In Part 2 or our read-through of the UN Charter, we cover Chapters VII-XII, which explore the roles envisioned for the Security Council and other UN organs in facilitating conflict resolution, economic development and social exchange. How best to interpret these articles? Are they goals? A strategy? Or, a strategy made up of more goals? Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter the Weekly Brief on Substack for a weekly summary of the major events shaping our world (30% for podcast listeners)! G...
Sep 02, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Historically, the UN has not been popular in the United States with a more vocal segment of the population critiquing its checkered history of peace missions gone wrong, institutional corruption, and the undermining of its stated democratic and liberal ideals. However, before one can grasp what the UN is and is not capable of, and whether America should or should not leverage the UN in its diplomacy, one should first start with a basic understanding of its purposes and organization. In this and ...
Aug 19, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 41
In this episode, I walk you through the NATO charter and the background of America's oldest standing political alliance. In his inaugural address, Biden argued that his administration would bring diplomacy, alliance commitments and democracy back and send them to new heights. His European trip earlier this summer was a key element of that recommitment to multilateral diplomacy. The trip also finished with a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. European allies and Russia. No two entities...
Aug 05, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 40
You've probably heard the saying "all politics is local," but what does that actually say about local politics? In the negative sense, it may refer to some cynical calculus about what issues ought to be discussed to win an election. However, in the positive sense, the saying can help us ground our understanding of politics and government in the more immediate concerns of our local communities, which can often have an uncanny way of building consensus, neighborliness, and all the positive attribu...
Jun 10, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 39
There are few conflicts more contentious and polarizing in the American public square than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That conflict flamed anew in recent weeks over property disputes in East Jerusalem neighborhoods. What started as demonstrations quickly morphed into rioting, then military conflict as Islamist militants led by Hamas in the Gaza Strip volleyed thousands of rockets at Israeli cities and towns. As this podcast airs, there’s a ceasefire, so we may as well make use of the time...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 3Ep. 38
Harvard's Dr. Tom Patterson returns to the TTP podcast to talk about the future of the Republican Party in the "post-Trump" political landscape. I put "post-Trump" in quotations because, as we discuss in this episode, the influence of Trump on the Republican Party is very much a present force in the current GOP. Dr. Patterson and I revisit some of the major themes we discussed in our last conversation on challenges facing the Republican Party, then broaden the discussion to include challenges fa...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 37
April 15 is Tax Day in America! Not exactly a national holiday, but a day of civic significance as the IRS starts raking in the revenue that will be used to fund your government and its multitude of functions. But how exactly are we taxed? Where does all the money go? Who even decided that taxing Americans for working was such a good idea that it should be written into the Constitution? Americans rebelled against England, in part, over taxes, but taxes remain a necessary evil, so in this episode...
Apr 15, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 36
This podcast has kind of fallen into series on evaluating some of the initial components of the Biden administration, using them as a jumping off point to discuss larger themes in American government with respect to the Presidency. In this episode, I’m going to provide an overview of the Interim National Security Strategy Guidance document as being the first major articulation of the Biden foreign policy. Subscribe to the Weekly Brief on Substack (30% for podcast listeners)! Get the show notes a...
Apr 01, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Joe Biden is barely a month in office and he’s already setting a fairly blistering pace of signing executive orders. Why so much activity so early? Is it just about undoing the Trump legacy? Is it about signaling a “energetic executive”? Is it signaling a larger legislative effort? Well, it’s a little of “all of the above”. Compared to his immediate predecessors, Joe Biden moved quickly to sign a bunch of executive orders in the opening weeks of his administration that left many critics crying “...
Feb 18, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Typically, I'd be posting a new episode this week, but I'm in the midst of preparing for my qualifying exams in my doctoral program, so there won't be the usual podcast episode this week. BUT, I look forward to talking with you again in a couple weeks when I'm (hopefully) safely on the other side of qualifying exams. Until next time, then! Subscribe to the Weekly Brief on Substack (30% for podcast listeners)!
