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7 Episodes 2016 - 2016
Episode 1
Sun, Jan 17, 2016
Political dialogue and public discourse have undergone a massive shift in the last decade. The dismantling of traditional newsrooms; the rise of social media; the dramatic shift from print newspapers and magazines to online; and the relentless 24/7 news cycle have all taken a toll on the tone and tenor of political speech. While talk radio demonizes and cable news may pander, straight news is harder and harder to come by. Popular newscasts for younger people include those anchored by news-people "playing a role" rather than "reporting the news." The partisan divide has grown to epic proportions: When did it become more important to sound partisan dog whistles for the party faithful than to propose sound policy? Because "Something either happened or it didn't happen," where do actual facts fit into the big picture?
Episode 2
Sun, Jul 17, 2016
Do we have the best government and especially the best Congress that money can buy? It is now widely believed by a majority of Americans that there is too much money, especially big money, in political campaigns and that the decisions made particularly in Congress are essentially for sale to the highest campaign contributors. Likewise, it is believed by many in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, that our elections have become even more dominated by the power of the economic elite in the country, with people using phrases like "oligarchy" and "plutocracy." Is it simply a case of "the more political speech the better" and that political expression in the form of ideas or dollars should be unfettered and unregulated? Or does the current system allow for an inherently uneven playing field that overtly favors the rich and powerful?
Episode 3
Sun, Jul 24, 2016
The Gilded Age in the U.S from the 1870s to early 1900s was one of serious social issues marked by "thin gold gilding," an era characterized by rapid industrial growth but abject poverty for many, as wealth became concentrated in the hands of a few who led very lavish lives. Are we in a new "gilded age" of economic inequality, with the fruits of economic change growing in a vastly disproportionate way only to those at the very top of the wealth and income distribution? And what lies ahead?
Episode 4
Sun, Jul 31, 2016
Everything changed for Americans on September 11, 2001 with a renewed sense of the limits of American power. Were the emblematic conflicts of war against terror in Afghanistan and especially in Iraq (in what many viewed as a preemptive war of choice) justified? How do other countries see the actions of the U.S.? Today, the debate is renewed about the proper role of America in a dangerous world and, in many ways, the debate flows from political and policy lessons drawn from the war in Iraq.
Episode 5
Sun, Aug 7, 2016
In the space of a generation, the world's most populous nation has transformed from relative isolation from the rest of the world to the second largest and consistently fastest-growing major economy with social, economic, demographic, and geopolitical implications which many believe are the defining issues of the 21st century. The U.S. and China are two great nations that are economically intertwined and yet so clearly divided by their views of their respective places in the world as strategic competitors. Are they destined to cooperate, or will their interests collide?
Episode 6
Sun, Aug 14, 2016
The United States spends more on defense than the next 8 largest spenders combined. But, it is also the case, that the U.S. ranks only 4th in per capita spending based on Gross National Product, is spending a smaller percentage of wealth on defense than many other nations, and far less than was spent for many of the years following World War II. If the U.S. does indeed want to be the dominant military power in the world, are the forces properly sized, equipped, and trained to confront the very many potential global threats, assuming that we can agree on what constitutes a threat in the 21st century?
Episode 7
Sun, Aug 21, 2016
Our age may well be remembered as the 2-sided coin of relations between the Western World and the Muslim World - the frictions that seem, to many, to arise from the West in the Muslim World and Muslims in the West. In contemporary American politics, strong voices seem to question the place of Muslims in American society and it is undeniable that, around the world, an extremist and violent variant of Islam is a growing and dangerous force.