Blowback
Episodes
Coming Soon: No Daylight
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What lies ahead for Blowback in 2026? A mini-series on Israel and America, a comic book, our seventh season and more. Learn more about your ad choices...
S6 Episode 3 - "The Stand"
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angolan anti-colonial rebels challenge Portugal. Cuba brings its revolution to Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S6 Episode 2 - "Economy of Terror"
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look into the Portuguese empire in southern Africa and the stirrings of nationalism in Angola. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
S6 Episode 1 - "The Dead Myth"
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An introduction to and overview of our sixth season: the story of Angola, Cuba, and apartheid South Africa's Cold War showdown. Advertising Inquiries:...
Coming Soon: Blowback Season 6
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New episodes drop September 22. This season, Cuba sends an army to defend newly independent Angola from the combined forces of apartheid South Africa,...
S5 Episode 10 - "The Terrible But Unfinished Story"
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wounded but not destroyed, Cambodia staggers into the 21st century. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redc...
S5 Episode 9 - "Le Cercle Rouge"
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vietnam ends Democratic Kampuchea and the US backs the Khmer Rouge. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redc...
S5 Episode 8 - "Third World War"
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Khmer Rouge horrors spiral toward conflict with an ex-comrade: Vietnam. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://...
S5 Episode 7 - "Less Than Zero"
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cambodia slips into darkness, as the Khmer Rouge seize the country. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redc...
S5 Episode 6 - "Dream Warriors"
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The short-lived reign of the Khmer Republic; the end of Nixon. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle...
S5 Episode 5 - "Last Tango In Paris"
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One Cambodian coup, two US invasions and an unlikely American friend: China. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: htt...
S5 Episode 4 - "Mad Men"
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nixon and Kissinger put Cambodia on the menu. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Lear...
S5 Episode 3 - "Listen to the Thunder"
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sihanouk struggles to keep Cambodia out of LBJ's war in Vietnam. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcirc...
S5 Episode 2 - "The French Connection"
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Indochina rises up, the French Empire ends, the Cold War begins. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcirc...
S5 Episode 1 - "The Wolves Are Closing In"
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A prelude and a primer to this season's story: the tragedy of Cambodia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://...
S4 Episode 10 - "The Phantom Pain"
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump cuts a deal with the Taliban — and America begins its withdrawal. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out:...
S4 Episode 9 - "Peace Walker"
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Obama administration promises victory in ‘The Good War.’ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcirc...
S4 Episode 8 - "Sons of Liberty"
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
America runs its war in Afghanistan on the cheap — and subcontracts to crooks, kingpins, and gangsters. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com...
S4 Episode 7 - "Guns of the Patriots"
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Bush administration unleashes the first war of the 21st century. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://red...
S4 Episode 6 - "Ground Zeroes"
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Afghan jihad spreads to Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle...
S4 Episode 5 - "We Can Live With That"
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The warlord years, and the rise of the Taliban. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Le...
S4 Episode 4 - "They're Yours Now"
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Operation Cyclone whips through Afghanistan — until a deal is finally struck. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: ...
S4 Episode 3 - "The Trap"
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The USSR invades, and the Safari Club kicks things up a notch. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle...
S4 Episode 2 - "Bleeders and Dealers"
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The build-up to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privac...
S4 Episode 1 - "Snake Eater"
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Season 4: Afghanistan. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about...
S3 Episode 10 - "The Host"
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The armistice in Korea is supposed to be temporary. But a peace treaty never comes. As decades roll on, the war becomes permanent. Advertising Inquiri...
S3 Episode 9 - "No More Targets"
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stalemate on the battlefield does not stop the United States from obliterating North Korea. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy...
S3 Episode 8 - "American Caesar"
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
President Truman and his “Big General in the Far East” enter their final standoff over the war. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brand...
S3 Episode 7 - "Mao's Poem"
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US threatens to cross the Yalu. The Chinese leadership debates its options in Korea. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & ...
S3 Episode 6 - "National Smile Week"
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gen. MacArthur executes his revenge. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more ab...