Feb 04, 2021•3 min•Season 3Ep. 33
I recorded this episode on Inauguration Day and took the opportunity to do a rhetorical analysis of President Biden's inaugural address. It was a solid speech that hit all the right notes of pathos in keeping with the best traditions of inaugural addresses, and it also made a couple of surprising innovations. That's the rhetorical analysis. From a political standpoint, though, it's a speech that will likely leave the half of America that did not vote for Biden uneasy with veiled references to a ...
Jan 21, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 33
As we start the new year with a runoff Senate election in Georgia and ongoing drama surrounding the presidential election of 2020, I've noticed a deepening divide or polarization in the information space. So, I thought to start this next round of podcasts, I'd rebroadcast one of my earliest podcasts on the "information cycle." Information is critical to understanding our political system, which is why an independent and diverse media is so crucial to the health of democratic system. However, the...
Jan 07, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 32
In this last episode of 2020, I hit pause to consider lessons learned over the course of a tumultuous year, and share a few things that I'm concerned about and excited about in 2021. 2020 was a tumultuous year to say the least, but we made it through! We're here and it's as good a time as any to consider what was learned. I'm a big proponent of life long learning and some of the best learning come through experience coupled with reflection. For me, for example, this year was an incredible opport...
Dec 17, 2020•40 min•Season 2Ep. 31
December 14 is the date that the Electoral College will cast its ballots for the United States President and it will likely be a victory for Joe Biden. President Trump continues with his slate of lawsuits alleging election fraud in numerous states, but said last week that he will concede only after he is officially defeated in the Electoral College. Is Trump’s refusal to concede sour grapes, or a very strict reading of the Constitution? It may be a little of both, but the winner of a Presidentia...
Dec 04, 2020•43 min•Season 2Ep. 30
We are two weeks past Election Day 2020, but the final result, while projected, is still being finalized. Joe Biden is the projected president-elect, but the Trump administration is challenging the final results in several states in court. Both sides are adamant they won and that the other side is "stealing" the election from them. This is incredibly damaging rhetoric, but going through the courts to affirm in the integrity of the vote is an excellent antidote. The critical question, in my mind,...
Nov 19, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 29
It's election time! Or, rather, it was election time. I recorded this episode the day after Election Day, and you're getting this the next day after that, so there may still be some changes coming. However, I take the time in this episode to offer some quick thoughts on what I see as a largely positive outcome to this election. Close elections are always tense, but I think there's a lot that Americans can be proud about and encouraged by in this election. Additionally, I discuss some of the emer...
Nov 05, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Continuing my fall series of interviews on different aspects of the 2020 Election, and in this interview I talk with Steve Miller on the Democratic Party's platform and pitch to voters, is it more than "Trump bad"? Well, "Trump bad" is a big part of the pitch and appeal, according to my guest today, Steve Miller. In addition to being my brother-in-law and all around awesome guy, Steve is a market researcher who makes his living studying consumer behavior and decision making, and he brings that i...
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 27
Continuing my fall series of interviews on different aspects of the 2020 Election, and in this interview I talk with Matthew Anderson on the platform (or lack thereof) of the Republican Party. It's an enjoyable conversation on whether or not people read platforms anymore; why the Republicans chose to retain their 2016 platform while President Trump laid out his own "platform" in the form of a second term agenda; and how things are stacking up for the Republicans heading into the final weeks of t...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 26
The "Evangelical Vote" is one of the most talked about, mythologized, and misunderstood voting segments in the American populace. Often portrayed in popular media as a monolithic bloc, Evangelicals are surprisingly diverse and that diversity extends to their voting habits. To help us understand how some segments of Evangelical voters are approaching the 2020 election, I interview twin brothers and pastors, Josh and Jeremy Matlock. They bring a unique perspective to this topic as pastors serving ...
