In episode 10 of season two, Steven Mock discusses the complex topic of nationalism and its effects on domestic and international politics. As the author of the upcoming book, Symbols of Defeat in the Construction of National Identity, Mock goes on to explain how symbols of unsuccessful historical events have been mythologized to strengthen states' conceptions of their national narrative. In the global arena, nationalism may seem irrational and even mystical at times but must be taken seriously as a vital political force, Mock argues