Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

American Prestige

News EN ↓ 96 episodes

A podcast from Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison that provides listeners with everything they need to know about what’s going on in the world. americanprestige.supportingcast.fm

Author

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

Category

News

Podcast website

www.americanprestigepod.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

News - U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Collapses, Hamas Dissolves Gaza Government, Sudan’s El-Obeid Braces for RSF Assault 10.07.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek’s FIFA officiating careers have been tragically cut short since Javier Milei’s checks started bouncing. In this week’s news: the NATO summit ends on a high note (4:46); in Iran, new fighting erupts as Trump declares the end of the ceasefire (12:01), plus estimates of the war’s cost increase (16:49); in Gaza, Hamas dissolves its government (1...

AP x NonZero - Iran, Israel, and the Future of US Power w/ Robert Wright 10.07.2026

The AP-NonZero collaboration continues! Subscribe now to AP to get a discounted membership to NonZero! 0:00 Sneak peek: Danny finds flaw in Bob’s AI book 1:18 Is the Iran war fully back on? 5:59 What the war means for the future of US power 18:52 The problem with blaming Bibi 23:09 The push to intertwine the US and Israeli militaries 35:09 What’s Israel’s endgame for the Palestinians? 39:27 The Gu...

E256 - Rome and Ancient Iran w/ Jake Nabel 08.07.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are joined by Jake Nabel, Tombros early career professor of classical studies and assistant professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies at Penn State, to talk about Roman-Parthian relations in antiquity. The group discusses the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, the rise of the Parthian Empire and...

Bonus - A Left-Right Antiwar Alliance? w/ Curt Mills and Andrew Day (Preview) 06.07.2026

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek are joined by Curt Mills, executive director of the American Conservative, and Andrew Day, senior editor of the American Conservative, to talk about the potential for a left-right anti-war alliance. The group discusses the ongoing war with Iran and its impact on U.S.-China relations, the future of the MAGA movement and whether Donald Trump might...

Bonus - How the British Empire Lost America w/ Andrew Shankman 03.07.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are joined by historian Andrew Shankman to talk about the road to U.S. independence from Great Britain. They discuss differences between Spanish and British colonization strategies, the intellectual and philosophical origins of the American Revolution, the Stamp Act crisis, distinctions in racial conceptions between the American colonies and...

E255 - The History of Iran’s Nuclear Program w/ Sina Azodi 01.07.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Sina Azodi, assistant professor of Middle East politics and director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University, returns to the show to talk about Iran’s nuclear program. The group discusses the Shah’s nuclear agenda, Atoms for Peace, Iran’s signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, how the Iran-Iraq War influenced Iran’s nucl...

Bonus - American Politics at the End of Trumpism w/ Aziz Rana (Preview) 29.06.2026

Subscribe now for the full episode. Aziz Rana, J. Donald Monin SJ University Professor of Law and Government at Boston College, is back on the podcast to talk about Trumpism, American political stagnation, and the future of U.S. power. They discuss the (presumed) end of the Trump era, the importance of supermajorities and why we haven’t seen them in recent years, what the left got right and wrong...

News - Iran Talks Advance, Starmer Resigns, Israel Targets Children in Gaza 26.06.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek’s promise ring ceremony regrettably must be relocated from MSG due to a scheduling conflict. In this week’s news: The Iran negotiations show signs of progress (1:26) despite disputes over the agreement (5:20), plus conflicting reports over the status of the Strait of Hormuz* (9:24); Lebanon sees a reduction in fighting and another round of t...

E254 - How Zionism Failed w/ Omer Bartov 24.06.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, joins the program to talk about Zionism’s transformation from an emancipation movement into a form of ethno-nationalism. They delve into Zionism’s formation alongside European colonialism, how settler encroachment influenced Palestinian nationalism, comparisons with Europea...

Bonus - Military Masculinity w/ Jasper Craven (Preview) 22.06.2026

Danny and Derek speak with Jasper Craven, a reporter covering the military and veterans' issues, about masculinity and the military. They talk about Trump’s time in military school, how his relationship with masculinity has affected his approach to business and politics, Pete Hegseth and his military identity, soldiers’ “honor codes” and subverting the rules, how notions of masculinity change betw...

News - U.S.-Iran MoU Takes Effect, West Bank Settlement Expansion, Fujimori Leads Peru Election Count 19.06.2026

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek are in backchannel talks with the reflecting pool algae. In this week’s news: the United States and Iran sign a Memorandum of Understanding (1:26), which addresses sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, sovereignty, and the nuclear program (6:46); Israel continues its attacks on and occupation of Lebanon despite the MoU dictating o...

E253 - Human Prehistory and How Societies Rise and Fall w/ Patrick Wyman 16.06.2026

Subscribe now for all episodes and no ads. Historian Patrick Wyman returns to the show to talk about the deep history of human societies and how they can inform the current moment. The group discusses new ways of studying prehistory, the origins of agriculture, climate adaptation, the Clovis people, the long Neolithic, early farming societies, states and security, the Bronze Age collapse, and more...

