# Blowback (podcast)

Blowback is a podcast about American history and foreign policy hosted by Noah Kulwin and Brendan James, former producer, and frequent guest of Chapo Trap House.

## Format

The first season of the show was a ten part series dedicated to the Iraq War (codenamed "Operation Iraqi Freedom"). Throughout the show audio clips from MSNBC and CNN and readings of news reports are provided as well as satirical skits performed by H. Jon Benjamin. The second season of the show focuses on U.S. intervention before and after the Cuban revolution, such as Operation Mongoose, and includes more interviews with those who experienced the events discussed first hand. The third season of the show released in July 2022 and covers the events surrounding the Korean War. The fourth season of the show began its release in August 2023, discussing the American involvement in Afghanistan, touching on subjects which mainly focus on Operation Cyclone and its consequences. Season five released in September 2024 and covers the United States bombing campaign in Cambodia known as Operation Menu, the subsequent rise of the Khmer Rouge and the establishment of Democratic Kampuchea.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (2020)

While focused on the Iraq War, season 1 begins by examining the early relationship between the United States and Iraq. This includes the United States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War. In an interview with Gizmodo, when asked about the reasons for the United States invasion of Iraq, James responded, "to what extent the war was to profit off of a newly acquired Iraqi oil industry is a more of an interesting question. It certainly was the main reason why we targeted Iraq – not even just with the Iraq War in 2003, but in 1991. The reason that Iraq could even be in the position to piss America off was because we had made friends with it due to its status as a strong oil producer and its strategic position against Iran, another very strong oil producer".
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 0 | "Iraqnophobia" | 37:19 | March 16, 2020 (2020-03-16) |
| An introduction to the podcast and a look at the George W. Bush administration and family of Saddam Hussein. Featuring guests H. Jon Benjamin & James Adomian ||||
| 1 | "Rosebud" | 59:39 | June 15, 2020 (2020-06-15) |
| Taking a look at the origins of the United States' relationship with Iraq before and during the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq War, and Saddam Hussein's consolidation of power. ||||
| 2 | "American Psycho" | 62:42 | June 22, 2020 (2020-06-22) |
| Focuses on the presidential administrations of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as the Gulf War. ||||
| 3 | "Curveball" | 62:42 | June 29, 2020 (2020-06-29) |
| This episode discusses the transition from Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan to Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, as well as examining the September 11 Attacks as justification for war in Iraq. ||||
| 4 | "Mars Attacks" | 31:38 | July 6, 2020 (2020-07-06) |
| Secretary of State Colin Powell visits the United Nations to accuse Iraq and Saddam Hussein to have weapons of mass destruction ||||
| 5 | "Dead Links" | 61:49 | July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13) |
| Breaking down the media's coverage of the Iraq war. Featuring guest Will Menaker ||||
| 6 | "Year Zero" | 63:56 | July 20, 2020 (2020-07-20) |
| The fall of Saddam Hussein and the beginnings of the United States' occupation of Iraq. ||||
| 7 | "#Resistance" | 60:36 | July 27, 2020 (2020-07-27) |
| This episode covers anti-American resistance by both Sunni and Shi'a militants in response to operations in Fallujah and Sadr City as well as war crimes committed by the American occupation, with a focus on Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. ||||
| 8 | "Electioneering" | 59:09 | August 3, 2020 (2020-08-03) |
| The episode discusses the second presidential election of George W. Bush and an election in Iraq. ||||
| 9 | "How Do You Fuck That Up?" | 62:25 | August 10, 2020 (2020-08-10) |
| As Iraq breaks out into civil war, the United States begins a new offensive known as The Surge. ||||
| 10 | "The Iraq War Did Not Take Place" | 65:26 | August 17, 2020 (2020-08-17) |
| Examining the end of the George W. Bush administration, the continuation and end of the Iraq war under Barack Obama, the rise of ISIL, and the presidency of Donald Trump. Note: This episode's title was inspired by Jean Baudrillard's The Gulf War Did Not Take Place. ||||

