255. Spencer Ackerman on the Reign of Terror, Haiti, and comics

Spencer Ackerman has been a national-security correspondent for outlets like The New Republic, WIRED, The Guardian, and currently The Daily Beast for nearly the entire War on Terror. He is the author of the new acclaimed book REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP.  As the former U.S. national security editor for the Guardian, Ackerman was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team reporting on Edward Snowden’s surveillance revelations. In addition to that very impressive resume, Spencer is also a major comic book geek and musician, so we had a lot to talk about. I was very excited to talk to him about one of our favorite comic book series Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. I know I say this all the time, but I learned SO much from this conversation. Spencer’s insights and ability to articulate the ramifications of the war on terror are superb. It really helped me understand how we got where we are today and provided me with a viewpoint that I had not explored before. He is the publisher of the Forever Wars newsletter on Substack, where he tracks the ongoing course of the War on Terror, I highly suggest you check it out. Spencer promises to come back on the show and talk with me more about music and comics, and I can’t wait. I’m loving these conversations and hope you are too. If you are, please rate my podcast on your platform of choice and share it with others! If you would like to support with a donation to help keep this podcast going, you can become a patron of the show by visiting my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan For comments or suggestions, please reach out on social media @sifumimichan Discussed in this episode: Spencer Ackerman : Ground Zero Mosque Flatbush, NY Central Park 5 Cerebro podcast Issues at the border with Haiti CLR James – The Black Jacobins Eric Hobsbawm – The Age of Revolution Eric Hobsbawm – The Age of Capital Eric Hobsbawm – The Age of Empire Eric Hobsbawm – The Age of Extremes David Blight – F...