
The Anti-Imperialist Opportunity w/ Morgan Spector: A Bang-Bang Podcast Crossover | Ep. 293
From The Un-Diplomatic Podcast by Van Jackson
March 26, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 295
About this episode
Morgan Spector joins Van Jackson and Lyle Rubin to discuss anti-imperialist perspectives on current geopolitical issues and the potential for left populism within the Democratic Party.
Free episode crossover with The Bang-Bang Podcast! You might know Morgan Spector as the critically acclaimed leading man in The Gilded Age and The Plot Against America. Or for his appearances in Boardwalk Empire, Suits, Homeland, How to Make It In America (one of Van’s favorites), or even as a producer on The Big Scary “S” Word. What you might not know is that Morgan is both an impressive critic of policy and an advocate for democratic socialism. We invited Morgan on to talk about Independence Day (1996), a delicious conversation that’s next in our queue. But we also recorded an in-depth installment of “Politics Behind the Scenes,” our occasional side-convos with guests about the urgent real-world issues of the day. In this special episode, Morgan chops it up with Van Jackson and Lyle Rubin about: Meaningful anti-imperialist positions on Russia’s war with Ukraine; The illegal war in Iran is also evil; Nationalizing the defense industry and taking the profits out of war; How we might envision a peace economy; Why we all love Graham Platner; The Israel problem in US foreign policy; Why we’re bullish on electoral leftism; and How the Democratic Party has shit the bed so bad that…
People in this episode
Host: Van Jackson
Guest: Morgan Spector
Topics covered
- anti-imperialism
- Ukraine war
- democratic socialism
- US foreign policy
- electoral leftism
- defense industry
Keywords
- anti-imperialism
- Ukraine
- Iran
- democratic socialism
- defense industry
- US foreign policy
- electoral leftism
- political commentary
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Democratic Party
Books & works: The Gilded Age, The Plot Against America, Boardwalk Empire, Suits, Homeland, How to Make It In America, The Big Scary “S” Word
Places: Iran, Ukraine, Israel
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