Rania Khalek Dispatches

Trump's return is not just a political comeback—it's a warning. As the tendency towards fascism gains strength in the U.S., what does that mean for the world's most powerful empire? And what kind of resistance can actually stop it?On this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by Eugene Puryear to break down what rising fascism looks like in an American context, from the weaponization of ICE to the collapse of international law in Gaza, and why anti-imperialism must be at the heart of any movement that wants to fight back.They explore the legacy of US empire, the limits of liberalism, and the dangers of accelerationist fantasies as Gaza burns and the global order unravels.Watch the full episode by becoming a patron: Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

The European Union isn't just complicit in the U.S. empire — it's helping drive it. In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek speaks with Marc Botenga, a Belgian Member of the European Parliament with the Workers' Party of Belgium, about how Europe became a willing footsoldier for NATO's wars, U.S. economic domination, and Israel's genocide in Gaza.Botenga doesn't mince words. He calls Europe's role in Gaza a European genocide. He explains why supporting peace in Ukraine is taboo, how censorship is expanding under the pretext of fighting antisemitism, and why some of the European left is drifting into militarism.As one of the only anti-imperialist voices in Brussels, Botenga breaks down what it means to resist from within the halls of EU power, how “green colonialism” is dressed up as climate policy, and why hope, and international solidarity, still matter.Watch the full interview and support independent journalism: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews 

Israel and its apologists claim they're committing slaughter in Gaza to protect Jews and prevent another Holocaust. But that's a scam.Historian of Palestine Zachary Foster joins @RaniaKhalek on Dispatches to discuss. He exposes how the pro-Israel establishment in the Jewish American community is helping the Trump administration weaponize antisemitism to justify genocide in Palestine and fascist policies at home, and how empire is using Judaism as a human shield for imperial conquest.The full episode is available only to Breakthrough News members. To support our work and get access to more exclusive interviews, become a member at:https://Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews 

The Gaza genocide isn't just happening on the ground. It's being enforced through code, algorithms, blacklists, and billion-dollar tech firms.Meta is censoring the truth. Microsoft is complicit in the genocide machine. AI is targeting students. Rupert Murdoch's empire manufactures the lies to justify it all.This isn't the future, it's now. And the fight for Palestine is the front line of a global war on dissent.Rapper and activist Lowkey joins Rania Khalek on Dispatches to expose the machinery of techno-fascism, the empire's digital mask, and the collaborators who hide genocide behind cries of free speech.Watch the full episode, available exclusively to patrons of Breakthrough News:https://Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Farah Nabulsi joins Rania Khalek on Dispatches to talk about her powerful new film The Teacher, an emotional and political drama set in the occupied West Bank.Inspired by true events, The Teacher follows a Palestinian schoolteacher as he confronts personal trauma, settler violence, and the capture of an Israeli soldier by the resistance, forcing impossible moral decisions that reflect the brutal reality of life under military occupation.The film captures the full spectrum of colonial violence, from land theft and demolitions to military raids and daily humiliation, and it does so without reducing Palestinians to one dimensional victims or symbols. It's raw, grounded, and quietly revolutionary.

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches with Ali Abunimah, executive director of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine.They dive into Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, the global silence enabling it, and why this brutal new phase was always Zionism's endgame. From U.S.-funded fascism abroad to rising repression at home, nothing is off the table.

Israel's genocide in Gaza has triggered a global crackdown on dissent, with Western governments not only enabling the atrocities but also waging war on human rights and free speech. Join a special live episode of Dispatches with Rania Khalek as Craig Mokhiber, former director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, unpacks the ongoing genocide, the fascist assault on pro-Palestine voices across US campuses, and the unprecedented erosion of international law.

Najla Said joins Dispatches to talk about Palestine, identity, and the challenges of growing up Arab and American in a country that doesn't always make space for that kind of hyphenated identity.Najla is an actor and writer who's used storytelling to explore themes of belonging, displacement, and resistance. She's also the daughter of Edward Said, one of the most influential intellectuals of our time, whose work and teachings at Columbia University continue to shape how we understand colonialism, culture, and Palestine. But Najla isn't just carrying on a legacy; she's carved her own path, speaking with honesty, humor, and heart.In this episode, Najla and Rania Khalek discuss:What it was like growing up as Edward Said's daughter while trying to fit into a culture that loves Israel and prioritizes its supporters over the trauma of Palestinians.Watching the crackdown on pro-Palestine students at Columbia, a place that felt like home to her family for so many years.Navigating the entertainment industry, which is often hostile to Arab and Palestinian voices.How the genocide in Gaza has reshaped her view of the world, this country, and what's possible for the future.To watch the full episode, become a Breakthrough News member at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews.If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to help get the word out!

