Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

Hello!

Guest episode this week with Andy talking to Brian Hioe and Wen Liu, writers and academics based in Taipei, with the online magazine New Bloom. We talk about the scary headlines warning of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, why the global left seems to dismiss Taiwan in favor of romanticizing the PRC, and what is the relationship between Asian and Asian American politics (if there is any)?

0:00 - Banter

7:00 - Recent headlines over the US’s commitment to defend China + Chinese fighter planes in Taiwanese air space + what is life like for regular Taiwanese people as a chip between two global superpowers + why New Bloom is skeptical about the probability of Chinese invasion.

22:00 - Why the western left reflexively dismisses Taiwanese concerns. We explore a few: PRC romanticism, anti-Republican Party liberalism, anti-US imperialism (esp. among Asian Americans), all kinds of weird racial assumptions, horseshoe anti-war politics, etc. And what Brian and Wen say in response to these.

58:30 - Some takeaways: what distinguishes a “leftist” position on Taiwan? what is the ideal relation between Taiwan and China? what can people in the rest of the world “do”? what is the role of Asian American and Asian diasporic politics for Asia, and vice versa?

Stuff mentioned/reference materials:

* Brian’s recent piece on Taiwan for Spectre journal

* John Oliver’s recent 20-minute history + summary of Taiwanese politics

* The Intercept’s recent weird piece on Taiwan

* Brian interviews Wen about activism and the 2014 Sunflower Movement

* Last June, we first talked with Brian about the “tankie” phenomenon

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The Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa’s latest novel revolves around the lies, schemes and vested interests that infected the development of Latin America. In Harsh Times (translated by Adrian Nathan West) a CIA-supported military coup topples the government of Guatemala, but the idea that the country was a Soviet satellite is shown up as manipulated fiction. Llosa tells Tom Sutcliffe about the murky tales of Cold War conspiracies that dominated at the time, and their legacy today.

Natalia Sobrevilla Perea is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Kent and looks at the impact of the Cold War proxy battles on countries like Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala and El Salvador. She highlights the power of the drug barons and the current Peruvian government’s war on corruption. Her research focuses on how historical events have set the stage for contemporary debates about how Andean nations should be governed and how to define citizenship.

But what of the land before outside interference? Peru: a journey in time is the latest exhibition at the British Museum and showcases the civilisations and societies that rose and fell in the remarkable landscapes of the Andes mountains. On display will be objects from the early culture of Chavin in 1200 BC to the Incas in the 16th century. The co-curator Jago Cooper says the ancient Peruvian societies had their unique approaches to economy, gender, power and beliefs, and they thrived against the odds up until the Inca conquest by the Spanish.

(Image: Funerary mask - Peru, Moche, AD 100–800. Museo de Arte de Lima. Donated by James Reid.)

Producer: Katy Hickman

Have we reached the so-called "new normal" people keep talking about? And if so, what does that mean for you? Andy reunites with former guest host Dr. Bob Wachter who has started to let his guard down in terms of risk tolerance. They discuss why Bob feels like the time is right for that, how to think about the things that can scare us back into a more vigilant state, and Bob's thoughts for what COVID looks like long-term. This is a nuanced conversation on a complex topic that will help you navigate this uncertain time. Plus, Andy’s mom joins at the start to offer up some show ideas.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. 

Follow Bob @Bob_Wachter on Twitter.

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Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

• Learn more about how the oral antivirals from Merck and Pfizer work and what they could mean for the pandemic: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-antiviral-drugs-merck-pfizer-pills-work-rcna5317
• Here’s more on the third wave hitting Denmark: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/denmark-reinstate-corona-passport-after-rise-infections-tv-2-2021-11-08/
• Read more about Bob’s decision-making shift: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/briefing/pandemic-return-nomal-coronavirus.html
• He was also featured in the San Francisco Chronicle recently about risk assessment: https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/COVID-new-normal-risks-16557732.php
• Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/ 
• Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165 

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