Ask Me Anything

with The Realignment [Premium Podcast]

Ask a question

BP Focus Group - Marshall's Take

Hi Marshall, I was curious on our takes for the BP focus groups. Was it as expected? Were you surprised at all? Saagar, What would you say has been the most surprising take you got from the groups?

Favorite Fictional President

Who is your favorite President from a TV or Movie, What is it about them you like? Which fictional president do you think we could use right now and why would they be effective?

Israel-Palestine guest rec/book question

Hey Marshall, I've got both a guest recommendation and a question for you. After the terrorist attacks in Israel, I was looking for even-handed historical background on the Israel-Palestine issue. The interview with Yonah Jeremy Bob was really informative, but I was also looking for something that went further back into history. I felt I found that with two episodes (linked at the end) from the podcast CONFLICTED, which were recorded before the attacks (the episode they recorded immediately after the attacks were also really good). But it occurred to me while listening that one of the podcast hosts, Aimen Dean, would be a great guest for the Realignment. He's apparently a former Al-Qaeda jihadist turned MI6 spy, who seemed very knowledgeable and fair-minded (albeit clearly more pro-Israel on the whole) about the region and the issues at play. Relatedly, I'm also wondering if you have any book recommendations on the subject--I've always found your and Saagar's history book recs to be straight money. Thanks for your work! Damian https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zionism-and-its-discontents/id1443491069?i=1000557368751 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-was-hamas-thinking/id1443491069?i=1000630962479

You Produce The Best Podcast

I just wanted to forward some positive feedback to you Marshall. I listen to about 10-11 different political podcasts, and 3 different YouTube news shows. Of all of those, the Realignment is by far the best podcast I listen to. You produce a podcast that is always a place for thoughtful analytical discussion. I found it quite funny when you said your wife and parents don't listen to every episode, because there is a cohort of us that listen to every episode 100% of the way through. Keep up the good work and thanks for your hard work. - Patrick

Clarification on past question

(feel free to answer this is thread as I don't want to hog AMA time on a clarification of an already asked question) Hi Marshall, Nick here, I was the one who asked the overly verbose question last AMA episode, I just wanted to clarify my second question as it was sloppily stated and thus not helpful to the discourse. When I say a change in the next generation in Israel, the subject of change was not meant to be their feelings against Hamas or Palestinians, and the setting was not meant to be within the next year or however long it takes for this conflict to unfold. I truly believe that Hamas should be eliminated and should have been long ago before they were as deeply entrenched in Gazan society. In my analogy to post 9/11 American generational skepticism of our states international action I was trying to portray both how no rational American would excuse 9/11 or sympathize with terror groups, yet those born into and coming of age in the era of the US middle east conflict better understood the contribution of how past actions got us into current conflict and how our further entanglement into mid east conflicts would only serve to create more terror given the relative lack of precision on targets and ample care towards protecting the innocence who have to live side by side with hateful factions we justly sought to eliminate. In this way my question is more so whether you think Israel internally will experience a political shift towards representing the already more nuanced views seen in videos and media coming out of Israel, demonstrating how many citizens their believe far right governing regimes have not helped in terms of creating a truer, lasting peace in the region? Not in a way that garners self-loathing, but in a way that more fully acknowledges their power in the asymmetric conflict with palestine specifically and capacity to make the conflict worse for future generations of Israelis if the wrong actions are taken? The reason I ask this is because the demographic changes and fractional representation system are predictive of a shift towards further conservatism and theocratic thinking leading government actions, yet given the failure and internal backlash against netanyahus administration, it provides a possible fulcrum for pivoting towards a more nuanced leadership that is fed up with the status quo and are willing to break past orthodoxy to make progress towards a less artificial peace. Also want to acknowledge how Israels position in the world is far less secured than America's, both in their geographic proximity to enemies, the intensity and nature of hate their enemies have towards them, and also their enemies capacity to truly wipe them out, so feel free to point out how any of these differences result in the post-9/11 generational attitude shift analogy falling apart. I love the show and truly appreciate the work you do. As much as I more align with Kyle (Kulinski) on politics, I chose to only subscribe to you guys so far as you delve deeply into important topics rather than just reporting news with your bias being acknowledged up front, which is also a useful contribution don't get me wrong, but I truly gain the most knowledge from listening to this program. Keep up the great work!