Sep 24, 2020•50 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This is a discussion on the future of the Democratic Party. It mirrors the interview I did with Harvard’s Tom Patterson on the future of the Republican Party. I follow up on that topic by switching focus to consider the Democratic Party. I talk with Dr. Tom Holihan from the University of Southern California to consider what "traps," if any, do Democrats face in the near to medium term (5-10 years) future. Get the show notes at www.timtalkspolitics.com and subscribe to the Weekly Brief on Substac...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Part 5 in our summer read through of the US Constitution. In this episode, we wrap our summer series by looking at Amendments 11-27. Most are short, but Amendments 12, 14, 20 and 25 are fairly long by comparison. We’ll consider why that is and also make some commentary on the historical context of several of these amendments as well as length of time it takes to add these amendments to the Constitution. Lots of interesting stuff here that was even new for me to consider. Get the show notes at ww...
Aug 27, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Part IV in our summer read through of the US Constitution. In this episode and the next, we’ll cover the Constitution’s 27 amendments. Today, I cover the first 10 Amendments that were ratified in the 1790s as a packaged deal and became known as the Bill of Rights. Whose rights do you ask? Yours, mine, our individual state. Just a reminder, listeners of the podcast can get a discount to my weekly newsletter the Weekly Brief. By subscribing to the Weekly Brief, you'll also get access to a new feat...
Aug 13, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Part III in our summer read through of the US Constitution. Articles 3-7 outline the judiciary, the process of amending the Constitution, and lays some of the basic legal and economic groundwork outlining how states were to function in relation to one another in the new republic. Got some good resources to share in this episode too, and a discount to my weekly newsletter the Weekly Brief for podcast listeners. By subscribing to the Weekly Brief, you'll also get access to a new feature for premiu...
Jul 30, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Part II in our summer read through of the US Constitution. Article II deals with the Executive branch, the Electoral College, and the Office of the President. Relevant reading/listening as we approach a presidential election this year. Might be useful to think about the Constitutional duties of the President when considering your vote. Upholding, protecting and defending the Constitution is part of the oath of office after all, the core part of the job description. Got some good resources to sha...
Jul 16, 2020•38 min
We’re going to review the Constitution like we did the Declaration of Independence last summer: I’ll read a little, talk a little, read a little more. The objective is to do something that many of us probably haven’t done since 8th Grade, which is read through the entire US Constitution. My hope is that in reading through this extraordinary document we can: Understand the major forms and functions of the federal government Better evaluate what is working and what isn’t working in our current pol...
Jul 02, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 19
It's summer in 2020, which means two things: We're heading into full bore campaign season for the 2020 election. Because of 1, this podcast is shifting its attention away from foreign policy and towards a discussion on the American political system, its institutions, elections, and parties. We kick this transition off with a banger of an interview: Dr. Thomas Patterson from Harvard discusses his new book with me, Is the Republican Party Destroying Itself? Strap in. Get the show notes at www.timt...
Jun 18, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 18
US-Russia relations have historically been murky, and that may be because Russia itself is difficult to decipher. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said of the Soviet Union/Russia: I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest. Through the Cold War and the first part of the twenty-first century, America has struggled to unde...
Jun 04, 2020•46 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this episode, I sketch a rough outline of America's complicated relations with Iran prior to 1979, then provide an overview of the confrontational period of US-Iran relations in the revolutionary period post-1979. Unlike China, Iran is a smaller country that is very careful about how it chooses to confront a world superpower. The nagging presence of Iran in the Middle East forces America to confront, but never to the point of an all out war. What's a superpower to do? Get the show notes at ww...
May 21, 2020•39 min•Season 2Ep. 5
I go away for a couple months and wow! A global pandemic and looming economic depression. Well, I was planning on discussing US-China relations when I went on my unscheduled break, so I guess there's no time like the present to talk about the history, context, and flash points in the relationship between the world's two superpowers. Get the show notes at www.timtalkspolitics.com and subscribe to the Weekly Brief on Substack !...
Apr 30, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Just what should America be doing with all its economic, political, military, and cultural influence? How should the country behave in world politics? Those questions engage a topic that is hotly debate, especially around election season: the national interest. Broadly speaking, the national interest is a phrase used to describe a country's core concerns and priorities - kind of the absolute essentials for it to do its thing (whatever that is) at home and abroad. So what is America's national in...
Feb 13, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 3
