Podcasts about Arab Spring

Lindsey Hilsum is the International Editor for Channel 4 News, where she has worked for over 25 years. Having started her career as an aid worker in Latin America, she transitioned to journalism, and she has now reported from six continents for over three decades. She has covered many major conflicts including Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and across the Middle East during the Arab Spring. Her third book I Brought the War with Me: Stories and Poems from the Front Line is out now. On the podcast Lindsey tells Katy Balls about starting out her career in Guatemala and in Kenya, what it was like being the only English-speaking journalist in Rwanda when the genocide broke out in 1994, and why she is drawn to studying human behaviour in extreme situations. She also talks about her surprising link to flat screen TV technology, how journalism has changed from cutting up clippings from a typewriter to modern open-source intelligence techniques and the place she would most like to travel to – the past. Having always carried a book of poetry with her on her travels, she also reads a favourite included in her new book: The Child at the Window by Siegfried Sassoon.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons. 

Lindsey Hilsum is the International Editor for Channel 4 News, where she has worked for over 25 years. Having started her career as an aid worker in Latin America, she transitioned to journalism, and she has now reported from six continents for over three decades. She has covered many major conflicts including Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and across the Middle East during the Arab Spring. Her third book I Brought the War with Me: Stories and Poems from the Front Line is out now. On the podcast Lindsey tells Katy Balls about starting out her career in Guatemala and in Kenya, what it was like being the only English-speaking journalist in Rwanda when the genocide broke out in 1994, and why she is drawn to studying human behaviour in extreme situations. She also talks about her surprising link to flat screen TV technology, how journalism has changed from cutting up clippings from a typewriter to modern open-source intelligence techniques and the place she would most like to travel to – the past. Having always carried a book of poetry with her on her travels, she also reads a favourite included in her new book: The Child at the Window by Siegfried Sassoon.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons. 

Is the world on the brink of World War 3? In this explosive conversation, Jason Dev Baidya dives deep into the current state of geopolitics and global conflicts, exploring the role of AI in modern warfare, political assassinations, and the shifting power dynamics across the world. We analyze historical events like the JFK assassination conspiracy, Epstein Island scandal, and US involvement in Bangladesh politics, shedding light on how past incidents shape today's international policies. With growing tensions in China, India, and Nepal, we discuss Nepal's security threats and whether it poses a risk to its neighbors. We also break down controversial topics like the Hindu Rashtra movement in Nepal, the future of democracy vs monarchy, and the reforms needed in Nepal's political system. Additionally, we examine global banking system flaws, the impact of COVID on businesses, and the consequences of migration on global politics. The conversation also uncovers secretive operations like Operation Olympic Games, cyber warfare, and the Arab Spring's geopolitical impact. How is AI being used in assassinations? What are the hidden influences behind wars? And what does the future hold for Nepal's government policies and economy? Watch now to uncover the truth behind these pressing global issues.

Is the world on the brink of World War 3? In this explosive conversation, Jason Dev Baidya dives deep into the current state of geopolitics and global conflicts, exploring the role of AI in modern warfare, political assassinations, and the shifting power dynamics across the world. We analyze historical events like the JFK assassination conspiracy, Epstein Island scandal, and US involvement in Bangladesh politics, shedding light on how past incidents shape today's international policies. With growing tensions in China, India, and Nepal, we discuss Nepal's security threats and whether it poses a risk to its neighbors. We also break down controversial topics like the Hindu Rashtra movement in Nepal, the future of democracy vs monarchy, and the reforms needed in Nepal's political system. Additionally, we examine global banking system flaws, the impact of COVID on businesses, and the consequences of migration on global politics. The conversation also uncovers secretive operations like Operation Olympic Games, cyber warfare, and the Arab Spring's geopolitical impact. How is AI being used in assassinations? What are the hidden influences behind wars? And what does the future hold for Nepal's government policies and economy? Watch now to uncover the truth behind these pressing global issues.