#### Season 1 Bonus Episodes

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| Bonus | "Our Man In Baghdad" | 56:56 | August 19, 2020 (2020-08-19) |
| Featuring guest Dahr Jamail ||||
| Bonus | "Game Over" | 43:51 | August 20, 2020 (2020-08-20) |
| Featuring guest Felix Biederman ||||
| Bonus | "Iraqi Horror Picture Show" | 60:56 | August 21, 2020 (2020-08-21) |
| Featuring guest Matt Christman ||||
| Bonus | "The Anti-War Equation" | 43:31 | August 22, 2020 (2020-08-22) |
| Featuring guest Kathy Kelly ||||
| Bonus | "Shock Corridor" | 40:09 | August 23, 2020 (2020-08-23) |
| Featuring guest Naomi Klein ||||

### Season 2 (2021)

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 1 | "The Jupiter Menace" | 80:27 | April 18, 2021 (2021-04-18) |
| Introducing the historical players of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the United States' fascination with Cuba. ||||
| 2 | "Lo Hicimos" | 80:26 | April 18, 2021 (2021-04-18) |
| A brief history of Cuba–United States relations ending with the success of the Cuban Revolution and the fall of Fulgencio Batista. ||||
| 3 | "New Normal" | 76:33 | April 25, 2021 (2021-04-25) |
| As the new Cuban government takes power, the United States backs Cuban exiles like those in Brigade 2506. ||||
| 4 | "Secret Honor" | 75:38 | May 2, 2021 (2021-05-02) |
| As John F. Kennedy defeats Richard Nixon for the presidency, the CIA begins preparing for the Bay of Pigs Invasion ||||
| 5 | "Fish Is Red" | 59:30 | May 9, 2021 (2021-05-09) |
| The CIA executes the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which ends in failure. ||||
| 6 | "Nothing To Lose" | 62:42 | August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08) |
| After recovering from the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the CIA begins Operation Mongoose, a terror and assassination campaign waged in Cuba. ||||
| 7 | "Anadyr" | 72:38 | August 15, 2021 (2021-08-15) |
| In anticipation for another American invasion, the Cuban and Soviet relations strengthen. ||||
| 8 | "We'll All Meet In Hell" | 65:49 | August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22) |
| The United States makes it public knowledge about the existence of Nuclear weapons in Cuba, beginning the Cuban Missile Crisis. John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev begin negotiations. ||||
| 9 | "Cuba Libre" | 82:42 | August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29) |
| The Cuban Missile Crisis is resolved to the dismay of the CIA and Cuban exiles. ||||
| 10 | "Infinite Crisis" | 77:27 | September 5, 2021 (2021-09-05) |
| Examining Cuban-American relations after the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. ||||

#### Season 2 Bonus Episodes

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| Bonus | "Lo Distinto Se Parece" | 49:09 | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| Interviews with history professor Michelle Chase and Cuban scholar Marta Nuñez Sarmiento ||||
| Bonus | "Watch Out For That Boy" | 32:07 | July 11, 2021 (2021-07-11) |
| Discussion with experts about black radicalism and race in relation to Cuba and the revolution ||||
| Bonus | "CIAin't Kiddin'" | 39:10 | July 18, 2021 (2021-07-18) |
| Interview with Luna Olavarrio Gallegos about a failed US government attempt to infiltrate and co-opt the Cuban hip-hop scene ||||
| Bonus | "Massive Retaliation" | 30:13 | July 25, 2021 (2021-07-25) |
| Overview of the history of American nuclear weapons strategy at the time of the Cuban missile crisis ||||
| Bonus | "Sweet Dirt Tony's Badasssss Song" | 87:41 | August 8, 2021 (2021-08-08) |
| Discussion with Bill Corbett about bad depictions of Cuba in film. ||||
| Bonus | "Neverland" | 38:13 | August 1, 2021 (2021-08-01) |
| Interview with professor Nelson Valdes about Operation Peter Pan ||||
| Bonus | "The Capital Of Terrorism" | 68:15 | August 15, 2021 (2021-08-15) |
| Interview with immigration attorney José Pertierra about his experiences with Cubans in the Miami judicial system ||||
| Bonus | "The Most Beautiful Cause" | 36:47 | August 22, 2021 (2021-08-22) |
| Overview of Cuba's involvement in Africa with Cuban diplomat Oscar Oramas-Oliva ||||
| Bonus | "Havana (Derangement) Syndrome" | 44:37 | August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29) |
| Discussion with guests Helen Yaffe, José Pertierra, and Marta Nuñez Sarmiento about the 2021 Cuban protests ||||
| Bonus | "Red-Handed Sleight of Hand" | 41:56 | September 13, 2021 (2021-09-13) |
| Overview of the successful CIA orchestrated 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état ||||

