Episode 40: The BLOB - Controlling the narrative

The first source, a book review, argues that the idea of a powerful and monolithic "Blob" controlling American foreign policy is inaccurate and that the argument that American foreign policy has failed is not supported by evidence. The second source, a blog post, critiques a book that argues that American foreign policy has been disastrous because of a "Blob" pushing liberal hegemony. The post argues that the United States has been relatively successful in foreign policy, especially in Europe and East Asia, and that while there have been mistakes, these are not the result of a "Blob" but rather the inevitable consequence of making grand strategy in a complex and uncertain world. The third source is an excerpt from a podcast, which discusses the "Blob" and its role in controlling the three pillars of power: diplomacy, defense, and intelligence. The speaker argues that the "Blob" is powerful and controls the narrative, and uses social media platforms to suppress dissent.