Keen On America
Andrew Keen
Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
12 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 42min
The Coming Storm: Odd Arne Westad Asks If We're On the Brink of World War Three
Arne Westad, Yale historian of global affairs and author of The Coming Storm, warns the 2020s echo pre-1914 multipolar dangers. He traces parallels between rising China, a retreating US, shrinking decision time from tech, and volatile regional flashpoints. He names surprising hotspots beyond Taiwan and urges urgent Great Power compromise to avoid a large-scale war.
Mar 3, 2026 • 35min
Racism as Entertainment: Rhae Lynn Barnes on Darkology and American Culture
Rae Lynn Barnes, Princeton historian and author of Darkology, explores how blackface and minstrelsy shaped American entertainment and racial imagery. She links P.T. Barnum’s spectacles to modern media showmanship. The conversation traces institutional normalization of racist humor and highlights long histories of Black resistance.
Mar 2, 2026 • 38min
A Chosen Land for a Chosen People? Matthew Avery Sutton on How Christianity Made America and America Remade Christianity
Matthew Avery Sutton, historian and author of Chosen Land, explores how Christianity shaped American law, culture, and expansion. He discusses the founders’ pragmatic disestablishment, churches becoming entrepreneurial competitors, revivalism’s political impact, missionary roles in westward expansion, and the rise of apocalyptic and partisan religious movements.
Mar 1, 2026 • 38min
American Yellow Vests? Manissa Maharawal on the Fight Against Tech-Led Gentrification in San Francisco
Manissa Maharawal, anthropologist and author of Anti-Eviction, studies urban inequality and grassroots housing activism. She discusses tech-led gentrification in San Francisco. Short takes cover Google buses as symbols of displacement. She explains community land trusts, rent stabilization, critiques supply-side fixes, and traces organizing roots back to Occupy.
Feb 28, 2026 • 41min
Is Anthropic Wrong? Andrew vs. Keith on Amodei vs. Trump
Keith Teare, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and TechCrunch co-founder, weighs in on Dario Amodei's refusal to let government use Anthropic tech. He argues vendors should not set policy and warns the move may backfire. The conversation also examines corporate power versus the state, diplomatic approaches like NVIDIA’s, and big-picture risks about AI’s impact on jobs and the economy.
Feb 28, 2026 • 37min
Why You Can't Wear a Yellow Vest Anymore: Ida Susser on the Battle for Democracy in France
Ida Susser, anthropologist who studied social movements and urban poverty, discusses the sudden rise of France's Yellow Vests. She traces their roots to long-term disinvestment and explains why they resisted left-right labels. She compares them to U.S. movements, explores their leaderless, horizontal style, and recounts how wearing a yellow vest became a policing risk.
Feb 27, 2026 • 34min
Was Henry Kissinger Evil? Tom Wells on the Kissinger Tapes
Tom Wells, historian of American foreign policy and author of The Kissinger Tapes, walks through secret transcripts that reshape what we thought we knew. He highlights Kissinger’s hidden recordings, surprising dishonesty about wiretaps and Cambodia, and the shocking callousness toward civilian casualties. The conversation probes realpolitik, ambition, and whether moral blindness defined his actions.
Feb 26, 2026 • 40min
Trump-Epstein: Jason Pack on the Axis of Disorder
Jason Pack, historian and host of the Disorder podcast, unpacks the Epstein network and its ties to elite power. He traces cover-up dynamics, email evidence of favors-for-access, and how Epstein and Trump reflect a backlash against global inequality. They debate whether this reveals systemic rot and whether alternatives like high-trust Scandinavian models can withstand such crises.
Feb 25, 2026 • 42min
Stuck, Stuck, Stuck, Stuck: Maya Kornberg on Congress as a Four-Alarm Fire
Maya Kornberg, senior fellow at the Brennan Center and author of Stuck, brings a scholar’s eye to Congress and institutional reform. She discusses how fundraising, media spectacle, and threats have frozen lawmaking. Short takes cover committee misalignment, who holds power in Congress, and why reform waves might be the only way to unstick it.
Feb 24, 2026 • 35min
No, It's Not Only Social Media: Ross Greene on Why Our Kids Aren't Okay
Ross W. Greene, clinical psychologist and author of Lost at School, discusses why kids struggle beyond social media. He highlights school shootings, high-stakes testing, and zero-tolerance punishments. He calls out misuse of restraints and seclusions, questions current teaching metrics, and urges collaborative problem-solving and smarter supports for vulnerable students.