#### Soundtrack

All music is composed by Brendan James as The Great Vorelli

### Season 3 (2022)

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 1 | "Stop Me Before I Kill Again" | 41:20 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| An introduction to the figures during the Korean War ||||
| 2 | "The Uninvited" | 71:17 | October 1, 2022 (2022-10-01) |
| A brief history of the Korean peninsula and its relationship with the United States and the Empire of Japan. ||||
| 3 | "The Blue House" | 66:52 | October 10, 2022 (2022-10-10) |
| A look at the brief moment post World War II that could have led to a unified Korea, but led to the establishment of North Korea and South Korea ||||
| 4 | "Red Island" | 57:42 | October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17) |
| Tensions break out on Jeju Island in South Korea, leading to the Jeju uprising. ||||
| 5 | "Train To Busan" | 79:06 | October 24, 2022 (2022-10-24) |
| The prelude to the Korean war begins with clashes between North and South Korean forces along the 38th parallel. ||||
| 6 | "National Smile Week" | 64:13 | October 31, 2022 (2022-10-31) |
| American General Douglas MacArthur begins a counter offensive. ||||
| 7 | "Mao's Poem" | 64:37 | November 7, 2022 (2022-11-07) |
| As the Korean War rages on, China enters the battlefield. ||||
| 8 | "American Caesar" | 82:18 | November 14, 2022 (2022-11-14) |
| President Harry S. Truman clashes with General Douglas MacArthur over use of nuclear weapons along the border between China and North Korea. ||||
| 9 | "No More Targets" | 74:13 | November 21, 2022 (2022-11-21) |
| The Korean War reaches a stalemate. ||||
| 10 | "The Host" | 96:32 | November 28, 2022 (2022-11-28) |
| A temporary ceasefire becomes essentially permanent. No peace treaty between North and South Korea is signed, and the Korean War becomes a dormant war. ||||

#### Season 3 Bonus Episodes

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| Bonus | "On Cinema With Kim Jong-Il" | 49:33 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Discussion with Anna Broinowski about her trip to North Korea, the cinema of the DPRK, and her film "Aim High in Creation" ||||
| Bonus | "Another Country Pt. I" | 29:38 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Historian of the Korean War Bruce Cumings on the years of Japanese colonialism and the origins of the Korean War ||||
| Bonus | "The Northmen" | 55:42 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Scholar Suzy Kim, on the nature of the DPRK's revolution, the differences between North and South, and women's role in the revolution ||||
| Bonus | "Another Country Pt. II" | 36:24 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Discussion with Bruce Cummings on the breakout of the war, Taiwan, and the destruction visited on the North by America ||||
| Bonus | "Might And Right" | 57:24 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Michael Brenes tracks the development of the Cold War economy, and how the Korean War helped solidify America's national security state ||||
| Bonus | "Germinal Pt. I" | 97:34 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Thomas Powell, writer and son of journalist John W. Powell, talks about the allegations of US germ warfare and his family's trials during the Korean War ||||
| Bonus | "Living Memory" | 61:29 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Journalist Tim Shorrock on the long history of struggle in South Korea, against dictators, military juntas, and the United States ||||
| Bonus | "Prisoners In Paradise" | 44:21 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Scholar Monica Kim talks about the key archetype that came out of the Korean War: the American POW ||||
| Bonus | "Germinal Pt. II" | 110:45 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Psychologist and writer Jeff Kaye explains the history of Japan's Unit 731 and allegations of US germ warfare in Korea ||||
| Bonus | "DMZ meets TMZ" | 52:24 | July 24, 2022 (2022-07-24) |
| Peace activists and writers Christine Ahn and Elizabeth Beavers talk about more recent US-Korea relations, from the Obama-era to Trump ||||

