Michael Shellenberger

How did it become so deranged that it would use the weapons of regime change against our own democratically elected president from 2016 to 2020, including, you know, many of us suspect but can't yet prove in January 6th? How did that happen? And then the subsequent question is, what do we do now?

I mean, Jordan, after we've spent billions of dollars creating this elaborate foreign policy establishment, otherwise known as the blob, which includes many academic journals, academic divisions of universities, whole think tanks, parts of the federal government. Nobody has theorized what comes now. Nobody has theorized what happens if the United States shuts down its main agency for soft power.

I mean, Jordan, after we've spent billions of dollars creating this elaborate foreign policy establishment, otherwise known as the blob, which includes many academic journals, academic divisions of universities, whole think tanks, parts of the federal government. Nobody has theorized what comes now. Nobody has theorized what happens if the United States shuts down its main agency for soft power.

I mean, Jordan, after we've spent billions of dollars creating this elaborate foreign policy establishment, otherwise known as the blob, which includes many academic journals, academic divisions of universities, whole think tanks, parts of the federal government. Nobody has theorized what comes now. Nobody has theorized what happens if the United States shuts down its main agency for soft power.

That's what USAID was, Agency for National Development. It was just a mechanism of soft power alongside the CIA. It was really supposed to be State Department, AID, CIA, all supposed to be run by the National Security Council, all supposed to be run by the President of the United States. What happens when that's not there anymore? And I think there's some real questions.

That's what USAID was, Agency for National Development. It was just a mechanism of soft power alongside the CIA. It was really supposed to be State Department, AID, CIA, all supposed to be run by the National Security Council, all supposed to be run by the President of the United States. What happens when that's not there anymore? And I think there's some real questions.

That's what USAID was, Agency for National Development. It was just a mechanism of soft power alongside the CIA. It was really supposed to be State Department, AID, CIA, all supposed to be run by the National Security Council, all supposed to be run by the President of the United States. What happens when that's not there anymore? And I think there's some real questions.

I mean, I'm fairly anti-interventionist, anti-imperialist, have been really for all my adult life. But there's a real vacuum that does get created. The critics of what they've done are not wrong in being concerned about, well, what happens when Russia and China... move into those places. And maybe that's fine. I mean, let the Chinese get involved in trying to build nations in Africa.

I mean, I'm fairly anti-interventionist, anti-imperialist, have been really for all my adult life. But there's a real vacuum that does get created. The critics of what they've done are not wrong in being concerned about, well, what happens when Russia and China... move into those places. And maybe that's fine. I mean, let the Chinese get involved in trying to build nations in Africa.

I mean, I'm fairly anti-interventionist, anti-imperialist, have been really for all my adult life. But there's a real vacuum that does get created. The critics of what they've done are not wrong in being concerned about, well, what happens when Russia and China... move into those places. And maybe that's fine. I mean, let the Chinese get involved in trying to build nations in Africa.

But I do think it raises some existential questions about what is the United States? What is the United States in the world? Because we are entering, as you mentioned, 75 to 80 years of Pax Americana, where the United States has been holding together a global system. And people talk about multipolarity, but China and Russia are not the United States. I mean, we are still the center of action.

But I do think it raises some existential questions about what is the United States? What is the United States in the world? Because we are entering, as you mentioned, 75 to 80 years of Pax Americana, where the United States has been holding together a global system. And people talk about multipolarity, but China and Russia are not the United States. I mean, we are still the center of action.

But I do think it raises some existential questions about what is the United States? What is the United States in the world? Because we are entering, as you mentioned, 75 to 80 years of Pax Americana, where the United States has been holding together a global system. And people talk about multipolarity, but China and Russia are not the United States. I mean, we are still the center of action.

We have all the talent. We have the AI. We have all the energy. We remain the most secure country in the world, not just because of our nuclear weapons and military, but also because we're protected on both coastlines by huge bodies of water. So, I mean, the United States is still arguably the big superpower. Obviously, China's a superpower, but it's not...

We have all the talent. We have the AI. We have all the energy. We remain the most secure country in the world, not just because of our nuclear weapons and military, but also because we're protected on both coastlines by huge bodies of water. So, I mean, the United States is still arguably the big superpower. Obviously, China's a superpower, but it's not...

We have all the talent. We have the AI. We have all the energy. We remain the most secure country in the world, not just because of our nuclear weapons and military, but also because we're protected on both coastlines by huge bodies of water. So, I mean, the United States is still arguably the big superpower. Obviously, China's a superpower, but it's not...

it's not playing anything, you can't even imagine China playing anything close to the role of the United States played after World War II. So we're in a moment of, You know, we're just trying to figure out what's going on. I think everybody's trying to figure out what's going on. And much less, we've got to spend some time figuring out what do we want the United States to be. And J.D.

it's not playing anything, you can't even imagine China playing anything close to the role of the United States played after World War II. So we're in a moment of, You know, we're just trying to figure out what's going on. I think everybody's trying to figure out what's going on. And much less, we've got to spend some time figuring out what do we want the United States to be. And J.D.

it's not playing anything, you can't even imagine China playing anything close to the role of the United States played after World War II. So we're in a moment of, You know, we're just trying to figure out what's going on. I think everybody's trying to figure out what's going on. And much less, we've got to spend some time figuring out what do we want the United States to be. And J.D.

Vance and Trump are further along in that thinking than anybody. But honestly, it's not like there's a consensus even within the Republican Party about what the United States' role in the world should be in this post-Pax Americana, post-Cold War period. Yeah.