Violent dictators used to retire when the going got tough. These days, they just get more violent. We visit Sudan to learn why. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/minidoc-13-08-22/ — More info: Three years ago, the people of Sudan successfully ousted longtime military dictator Omar al-Bashir and started their country on a path to democracy. Today, though, things look grim—a new military dictatorship has blocked the democratic transition and rules repressively from Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. But why did the new leadership reverse course? Its refusal to cede power is part of a larger political trend of violent dictators who would rather stay in power than flee to comfortable exile. We explore just why that is.
Viktor Orbán, once Hungarian democracy’s greatest champion, is now its greatest enemy, while Republicans in America cheer on his authoritarian regime. What happened, and why does the right love him? Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-why-republicans-love-the-man-who-squashed-democracy-in-hungary/
Between Saudi cities in the desert and Peter Thiel’s attempts to homestead the high seas, it’s clear that for some, money isn’t enough. That can be a danger in liberal democracies. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-how-cities-of-the-future-conceal-dangerous-ambitions/ — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to build cities of the future in the middle of the desert — NEOM — with a ski resort called Trojena, a floating city called Oxagon, and a city built in a straight line called The Line. But the supposed motivations don’t add up. Rather than practical concerns, it seems MBS is animated by a desire to be a great founding figure: a motive shared by American billionaire Peter Thiel. Thiel, who first dreamed of libertarian utopias on the ocean — seasteading — has since redirected his interest and energy toward supporting National Conservatism: a far-right, anti-democratic political movement embraced by Josh Hawley and Thiel’s client-candidates J.D. V
He assassinated Japan’s most successful politician ever. But now, he seems to have won over public opinion. What happened? — Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spectaclesmedia Sources and Attributions: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-japan/ — On July 8, 2022, in Nara, Japan, Shinzo Abe was shot twice with a homemade shotgun by Tetsuya Yamagami. Despite Abe’s towering status in Japanese politics — a former prime minister, and Japan’s longest serving ever — Yamagami declared his motive personal rather than political — a grudge against the Unification Church. The catch? Abe wasn’t even a member. And yet, the public seems to have been convinced by Yamagami. Featuring mass weddings, Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, the bizarre theology of Sun-Myung Moon, his cultists the Moonies, and so much more, this is the story of the Unification Church, and it has a lot to teach us about how to balance the separation of church and state.
Peace in Northern Ireland is still young, and today, it may be in danger. We explain what makes Ireland different, why peace is hard, and how democracy helps. — Check our sources and attributions: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-island-isnt-normal/ — From 1969 to 1998, Northern Ireland was engulfed in a civil conflict known as The Troubles. The country—only a small section of the island of Ireland—was divided between two factions fighting over the Irish border: Protestant British Unionists and Catholic Irish Nationalists, represented by various militias and the Provisional IRA, respectively. Car bombs and military checkpoints were commonplace, while “peace lines” segregated neighborhoods by religion. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement brought the conflict to an end, legitimated by democratic referendums in the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but today that agreement is in trouble. A political row over Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol has erupted, pitting un
George Bush, imaginary WMDs, an endless war—that’s just scratching the surface of what went wrong in Iraq...and who's to blame. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-who-really-ruined-iraq/ — In 2003, a small coalition of countries led by the United States invaded Iraq, at the time ruled by the autocratic Saddam Hussein. While supporters and planners of the invasion hoped to establish a liberal democracy in Iraq, their mission rapidly became a quagmire that left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead, and gave birth to a corrupt and unstable regime that has failed to provide Iraqi citizens with security or prosperity. But to understand why America failed in its project of nation-building, it’s necessary to examine the decades leading up to the invasion, as well as the weeks and months following it. From military planning to international sanctions, political purges and serious administrative blunders, the answer emerges.