#### Soundtrack

All music is composed by Brendan James as The Great Vorelli

### Season 4 (2023)

James announced a fourth season on his Twitter account in December 2022, to be released in Summer 2023. Season four covers Operation Cyclone and its consequences, including the creation of al-Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks.
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 1 | "Snake Eater" | 43:34 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| An introduction to the Soviet–Afghan War and the United States backing of the Afghan mujahideen ||||
| 2 | "Bleeders and Dealers" | 70:41 | November 15, 2023 (2023-11-15) |
| The beginnings of the Soviet-Afghan War. ||||
| 3 | "The Trap" | 60:45 | November 22, 2023 (2023-11-22) |
| After the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, the Safari Club (a CIA backed intelligence group) begins coordinating with the Afghan mujahideen. ||||
| 4 | "They're Yours Now" | 70:08 | November 29, 2023 (2023-11-29) |
| Operation Cyclone and its consequences terrorize Afghanistan, and the Soviet-Afghan war ends. ||||
| 5 | "We Can Live With That" | 64:12 | December 6, 2023 (2023-12-06) |
| The rise of the Taliban and their consolidation of power. ||||
| 6 | "Ground Zeroes" | 64:23 | December 13, 2023 (2023-12-13) |
| Terrorists sponsored by the Taliban being spreading their operations across the world ||||
| 7 | "Guns of the Patriots" | 65:06 | December 20, 2023 (2023-12-20) |
| In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the United States begins the War in Afghanistan. ||||
| 8 | "Sons of Liberty" | 70:20 | December 27, 2023 (2023-12-27) |
| A deep dive into the use of contractors during the War in Afghanistan and their consequences. ||||
| 9 | "Peace Walker" | 70:29 | January 3, 2024 (2024-01-03) |
| President Barack Obama intensifies the use of drone warfare as his administration continues the War in Afghanistan. Despite Obama's promises to wind down the fighting, American bombing — including the Kunduz hospital airstrike — persists. ||||
| 10 | "The Phantom Pain" | 59:24 | January 10, 2024 (2024-01-10) |
| President Donald Trump begins negotiations with the Taliban and United States armed forces begin their withdrawal. The Taliban return to power after the Fall of Kabul (2021). ||||

#### Season 4 Bonus Episodes

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| Bonus | "Ahmed Rashid Part I" | 32:05 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| First part of an interview with Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid ||||
| Bonus | "Malalai Joya" | 48:44 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Interview with Afghan Feminist activist and politician Malalai Joya ||||
| Bonus | "Red Dawn, Red Scorpion" | 146:52 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| A discussion of the films Red Dawn and Red Scorpion ||||
| Bonus | "Ahmed Rashid Part II" | 23:57 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Second part of an interview with Ahmed Rashid ||||
| Bonus | "Fitzgerald and Gould Part I" | 39:02 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Interview with journalists Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould ||||
| Bonus | "Seymour Hersh" | 37:07 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Interview with journalist Seymour Hersh ||||
| Bonus | "Fitzgerald and Gould Part II" | 27:29 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Second part of an interview with Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould ||||
| Bonus | "Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out" | 16:36 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Discussion of the magazine Soldier of Fortune ||||
| Bonus | "Anatol Lieven" | 45:44 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Interview with scholar Anatol Lieven ||||
| Bonus | "Hassan Abbas" | 50:46 | August 25, 2023 (2023-08-25) |
| Interview with scholar Hassan Abbas ||||

#### Soundtrack

All music is composed by Brendan James as The Great Vorelli

### Season 5 (2024)

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| 1 | "The Wolves Are Closing In" | 44:42 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| A primer on the United States involvement in Cambodia during the Cold War. ||||
| 2 | "The French Connection" | 1:00:56 | December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20) |
| As World War II comes to a close, French Indochina begins rebelling which contributed to the end of the French colonial empire. ||||
| 3 | "Listen to the Thunder" | 1:11:05 | December 27, 2024 (2024-12-27) |
| Then Prince Norodom Sihanouk works on keeping Cambodia out of the Vietnam War. ||||
| 4 | "Mad Men" | 1:12:16 | January 3, 2025 (2025-01-03) |
| President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger begin plans for Operation Menu. ||||
| 5 | "The Last Tango In Paris" | 1:06:03 | January 10, 2025 (2025-01-10) |
| Prince Norodom Sihanouk is overthrown during the 1970 Cambodian coup d'état. The newly established Khmer Republic courts the United States' assistance in fighting the Khmer Rouge. ||||
| 6 | "Dream Warriors" | 1:11:09 | January 17, 2025 (2025-01-17) |
| A brief history of the Khmer Republic and the end of Richard Nixon's presidency. ||||
| 7 | "Less Than Zero" | 1:08:02 | January 24, 2025 (2025-01-24) |
| The Khmer Rouge take control of Cambodia after the Fall of Phnom Penh, cutting it off from the outside world. ||||
| 8 | "Third World War" | 1:11:05 | January 31, 2025 (2025-01-31) |
| Tensions between the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam begin to rise, leading to direct conflict. ||||
| 9 | "Le Cercle Rouge" | 1:07:36 | February 7, 2025 (2025-02-07) |
| Vietnam overthrows Democratic Kampuchea; the United States begins tacitly supporting the Khmer Rouge. Amidst the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia, China invades Vietnam, initiating the Sino-Vietnamese War. ||||
| 10 | "The Terrible But Unfinished Story" | 1:07:25 | February 14, 2025 (2025-02-14) |
| The monarchy of Norodom Sihanouk is restored and Cambodia begins to rebuild after the Khmer Rouge insurgency. ||||