Special - The Iran Ceasefire (June 2026) (Preview) 15.06.2026

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek give us the latest on today’s ceasefire deal. Note: Iran has since confirmed the deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus - The World Cup in 2026 America w/ David Roth and Tom Ley 13.06.2026

Subscribe now for the full episode David Roth and Tom Ley of Defector join the program for a discussion on the World Cup and the politics around the tournament. They get into FIFA corruption; Trump’s FIFA Peace Prize; the administration’s petty moves like denying a Somali referee entry to the U.S. and similar restrictions on Iran’s team; sportswashing; the burden on host cities; the growth of socc...

News - U.S. and Iran Exchange Fire, Pentagon Raises Israeli Spy Threat, Jihadist-Rebel Alliance Pressures Mali 12.06.2026

Subscribe now for the ad-free experience. The World Cup is upon us, so Danny and Derek are showering visiting players with crocheted NATO flags. In this week’s news: Israel and Iran exchange fire (0:59), with Netanyahu possibly defying Trump (3:16); Iran and the U.S. also trade blows as the ceasefire comes into question (6:11); the IDF is preparing a new Gaza offensive (14:56); Afghanistan and Pak...

E252 - Hondurasgate and U.S. Power in Latin America w/ José Luis Granados Ceja 09.06.2026

Subscribe now⁠ for an ad-free experience. Danny and Derek welcome to the show José Luis Granados Ceja, head of the Latin America desk at DropSite News, for a conversation about the Hondurasgate scandal and U.S. policy in Latin America. They talk about the leaked audio files of the scandal, Juan Orlando Hernandez’s pardon, Marco Rubio’s influence, Cuba, Israel’s role in the region, Honduras’s place...

Special - Iran Retaliates as Israel Escalates in Lebanon (Preview) 08.06.2026

Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek talk about Iran’s strike on Israel and the risk of a wider regional war, covering Israel’s bombing of Beirut, Iran’s retaliation, Trump’s effort to prevent Israeli escalation, the U.S.-Iran negotiations, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus - Political Capitalism and Trumpism w/ Dylan John Riley (Preview) 07.06.2026

Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast sociologist Dylan Riley for a conversation about political capitalism, Trumpism, and the crisis of American capitalism. They talk about debates over the falling rate of profit and the long downturn; what shapes the capitalist crisis; the rise of asset price inflation, monopolization, and financialization; whether AI and da...

News - U.S.-Iran Escalation, Israel Expands Lebanon Campaign, CIA Feuds With Intelligence Chief w/ Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay 05.06.2026

Subscribe now⁠ for an ad-free experience. There’s too much Knickerbocker news to fit here, but we do have other stories to report. This week: Iran and the U.S. exchange fire in the Gulf (2:00), plus peace talks stall after Trump adds new demands (4:29); Israel escalates its Lebanon campaign despite ceasefire talks (08:33); Cambodia takes a Thailand maritime dispute to the UN (15:19); in Sudan, tri...

Unlocked: The China Consensus and Trump's Xi Meeting w/ Jake Werner 03.06.2026

We unlocked this episode so that everyone could hear this great interview with Jake Werner on China. To get more AP discussions like this, subscribe now! Danny and Derek are once again joined by Jake Werner, director of the East Asia Program at ⁠the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft⁠, this time to talk about the development of the U.S. consensus on China. They delve into the neoliberal e...

E251 - Disneyland: Cold War Factory w/ Roland Betancourt 02.06.2026

Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek speak with Roland Betancourt, Chancellor's Professor of Art History at UC Irvine, about Disneyland and the rise of automation in the U.S. They talk about Walt Disney’s move from animation to theme parks, the relationship between amusement parks and industrial production, Cold War technology and Southern California, Disney’s use of automation and...

Special - U.S.-Iran Diplomacy and the War in Lebanon w/ Trita Parsi (Preview) 02.06.2026

⁠Subscribe now⁠ for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, to talk about U.S.-Iran negotiations and the status of the war. They delve into ceasefire talks, Israel’s attack on Lebanon, Iranian concerns about U.S. reliability, sanctions relief, the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s reg...

Bonus - Great Powers and the Multipolar World w/ Anusar Farooqui (Preview) 31.05.2026

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny speaks with Anusar Farooqui about the finer points of the emerging multipolar world. They discuss the idea of Iran as a great power, spheres of influence, China and the future of East Asia, the role of India and the European Union in global politics, and more. Follow Anusar’s work at ⁠Policy Tensor⁠. Read Danny’s piece that they debated, ⁠“Power Without Id...

News - Israel Escalates Lebanon Strikes, Taiwan Arms Sale Stalls, Bolivia Protest Crackdown w/ Anthea Gordon 29.05.2026

Subscribe now⁠ to skip the ads and get more content. The AP UFC dome is regrettably being held up by Producer Jake’s HOA. In this week’s news: an update on the U.S.-Iran talks and U.S. airstrikes near Bandar Abbas (1:11); Trump demands new Abraham Accords signatures and threatens Oman over Strait of Hormuz fees (4:46); Israel escalates attacks and pushes displacement further north in Lebanon (11:3...

AP x NonZero - Trump’s Iran War Merry-Go-Round w/ Robert Wright 29.05.2026

The bi-monthly podcasting crossover to end all bi-monthly podcasting crossovers is back! Danny, Derek, and Robert Wright of the ⁠⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ once again set the record straight. Subscribe now to AP to get a discounted membership to NonZero! Part One Video 0:00 Is NonZero or American Prestige the better podcast? AI weighs in4:14 The state of the US-Iran war. Or is it peace?17:52 Has Trump...

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