Episode 10: The Burden of American Power (from the archive)

This week, we're bringing back an episode from Season 1 with journalist and political analyst Peter Beinart. When we spoke with Peter last spring, we discussed the questionable value of America's extensive overseas military network and the limits of America's global role.

From Taiwan to Afghanistan, what price are Americans willing to pay to pursue stability and security around the globe? Does American expansionism around the globe make the U.S. more powerful and influential? While some suggest the threat or use of military intervention promotes American interests around the world, our guest insists a lack of humility in U.S. foreign policy undermines America's values, credibility, and security. From discussing the potential American withdrawal from Afghanistan to the crisis of illiberalism in Israel, and pandemic preparedness, our conversation foreshadowed some of 2021's most pressing foreign policy concerns.

Peter Beinart is a CNN political commentator, a columnist for The New York Times, and an editor-at-large of Jewish Currents magazine. He is the author of The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris and The Crisis of Zionism. You can follow Peter on Twitter at @PeterBeinart