#### Season 5 Bonus Episodes

| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date |
| Bonus | "Elizabeth Becker Part I" | 31:55 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| Part one of an interview with journalist Elizabeth Becker author of When the War Was Over ||||
| Bonus | "Syndicates" | 27:15 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| An overview of drug trafficking in South-East Asia. ||||
| Bonus | "Elizabeth Becker Part II" | 37:39 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| Part 2 of an interview with journalist Elizabeth Becker. ||||
| Bonus | "National Treasure" | 19:13 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| Examining the illegal trade of historical artifacts from Cambodia. ||||
| Bonus | "Marv Truhe and Perry Pettus" | 1:07:26 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| An interview with ex-JAG attorney Marv Truhe and member of the US Air Force Perry Pettus discussing the USS Kitty Hawk riot. ||||
| Bonus | "Vu Minh Hoang" | 1:45:24 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| An interview with Vu Minh Hoang, professor of history and Vietnam studies at Fulbright University Vietnam and research associate at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. ||||
| Bonus | "Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman" | 48:59 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| An interview with former New York Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman ||||
| Bonus | "Ben Kiernan Part I" | 36:21 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| Part one of an interview with professor Ben Kiernan of Yale University ||||
| Bonus | "Sy Hersh" | 34:58 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| An interview with investigative journalist Seymour Hersh who reported on the My Lai massacre and Operation Menu. ||||
| Bonus | "Ben Kiernan Part II" | 36:21 | September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) |
| Part two of an interview with professor Ben Kiernan. ||||

## Reception

According to Vince Mancini of UPROXX and Derek Robertson of Politico, Blowback was "painstakingly researched" and didactic in its approach, "bombarding the listener with the host's sturm-und-drang argument about the Iraq War as a portal to hell that directly caused our modern-day political ills". In a comparison of Blowback and Slow Burn, Slate's podcast about the Iraq War, Derek Robertson of Politico described Blowback as "an unapologetically left-wing re-examination of the war's many causes and ongoing effects". Jake Greenberg of Podcast Review wrote that "Blowback is an excellent piece of history, one that documents the misadventures, deceits, and war crimes" of the Iraq War. Podcast Review called the topic of the second season "a tremendous fit for James and Kulwin's style". In a review from Jacobin, Blowback is described as being "thoroughly contextualized, fully explained, blow-by-blow account of how and why the United States government ginned up a case for war in Iraq — all the junk intelligence, media manipulation, and diplomatic arm-twisting — and what happened when our military got there."
Boing Boing praised season 2, saying "James and Kulwin demonstrate diligent and expansive research, compiling audio interviews and newspaper reports from that time, consulting existing historical monographs, as well as contemporary interviews with participants that shed light on new information as well as complicating the inherited narratives about these wars."
In a review for season 3, James Greig wrote in Jacobin that "Blowback, while interested in excavating history, is ultimately about how these events and strategies still shape politics today and continue to determine which countries the United States positions as villains." Jake Cole, writing for Hyperallergic, emphasizes this, "The voluminous background detail and interest in the far-reaching impacts of foreign policy could easily lend itself to conspiracy-minded extemporization, but James and Kulwin never make an assertion not backed up by considerable evidence. This also armors them against potential backlash to their openly leftist bias.