S3 Episode 5 - “Train to Busan”
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a rightwing, US-backed klepto-case to his South, Kim Il-Sung bets the house. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out...
S3 Episode 4 - "Red Island"
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The war before the war on a self-reliant island off South Korea. Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/album/4e9hkmGdDhycmgcGKe3bF0?si=d97_H1fvS5CV84Zv...
S3 Episode 3 - "The Blue House"
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a flash of hope post-WWII Korea is divided into North and South. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://r...
S3 Episode 2 - “The Uninvited”
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A pocket-sized history of the Korean peninsula, the upstart US and Japanese empires, and World War II. Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/album/4e9...
S3 Episode 1 - “Stop Me Before I Kill Again”
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A new season, a new story: The Korean War. To listen to the rest of season 3 right now, visit www.blowback.show Advertising Inquiries: https://redcirc...
Coming Soon: Blowback Season Three
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The third season of Blowback — the story of the Korean War — arrives July 2022. Pre-order and listening details at https://blowback.supportingcast...
S2 Bonus 10 - "Havana (Derangement) Syndrome"
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Guests Helen Yaffe, José Pertierra and Marta Núñez Sarmiento discuss the protests in Cuba during July 2021. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcirc...
S2 Bonus 9 - "The Most Beautiful Cause"
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A rundown of the Cuban revolution's foreign policy in Africa with guest, Cuban diplomat Oscar Oramas-Oliva. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle....
S2 Bonus 8 - "The Capital of Terrorism"
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Noah talks with José Pertierra, a Cuban-American immigration attorney who has long tangled with right-wing Miami Cubans in the media and in court. A...
S2 Bonus 7 - "Sweet Dirty Tony's Baadasssss Song"
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Guest Bill Corbett (Mystery Science Theater 3000, Rifftrax) and Brendan hang out and talk about some bad Cuba movies. Advertising Inquiries: https://r...
S2 Bonus 6 - “Neverland”
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion of Operation Peter Pan with Prof. Nelson Valdes, with a detour into Hungary, 1956. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsP...
S2 Bonus 5 - "Massive Retaliation"
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A brief overview of how American nuclear weapons strategy ran parallel to the story in our main narrative. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.co...
S2 Bonus 4 - "CIAin't Kiddin'"
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Guest Luna Olavarria-Gallegos explains how the US government infiltrated and co-opted the hip-hop scene in Cuba. Advertising Inquiries: https://redc...
S2 Bonus 3 - "Watch Out For That Boy"
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to activists and historians about Cuba, black radicalism, and how the Revolution attacked the problem of racism. Advertising Inquiries: https...
S2 Bonus 2 - "Lo Distinto Se Parece"
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Interviews with history professor Michelle Chase and Cuban scholar Marta Nuñez Sarmiento. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy ...
S2 Bonus 1 - "Red-Handed Sleight of Hand"
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Guatemala: an origin story, inspiration, and cautionary tale just a few hundred miles from our main story. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.co...
S2 Episode 10 - "Infinite Crisis"
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the Kennedy assassination, US-Cuba diplomacy wanes and the embargo continues. To this day. Our story ends. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcir...
S2 Episode 9 - "Cuba Libra"
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Castro, Khrushchev, and Kennedy take tentative steps toward the path of peace post-Crisis. Cuban exile groups, and their CIA sponsors, are not pleased...
S2 Episode 8 - “We’ll All Meet In Hell”
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The USA announces to the world there are missiles in Cuba. Fidel prepares for war. Khrushchev secretly haggles with Kennedy. Americans enjoy Betty Cro...
S2 Episode 7 - "Anadyr"
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fearing another American invasion — "the big one" — Soviet and Cuban leaders plot a secret response. Camelot never sees it coming. Advertising Inq...
S2 Episode 6 - "Nothing To Lose"
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Smarting from failure at the Bay of Pigs, the White House sets in motion a new plan to thwart the Cuban Revolution: Operation Mongoose. Advertising In...
