Episode 70: Cold War Liberalism with Daniel Bessner
Show notes
On today’s episode we discuss Cold War liberalism with historian Daniel Bessner.
In the mid-twentieth century, Cold War liberalism exerted a profound influence on the US state, US foreign policy, and liberal thought across the North Atlantic world. The ideology transformed politics, society, and culture writ large. From impacting US foreign policy in the Middle East, to influencing the ideological contours of industrial society, to shaping the urban landscape of Los Angeles, Cold War liberalism left an indelible mark on modern history.
During the Cold War and through the US-led post-Cold War “unipolar” moment, Cold War liberalism and Neo-conservativism guided a messianic US foreign policy. In post-Soviet countries like Georgia and beyond these ideologies would have profound influence, the remnants, contradictions and consequences of which we can still see today.
Daniel Bessner is an Associate Professor in American foreign policy at the University of Washington. He co-hosts the podcast American Prestige and has published pieces in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Nation, n+1, and other venues. He is the co-editor of Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency (2026)
Check out Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time Of Emergency here
Listen to the American Prestige podcast here
Episode music credits:
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