Macklemore, musician and Executive Producer of the new documentary 'The Encampments,' joins the show to discuss the upcoming film. It follows activists Mahmoud Khalil and Grant Miner as they organized the Columbia student encampment for Gaza—an action that sparked an international student movement against Israel's genocide nearly a year ago.In theaters now, visit the-encampments.com for showtimes and to book your tickets.

Neoliberalism is collapsing. Imperialist hegemony is cracking. And the liberal center has no answers.In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by renowned Marxist economist Prabhat Patnaik to break down the multiple overlapping crises facing global capitalism. From Trump's “America First” contradictions to the rise of neo-fascism, the failure of sanctions, and the assault on working people, Patnaik explains why only the Left can offer a real alternative. 

Western media has played a central role in justifying and whitewashing Israel's assault on Gaza—just as it has done in past U.S.-backed wars from Iraq to Syria. Journalists who claim to champion press freedom are silent as activists and students face unprecedented repression for speaking out on Palestine. Why does the media function as a propaganda arm for empire, and how do we push back?Rania Khalek is joined by Assal Rad, a scholar of Modern Middle East History, a non-resident fellow at DAWN, and the author of State of Resistance: Politics, Culture & Identity in Modern Iran, to break it all down.Full episode available exclusively for Breakthrough News members. Support independent media and watch the full conversation at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNewsRead Assal Rad's latest piece: https://dawnmena.org/how-western-media-has-manufactured-consent-for-atrocities-from-iraq-to-gaza/ Like, share, and subscribe to help Breakthrough News challenge mainstream propaganda!Music Bed License:MB01LVVE0BBVFNN

The past several days have seen horrifying sectarian massacres in Syria. Over 1,000 people have been killed, mostly Alawites and some Christians, in Latakia and Tartus. The perpetrators? Sectarian death squads from HTS, led by Syria's new president, Mohammed al-Jolani—formerly the leader of Al-Qaeda in Syria.Western media is whitewashing these atrocities, falsely framing them as “revenge” against pro-Assad remnants. But the truth is clear: Syria is now controlled by Salafi jihadists who openly target minorities. How did this happen? What is the reality on the ground? And why is the media complicit in covering up genocide?Veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier joins Dispatches for a special live episode to break down the facts the media won't tell you.

Trump's people are reshaping the US political system, gutting institutions, while selling scores with all enemies foreign and domestic. But is their push for mass deportations, and the abolition of DEI, the Department of Education, USAID and other soft power institutions really in the ruling class's long term interests. Are we witnessing the collapse of an empire, or simply a reactionary reconfiguration of power? And how should those of us who oppose U.S. imperialism make sense of these contradictions?To break it all down, Rania Khalek is joined by Breakthrough News editor-in-chief Ben Becker.Watch the full episode by becoming a patron: Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

The field of psychoanalysis has long colluded with Zionism, justifying Israeli crimes while pathologizing Palestinian resistance. Lara Sheehi, an assistant professor of clinical psychology and author of “Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine,” was targeted for being unapologetically anti-Zionist. She joins Rania Khalek on Dispatches to discuss Zionist repression, psychological warfare, and the fight for decolonization.

Trump's return isn't just chaos, it's a calculated strategy. While liberals dismiss him, Trump understands raw economic power in a way centrists fail to grasp. What is his master plan, and how could it backfire?Meanwhile, Musk & other billionaires are the new ruling class. As capitalism dies, we enter technofeudalism, where corporate overlords control entire infrastructures of power.And in Europe, elites literally cried over the U.S. pivoting away. Does Europe have any real sovereignty left?Yanis Varoufakis joins Rania Khalek to break it all down.

Syria is entering a new phase, and the regional balance of power is shifting. Gulf states, Turkey, and Israel are recalibrating their strategies, while the U.S., Russia, and China assess their next moves. Iran and Hezbollah, once deeply entrenched in Syria, are now facing new challenges. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its presence in the occupied Golan Heights, and Trump is pressuring Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians expelled from Gaza.Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, joins Rania Khalek to break down these developments and what they mean for the region.

