Angry Planet
News & Politics
About
Conversations about conflict on an angry planet. Created, produced, and hosted by Matthew Gault and Jason Fields 781951 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
- Christianity Shaped North Korea’s Cult of Personality
This Angry Planet episode, joined by Wall Street Journal China bureau chief Jonathan Cheng, explores how Kim Il Sung's upbringing by devout Presbyterian parents and the influence of American Protestant missionaries in Korea shaped North Ko…
- Making the Case America Was Winning in Iran
Muhanad Seloom, an author and assistant professor, argues that the US and Israel’s strategy in Iran has been successful in degrading Iran’s long-term regional capabilities and facilitating regime change. The episode explores the reasons be…
- Neutralizing Iran’s Nuclear Material During a War Is ‘Nearly Mission Impossible’
This Angry Planet episode explores the complexities of neutralizing Iran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU) during a war, featuring François Diaz-Maurin. It covers the technical difficulties, the amounts of HEU, and alternative strategies lik…
- The ‘AI as Nuclear Weapons’ Obsession
Ankit Panda joins Angry Planet to explore the comparison between AI development and nuclear weapons, questioning its validity and drawing parallels to the atomic age, including concepts like non-proliferation and international oversight.
- A Killer True Crime Fandom & Islamic State’s Digital Caliphate
Experts Milo Comerford and Moustafa Ayad from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue discuss online violence with Angry Planet, covering topics like AI-generated jihad prophets, digital caliphates in gaming environments, and the impact of tr…
- When Americans Became ‘Splendid Liberators’
Journalist Joe Jackson joins Angry Planet to discuss his book "Splendid Liberators," examining the US turn towards foreign intervention in the late 19th century, the Spanish-American War, and the development of the American "good war" narr…
- Puffins, Zyn, and ‘Polar War’
Journalist Kenneth R. Rosen joins Angry Planet to discuss his book "Polar War," detailing the geopolitical importance of the Arctic as it warms and thaws. The conversation covers military readiness, espionage in polar regions, and the stra…
- Online Culture Is the Whole Culture
This episode of Angry Planet discusses the pervasive influence of online culture, noting how social media dynamics and "terminally online" actors now shape real-world politics and culture. It features insights from PhD candidate Michael Se…
- How We Thought the First Year Would Go
In this Angry Planet episode, Aram Shabanian and the host revisit their predictions for the first year of the Trump administration. They assess their accuracy regarding geopolitics and the American military, noting some predictions were ac…
- On Spectacles of Cruelty
Phil Klay joins Angry Planet to discuss the year's spectacle and cruelty, noting how the Trump administration has lowered the nation's moral standard. They examine the implications of this perceived rise in cruelty and domination for Ameri…
- Google’s Former CEO Is Dancing in Ukraine
Ben Makuch joins Angry Planet to discuss journalist Ben Makuch catching a glimpse of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt dancing in a Kyiv club. Makuch shares his experiences observing tech executives in Ukraine, which he describes as a laborat…
- ‘Capitalism Is a Series of Regime Changes’
Sven Beckert, a Harvard history professor, joins Angry Planet to discuss his book Capitalism: A Global History. The episode examines the history of capitalism, tracing its evolution through various stages and considering its impact on soci…
- The US Government’s AI Grand Bargain
Ben Buchanan joins Angry Planet to discuss the US government's approach to AI development, comparing it to the Manhattan Project and highlighting the role of corporations and salesmen. Buchanan, a former AI advisor, expresses concerns abou…
- Deadwood: The Town that Made the Wild West
This Angry Planet episode features historian Peter Cozzens discussing his book "Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West." The conversation covers the town's history, its notable inhabitants like Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hic…
- Learning to Love the Stagnant Order
Michael Beckley joins Angry Planet to discuss the Age of Stagnation, a period where the benefits of the Industrial Revolution are enjoyed but cannot be replicated. Beckley, a political science professor, suggests that avoiding past mistake…
- ‘Goliath’s Curse’ and the Surprising Benefits of Societal Collapse
Luke Kemp, researcher at Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, joins Angry Planet to discuss his book "Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse." The episode explores humanity's historical obsession with…
- Yes, US Strikes On Alleged Drug Traffickers Are Illegal. That Won’t Stop Them
Angry Planet features former judge advocate Dan Maurer discussing the legality of US strikes against alleged drug traffickers. The episode touches on the potential illegality of extrajudicial executions ordered by the President and the sid…
- Vanessa Guillén and the Importance of Speaking Up
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The episode is about Vanessa Guillén, a US soldier who was murdered at Fort Hood in 2020. She also experienced sexual harassment while in the military. I spoke with ABC S…
- Assassinations Are Shitposts Now
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Political assassins often have incoherent politics and Tyler Robinson is no different. The young man who killed Charlie Kirk inscribed the shell casings of his bullets wi…
- The War On Terror on Drugs
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com On September 2, 2025 the United States escalated its decades long War on Drugs with a tactic borrowed from the War on Terror. It used a drone to blow up a boat it said wa…
- Traveling America’s ‘Murderland’
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The Pacific Northwest is known for its startling natural beauty, precocious rainfall, and propensity to birth serial killers. Why? Caroline Fraser has a theory and it’s a…
- After Xi
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com All things move towards their end, even seemingly omnipotent political leaders, and authoritarian systems are shaped by the question of succession long before the leader…
- Does the U.S. Need an Independent Cyber Force?