In this episode of Capital for Good we speak with Michael Posner, the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance at NYU's Stern School of Business, director of the school's Center for Business and Human Rights, a long-time leader in the field, luminary thinker, advocate, former State Department Official, and the author of the new book, Conscience Incorporated. We begin with Posner's early interests in international human rights issues, sparked in law school when he was tasked with investigating atrocities in Uganda under Idi Amin. He lays out the principals of early, post-World War II and UN inspired human rights law focused on universality, and the responsibility of governments to promote, protect and enforce human rights. Notably absent from this early framework is the role of business. Posner explains that his interest in the intersection of human rights took shape when he began to observe that large multinational corporations had a critical role to play, particularly when they operated in weak states that lacked the ability to protect human rights. We discuss why companies should care, fundamentally, about human rights on ethical dimensions (“outsourcing might be a smart business strategy, but you can't outsource responsibility if you're the main economic beneficiary,”) and because there are material costs that can arise from irresponsible practices, often reputational crises and/or regulation. We explore the deficiencies of various business frameworks: how and why Milton Friedman's shareholder primacy worldview fails to account for environmental and social externalities and a broader set of stakeholders; how and why ESG conflate environmental and social considerations and emphasize risk rather than meaningful performance on issues like climate change or worker protections. Posner suggests that this moment of backlash against all things ESG, DEI and “woke capitalism” offers us an opportunity to do better. We touch on sometimes complex tensions between climate change and human rights concerns, acknowledging that climate change can only be solved if we transition to a lower carbon economy, with the scale up of renewable energy and the development of technologies like electric vehicles, which in turn rely on things like batteries. We know that today batteries are reliant on inputs like critical minerals, long mined in ways and places rife with human rights challenges, and today often controlled by Chinese companies. China is also the world's largest and lowest cost producer of solar panels, and much of that production occurs in Xinjiang, with forced labor of the Uyghur ethnic minority. Posner discusses a number of ways to better integrate climate and human rights considerations. Before opening the floor to audience questions, we discuss the evolution of technology and human rights issues. When Posner was at the State Department from 2010 to 2012, he had a front tow seat to the Arab Spring and the “Facebook Revolution,” witnessing how activists used social media to fight authoritarianism. Although he says he still believes in the power of technology to open up political discourse, he has become much more concerned about issues of data privacy, surveillance, harmful violent and incendiary content, information and disinformation, and ways in which companies try to shield themselves with first amendment (to which they are not legally subject) to avoid more vigorous content moderation or human rights engagement. We conclude with the role of corporate leaders when it comes to human rights. While Posner notes he is typically conservative about how much executives should speak out on specific issues, he believes strongly that “business leaders need to be attentive and active if there are fundamental threats to our democracy.” This episode of Capital for Good was recorded as part of Social Impact Week 2025, a week of social impact-related events for the Columbia Business School community, organized by the Social Enterprise Club, Green Business Club, Community Impact Club, and LEO Impact Fund. Thanks for Listening! Subscribe to Capital for Good on Apple, Amazon, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Drop us a line at socialenterprise@gsb.columbia.edu.  Mentioned in this Episode Conscience Incorporated: Pursue Profits While Protecting Human Rights The Fair Labor Association

International Arrivals speaks with multi-disciplinary artist Lara Baladi (Egypt/Lebanon) (tahrirarchives.com). Baladi discusses Tahrir Cinema” an influential public pop-up cinema that served as a platform where filmmakers, artists, activists and civilians could share their stories during the 2011 Egyptian uprisings, aka Arab Spring. She talks about the current atmosphere in Egypt and censorship in the arts. Emphasizing the voices of the people, Vox Populi, Tahrir Archives her continuing project, includes a series of artworks and publications. The culmination of which is  Anatomy of Revolution, an ABC and Archive of Revolting. This project (a website and series of installations), offers a visual lexicon of resistance and global protests and speaks to the importance of archiving as resistance itself. This discussion touches on the impact of social media, and artistic strategies employed during times of upheaval.  Baladi's project Anatomy of Revolution, which aims to reinterpret historical narratives through a collaborative platform, involves workshops in the context of art spaces, conferences, and universities, focusing on the importance of visual connections in making complex information accessible to facilitate research, and critical thinking.

