The Andrea Mitchell Center Podcast

INTERVIEWER: YARA DAMAJ. The collapse of the Assad regime has reshaped Syria's political landscape, bringing both significant opportunities and deep uncertainties. This episode unpacks the factors behind Assad's downfall, the power struggles within the opposition, and the ongoing fight for justice after years of repression. As regional dynamics shift, the future of Syria remains uncertain, with ma...

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH . Since it was overturned in 2022, Roe v. Wade has continued to represent to many what the restoration of abortion rights would look like. As philosopher BERTHA ALVAREZ MANNINEN has long pointed out, however, Roe itself was vulnerable to challenges from the fetal personhood movement. Two years before Roe , on the other hand, an essay by Judith Jarvis Thomson presented a d...

INTERVIWER: JEFF GREEN . AMC Director Jeff Green is joined by Slavoj Žižek , renowned Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist whose work spans psychoanalysis, politics, and popular culture. Known for his sharp wit, provocative style, and ability to blend complex theory with humor, Žižek has been a major voice on the Western intellectual left since the 1990s. As one of the most influential publ...

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH . In late 2020, in the midst of COVID lockdowns and the national election, speechwriter and opinion columnist FRANCIS BARRY bought an RV and, with his wife Laurel, traveled across from New York to San Francisco via the Lincoln Highway, interviewing citizens along the way to explore what still bound the nation together in divisive times. In his discussion with historian Ma...

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. In theory, the US Constitution established a system by which the three branches of government keep each other in check. Political scientist and constitutional scholar COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER argues that, in fact, it has more often been citizen pressure – not the courts or the legislature – that has rescued us from the anti-democratic exercise of presidential power. In his d...

Interviewer : RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN . In this episode, Professors MARC MEREDITH and MICHAEL MORSE from the University of Pennsylvania unpack Pennsylvania's pivotal role in the upcoming U.S. election. They explore Pennsylvania's unique political geography, its electoral laws, and the critical implications of mail-in ballots. The discussion dives into the evolving demographics and the shift in politic...

Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN . Penn Professor (emeritus)  IAN LUSTICK , who has been teaching on the Israel-Palestine conflict at Penn since 1991, returns to the podcast to share his thoughts on the ongoing crisis.

In this episode, MIRANDA SKLAROFF is in conversation with PETER FRASE , editorial board member of Jacobin magazine and author of Four Futures: Life After Capitalism . Frase presents a case for socialism as a superior alternative to liberal democracy, delving into the critical differences between socialists and social democrats. The discussion also explores the stagnation of electoral socialism in...

Interviewer: JOSHUA ROSE. In her book,  Hailing the State: Indian Democracy Between Elections,  Professor LISA MITCHELL explores the various methods of collective action used by people in India to hold elected officials and government administrators accountable. Moving beyond an exclusive focus on electoral processes, Mitchell argues that to understand democracy — both in India and beyond — we mus...

Interviewer:  MATTHEW BERKMAN. Anti-corruption activist JOSH STANFIELD  returns to the AMC podcast. This discussion centers on the significant impact of data centers in Virginia, which currently hosts the largest data center market in the world. These massive facilities, crucial for the growing prevalence of AI and other technologies, bring economic benefits but also pose several serious challenge...

AUDREY JAQUISS sits down with Penn Professor  ERIC ORTS to explore the future of environmental regulation and politics in light of recent Supreme Court decisions. In the last two years, the Court has significantly curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to protect wetlands and regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. This year, the Court's decision to overturn the lon...

TANJA PETROVIĆ , principal research associate at the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, discusses her recent book Utopia in Uniform: Affective Afterlives of the Yugoslav People's Army.  Moderated by  RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN.

ANNE NORTON,  Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses her book  Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law  with moderator and Penn alumnus JOSHUA ROSE.

DR. ROBIN S. BROOKS , career diplomat and former Special Advisor to the Vice President for Europe, Russia, Multilateral Affairs, and Democracy, delves into the intricacies of democracy. The discussion explores the pivotal role of elections and the alarming phenomenon of democratic backsliding, particularly evident in ex-Soviet States. Dr. Brooks sheds light on the influence of American foreign pol...

This episode focuses on the recent passage of a foreign aid package by the House of Representatives, which includes aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The delay in passing the bill raised concerns about America's reliability in fulfilling its international commitments. The episode explores how partisan divides are reshaping views on foreign policy, with conservatives showing skepticism toward Ukr...

AUDREY JAQUISS interviews RHIANA GUNN-WRIGHT , Climate Policy Director of the Roosevelt Institute. They delve into discussions on the intersection of climate policy with issues such as white supremacy, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and economic concerns. Gunn-Wright explores the importance of universality in climate policy and strategies for navigating reactionary political landscapes. 

Barbara McQuade, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, discusses her new book  Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America . Barbara argues disinformation is a threat to democracy. However, the larger threat is not from foreign adversaries, but those within the country who use disinformation for political gain. Still, the even larger attack comes from within ourselves. She argue...

JONATHAN BLITZER , staff writer at  The   New Yorker , discusses his recent book  Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis.  According to Blitzer, immigration policy happens at the intersection of international relations and domestic politics. In this episode, he uses personal stories to help explain his points.  JUSTIN KEMPF , host of the  Democ...

Join Secretary  MARCIA LIMA and Penn Professor MICHAEL G. HANCHARD in a candid conversation on the pervasive nature of anti-blackness in Brazil and the United States. Lima currently serves as the Secretary of Affirmative Action Policies and Combatting and Overcoming Racism at the Ministry of Racial Equality in Brazil. This conversation examines parallels and disparities between the two countries i...

Interviewer: AUDREY JAQUISS . Director of the Institute for Global Sustainability and Professor at Boston University, BENJAMIN SOVACOOL , delves into the crucial concept of energy justice. Sovacool unravels its definition and examines the demographics and locations where it is most pertinent. Distinguishing energy justice from climate or environmental justice, he offers insights into the nuances o...

Interviewer:  JOSHUA ROSE. Associate Professor at Georgetown University,  JOSHUA CHERNISS, explores the dynamic relationship between diversity of thought and democracy, acknowledging it as both a core element of democracy's existence while also a significant challenge to its sustenance. He challenges the assumption that democracy will endure, emphasizing the need for active reflection to safeguard...

Interviewer:  JOSHUA ROSE.  Philadelphia is a city grappling with complex dynamics surrounding policing, criminality, and a commitment to rehabilitation.  HELENA VON NAGY , an Assistant District Attorney in the Municipal Court, delves into the intricacies of Philadelphia's criminal justice system, narrating her day-to-day experiences working at the heart of Philadelphia's legal landscape. She shed...

Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. On the cusp of a crucial election for Virginia, political activist JOSH STANFIELD discusses the stakes in his second AMC podcast appearance in an interview with political scientist Matthew Berkman. With this being the first legislative election for both Congressional chambers under new maps designed after the 2020 census, the status quo has shifted – aligning with a p...

Interviewer: JOSHUA ROSE . In his recent book, The Principle of Political Hope , political theorist LOREN GOLDMAN attempts to avoid the sense of inevitability that creeps into political thought, either as optimistic faith in unstoppable progress or pessimistic despair at a broken world. Engaging with thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, Ernst Bloch, Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, Goldma...

Interviewer: AUDREY JAQUISS . The California legislature has passed two bills, now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsome's signature, that potentially open up a new frontier in environmental law and climate action. As law professor  MICHAEL GERRARD and Wharton professor ERIC ORTS explain, SB 253 would require that companies disclose their carbon emissions, and SB 261 their vulnerability to climate-relat...