For decades, U.S. imperialism has operated not just through military force but through a vast system of economic coercion, media manipulation, and covert operations. The World Bank, IMF, and USAID present themselves as tools of development, but in reality, they enforce American dominance under the guise of aid.Now, with Trump and Musk cutting USAID, many see this as a shift, but in reality, it's just a restructuring of the empire. What does this tell us about the evolving strategies of imperialism? How does economic warfare, soft power, and media complicity allow the U.S. and its allies to maintain control with minimal backlash?Investigative journalist Matt Kennard, co-founder of Declassified UK and author of The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs. The American Empire, joins Rania Khalek to expose how U.S. and British intelligence operations, including spy flights over Gaza, are deeply entangled with global imperial control.

Following the Gaza ceasefire, Israel is already preparing for its next round of ethnic cleansing with full Western backing. Pro-Palestine activists are facing escalating repression, Trump is pushing a new ethnic cleansing plan, and Israel's increasing resemblance to fascist regimes is impossible to ignore.Rania Khalek speaks with Tony Greenstein, a Jewish anti-Zionist, Marxist, and anti-fascist activist, about the historical roots of Zionism, the weaponization of the Holocaust, and the imperialist crackdown on Palestine solidarity.

The Palestinian resistance has defied overwhelming military force in Gaza, adapting and surviving despite Israel's strategy of genocide and starvation. What does this war teach us about asymmetric warfare, military resilience, and the future of anti-colonial resistance? Why has Israel failed to eliminate Palestinian fighters despite its apocalyptic destruction of Gaza? And how has the regional Axis of Resistance, from Yemen to Lebanon, reshaped the battlefield?To discuss all this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by author and host of the Anti-Empire Project Justin Podur on Dispatches.

In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by author, historian, and journalist Vijay Prashad to discuss how the West's increasing reliance on violent repression, from Gaza to Cuba, signals not strength, but desperation. Prashad dissects the moral collapse of Western imperialism and the challenges facing the Global South as they navigate an era of “hyperimperial” aggression.

Rania Khalek was joined by historian Ussama Makdisi to discuss 15 months of genocide in Gaza. They explore academic complicity, Gaza's “scholasticide” (the deliberate destruction of Gaza's educational institutions), Israel's expansion into Syria and the Golan Heights, the history of Arab Jews, and the future of resistance in the region.The full interview is available to Breakthrough News Members only. You can become a member at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews. Ussama's article discussed in the episode: https://newfascismsyllabus.com/opinions/the-catechism-debate/atonement-at-the-expense-of-another/Follow the Makdisi Street Podcast, co-hosted by Ussamma, here: https://youtube.com/@makdisistreet?si=lMFydkP1PuQ-PHOo

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches w/ Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.” 

The year 2024 has seen so much loss from Gaza to Lebanon, it can be easy to fall into despair. Despite its recent gains, Israel still cannot win, says Palestinian writer Susan Abulhawa. Abulhawa is a novelist, poet, activist and author of many books, including "Mornings in Jenin." This is just part of this episode. The full interview with Rania Khalek is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Seismic shifts accross the middle east over the last year, from the genocide in Gaza, to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria to the killing of Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, will reshape the region and force changes in the way resistance operates. Rania Khalek was joined by Bashir Saade, an Interdisciplinary Lecturer in Politics and Religion at the University of Stirling and author of the book “Hizbullah and the politics of remembrance.” 

To discuss developments in Syria and the region, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.

In an unprecedented move, the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Ashish Prashar, political strategist and former advisor to the Middle East peace envoy.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches with Lebanese journalist Ghadi Francis. 

Congressional Rep Jamaal Bowman joined Rania Khalek to discuss the bipartisan AIPAC-funded campaign to push him out of office, his evolution on Palestine, his views on the Biden administration and what comes next.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

BT's Rania Khalek sat down with Housam Fares, a Lebanese American man who lost 15 members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on south Beirut in late September. His wife Ayat Ayoub explains how her family is displaced across the country. Their town in the south of Lebanon has been totally destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. 

Since Israel's creation the Zionist project has carried out acts of terrorism against its neighbors in increasingly depraved ways. To discuss Israeli terrorism and how its impacting Palestine and Lebanon today, Rania Khalek is joined by Professor As'ad Abukhalil for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches with Lebanese journalist Ghadi Francis. 

