On The Rise and Fall of American Empire — Andrew Bacevich Debuts New QI Podcast Series

“It has been an ideological project, driven by a conviction of American military supremacy, that the world is supposed to embrace American style, liberal democratic capitalism,” Quincy Institute President Andrew Bacevich said, reflecting on the past decades of U.S. foreign policy. “And if anybody is reluctant to accept that program, then we’ve got the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps available to change their minds.”

In the premier of a new podcast miniseries co-produced by the Quincy Institute and WBUR’s Open Source, Bacevich joined host Christopher Lydon for a wide-ranging discussion on how American exceptionalism and the U.S. embrace of empire shaped Bacevich’s experience in the Cold War and Vietnam, and how he went from a career soldier to an historian and prominent critic of U.S. militarism. 

The series, “In Search of Monsters: The Rise and Fall of American Empire,” takes a closer look at the people, events, and structures that have informed and reinforced America’s disastrous, globe-spanning ambitions — from America’s annexation of the Philippines in 1898 to the push for expansive conflict with China today.

Each week, Lydon will host a conversation with advocates, researchers, historians, and journalists — both leaders who have turned the wheels of history and those fighting to shift the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in pursuit of lasting peace.

Listen to the series premier, “A Soldier’s Tale,” with Andrew Bacevich, here.