On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Robert Pape, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Founder of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats. He discusses the rise of violent populism in the United States and Americans increasingly turning on each other, the legacy media’s deliberate omission of facts that he has found about the new middle and upper class of violent populists in the United States, why Trump’s political survival is at risk because of the war on Iran, the Iran war escalation trap that has resulted in the war expand to Saudi Arabia & Yemen, Trump’s plan for escalation against Iran, why the odds of the use of a nuclear weapon against Iran have doubled, the normalisation of political violence in the United States and the impacts it will have both at home and abroad, what could cause a mutiny in the US Armed Forces, how skyrocketing economic inequality is causing the normalisation of political violence, and much more.

• (00:00:00) - Introduction and Gaddafi Anniversary Context
• (00:00:53) - Introducing Professor Robert Pape and His Book
• (00:01:57) - Violent Populism in America Explained
• (00:03:18) - Class Profile of Jan 6 Perpetrators
• (00:04:41) - Media Distortion of Political Violence Data
• (00:06:27) - Wealth Inequality Driving Violent Populism
• (00:07:27) - Media Responsibility and Social Media's Role
• (00:08:29) - The Escalation Trap and Trump's Iran War
• (00:10:28) - Spread of War to Saudi Arabia and Yemen
• (00:12:36) - Nuclear Weapon Risk Assessment
• (00:14:18) - Break
• (00:14:33) - Domestic Unpopularity of the Iran War
• (00:16:03) - Normalization of Political Violence
• (00:18:44) - Military Mutiny Risk and Insurrection Act
• (00:19:48) - Trump's Address to Flag Officers
• (00:21:45) - Legitimacy Shock Cycles and Normalization
• (00:23:14) - Multiple Fronts: War, Economy, and Elections
• (00:25:09) - The 70% Solution and No Kings Protests
• (00:27:49) - Closing Remarks and Show Sign-off