After WWII and the Cold War, democracy looked unstoppable. Lately, it seems more complicated. Francis Fukuyama, Stanford's Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow and the world’s leading author on the subject, joins us to discuss — could it still be true? — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-is-democracy-inevitable-w-francis-fukuyama/ — In 1989, Francis Fukuyama — until then a fairly unknown functionary in the US State Department — published an article that started a firestorm of debate. The title, an unassumingly simple question: “The End of History?” Three years later, he followed up with a book, “The End of History and the Last Man,” an engaging, thoughtful, and far-too-often misunderstood work. Fukuyama’s thesis, that liberal democracy is the natural conclusion of all human development, feels almost as strange as saying, “God is good,” when the world is yet filled with so much evil. Yet it is a crucially important idea, and today, though it faces serious challenges, feels
Estonia is one of the best performing post-Soviet countries, thanks in no small part to its revolutionary digital democracy. But it’s not all computer code—there’s something about the Estonian attitude that’s crucial to its success, and it’s something all democracies can learn from. — — When Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and restored liberal democracy, the small Baltic country’s leaders knew that they wanted to catch up with the rest of the developed world, and more. Embracing an optimistic, can-do attitude, Estonians pursued cutting edge technology in both the public and private spheres. The country developed a unique conception of “digital democracy,” in which every citizen could access public services online. But while Estonia has gotten plenty of press attention for its digital futurism, the country’s success is about more than just the tech. There’s an Estonian attitude that underpins all of its incredible innovations and allows its people to brid
In 1965, French President Charles DeGaulle started a fight that nearly tore Europe apart — over the same disagreements that still haunt the continent. This is the story of the empty chair crisis. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-empty-chair/
In 1986, Taiwan’s dictator set the island’s democratization in motion — an unlikely story with consequences and lessons which echo to today. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-taiwan-shouldnt-be-a-democracy/ — From 1949 to the 1990s, the Kuomintang ruled the island of Taiwan, first under Chiang Kai-shek and then under his son, Chiang Ching-kuo. The Chiangs and the KMT ruled with an iron fist, which makes their willing embrace of democracy in 1986 all that much more surprising. This video tells the story of how Taiwan’s dictatorship transitioned to democracy not from a position of weakness but one of strength.
Since liberating South Africa from Apartheid, Nelson Mandela’s successors have fostered corruption and brought the country to ruins. What happened to the African National Congress? — Citations here: www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-how-south-africa-fell-apart-mandelas-fading-dream/
What should we do about racist statues? Tearing them down leaves a void in the public memory but leaving them up is an affront to decency. Could there be another way? — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-a-simple-slightly-insane-solution-to-racist-statues/ — Around the world, citizens are debating what to do about statues of slavers, imperialists, and prominent racists. At stake is how nations remember the crimes of their histories, and, in choosing how to remember them, what commitments they make to social justice going forward. Some call for complete removal of such monuments, while others insist that to get rid of them is to dismember history, but we think there’s a different way.
Some are wondering, is Italian Fascism back? Truth is, it never really died. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/italy-fascism-problem/ — Many believe that fascism in Italy died along with Mussolini’s fascist regime after World War Two. But it didn’t. Reborn immediately after the war as Movimento Sociale Italiano (Italian Social Movement) or MSI, and reinvented several times since, neo-fascist politics has persisted in Italy. So, while Giorgia Meloni may be Italy’s first far-right leader since WWII, she’s nothing new to Italian politics. The real question is — is she dangerous? And yes, she is. With the help of some democratic theory about the perils of presidentialism, we explain why.
Everyone knows Germany loved starting wars, but the reason why is weirder than you think. Special thanks to our good friend @Kraut_the_Parrot for voicing Napoleon. — Review our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/mini-doc-the-weird-reason-germany-loved-war-so-much/ — This video breaks down a surprising explanation of German militarism. More than anything, bureaucracy built the German war machine, and that same bureaucracy is, surprisingly, still the core of the modern government’s virtues. We are indebted to Francis Fukuyama for his unparalleled scholarship which fueled this video.
Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening to send Israel spiraling. We explain what’s happening, why, and what can be done. The story can help answer the common question, "Why does a democratic country need a constitution?" — Check out our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/israels-crisis-isnt-over/ — In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been aggressively pursuing transformative judicial reforms, in his words, to make Israel more democratic. Meanwhile, thousands have been taking to the streets for the past 15 weeks straight in the largest protests in Israel’s history. We explore the history of Israel’s founding to explain why this country is so strange and why it has no constitution. We’ll also take a look at the reforms and the coalition pursuing them to diagnose what risk these policies may pose to Israeli democracy. Turns out that when you invent a country out of thin air in the 1940s, it’s helpful to write a constitution!
You’ve heard it a thousand times, a thousand ways. “The media is against us.” But where does media bias come from, and can following the money give us the answers? — Check out our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/public-media-and-propaganda/ — Arguments over media bias, while a constant feature of politics, have recently burst into the limelight following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and his erratic policy-making and -unmaking regarding media labels, which blended, separated, then re-blended disparate outlets like the BBC, NPR, RT, Xinhua, and others. Confusion abounds and one question seems especially common – “who can we really trust?”
