Podcast Summary: The Realignment – Episode 584 | Shadi Hamid: A Skeptic's Case for American Power (Dec 2, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Realignment features a probing conversation between host Marshall Kosloff and guest Shadi Hamid, a Washington Post columnist and author of "The Case for American Power." Despite Hamid's progressive and anti-war credentials, he presents a nuanced argument affirming America's continued necessity and legitimacy as a leading world power. Their dialog tackles generational skepticism, critiques from the left, moral responsibilities of progressives, the impact of American engagement (and disengagement), the health of democracy, and the challenge of making American power—and patriotism—relevant and principled in a turbulent, realigning era.

Key Discussion Points

1. Shadi Hamid’s Unlikely Case for American Power

• Background & Motivation (02:43)
  • Hamid roots his perspective in left-wing critiques, personal heritage (Egyptian-American), and moral reckoning with US policies, especially in the Middle East.
  • Despite a critical view of America’s past, he asserts, “America is the last best hope... the best available option compared to the other options.” (03:53)
  • The US is not perfect, but it has unique capacity for moral action, internal change, and global benefit.
  • Hamid’s evolution: from anti-war protestor to someone who sees engaging with power (while accounting for America’s “sins”) as a moral responsibility.

2. The Lack of Alternatives and the Reality of Power

• Power Vacuum Dilemma (06:55)
  • Marshall and Hamid discuss the lack of a viable alternative to US leadership: “There just is no alternative... Europe follows the lead of America... our competitors... are Russia and China—brutal dictatorships that suppress their own people.” (06:55, 07:30)
  • Structural reality: “Power is a reality; someone must wield it.” (08:18)
  • Resignation from global involvement is not viable; compared to US “even pretending to be moral” is something most other powers lack.

3. Progressive Skepticism and Moral Responsibility

• Leftists & Power (11:01)
  • Being a progressive means not ignoring global suffering. To make a difference, “you have to get your hands dirty, otherwise you’re just abdicating your moral responsibility.” (11:51)
  • The left’s habitual opposition is “often the easier position... the harder path is to actually contend with the realities of power.”
• Critique of Anti-war Purism
  • Hamid argues against leftists who remain in opposition or reject involvement in government, saying moral purity without engagement abdicates real change.

4. Agency, Democracy, and Overcoming Cynicism

• Past Mistakes vs. Future Choices (15:28)
  • Critiques that US power is inherently evil are “presumptuous... it is up to us, how we choose to use that power.” (16:25)
  • The US is unique in being able to change course through democracy—a privilege not extended in autocratic regimes.
• Democracy as the Answer (26:48)
  • Restoring faith in the US project means reminding Americans of their agency: “Don’t talk about democracy like an MSNBC Boomer... talk about it as: ‘Hey, you can participate, you can just do things.’” (26:48)
  • Elections shouldn’t define faith in the nation; pessimism and catastrophizing sap actual participation and optimism.
  • Concrete examples: referencing Zoran Mandani’s (presumably fictional) surprise win as proof of system responsiveness (28:46).

5. Moral Complexity of American Engagement—Israel and Gaza

• On Gaza/Israel (20:13)
  • Hamid: “If [a good outcome for Palestinians is] not backed by American power, it’s probably not going to happen.” (20:13)
  • Even imperfect US involvement constrains worse actions by others: “If the US washed its hands of Israel entirely, there's a chance Israel would be even more brutal than it, than it actually was.” (20:23)
  • Emphasizes need to compare reality to plausible alternatives, not to an idealized America.

6. Patriotism, Self-Loathing, and Political Realignment

• Losing Faith in America (23:45)
  • Polls show decreasing pride among Democrats: from 90% in early 2000s to 36% in 2025. (22:00)
  • Hamid warns against letting criticism of specific policies become general self-loathing and fatalism: “If we fall into that mode of self-loathing... how are we going to be able to advocate for our country?” (22:50)
• Centrism and Its Limits (58:57)
  • Both discuss how centrism, while stabilizing, “doesn’t get the juices flowing,” and that even centrists and moderates must articulate optimistic, affirmative visions of improvement (60:15).