Israel is trying to invade Lebanon while carpet bombing large swaths of the country. But so far, Hezbollah has demonstrated it is still a strong resistance force despite some recent setbacks. What comes next?  To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

As Israel unleashes a catastrophic war on Lebanon, many are perplexed by the country's politics, divisions and potential for civil war. To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Lebanese medical doctor and public health researcher Anis Germani. This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Israel, with the full backing of the U.S., claims to be massacring civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon in self-defense. Does this have any legal merit? What about the rights of Palestine and Lebanon? To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by longtime human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek of Breakthrough News sat down with Cuba's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs during the UN General Assembly. They talked about the US blockade on Cuba, the rise of the right across the Americas, the genocide in Gaza and the dangers it poses to the world, and more. 

Israel's assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and carpet bombing attacks on Lebanon have shocked the region and the world. What comes next?  To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

What's the history of Israel's genocidal ambitions and the indoctrination that it requires in the Jewish community? Is Zionism really about protecting Jews or does it actually pose a danger to them? What's the history of Gaza, Hamas and the timeline of Israel's violence against them? To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by Zachary Foster, a historian of Palestine. This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

The Israelis created a public health crisis in Gaza that has led to the reemergence of polio. To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Lebanese medical doctor and public health researcher Anis Germany. This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Alana Hadid — activist, designed and creative director of the newly-launched Watermelon Pictures — joins Rania Khalek to discuss the Democratic Party's campaign strategy to suppress and ignore Israel's genocide in Gaza. 

Rania Khalek was joined by Egyptian activist Rahma Zein to discuss the genocide in Gaza. This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches w/ Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.” 

To discuss Israel's intensifying atrocities in Gaza, including its weaponization of rape, Rania Khalek was joined by Miko Peled, the son of an Israeli general and the head of the newly established Palestine House of Freedom in Washington, D.C. Peled is the author of “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.”This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Israel's assassination spree across Iran and Lebanon amidst its ongoing genocide in Gaza has brought the  Middle East closer to the brink of regional war. To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

To discuss the recent North Korean treaty with Russia, new threats from the U.S. and the untold history between North Korea and Palestine, Rania Khalek was joined by Ju-Hyun Park, a member of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, an anti-imperialist organization of Koreans in the U.S. for Korean  reunification and national liberation. They are also engagement editor at The Real News.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.Nodutdol just launched their new national U.S. out of Korea campaign, which you can learn more about here: https://usoutofkorea.orgYou can watch the last episode with Ju-Hyun on Dispatches here: https://youtu.be/acZVbISIZg4?si=1rnwtZWjK4ruSj2C 

To help us understand the view from Lebanon about the genocide in Gaza, Rania Khalek was joined by influential journalist Ghadi Francis.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To help us understand the view from Lebanon about the genocide in Gaza, Rania Khalek was joined by influential journalist Ghadi Francis.This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Nine months into an active genocide in Gaza, Rania Khalek is joined by Mouin Rabbani, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies.

How did the US end up with a two-party dictatorship? Are Trump and Biden really the only options? Does lesser evil voting work? If it's meant to prevent the worst case scenario, then how come it didn't prevent the genocide in Gaza? Is third party voting really as useless and fascist enabling as Democrats say? To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by BT's Eugene Puryear. This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss the Zionist movement's untold history of collaboration with fascism, including Nazi Germany, Rania Khalek was joined by Tony Greenstein, a longstanding Jewish anti-Zionist, Marxist and anti-fascist activist from the UK and author of “Zionism During the Holocaust: The Weaponization of Memory in the Service of State and Nation.”Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Is the fierce resistance to the genocide in Gaza a sign of an imperialist system in crisis? What are the various anti-imperialist fronts aligned against the US around the world and what is China's role? What are the characteristics and contradictions of the US-led imperialist order and in what ways are the chickens coming home to roost in the imperial core? To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Nina Farnia, Assistant Professor of Law at Albany Law School, a longtime activist and a scholar of Critical Race Theory, with a focus on US imperialism and its impact on domestic law. Her forthcoming book is called “Imperialism: An American Story.”Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content. 

Israel's leadership looks increasingly irrational and desperate as they seek to escalate on all fronts, eyeing Lebanon next. What would an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah look like in the Levant and across the region? To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier.Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.