Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this episode of Parallax Views, we’re joined by University of Chicago political scientist Michael Albertus, author of the forthcoming book Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies (Basic Books, Jan. 14, 2025). Drawing on his expertise in democracy, dictatorship, inequality, property rights, and social conflict, Albertus unpacks how land ownership lies at the heart of power struggles shaping both authoritarian regimes and liberal democracies.

The book explains how control over land fuels political inequality, social exclusion, environmental destruction, and even climate change. Albertus explains the historical and modern-day impacts of zoning laws, gentrification, displacement of indigenous and marginalized communities, and the structural barriers to housing affordability and economic opportunity. It also delves into the growing movements for restitution and reparations, such as Black Lives Matter and Land Back, as well as global efforts at land reform.

With insights featured in The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and appearances on outlets like NPR, CNN, and the BBC, Albertus offers a deeply researched and urgent perspective on how land shapes our societies—and what must change to build more just and democratic futures.

On this May Day edition of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, political theorist Matt McManus joins us to unpack The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism, his groundbreaking new book. We explore:

• Liberal Socialism Defined: Why liberal rights and socialist economics aren’t mutually exclusive—and how methodological collectivism and normative individualism unite them.

• Historical Roots: From Mary Wollstonecraft and Thomas Paine’s radical democracy to John Stuart Mill’s social liberalism, contrasted with Edmund Burke and Ludwig von Mises.

• Core Principles: A developmental ethic over mere inquiry, economic democracy within a liberal framework, and, for some, extending democratic values into the family.

• Key Influences: John Rawls’s Theory of Justice, Samuel Moyn’s critique of Cold War liberalism and the relationship between Samuel Moyn's book LIBERALISM AGAINST ITSELF: COLD WAR INTELLECTUALS AND THE MAKING OF OUR TIMES and Matt's book, and a speculative look at Richard Rorty’s pragmatic liberalism in relation to Liberal Socialism.

• Global & Anti-Colonial Critiques: Addressing charges of Eurocentrism and imperialist bias by anti-colonial and Global South critiques of Liberal Socialism.

• Critiques from the Left & Right: Responses to neoliberal, libertarian, and Marxist-Leninist objections, and why caricaturing Marx misses his nuanced view of liberal institutions.

If you’re interested in the crossroads of political philosophy, the future of democratic socialism, and reclaiming a tradition of freedom and equality, tune in to this deep dive with Matt McManus.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we remember the late Pope Francis in conversation with veteran journalist William Dowell, who recently penned the WhoWhatWhy article “The Passing of a Genuinely Christian Pope.” Dowell reflects on Francis’s lasting spiritual legacy, portraying him as a humble and principled leader who consistently emphasized compassion for the poor, migrants, and marginalized—offering a distinct moral voice in a time often marked by political polarization and societal uncertainty.

Drawing on decades of experience covering the Vatican and international affairs, Dowell shares thoughtful reflections on papal transitions, the evolving role of the Catholic Church, and how Francis’s message of empathy and humility resonated with younger generations and diverse global audiences.

The conversation also widens to examine broader political and cultural dynamics, including the rise of populist and authoritarian currents in the United States, especially in light of the 2nd Trump presidency. Dowell offers his perspective on recent political developments and contrasts the ethos of Francis’s leadership with contemporary trends he sees as driven more by power than principle. In an age where foundational democratic and ethical values are frequently contested, the discussion offers space for reflection on the role of conscience, truth, and leadership.

This wide-ranging dialogue is both a tribute to a unique papacy and an invitation to deeper thought.

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On this edition of Parallax Views with J.G. Michael, we explore the powerful financial forces behind Washington D.C.’s most influential think tanks—and how those funding streams may shape U.S. foreign policy and defense strategy. Joining us are Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft to discuss their eye-opening project: the Think Tank Funding Tracker (TTFT).

The TTFT is designed to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the world of policy influence, exposing the financial ties between think tanks and their funders. Specifically, we look at three major sources of funding:

• U.S. government funding, led by the Department of Defense

• Foreign government contributions, including major donors like Saudi Arabia and Qatar

• Defense contractor money, with Northrop Grumman leading the charge

Think tanks play a vital role in shaping public policy through research, analysis, and recommendations. But as Ben and Nick explain, financial backing can create conflicts of interest and biases that may influence the narratives and policy prescriptions these institutions offer. Some think tanks rank high in transparency—others, particularly those with more hawkish foreign policy stances, score a troubling zero.

We also address the issue of “dark money” think tanks, declining public trust, and how the TTFT includes concrete policy recommendations to encourage better disclosure practices. The conversation highlights the need for vigilance in understanding who is funding the experts shaping public debate and decision-making.

One key case study we explore is the Atlantic Council, a major D.C. think tank whose funding sources exemplify the complex web of influence at play in the policy space.

If you’re interested in U.S. foreign policy, military-industrial complex dynamics, Middle East geopolitics, or political influence in Washington, this is a must-listen episode that breaks down the often unseen forces shaping global affairs.

For more information please read Quincy Brief #68: Big Ideas and Big Money: Think Tank Funding in America.

