9.06.15: War Plan Red, Liberland, & Mexican Coke

At 5,525 miles, the US and Canadian border is the longest and friendliest in the world, but the long relationship between the two nations is not without conflict. Today, a history of US-Canadian skirmishes and why a war between neighbors isn’t out of the question. Then, with immigration a focal point in the presidential primary circuit, a commentator takes a tongue in cheek look at the rarely talked about immigration crisis that’s playing out north of the border. Plus, one man’s dream to create a libertarian utopia on 3-square miles of mosquito-infested marshland.

Listen to the full show. 

It turns out that there have been a few scrapes and some bad blood between the rowdy US and its polite northern neighbor, Canada. Kevin Lippert is the author of War Plan Red:the United States’ Secret Plan to Invade Canada and Canada’s Secret Plan to Invade the United States.

Immigration reform has a prominent place in every presidential candidates stump speech this primary season. And while all eyes are on Mexico, one commentator would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our northern neighbor. Bill Curryis a columnist forSalon and has served as a Connecticut State Senator, public policy lawyer and was counselor to the Clinton White House, where he worked as a domestic strategist. 

Gideon Lewis-Kraus is a writer and contributor to New York Times Magazine – where he recently profiled Liberland, a piece of undesirable land wedged between Serbia and Croatia, and its charismatic founder.

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Anne Glusker wrote about the complicated past of Mexican Coke for Smithsonian.com, and she spoke with us about how the hubbub around Mexican Coke is based on myth. 

You can also learn more about the history of Mexican Coke at the Smithsonian's American Enterprise exhibition. 

Update: We tried a blind taste test comparing American and Mexican Coke, with surprising results. 

In 1959, set against the background of the Cold War, a new form of diplomacy - and a friendship - blossomed between two very unlikely people - Roswell Garst, an Iowan farmer and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. BackStory producer Andrew Parsons brought us the story. 

You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.