7. Making the Case for Power—‘What is the End Goal?’

• Status Quo vs. Improvement (57:35)
  • Marshall: “I desperately want a status quo preserved—that doesn't involve great powers behaving the way they behaved before World War II.” (57:38)
  • Hamid: Recognizes major achievements (spread of democracy, relative peace), but insists on continued reform—especially US foreign policy toward dictatorships and balance on Israel/Palestine. (59:10)
  • “To be a progressive means... the world can improve, that America can improve, and that American foreign policy can be better than it actually was before.” (62:06)

8. Agency, Privilege, and Discontent

• Why Radicals Are Winning Arguments (48:42)
  • Fuentes, the radical right, and what happens when the “establishment” fails to win ideas debates, even if radicals lack electoral strength.
  • Hamid: “As abhorrent as he is, we have to take Nick Fuentes seriously as representing something real.” (48:42)
• Personal Privilege: Both hosts reflect on how their own positions—stable, privileged, connected—make it harder to viscerally relate to populist anger, but recognize the need to “check their privilege” and understand grievances. (50:35)
• Meaning Beyond Politics (53:10)
  • Hamid: “Basic keys to happiness are available to everyone: friends, family, faith, community... There are ways to live a meaningful life outside of politics.” (53:10)
  • Warns against overinvesting meaning in politics or radical ideologies.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the "Sins" of America and Its Uniqueness:
  • “I want to account for our sins in the past, but also say that America is morally superior to other countries and that we as Americans should be... open about saying, hey, we're America. This is our country, we're proud of it, we think it's better, and we want it to be better.” — Shadi Hamid (04:36)
• On Being Progressive and Power:
  • “If progressives want to be moral, they have to contend with power... It's actually prioritizing your own moral righteousness over the practical work of helping people.” — Shadi Hamid (12:55)
• On Comparing America to Alternatives:
  • “When you're making that comparison, you're always going to be disappointed. We have to compare the world as it is, and then the fact that it could be worse, instead of comparing America as it is to this kind of idealized version of America.” — Shadi Hamid (21:27)
• On Democracy and Agency:
  • “If you don’t like the way our country is run, you actually can just elect someone... There is actually this process.” — Marshall Kosloff (24:16)
  • “If Donald Trump wins, it's not actually a negation of our democracy. It actually shows that, hey, people were angry about the status quo. They didn't like the establishment, and they expressed themselves accordingly.” — Shadi Hamid (27:11)
• On Decreasing Patriotism Among Democrats:
  • “Democrats in the early 2000s, about 90% of them said they were either extremely or very proud to be American, that number has dropped down to 36%... It's such a crazy result polling wise.” — Shadi Hamid (22:00)
• On Status Quo, Centrism, and Needed Optimism:
  • “Centrism just doesn't get the juices flowing and the emotions... You need to get people's emotions engaged.” — Shadi Hamid (60:15)
  • “To be a progressive means that you think that the world can improve, that America can improve, and that American foreign policy can be better than it actually was before.” — Shadi Hamid (62:06)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Framing – 00:00–02:43
• Hamid’s Personal Evolution & Motivation – 02:43–05:47
• Debating the Absence of Alternatives & the Burden of Power – 05:47–09:13
• Left vs. Right Populist Skepticism & the Morality of Aid – 09:13–13:35
• Critiquing Historicism—Are Mistakes Inevitable? – 15:28–18:51
• Agency, Democracy & Youth Disenchantment – 23:45–29:59
• On "Most Important Election" Rhetoric & Party Responsiveness – 33:42–37:21
• Comparisons to Right-Wing Radicalization & Nick Fuentes – 44:57–48:42
• On Privilege, Agency, and Radical Politics – 50:35–54:42
• Closing: What is the End of American Power? – 57:35–62:06

Conclusion

In an era where skepticism toward American power is at an all-time high, especially among young progressives, Shadi Hamid argues the moral and practical necessity of American engagement. The discussion challenges listeners to balance justified criticism with responsibility, to distinguish between patriotism and perfectionism, and to recognize both the immense gravity—and possibility—embedded in American democracy and global leadership. The episode stands as an honest, critical, and—at times—hopeful blueprint for reconciling the American left’s conscience with the realities of 21st-century power politics.

Recommended: Shadi Hamid’s book—The Case for American Power