 

On this special episode of Parallax Views, we enter the world of Shoot Pro Wrestling (SPW)—a new promotion looking to bring the raw intensity and legitimacy of catch-as-catch-can wrestling back to the forefront of combat sports and professional wrestling. Joining the conversation are three key figures behind the SPW movement:

– 🧠 Jake Shannon, catch wrestling historian and founder of Scientific Wrestling
– 🥊 Pat Miletich, UFC legend, coach, and one of the original hybrid fighters in American MMA
– 🤼 Matt Granahan, colorful grappling promoter and self-proclaimed "King of Connecticut"

Together, we dive deep into the lineage of catch wrestling, tracing its influence on both modern MMA and professional wrestling, and how SPW aims to resurrect this foundational style—not as a nostalgic throwback, but as a vital evolution of shoot-based combat.

Highlights from the conversation include:

– The roots of SPW’s ruleset in the philosophy and techniques of the legendary Karl Gotch, as Jake Shannon explains how Gotch’s vision is now being implemented in real-world matches.
– Pat Miletich’s reflections on how catch wrestling shaped his fighting style and mindset, and why he believes it instills a toughness many athletes can greatly benefit from.
– Pat’s firsthand account of being at the Tokyo Dome when Kazushi Sakuraba defeated Royce Gracie, and Jake discusses how Sakuraba’s iconic declaration after that historic match—“Pro Wrestling is Strong!”—relates to Shoot Pro Wrestling's attitude and ethos.
– A discussion of fighting spirit, its philosophical importance, and how it manifests in catch wrestling’s brutal simplicity and mental discipline.
– Matt Granahan makes a big announcement about Shoot Pro Wrestling's women’s division, marking a new chapter for female competitors in the catch lineage.
– A lively pitch to both pro wrestling fans and MMA fans on why Shoot Pro Wrestling offers something radically different: real grappling, no gimmicks, no predetermined outcomes—just pure, unfiltered combat with roots in both strategy and skill.
- An exploration of how foundational catch wrestling is to both MMA and pro wrestling. Although much has been made of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu's influence on the combat sports landscape, as it should, the impact of catch wrestling on combat sports deserves greater recognition.
- Talking about catch wrestling as a science and a system
- Pro wrestling legend Larry Zbyszko's involvement in the Shoot Pro Wrestling venture.

This episode explores the tension between tradition and innovation and why catch wrestling—often unfairly overshadowed by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and theatrical pro wrestling—may finally be getting its due in the form of an exciting new promotion dedicated to the grappling fighting style. For fans of mixed martial arts history, wrestling and combat sports philosophy, and raw fighting, this is one you won’t want to miss.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the biggest wrestling event of the year is only days away: WrestleMania. Billed as the "Showcase of the Immortals," WrestleMania is the marquee event of World Wrestling Entertainment and has been going strong for over 40 years. On April 19th and 20th, WWE will present WrestleMania 41. Yes—FORTY-ONE.

Ahead of the big event, I spoke with Gary from the YouTube channel Grapplevision—one of the most unique and compelling voices in pro wrestling media today. While most wrestling YouTubers focus on current events or canonical moments like the Montreal Screwjob, Hulk Hogan’s heel turn, or Mick Foley’s infamous fall off the Hell in a Cell, Grapplevision dives into the ghosts and glitches of wrestling history. It's a channel immersed in what you might call phantom histories: forgotten figures, obscure promotions, uncanny storylines, and the lingering specters of wrestling’s carny roots.

What sets Grapplevision apart is its unmistakably hauntological aesthetic—think VHS degradation, lost tapes, and late-night public access weirdness. The channel’s documentaries are layered with analog textures and deep archival digs, evoking the era of tape trading and underground fandom. In many ways, it feels less like a recap or explainer and more like a séance conducted with a turnbuckle and a cathode-ray screen.

From the blurred lines of shoot vs. worked fights (explored in the "Wrestling Gets Real" series), to Japanese deathmatch icon Atsushi Onita’s exploding barbed wire spectacles, to strange pop culture crossovers featuring Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and Jim Varney’s Ernest P. Worrell—Grapplevision chronicles the strange, forgotten, and surreal corners of the squared circle. All this with an intro that cheekily nods to David Cronenberg’s Videodrome.

In this sprawling, four-and-a-half-hour conversation, you'll hear from someone who's not only been inside the industry but has also taken on the role of archivist and cultural historian. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan, there's something here for anyone interested in performance, memory, mythology, and media.

On this edition of Parallax Views, host J.G. Michael welcomes back writer and commentator Ralph Leonard to unpack his recent UnHerd article, "Dave Smith–Douglas Murray Debate Highlights Right-Wing Fault Lines." In this wide-ranging conversation, Leonard breaks down the recent viral Joe Rogan-hosted debate between anti-war libertarian comedian Dave Smith and neoconservative public intellectual Douglas Murray — a fiery exchange that has become a flashpoint for deeper tensions within the contemporary Right.

