# E260 - Imperialist Realism w/ Danny Bessner

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-prestige-4093863/e260-imperialist-realism-w-danny-bessner
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-prestige-4093863/e260-imperialist-realism-w-danny-bessner.md
Podcast: [American Prestige](https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-prestige-4093863)
Published: 2026-08-05T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG4557837482.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG4557837482.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3232

## Resource

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek welcomes back to the show his very own co-host, Danny Bessner, to talk about his new book, ⁠Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century⁠, and how we see imperialist realism in American foreign policy and popular culture. They talk about the concept’s inspiration from the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the end of mass politics, the decline of grand ideology in U.S. foreign policy, the core features of imperialist realism, the Protestant missionary roots of American foreign policy, and a democratic socialist alternative to current U.S. foreign policy. Order your copy of the book now.  Read the new piece from Danny’s Imperialist Realism Substack, “Empire of Grunge.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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