America Under Occupation: Truth, Power, & Imperial Decline | Jonathan Kirshner скачать в хорошем качестве

America Under Occupation: Truth, Power, & Imperial Decline | Jonathan Kirshner

Episode 435 is the eighth episode in the Hundred Year Pivot podcast series. In it, Demetri Kofinas and Grant Williams speak with leading realist scholar Jonathan Kirshner about how eroding cultural norms, weakened political guardrails, deepening polarization, and the collapse of shared narratives and belief structures are leading to a break-down in the American-led order, paving the way for a new moneyed elite to seize power in Washington. Their discussion begins with a deep dive into the realist tradition: its origins, how it differs from other ideological schools, its various interpretations, and why classical realists grant primacy to uncertainty and the inherently unpredictable nature of world events. They explore what it means for states to define and pursue their national interests at a time when the American-led world order is fragmenting and deep domestic polarization is weakening the institutional checks and balances that once constrained presidential power. Jonathan also educates the audience on the parallels between the United States today and France in the 1930s—politically fractured, inwardly focused, and increasingly unable to act with purpose on the world stage—and why Kirshner believes the situation may now be closer to France in the 1940s, marked by a willingness to collaborate with the occupying forces of a new plutocracy. Grant, Demetri, and Jonathan also grapple with how the politics of scapegoating, the collapse of shared narratives, and the deliberate erosion of truth claims are undermining the foundations of participatory democracy. Jonathan explains how this epistemic breakdown accelerates America’s imperial collapse, undermining its political influence abroad, weakening its alliances, and threatening the long-term stability of the dollar-based global financial system. You can subscribe to our premium content and access our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at https://hiddenforces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. 00:00 Introduction06:38 Jonathan Kirschner on Realism 07:31 Defining National Interests 13:24 Challenges in Modern International Relations 20:06 US Foreign Policy and Grand Strategy 41:41 Trump Administration's Foreign Policy 57:19 Historical Comparisons and Reflections 59:44 Historical Comparisons: Pre-WWII France and Modern America 01:01:46 Charismatic Leadership and Authoritarian Followership 01:05:18 The Role of Congress and Judicial Permissiveness 01:06:49 The Occupation Analogy: France in the 1940s 01:12:33 The Erosion of American Civic Nationalism 01:14:51 The Limits of Democracy and Moral Character 01:16:05 Trump Administration Scandals and the MAGA Base 01:20:15 Sanctioning Russian Central Bank Assets 01:25:16 Conspiracy Theories and Collective Mythmaking 01:31:22 Undermining Truth Claims and Authoritarianism 01:33:30 Realism in a Time of Flux 01:42:49 Final Thoughts If you enjoyed listening to today’s episode of Hidden Forces, you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts at https://apple.co/3fLSIgR Write us a review on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/3tv4zYr Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Subscribe and Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Follow Hidden Forces on Twitter:   / hiddenforcespod   Follow Demetri on Twitter:   / kofinas   Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 08/07/2025