Reconsider

We've made a nuclear deal with Iran, and everyone that hasn't read the darn thing has a very strong opinion on it. In addition to understanding the deal in detail, we need to understand the history of Iran and the Middle East to get a good sense of whether the deal is a good idea or not. And, given that it's locked in, where do we go next?   Sources (Book) Dr. Harasta, Jesse & Charles River Editors. "The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the divisions within Islam." https://csis.org/publication/iran-after-implementation-day  IEAE Report on implementation day: 

You might be worried that in the US and Western Europe, there are some pretty scary folks that are getting pretty popular. Those folks--who appeal to our fears and hatred to get power--are called demagogues. We've seen them throughout history, from the very first Democracy--Athens--up through today. Xander and Erik give a brief history of demagogues throughout history to show that we've seen this story before... and then we have a good conversation about what to do when we see demagoguery creeping in.  Direct Sources The Peloponnesian War "Demagogue" Wikipedia Page Joshua Greene's Moral Tribes

In our first "meaty" episode, Xander and Erik tackle ISIS, with such awesome questions as: 1. What considerations should govern how we try to take down ISIS? 2. Why is current policy against ISIS not working? 3. What's different about ISIS from enemies past that means we need a new strategy? 4. What about human nature and western politics keeps us from taking on ISIS in the right way? Articles from the podcast: The Atlantic article, "What ISIS Really Wants" Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations The really great Wikipedia page...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ReConsider will help you become a better democratic citizen in 10 minutes a day or less, (or your money back!) which is probably more than you spend on your abs, but not by much. We help provide new context and insight on tough issues citizens face, help you understand why this context and insight isn't currently part of the national dialogue, and help you to better find that context in the future on your own.In this ten-minute short, we get you excited about listening.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.