All Episodes

November 3, 2025 61 mins
The United States is facing a “crisis of legitimacy”, explained James Scaminaci III, PhD, an expert on fourth-generation psychological warfare. James earned his PhD from Stanford University, specializing in political sociology. I have done two previous interviews with him and wanted him to weigh in on current developments. He has a background as a former U.S. Naval intelligence officer, with specific expertise in the Soviet / Russian fleet. Additionally, James served as a senior civilian intelligence analyst at the European Command’s Joint Analysis Center. I was honored to invite him back to discuss Fourth-Generation Warfare (4GW) and its influence on our current political struggles in the United States and worldwide. He referenced the work of sociologist and political scientist Martin Lipset, who served as chairman on his dissertation committee, “One, the government’s effective, right? It performs well. It does its basic functions. It protects the people and gets the economy moving, etc. Everybody knows what that is, but then he said the second source of stability is the legitimacy of the political system.” James noted other essential factors as well, such as that individual values “are consistent with the values of the political system.” He discussed how the Christian Right currently sees the nation in a “spiritual warfare” scenario, thus exposing a conflict of cohesive values that threatens the legitimate services system. He noted that while this may not be a new phenomenon from a psychological perspective, we may be reaching an inflection point in the direction of destabilization. “The language changes, the means of communication have developed from the fax machine to memes on the internet, but it’s still psychological warfare, and it’s still getting in your mind and undermining the legitimacy of the United States government,” he said. This is a relly important interview! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you’ve become a hero. Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton. Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early. Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.