Refugee scientists gave America the bomb…then America turned on science. But why? — Check out our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/how-america-betrayed-oppenheimer/ — Oppenheimer is widely regarded as the father of the atomic bomb, but he didn’t do it alone. Scores of scientists were exiled from Germany, as anti-Jewish laws proliferated. America welcomed many of them, and this openness gave the country the tools it needed to win the race for the bomb. Unfortunately, though, it wouldn’t be long after victory in WWII that America set its sights on a new enemy: communism. Despite their enormous service to the country, many scientists were swept up in the anti-communist crusade and betrayed…including Oppenheimer.
In 1999, a new religious movement occupied China’s capital. The regime would never be the same. — Check out our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/how-a-cult-broke-chinas-government/ — Special thanks to Discord community member Jackqulen who helped me with Chinese pronunciation. Anything I get right is thanks to them; anything wrong is my fault.
Super PACs aren't just bad. They're a legal mistake. This video serves as an entry in the #CancelSuperPACs contest! — https://cancelsuperpacs.com/ In 2010, a lower court made a huge mistake that opened the floodgates of dark money, jeopardizing American democracy and radically driving up the risk of corruption in politics.
On January 23, 1999, five cultists self-immolated in Tiananmen Square. This is their insane story. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/fg-part-two/
On March 11, 2011, Japan faced a massive earthquake, a huge tsunami, and a nuclear meltdown. All things considered, they fared pretty well. Why? — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/how-japan-solved-earthquakes/
The murder of Olof Palme remains one of the most intriguing mysteries in Europe. Who did it? — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/Olof-Palme-Mystery/
Thanks to America, 2006 proved a turning point for Hamas. — Check out our sources: https://www.spectacles.news/vid-how-america-helped-hamas-conquer-gaza/
Toussaint Louverture was born a slave. He defeated Napoleon and liberated a nation. This is his story. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/vid-the-slave-who-defeated-napoleon/
Who killed Aldo Moro, and why? Our deepest thanks to Miller & Company, P.C. for generously lending us the Fiat 500 featured in this video — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/aldo-moro/
Every year New Zealand parties in Waitangi. This year was tense. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/happy-birthday-isnt-so-simple-in-new-zealand/
Maketū Wharetotara went on a killing spree, and New Zealand was born. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/how-a-quadruple-murder-made-new-zealand/
The Hawaii state capitol doesn't look like any other capitol in America. Why? — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/why-hawaiis-capitol-is-not-very-hawaiian/
Seriously, it was a really wild (and dark) year. The research for this video video relied extensively on the book Japan at the Crossroads, by Nick Kapur. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/japan-in-1960-was-insane/
Shinzo Abe was murdered almost two years ago, and Japanese politics still isn't the same. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/what-happens-when-an-assassin-wins/
These are the dark secrets of America's royal family. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/the-crimes-that-made-the-kennedy-dynasty/
Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan. Its popularity has a lot to do with the American occupation. Very special thanks to William Neal Dahlberg, who wrote an excellent and essential Masters thesis on this very topic and has allowed us to share it publicly with you all (it’s normally behind an academic paywall). If you want to learn more about democratization through sport in postwar Japan, here is the link! → https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aKPmb_FCYv2Y_V4yj7yjVSd4-wXNRpNv/view?usp=drive_link The rest of our sources and citations can be found below. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/who-needs-an-empire-when-you-have-baseball/
One of America's first gay elected officials found his home in San Francisco and spent the 1970s fighting tirelessly for gay rights. His murder and legacy transformed the movement for equality. — Citations here: https://www.spectacles.news/the-murder-that-reshaped-gay-rights-forever/
On December 1, 1934, Leonid Nikolaev entered the Smolny Institute. The Soviet Union would never be the same. — Check out our script and sources: https://www.spectacles.news/this-is-the-ussrs-jfk-mystery/
JD Vance is obsessed with death. Why? And does it matter? — Check out our script & sources: https://www.spectacles.news/why-wont-jd-vance-stop-talking-about-death/
In 1932, Japan witnessed a triple-assassination of leading figures. The consequences would prove beyond catastrophic. — Check out our script and sources: https://www.spectacles.news/japan-in-1932-was-insane/
In 1979, the FBI went undercover and executed the largest federal anti-corruption sting in American history. We've never seen anything like that operation since—but why? — Script and sources: https://www.spectacles.news/how-the-fbi-sent-congressmen-to-prison/
In 2003, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić was assassinated. The question was not who did it, but how it happened. — Script and sources: https://www.spectacles.news/how-the-fbi-sent-congressmen-to-prison/
In 1999, a strange Chinese cult gained Beijing's attention. They've been at war ever since. This video is a supercut of two older episodes best watched together.
Mao died. China got a little crazy.