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com If the internet is a battlefield, does that mean the United States needs a new military force to dominate it? On this episode of Angry Planet, retired U.S. Army Lieutenan…
- Hunting Nazis Online With Canadian Journalists
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Journalists and Nazis have changed a lot in the years since the end of World War II; journalists are on the outs while Nazis are having a bit of a moment. Across the U.S.…
- How Many Nukes Does It Take to Win a War? (Trick Question)
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The world is living with a Cold War hangover. The logic of deterrence, which dominates the minds of the people who plan nuclear wars, means that America must have enough…
- A History of the Iranian Nuclear Program
Sometimes it’s good to back up and ask the basic questions: How do we know Iran was even developing nuclear weapons? On this episode of the show, the Arms Control Wonk Jeffrey Lewis walks us through the history of the Iranian nuclear (weap…
- Talking With the Military Ethics Professor Who Resigned in Protest
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Pauline Shanks Kaurin PhD. was, until recently, the Stockdale Chair for Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. She’d been there since 2018, teaching…
- The Iran Strikes Beg the Question: What Is Airpower For?
You can’t win a war with airpower alone, despite what the U.S. Air Force will tell you. For more than 100 years, the masters of the air have promised that military and political objectives can be achieved if you just let them drop enough b…
- Libya, China, and the Outlaw Ocean
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The ocean is vast, beautiful, and lawless. Thousands of miles from any coast, power belongs to those who seize it. On this episode of Angry Planet, journalist Ian Urbina…
- Silicon Valley Wants ‘More Everything Forever’
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The futures of the past have curdled into the nightmares of the present. The richest and most powerful people the world has ever known want to colonize mars, live forever…
- America’s Favorite Gunfighters and the Birth of the Old West
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com America loves the Western. Stories about frontier towns, outlaws and lawmen, and—most of all—killing. How did the myth and legend of the gunfighter come to permeate the U…
- The Horror of AI Generals Making Command Decisions
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Palantir, Anduril and a suite of other Tolkien-inspired tech nightmares want to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect of the U.S. military. Both companies h…
- America’s Pivot to the Pacific
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The Pentagon has been trying to pivot to the Pacific for years now. Under President Donald Trump 2.0, who is focused on China, it just might happen. It’s a complicated bo…
- India and Pakistan: Nuclear Neighbors on the Brink
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Recorded 5/7/25 India and Pakistan have been unhappy neighbors since 1947 and Britain’s decolonization of the subcontinent. They’ve fought four wars and there have been c…
- Donald Trump Wants to Divide Up the World With His ‘Friends’
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Great power competition has gotten old for President Donald Trump—never one for a fair fight. He’s looking for a little great power collusion instead, dividing the world…
- Why An Empire Eats
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Conquest is back baby! Eastern Europe, Taiwan, Greenland, Canada? It’s all on the table—and maybe up for grabs. Here to help us sort through this new age of empire buildi…
- Erdogan’s Path to Pure Authoritarianism
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Turkey’s president has grabbed a bit more power for himself with the recent arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. The mayor was thought to be one of the few politicians who co…
- Immigration Policy As Defense Policy
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Special for our international listeners, did you know you can now buy a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the low, low price of $5 million sent directly to the U.S. treasur…
- Life Inside Wagner Before and After Prigozhin
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com For mercenaries, death is a business. It’s all about finding the right market. Wagner and other Russian mercenary groups have found willing markets in Africa. Journalist…
- The Cult of Rationalism in Silicon Valley
A lot of the people designing America’s technology and close to the center of American power believe some deeply weird shit. We already talked to journalist Gil Duran about the Nerd Reich , the rise of the destructive anti-democratic ideol…
- How Israel Is Using Microsoft AI to Pick Targets in Gaza
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The Israeli military is using AI products from Microsoft to conduct its war in Gaza. Off the shelf AI products powered by the tech company’s Azure cloud computing system…
- Welcome to the Nerd Reich
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com We’re living in a bizarre age of technofascism. The richest man who has ever lived, a man who dreams of colonizing Mars with his children , is America’s CEO. Donald Trump…
- The American Iron Dome Is an Expensive Boondoggle That Won’t Work
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com President Donald Trump wants to build an American Iron Dome. He even signed an executive order to make it happen. It’s a terrible idea, one we’ve tried before, and one th…
- The End of U.S. Soft Power
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the interim head of USAID, for however much longer the agency lasts. For 60 years, the massive bureaucracy was a vehicle for Americ…
- Lost Episode: ‘Goodbye Globalization: The Return of a Divided World’
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com The pros and cons of globalization The end of trust in the global system What was behind the WTO protests of the 1990s How 1999's WTO Protests Influenced the Policing of…
- Pete Hegseth and the Surreal World of the Civ-Mil Divide With Phil Klay
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com Between the idea and the reality falls the shadow. Marine Corps veteran J.D. Vance will soon be vice president. Pete Hegseth, a man with a Crusader Kings tattoo who doesn…
- ‘Putin’s Revenge.’ Lucian Kim on Why Russia Invaded Ukraine
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com It’s hard to read the mind of a dictator, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. When Russian President invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, there were a million co…
- Syria, Authoritarianism, and U.S. Politics
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com This week on Angry Planet writer David Faris joins us to talk about his time in Syria and life in America. David’s travels from Lebanon to Syria When people hoped Bashar…
- A Crash Course on Indian Assassinations and ISIS in Canada
Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com This week Angry Planet turns its attention to Canada. Global News investigative journalist Stewart Bell joins us to walk through his two latest pieces and give Matthew a…
- U.S. Defense Contractors Are Using ‘Battle Tested in Ukraine’ As a Marketing Label
On today’s episode, I talked to Kollen Post about how and why Silicon Valley markets their drones as “battle tested in Ukraine.” We recorded it on Thanksgiving, Jason was busy spending time with his family, and Post and I went down some we…