This is Democracy Archives

This is Democracy – Free Speech and Repression in Turkey

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of political imprisonment, torture, threats of r*pe, and human rights abuses. Viewer discretion is advised.

Jeremi and Zachary speak with Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent, who spent over 2,400 days in a Turkish prison after releasing footage of state forces mistreating Kurdish workers. He was denied a fair trial, convicted on coerced testimony, and silenced for speaking truth. In confinement, he turned to poetry—smuggling out verses that have since reached global audiences. His words remain a powerful testament to resistance, memory, and humanity.

This is Democracy – Israel-Palestine

This week, the discussion delves into the complex and deeply rooted suffering in the Middle East, focusing on the history of conflict, memory, trauma, and grief between Israelis and Palestinians. Jeremi and Zachary Suri are joined by acclaimed author Lawrence Wright, who has spent decades studying and documenting the region. Wright discusses his latest novel, ‘The Human Scale,’ which examines the motivations and personal stories behind the ongoing violence and suffering.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “In Jerusalem”.

Lawrence Wright is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a playwright, a screenwriter, and the author of ten books of nonfiction, including The Looming Tower, Going Clear, and God Save Texas, and three previous novels, Mr. Texas, The End of October, and God’s Favorite. His books have received many honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower. His most recent book is a novel, The Human Scale.

This is Democracy – Broadcasting Democracy

Jeremi and Zachary have a conversation with Dr. Mark Pomar on the historical impact of Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Liberty’s critical role of radio communications during the Cold War, and the challenges they face today including the recent threats to their operation.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Radio Liberty”.

Mark Pomar is a Senior Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas. From 1975 to 1982, Dr. Pomar taught Russian studies at the University of Vermont. From 1982 to 1993, he worked as Assistant Director of the Russian Service at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Munich), Director of the USSR Division at the Voice of America, and the Executive Director of the Board for International Broadcasting, a federal agency that oversaw Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From 1994 to 2008, Dr. Pomar was a senior executive and President of IREX, a large US international nonprofit organization. From 2008 to 2017, he was the founding CEO and President of the US – Russia Foundation (USRF), a private US foundation that supported educational programs and exchanges. Dr. Pomar is the author of two books, most recently: Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

This is Democracy – The Courts and the President

Jeremi and Zachary sit down with Jeffrey Toobin to discuss the critical relationship between the U.S. judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, and the executive branch. Discussion centers around the contentious and politically charged topic of presidential pardoning power. The episode covers historical instances, such as Lincoln’s and Johnson’s post-Civil War pardons, Gerald Ford’s pardon of Nixon, and more recent uses of the pardon power by Presidents Trump and Biden.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “It is a miracle the Earth can twist.”

Jeffrey Toobin is the chief legal analyst for CNN and a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. He is the author of numerous books, including: The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court and Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism. His most recent book is: The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy.

This is Democracy – Ending Wars

This week, Jeremi and Zachary talk with Michael Vorenberg about the difficulties of ending wars in democracies. Their discussion includes various perspectives on when the Civil War truly ended, the challenges of war termination, Lincoln’s approach toward reconciliation, and the lasting impacts of unresolved conflicts.

Zachary sets the scene with the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman.

Michael Vorenberg is an associate professor of history at Brown University. He is the author of Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment. This book was used for Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film, Lincoln. Vorenberg’s exciting new book is Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War.

This is Democracy – Free Speech

This week, Jeremi and Zachary talk with Donald Downs delve into the importance of free speech in democratic societies. They explore its historical significance, current threats, and what individuals can do to protect it. Their discussion includes insights on social media censorship, free speech on college campuses, and the legal perspectives surrounding free speech in government service.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Ode to Blasphemy.”

Donald Downs is the Alexander Meiklejohn Professor of Political Science Emeritus at UW-Madison. Downs’ scholarship has dealt with a wide range of issues, including: freedom of speech; academic freedom; and civic education. His prize-winning books include: Nazis in Skokie: Freedom, Community and the First Amendment; Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus; and Arms and the University: Military Presence and the Civic Education of Non-Military Students. In 2013, Downs received the national Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award for his defense of academic freedom and freedom of thought.

This is Democracy – Banking and Democracy

This week, Jeremi and Zachary have a conversation with Professor Mary Bridges, author of ‘Dollars and Dominion: U.S. Bankers and the Making of a Superpower.’ They explore the significant, yet often overlooked, role of banking institutions, particularly the Federal Reserve, in shaping American democracy and foreign policy.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Reserves”.

The conversation delves into the historical impact of Banker’s Acceptance credit instruments on global trade, the establishment of the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency, and the dynamics of financial power during and after World War I. They also address the importance of transparency and accountability in maintaining a participatory democracy.

Mary Bridges is an Ernest May Fellow in History and Policy at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She is a historian of the twentieth-century United States. Her book, Dollars and Dominion: US Bankers and the Making of a Superpower, has just been published. Her next research project focuses on infrastructure building as a means of projecting U.S. influence overseas. Mary has also worked as a business reporter and editor.

This is Democracy – Presidential Debates

This week, Jeremy and Zachary sit down with Paul Stekler to explore whether debates influence election outcomes, referencing major debates from past elections, and look closely at the recent debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem, “Everyone is Laughing”.

Paul Stekler is a nationally recognized documentary filmmaker whose critically praised and award-winning work includes George Wallace: Settin’ the Woods on Fire; Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style; Vote for Me: Politics in America, a four-hour PBS special about grassroots electoral politics; two segments of the Eyes on the Prize II series on the history of civil rights; Last Stand at Little Big Horn (broadcast as part of PBS’s series The American Experience); Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics (broadcast on PBS’s P.O.V. series); Getting Back to Abnormal (which aired on P.O.V. in 2014); and 2016’s Postcards from the Great Divide, a web series about politics for The Washington Post and PBS Digital. Overall, his films have won two George Foster Peabody Awards, three Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards, three national Emmy Awards, and a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

This is Democracy – New School Year

This week, Jeremi and Zachary discuss the upcoming academic year and how universities can impact our relationships with democracy and politics.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem entitled, “A New Season.”

This is Democracy – Ukraine War

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Dr. Michael Kimmage to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem entitled “Bloodstains.”

Dr. Michael Kimmage is a professor of history at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He is also a fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and chair of the Advisory Council for the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC. From 2014 to 2017, Kimmage served on the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State, where he held the Russia/Ukraine portfolio. He publishes widely on international affairs, U.S.-Russian relations and American diplomatic history. Kimmage is the author of: The Conservative Turn: Lionel Trilling, Whittaker Chambers and the Lessons of Anti-Communism (2009); In History’s Grip: Philip Roth’s Newark Trilogy (2012); and The Abandonment of the West: The History of an Idea in American Foreign Policy (2020). His new book is Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability (2024).

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