Episode 13: The Always Stumbling US Empire

In this episode of Citations Needed, Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson discuss the media trope of portraying the U.S. as a "stumbling empire," either incompetent or benevolent, but rarely malicious or competent. They analyze how the U.S. is often depicted as reluctantly drawn into wars, with good intentions, while adversaries are seen as having deliberate, malicious policies. They critique the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary for perpetuating this narrative by downplaying the role of racism and U.S. imperialism. Hannah Gurman joins the conversation to discuss how racism informed the Vietnam War and was used to justify and escalate the conflict, as well as silence dissent at home. The hosts and guest discuss the importance of acknowledging the U.S.'s role in perpetrating violence and war crimes, rather than framing the U.S. as a tragic figure.