985 - The Murder Inc. Doctrine feat. Greg Grandin (11/10/25)
As we inch closer to war with Venezuela, historian Greg Grandin returns to Chapo for a history lesson about the War on Drugs as well as Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. We also talk about the US’s long-running economic interests and petty feuds in Latin America, particularly regarding the region’s oil supplies. We then briefly speculate about just how bad and chaotic a regime change operation against Venezuela might be for the US and Latin America.
Comments (65)
So neither regime change nor chickening out: it was all for pure, pointless spectacle
The US is the largest Narco State in history. Hell, it's a Narco Empire.
Fuck Greg Grandin and his Chomsky apologia
This guy has cool uncle energy
At least we can all sleep a bit more soundly that the USS Betty Ford is on its way to stage an intervention so Hegseth can finally get the help he so desperately needs.
This guy is so engaging
Insightful and honest. Inspiring me to purchase the book. Thx!
That was great, I like this greg feller
Dawg, im not sure about this one. I fuck w/Chavismo, but if all it takes is some fuckery w/oil prices to permanently ruin your economy and expose you to the ravages of sanctions, you haven't really built a sustainable social program.
i generally listen when they post cuz i wake up early then fall back asleep. all i heard was rubio rubio rubio. gotta relisten
Rubio has colonial governor mutinied and tied to a rock at sea energy
K
I’m about halfway through America, America. It’s very very good. Big fan of Greg
i appreciate his writing that he does give a sobering view of the world in a materialist framework, but also you can feel his optimism and love of humanity through his work. thats rare for a historian.
When will Rod’s adventures with the Groypers get its due? https://open.substack.com/pub/roddreher/p/what-i-saw-and-heard-in-washington?r=z09ix&utm_medium=ios
yeah this should be in next ep cmon chapo ROD UPDATE
Idk what accent this is but it’s my favorite one. If the AI sounded like this guy I’d be doomed.
Talkin bout Felix
Really good guest
What Venezuela has been able to accomplish under economic siege is a inspiration honestly much like Cuba they've drastically improved the lives of regular Venezuelans. As Americans we have to not only oppose this but defend their revolutions and dispell the propaganda. Which means talking to your family and friends about this stuff
During interviews Felix is like me at a work meeting... Make sure to bring up one point early so you can coast the rest of the meeting.
Being a principled anti imperialists is the only serious position
As important and influential as Grandin is, he’s not much different than other Anglo academics who can’t seem to understand that you can’t transform a former cash crop colony into a diverse and flourishing Euro social democratic state. The accusations against Chavez and Maduro’s economic policies are shallow. Both of them created socialist and collectivist policies and organizations that continue to thrive and be popular.
ehhhhhh
Iraq war was justified by projecting things that are true about Israel onto Iraq, and now we see it happening again with Colombia (Israel south) and Venezuela in a kind of tragedy/farce doom spiral that has actually been churning for 75 years. It’s finally hopped over the Atlantic and can start rolling up the americas into our front yards.
Grandin’s last book is really good
he keeps saying bush like peter sellers in dr strangelove can't stoo himself from addressing truman as his fuhrer
Let’s go Grandin
Do u guys think 100 years ago at the treaty of Versailles they thought the world would get this retarded
they didn't foresee how retarded we would be within 20 yrs,uch less 100
Very intelligent and interesting guest, but I couldn't help but hear Walt Tremblay the entire time. Not a bad thing
Anything less than full support for the Venezuelan Revolution is consent manufacturing doesn’t matter if it’s your favorite podcast or the mayor of New York City
Speed boat dope
Venizwhaler
Guatamaller
I have extended family members that are expat Venezuelan. Love them and everything but they are complete psychos who just blow off any kind of context to why an invasion of their country is so dangerous and not really going to solve any of the problems they claim to have with the government
They probably think we’d liberate them like we did Europe from the nazis when really our involvement would look more like mass bombings like we did to the Japanese, Koreans, or the entire Middle East. Propaganda really goes a long way.
"They're not bombing the Sackler family house that's for sure" For some reason I felt like that particular line really drove home the point.
Felix begins speaking at 9 minutes and 44 seconds.
John Monroe by far my fav potus. Ibrahim Lincoln very close 2nd
Max Blumenthal had an interesting interview recently with one of the mercenaries involved with the failed 2020 coup. The take away from Trump 1 was that there were multiple parallel attempts to overthrow the Maduro regime. The insinuation of the mercenary is that one of the rival factions within the Trump administration "ratted" him and his group out effectively foiled the operation, because the rival Trump faction wanted to have the inside track on the spoils from a regime change operation. Who knows what the actual truth is, but the story sounds plausible given Trump's management style.
"Use the one right tool for the job."
I’m going to steal Venezueler
Thirsty Little Marco has been a public figure for most of my conscious memory. This isn’t a moral or sympathetic argument, but that thumbnail image of him made me feel the slow erosion of life that aging brings.
Felix: I don’t want to stay for this. Will: You will stay for this. Felix: I want to stay for this.
I love it when the chapo episode is the least interesting guest imaginable jabbering on for the vast majority of the run time with the chapo boys adding nothing to the conversation
Grandin is one of the greatest American historians who ever lived. He’s won the Pulitzer Prize for history, has been nominated another half dozen times, has multiple National Book Awards, and is truly the most interesting and engaging non-fiction writer I’ve ever encountered. Who the fuck are you?
Silent Envoys for Quiet Missions.
Murder is legal again!!!
“The world should be broken up into spheres of interest with different power centres.” Perfect illustration of how the rise of a “multipolar” world order will not mean the end imperialism.
Aw shit I was really banking on that
Truly the best GG. Platonic ideal GG
Much better genitals than GG Allin, certainly
Great timing
I feel like an unexplored aspect of the conflict over Venezuela is the literal mountain of uranium that exists in the Venezula-Guyana border region that Jonestown may or may not have been sitting on top of. And the role that uranium supply may have played in the development of Iran's nuclear program.
It doesn't matter anymore. We just do stuff.
Episode 985? Getting pretty close to 1000. Wonder what they have planned.
Tom Meyers reveal as official 3rd mic
I think it's chilling and terrifyingly accurate how you guys framed this not as a war as we know it, but a spree killing. I don't know how much more clear that can be than when Trump literally says "We aren't going to go to war. We're just going to kill people. They're going to be, like, dead." Like any good serial killer knows you have to spread out your killings and have a good enough cover story, but like the guest says eventually they go through this phase where they lose any sense of consequence. This really does feel like the US got too much dip on their chip and is going through that last berzerker mode flare-out before they get caught.
caught (what does this mean now) by whom?
GG in the trap = banger
War Nerd coded EP, love it
100% Maybe the most War Nerd Chapo has ever been
Delicious
this is huge, glad you guys got Greg back