What role should the United States be playing on the global stage?Shadi Hamid is an American author and political scientist, who is currently a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post. He is also a host on the Wisdom of Crowds podcast.Daniel Bessner is the Annett H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy at the University of Washington. He also co-hosts the American Prestige podcast. Today we ask a wide range important questions about American power:To what extent should the U.S. be involved in Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Middle East?Are we the good guys?What are the alternatives to American hegemony?This conversation is a sequel to an extended disagreement between Shadi and Danny on The Wisdom of Crowds podcast two years ago. It’s definitely worth a listen. Show NotesU.S. role in promoting democracy abroad [04:12]The historical record of U.S. interventions [09:39]How many democracies are there in the world? [12:20]What metrics measure democracy? [13:24]U.S. policy toward Ukraine [15:28]Possible motivations for Russia’s invasion [17:41]Is perception of American strength a deterrent? [20:25]Comparing Russia, China and the U.S. [24:50]China-U.S. conflict [39:44]Israel and Gaza [41:36]Steelmanning [51:24]
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