The Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University is delighted to present "Politics and the Past: Desert Dialogues."
Each week, Dr. Rob Ferguson will host two podcast episodes. On Mondays, Dr. Ferguson will dive deep into history and public policy with topic experts and scholars from universities across the United States. On Thursdays, Dr. Ferguson will be joined by cohost Jack Hinrichs and other guests to discuss contemporary politics, with a special emphasis on Gen-Z's role in America's body politic.
The Reformation of Saudi Arabia with Sven Otto Littorin
In this episode, Sven Otto Littorin (the former Swedish Minister for Employment) introduces his new book Kingdom in Motion, which details the history behind MBS's modernization of Saudi Arabia based on his own experience working inside the Saudi Government. We discuss how MBS's vision sounds very much like Edmund Burke's prescription for a successful revolution.
Littorin argues that your perspective on Saudi Arabia is likely at least a decade out of date, and that there are changes happening there that make it one of the most exciting and dynamic places in the world. We also discuss the dark side of the MBS revolution: Especially the violence and his willingness to concentrate power in himself. Not to mention the fact that political rights are still a non-starter. Anyway, this is a really great episode. If you do not know that much about Saudi Arabia and MBS, this is a great introduction.
Book: https://kingdominmotion.shop/
The Vision Bridge: https://thevisionbridge.net/home
6 Oct 2026
Dr. Lani Kass: October 7th and Israel's War with Hamas
In this episode, distinguished national security expert Dr. Lani Kass gives us her perspective on the monstrous attack on October 7th and the subsequent Israeli War to destroy Hamas.
Dr. Kass gives us a history lesson on the region informed by her unique vantage point having grown up in Israel and working with the IDF.
Dr. Kass then explains the anguish Israelis feel about October 7th and, especially, the reaction from the rest of the world. She analyzes some of the political missteps taken by Benjamin Netanyahu and identifies some of the bad actors responsible for the rise in anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment. This only scratches the surface of the conversation, be sure to check it out.
October 8th Movie: https://www.october8film.com/
2 Oct 2026
Trump-Xi Summit with Andrew Ritter
Andrew Ritter brings his China knowledge and experience to our discussion of the Trump-Xi summit where we ask the question, "Did anything of any importance happen?" Rob and Andrew then consider the pros and cons of not really reaching much of an agreement on some items. Andrew and Rob then spend some time discussing the potential for AI competition between the United States and China.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
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