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, they examine the fracturing of the "MAGA" coalition around the war. Kelley explains why influential voices on the right are breaking with the White House, and how the administration is "running scared" from backlash within its political base.

Then, they look at the generational divide that this war is exposing in US society and culture. From the "normie" echo chamber on Fox News to the democratization of information on TikTok and podcasts, they explore whether legacy media is losing its grip on the narrative, and why young Americans are more skeptical of war than ever before.

Finally, they tackle the "Culture of War" in Washington. Kelley shares her insights from decades reporting in the nation's capital, detailing how the military-industrial complex has become a "self-licking ice cream cone" that treats peace as a personal threat to status and profit.

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Why is America seemingly always at war? Join the Quincy Institute’s Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan as they expose the monied interests, outdated ideologies, and entrenched powers that have driven the U.S. to wage nearly 400 wars and interventions.

They’ll be joined by journalists, advocates, and experts to uncover who profits from America’s endless conflicts, and to imagine how we can build a better, more peaceful U.S. foreign policy.

Learn more about the Quincy Institute: quincyinst.org
Contact the show: alwaysatwar@quincyinst.org

Show art by Justin Hantz

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Quincy Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank.
Help fund our research: https://quincyinst.org/donations/
Read our reporting: https://ResponsibleStatecraft.org
Twitter: https://x.com/QuincyInst
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/quincyinst
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quincyinst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com//quincyinst
Website: https://quincyinst.org

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 military primacy.

Next, they explore how the American public has been insulated from the costs of war since the end of the draft, and what this means for building opposition to our endless, ruinous interventions.

Finally, they examine why America’s major political parties continue to invest in status quo foreign policy, and why Washington seems set on breaking the global chessboard if it doesn’t get to control the game anymore.

RESOURCES

• Subscribe to blowback: blowback.show
  
  
• Read Jeff Stein’s reporting on US sanctions: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/us-sanction-countries-work/

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Why is America seemingly always at war? Join the Quincy Institute’s Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan as they expose the monied interests, outdated ideologies, and entrenched powers that have driven the U.S. to wage nearly 400 wars and interventions.

They’ll be joined by journalists, advocates, and experts to uncover who profits from America’s endless conflicts, and to imagine how we can build a better, more peaceful U.S. foreign policy.

Learn more about the Quincy Institute: quincyinst.org
Contact the show: alwaysatwar@quincyinst.org

Show art by Justin Hantz

###
Quincy Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank.
Help fund our research: https://quincyinst.org/donations/
Read our reporting: https://ResponsibleStatecraft.org
Twitter: https://x.com/QuincyInst
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/quincyinst
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quincyinst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com//quincyinst
Website: https://quincyinst.org

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 failure, sparking a new forever war that Americans don't want.

Next, they shift focus to the Cuba, where the US has initiated a campaign of strangulation against the Cuban people through a fuel blockade. They discuss the ideological underpinnings of America's Cuba policy since the revolution and the devastating human cost of the crises we've created — in pursuit of what, exactly?

Finally, Courtney and Alex reflect on Washington's inability to reconcile basic facts and history with reality. Is there something in the water over there?

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Why is America seemingly always at war? Join the Quincy Institute’s Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan as they expose the monied interests, outdated ideologies, and entrenched powers that have driven the U.S. to wage nearly 400 wars and interventions.

They’ll be joined by journalists, advocates, and experts to uncover who profits from America’s endless conflicts, and to imagine how we can build a better, more peaceful U.S. foreign policy.

Learn more about the Quincy Institute: quincyinst.org
Contact the show: alwaysatwar@quincyinst.org

Show art by Justin Hantz

###
Quincy Institute is an independent, nonprofit think tank.
Help fund our research: https://quincyinst.org/donations/
Read our reporting: https://ResponsibleStatecraft.org
Twitter: https://x.com/QuincyInst
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/quincyinst
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quincyinst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com//quincyinst
Website: https://quincyinst.org