S2 Episode 5 - "Fish Is Red"
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The CIA and the Cuban exiles get their long-awaited shot at taking out Castro and the Revolution. The subsequent battle in Cuba sends shockwaves aroun...
S2 Episode 4 - "Secret Honor"
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
JFK outmuscles Richard Nixon on Cuba and into the White House. The CIA begins training Cuban exiles in Central America for an invasion. And Fidel pays...
S2 Episode 3 - "New Normal"
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Cuban Revolution takes power and the counter-revolution begins. The U.S. government, organized crime, and Cuban exiles carry out a campaign of ter...
S2 Episode 2 - "Lo Hicimos"
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A long short history of Cuba’s relationship with the United States, climaxing with the Cuban revolutionaries’ war to liberate the island from the ...
S2 Episode 1 - "The Jupiter Menace"
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back. Brendan and Noah reveal this season’s subject, explore the USA’s unrelenting Cuba mania, and introduce the cast of characters. Adver...
Coming Soon: Blowback Season 2
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New episodes drop on April 19. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about yo...
S1 Bonus - "Shock Corridor feat. Naomi Klein"
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author Naomi Klein joins us to discuss the American exploitation-fest in Iraq, her own experience coming up during the Bush years, the rehabilitation ...
S1 Bonus - "Iraqi Horror Picture Show feat. Matt Christman"
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan and Noah survey the underwhelming landscape of Iraq War cinema with special guest Matt Christman. They dissect both Hollywood's hits and flops...
S1 Bonus - "Our Man In Baghdad feat. Dahr Jamail"
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this first bonus episode, Noah talks to author and journalist Dahr Jamail, one of the few journalists who covered the occupation of Iraq, on the gr...
S1 Episode 10 - "The Iraq War Did Not Take Place"
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Invading Iraq means never having to say you’re sorry. The end of Bush, the broken promise of Obama, and the rise of ISIS and Donald Trump. Advertisi...
S1 Episode 9 - "How Do You Fuck That Up?"
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The empire strikes back. As Iraq deteriorates into civil war, the Bush administration taps a new man to lead a new American strategy. Which means sayi...
S1 Episode 8 - "Electioneering"
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The American public votes to give Bush another term, right before a big dose of buyers’ remorse. In Iraq, the new "democracy" struggles to get elect...
S1 Episode 7 - "#Resistance"
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Somehow not expecting it, the Americans now face an insurgency problem, as both Sunni and Shi'a militants emerge to kick us out. War crimes and atroci...
S1 Episode 6 - "Year Zero"
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Green Zone, where America rules from Saddam’s old palace. The US occupation begins the destruction of Iraq, Rudy Giuliani almost beco...
S1 Episode 5 - "Dead Links feat. Will Menaker"
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The media episode, breaking down some of the journalistic fuck-ups and pundit idiocy that steered us toward war in Iraq. Featuring special guest Will ...
S1 Episode 4 - "Mars Attacks"
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
America sends Colin Powell, Good Cop, to the UN for one last PR stunt before we invade Iraq. The portal to Gozer the Destructor is opened and the war ...
S1 Episode 3 - "Curveball"
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
September 11th gives America the perfect excuse to finish our hit job on Iraq. We put together the Bush administration's case for war — WMD and al-Q...
S1 Episode 2 - "American Psycho"
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Before George W. Bush, there was Daddy Bush and Bill Clinton, who killed thousands of Iraqis and pushed the country to the brink of famine. The Gulf W...
S1 Episode 1 - "Rosebud"
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We trace the origins of America’s perverse relationship with Iraq, from the Cold War to the Iran-Iraq War in the 80s. Assassinations, coups, counter...
S1 Episode 0 - "Iraqnophobia" feat. H. Jon Benjamin & James Adomian
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan and Noah drag the Iraq War out of America’s memory hole to see how it shaped our world today. Meet the rogues’ gallery of George W. Bush’...
New Podcast Coming Soon: Blowback
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Iraq War did not take place. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about ...