Podcast: How the Bomb Birthed American Exceptionalism

This week, co-hosts Kelley Vlahos, Daniel Larison, and Matt Purple talk to Michael Vlahos—longtime professor of military strategy and policy, author and writer—on his latest TAC piece, “Hiroshima and the Evil Jinn.” Mike frames the decision to drop the bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki beginning on August 6, 1945, as a classic American horror story: while it’s wish to end the war was granted, it gave the U.S. way more than it bargained for: powerful, nearly omnipotent control over the international order for the rest of the century and beyond. What that power did to us in the process is a familiar tale to those at TAC.
In the first segment, Kelley, Daniel and Matt talk about the decision to withdrawal 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany. Is it such a big deal?