between the two top experts on the Postwar Southeast Asian heroin traffic: Professors Peter Dale Scott and Alfred McCoy. I add some context at the beginning which will hopefully be of interest to everybody! Peter Dale Scott...

  We discuss the concepts of hegemony and empire in relation to the USA!  [We updated the file after a slightly incomplete file was missing...basically without the very brief intro] This is Episode 4 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our ow...

  Aaron and guest cohost Brace Belden talk to David Talbot about his book, The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government . This episode is dedicated to our dear friend and colleague, Professor Peter Dale Scott. Peter Dale Scott and Ben Howard also both appear in this episode. Follow Ben on Twitter and check out his latest series on the Boston Bombing ov...

  We discuss the creation of the US national security state and the rise of US exceptionism! This is Episode 3 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuiness who is producing the series. Special thanks to Casey Moore for the epi...

  Aaron speaks with Daniel Ellsberg and Peter Dale Scott about key issues on the 50th anniversary of the Watergate arrests. Specifically, they discuss Nixon’s Vietnam strategy, the way these plans were threatened by the leak of the Pentagon Papers, and the mysteries around Watergate which collectively suggest that Nixon’s resignation was effected by forces to the right of Nixon himself. Daniel Ell...

    We discuss deep politics in the history of the USA. As per Peter Dale Scott, deep politics refers to “all those political practices and arrangements, deliberate or not, which are usually repressed rather than acknowledged.” This is Part 2 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host...

This is the first episode of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuiness who is producing the series. We discuss the book's origins and the main research questions that propelled the research and scholarship. Essentially: Why do...

  We discuss deep politics in the history of the USA. As per Peter Dale Scott, deep politics refers to “all those political practices and arrangements, deliberate or not, which are usually repressed rather than acknowledged.” This is Part 2 of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Be...

  This is the first episode of our Empire and the Deep State series--an in-depth exploration on my new book American Exception: Empire and the Deep State. I am joined by series co-host Ben Norton of Multipolarista as well our own Seamus McGuiness who is producing the series. We discuss the book's origins and the main research questions that propelled the research and scholarship. Essentially: Why...

  This is Part 4 of our Battleground Indonesia collaboration with TheKultureDotTV . Aaron and Hailey Rounsaville are again joined by our own Seamus McGuinness to cover the JFK era of US-Indonesia relations. The discussion picks up from the last episode where JFK’s plans for a sovereign West Papua under UN auspices were derailed by the assassination of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold. We cove...

This is Part 3 of our Battleground Indonesia collaboration with TheKultureDotTV . Aaron and Hailey Rounsaville are joined this time by our own Seamus McGuinness to cover the JFK era of US-Indonesia relations. Most notably, they discuss how American deep statesman Allen Dulles was able to utilize murderous clandestine arts to subvert US and UN policy so that control over Indonesia's vast riches cou...