On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Peter Boettke & Chris Coyne discuss Coyne's latest book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy. After 9/11, the United States tried to establish liberal political regimes in the Middle East and in the mountains of Afghanistan—but the effort, according to Coyne, was doomed to fail as illiberal means can lead only to illiberal ends. Boettke & Coyne discuss the ways in which these illiberal means have failed to produce a liberal empire and examine whether interventionist methods ever have a place in foreign policy. Additionally, Coyne reveals his picks for those who have best upheld liberal traditions in foreign policy as well as those who ultimately disappointed in their interventionist views.
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With decades of hindsight, the peaceful end of the Cold War seems a foregone conclusion. But in the early 1980s, most experts believed the Soviet Union was strong, stable, and would last into the next century. Ronald Reagan entered the White House with no certainty of what would happen next, only an overriding faith in democracy and an abiding belief that Soviet communism—and the threat of nuclear war—must end.
William Inboden'sThe Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink (Dutton, 2022) reveals how Reagan’s White House waged the Cold War while managing multiple crises around the globe. From the emergence of global terrorism, wars in the Middle East, the rise of Japan, and the awakening of China to proxy conflicts in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, Reagan’s team oversaw the worldwide expansion of democracy, globalization, free trade, and the information revolution. Yet no issue was greater than the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. As president, Reagan remade the four-decades-old policy of containment and challenged the Soviets in an arms race and ideological contest that pushed them toward economic and political collapse, all while extending an olive branch of diplomacy as he sought a peaceful end to the conflict.
Reagan’s revolving team included Secretaries of State Al Haig and George Shultz; Secretaries of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci; National Security Advisors Bill Clark, John Poindexter, and Bud McFarlane; Chief of Staff James Baker; CIA Director Bill Casey; and United Nations Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Talented and devoted to their president, they were often at odds with one another as rivalries and backstabbing led to missteps and crises. But over the course of the presidency, Reagan and his team still developed the strategies that brought about the Cold War’s peaceful conclusion and remade the world.
Based on thousands of pages of newly-declassified documents and interviews with senior Reagan officials, The Peacemaker brims with fresh insights into one of America’s most consequential presidents. Along the way, it shows how the pivotal decade of the 1980s shaped the world today.
Grant Golub is an Ernest May Fellow in History and Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a PhD candidate in the Department of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research focuses on the politics of American grand strategy during World War II.
Nina Totenberg has covered the Supreme Court for nearly 50 years for NPR. It’s a career that has given us a deeper understanding of the most mysterious body in American politics, and it gave Nina a friend for life … the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mike talks to Nina about what it’s like to have to report about your good friend and about her new book Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships. Also on the show, a tripledemic for the ages. And Wakanda Forever. Just that.
A viral video of the dean at Francis W. Parker school talking about an optional LGBTQ sex ed class got Reset thinking about what makes good sex ed, and why LGBTQ focused sex education is so important. Reset hears from sex educators and LGBTQ organizers Luke Romesberg, director of the Youth Housing Program at the Center on Halsted, and Stephanie Skora, Chief Operating Officer of Brave Space Alliance.
Inflation slowed in November for the fifth consecutive month. Reset discusses the numbers with David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.
Need holiday gift ideas? “Social and emotional learning” toys can help kids practice skills like identifying emotions, self-soothing and communicating needs. Reset digs deeper with Jessica Jama, product manager at the Chicago-area toy company hand2mind.
In a shocking turn of events, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested on Monday, Dec. 12 by Bahamian authorities at the request of the U.S. Southern District of New York. On today’s episode, NLW covers the charges as well as reviews the SEC and CFTC complaints.
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Circle, the sole issuer of the trusted and reliable stablecoin USDC, is our sponsor for today’s show. USDC is a fast, cost-effective solution for global payments at internet speeds. Learn how businesses are taking advantage of these opportunities at Circle’s USDC Hub for Businesses.
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Kraken, the secure, trusted digital asset exchange, is our sponsor for today's show. Kraken makes it easy to instantly buy 185+ cryptocurrencies with fast, flexible funding options. Your account is covered by regular Proof of Reserves audits, industry-leading security and award-winning Client Engagement, available 24/7. Sign up and trade today at kraken.com/breakdown.
“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsors today is "Back To The End" by Strength To Last. Image credit: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.
Prosecutors say the former CEO of cryptocurrency giant FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, defrauded investors and customers for years, to the tune of billions of dollars. Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday night in the Bahamas, on an extradition request by American authorities.
NPR's David Gura unpacks the charges and the ongoing investigation into Bankman-Fried's activities at FTX.
And Wall Street Journal reporter Justin Baer discusses the role Bankman-Fried's influential parents – the legal scholars Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried – played in the rise and fall of FTX.
The most valuable crypto stories for Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.
FTX's new CEO John J. Ray III is testifying before the House Financial Services Committee about the crypto exchange's collapse. This comes as U.S. prosecutors revealed a litany of charges against former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and campaign finance violations. "The Hash" team breaks down the latest developments.
This episode has been edited by Nia Freeman. Our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.”
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Bitstamp is the longest running crypto exchange and recently rated #1 in the world by CryptoCompare. Regulation, transparency, and security are pillars that ensure customers' funds are safe; it’s the Bitstamp way. Learn more about how your crypto is always yours at bitstamp.net.