Tag: foreign policy

I Would be Dead or in Prison

The verdict for this episode is: Uncle Sam isn’t always the devil. In this episode, I discuss how some on the left, whom have taught me a lot, have to stop seeing America as always wrong. Sure, America has done loads of terrible things. But America isn’t always wrong. https://media.blubrry.com/jonathansimeonepodcast/content.blubrry.com/jonathansimeonepodcast/Left_argument.mp3Podcast: Play in new window |… Continue reading I Would be Dead or in Prison

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Reviewing True Flag

Stephen Kinzer’s True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the birth of American Empire is an important examination of another portion of American history too few Americans understand. Specifically, the book looks at the discussion of American imperialism that took place during and after the War of 1898. The book uses the experiences and words… Continue reading Reviewing True Flag

Reviewing All the Shah’s Men

Stephen Kinzer’s All the Shah’s Men is one of those books far too few Americans have read.. In All The Shah’s Men, Kinzer details how the CIA led a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Iranian government of Mohammad Mosoddegh after his decision to nationalize Iran’s oil industry. Since many Americans don’t realize the reality… Continue reading Reviewing All the Shah’s Men

Reviewing Overthrow

Stephen Kinzer’s Overthrow reviews a century of America’s overthrowing governments from Hawaii to Iraq. Overthrow is simply one of the most consequential books I have ever read about American foreign policy. Given what is happening in Syria and Chile and the reality of the 2020 election, people interested in politics would do well to read… Continue reading Reviewing Overthrow

The Teller and Platt Amendments Explained

I consider myself a student of history. I like to believe I have a good grip on why American history has unfolded the way it has unfolded. Yesterday, I learned about the Teller and Platt Amendments for the first time. I’m writing about them because they say so much about the dominance America wishes to… Continue reading The Teller and Platt Amendments Explained

Trump and Ukraine

Donald Trump is the least competent person to ever serve as president of the United States. He is also a white supremacist, sexist, ableist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic moron who builds his base by encouraging hatred. I have been in favor of impeachment since the day he took office. I have believed impeachment was the right… Continue reading Trump and Ukraine

Reviewing Where we go from Here

Bernie Sanders’s Where we go from Here is a book recapping his efforts to bring about a more progressive America in the era of Donald Trump. As someone who has supported Bernie and donated to his campaign, I was excited to read the book. Now that I have finished, I can say something really left… Continue reading Reviewing Where we go from Here

Reviewing The Pinochet File

The Pinochet File produced by Peter Kornblugh and the National Security Archive uses declassified US government documents and phone conversations to demonstrate America’s involvement in Chile through the ’70s and ’80s. With shocking, stunning detail, Kornblugh uses government secrets to tell a story that will surprise most Americans.

A First Amendment Foreign Policy

Introduction Even though I write largely about American domestic policy, I think a lot about foreign policy. Those who follow my blog know I have lately been reading a lot about America’s terrible history in Latin America. Facing that terrible history and thinking about Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and more, has led me… Continue reading A First Amendment Foreign Policy