Leonard and Michael explore how the Israel-Gaza conflict has brought long-simmering ideological contradictions on the Right to the surface, pitting libertarian anti-interventionism and populist anti-elitism against the hawkish commitments and institutional allegiances of neoconservatism. They discuss the dynamics of the debate itself — from Murray’s criticisms of Rogan's platforming of uncredentialed “armchair experts” and conspiratorial thinkers to Smith’s defense of the democratic value of non-expert participation in public discourse.

The episode also dives into the broader ecosystem of the “podcast bros” — the rise of Rogan-style infotainment as a dominant force shaping public opinion, its appeal as anti-establishment counterprogramming, and its vulnerabilities to pseudoscience and ideological echo chambers. Leonard offers a nuanced take, arguing that while the Rogan-verse isn’t above critique, it still offers a space for airing out dissent and confronting controversial issues in ways legacy media often avoids.

Together, Leonard and Michael navigate the complicated cultural terrain where influence, ideology, and epistemology collide — from libertarian anti-interventionism to the moral and strategic blind spots of neoconservatism — offering listeners a critical lens through which to understand not just one debate, but the fracturing landscape of the Right in 2025.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Quincy Institute's Dr. Annelle Sheline, a frequent guest on the program and a former Biden-era State Dept. official who resigned over the U.S. handling of Gaza, returns to discuss her briefing "Under Primacy, Weapons Sales Will Always Supersede Human Rights". But first we discuss the article she recently co-wrote for Responsible Statecraft entitled "Trump drops news bomblet: Direct US-Iran talks this Saturday".

The conversation begins with a discussion of Netanyahu's meeting with Donald Trump earlier this week and some talk about the upcoming talks between the U.S. and Iran. We then get into the main event of this conversation: the ways in which weapons sales have trumped human rights rhetoric in U.S. foreign policy. For as much as the United States has often talked about human rights, it has often sold weapons to autocratic human rights abusers. We'll discuss a number of historical moments related to this including the assassination of Salvador Allende and the bloody Chile coup of 1973, Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Reagan on human rights & U.S. foreign policy, the Iran-Contra affair, the legacies of the Cold War and the Global War on Terror, how wars abroad often lead to repression at home (and concerns about Trump's plans for pro-Palestinian voices in America), bridging the gap between human rights and realism/U.S. national interests, a brief look at the Leahy Laws, sanctions and weapons sales, the U.S.'s unconditional support of Israel's actions in Gaza as undermining claims to defending human rights, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Geoffrey Aronson, a noted analyst Middle East affairs and formerly the director of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, returns to discuss his latest Responsible Statecraft piece entitled "Israel's plan for Gaza is clear: 'Conquest, expulsion, settlement'". One of the key aspects of Geoffrey's analysis in said article is that Israel is currently pursuing a policy of "politicide", or, as he puts it, "destroying for all time any Palestinian hope for sovereignty west of the Jordan River." We'll be delving into elements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that long predate the events of October 7th and what has transpired since. For example, Geoffrey will takes us back to 2005 when then Israeli Prime Minister evacuated Israeli settlers from Gaza. We'll also discuss the resurgent right-wing in Israel and its aims in Gaza, how the so-called "Day After" in Gaza is today, a brief excursion into what is happening in Syria and the weakness of Arab states (and what that means), and much, much more.

In this episode of Parallax Views, returning guest and veteran JFK assassination researcher Jim DiEugenio joins us to unpack the recent developments in the long-running battle over JFK assassination records. We dive into the legacy of President Trump’s January 2025 executive order concerning the JFK files and discuss the implications of the recent congressional hearing led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna — to which Jim himself testified!

Jim, who was in attendance at the Luna hearing, shares his firsthand impressions of the proceedings and what they may signal for the future of the JFK Records Act. But this conversation goes beyond the question of conspiracy: we explore the broader stakes of transparency, institutional trust, and the historical significance of declassified documents — including revelations like Operation Northwoods, which had nothing to do with the assassination itself but emerged from the Assassination Records Review Board process and reshaped how we understand Cold War covert operations.

Whether or not you believe there was a conspiracy to kill JFK, the questions raised by these files and the government’s resistance to disclosure remain urgent. Tune in for a timely conversation on truth, secrecy, and why history still matters — no matter how long ago it happened. And yes, we'll address conservative pundit Ben Shapiro's angry dismissal of anyone interested in the assassination because it happened "a long time ago".

Additional topics covered include:

- Oliver Stone, the attacks on his movie JFK months before the film was even released, and the role of the Vietnam war in shaping Oliver Stone as a filmmaker and a human being.

- CIA spymaster James Jesus Angleton's chilling quote about the CIA: “If you were in a room with them, you were in a room full of people that you had to believe would deservedly end up in hell. I guess I will see them there soon.”

- The release of the unredacted Schlesinger Memo and what it tells us about covert operation during the Cold War. Learn what it is and how it enhances our understanding of a moment in history and politics.

- The surprise appearance of John Davisson, a senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, who raised privacy concerns related to information in the recently released documents.

- Jim's thoughts on Democrats' lack of interest in the hearing and why he thinks Democrats are passing up a big opportunity with it

- And much more!