This week, Alan and Lionel discuss alarming threats to global press freedom with guests Jodie Ginsberg and former war correspondent Peter Greste.As an award-winning journalist with Al Jazeera, Peter was reporting on the Arab Spring when he was arrested under charges of terrorism. He shares his story of being wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt for 400 days (later dramatised in the film The Correspondent).Jodie, director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an American nonprofit organisation, also highlights the increasing dangers facing journalists in the US, including attacks on public broadcasting and legal threats.In the face of mounting pressures, how can young reporters find hope? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Shortino, Former Acting U.S. Executive Director at the IMF, joins Mike Shanley to discuss the role of the IMF and U.S. Executive Director, how the IMF assesses political risk, IMF engagement in emerging and frontier markets, and insights for business expanding into new markets. BIOGRAPHY: Elizabeth Shortino recently served as the Acting U.S. Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international financial institution charged with promoting international monetary and financial stability and growth. In this role, Ms. Shortino represented the United States at the IMF Executive Board and advanced U.S. interests on a range of issues, including IMF lending to strategic countries such as Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan and other; IMF surveillance of global markets and growth; and all IMF institutional and policy issues. Prior to working at the IMF, Ms. Shortino spent 20 years in public service at the U.S. Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget covering international economic and development issues. She served as Director for the International Monetary Policy office and led Treasury's staff engagement and coordination on all G7 and G20 Finance Track issues, including communique negotiations, designing and advancing the U.S. agenda for its p. Ms. Shortino also oversaw the Treasury stance on all IMF policy issues and country lending programs. Prior to this role, Ms. Shortino managed the Office of Middle East and North Africa and helped coordinate an international response amongst the G7, Gulf partners, and international financial institutions to support countries undergoing democratic transitions as part of the Arab Spring. She also oversaw U.S. Treasury economic engagement in strategic countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, and negotiated U.S. sovereign loan guarantees to several Middle East countries. Prior to joining the U.S. Treasury, Ms. Shortino worked at the Office of Management and Budget covering international and defense spending and served as a management consultant for Cap Gemini and at Ernst & Young. Ms. Shortino holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in International Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. LEARN MORE: Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Global Strategy Podcast with Mike Shanley. You can learn more about working with the U.S. Government by visiting our homepage: Konektid International and GovDiscovery AI. To connect with our team directly, message the host Mike Shanley on LinkedIn.

Jim talks with John Robb about the ideas in his recent essay "Blitzing DC," about how a networked organization took over Washington. They discuss the early roots of network warfare in Iraq, McLuhan-esque societal rewiring, open source dynamics & plausible promise, the Arab Spring & Occupy movements, empathy triggers, Trump's 2016 campaign as a hybrid swarm, The_Donald as a meme amplifier, the Blue Network's counter-response, the George Floyd protests & moral framework, censorship & 'the long night', digital rights & moderation, the Ukraine conflict & swarm response, the Red Network reconfiguration, digital ledgers & truth-seeking accounts, the professionalization of Red digital warriors, network decision-making at a societal level, the government contracting corruption, defense procurement issues, the D.C. area wealth concentration, the future of network organizations, and much more. Episode Transcript Global Guerrillas (Substack) JRS EP 254 - John Robb on What Went Wrong with America "Blitzing DC," by John Robb "The Open-Source War," by John Robb (New York Times) "Musk and Moderation," by Jim Rutt (Quillette) John Robb is an author, inventor, entrepreneur, technology analyst, astro engineer, and military pilot. He's started numerous successful technology companies, including one in the financial sector that sold for $295 million and one that pioneered the software we currently see in use at Facebook and Twitter. John's insight on technology and governance has appeared on the BBC, Fox News, National Public Radio, CNBC, The Economist, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek. John served as a pilot in a tier-one counter-terrorism unit that worked alongside Delta and Seal Team 6. He wrote the book Brave New War on the future of national security, and has advised the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NSA, DoD, CIA, and the House Armed Services Committee.

Bismillahi Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon the best of messengers, our master Mohammad, and upon all his family and companions... Bukhari extracted in his Sahih on the authority of Muhammad Bin Ziyad that he said, I heard Abu Hurairah (ra) say: that the Prophet (saw) said, or he said: Abu Al-Qasim (saw) said: «صوموا لِرُؤيتِهِ وأَفْطِرُوا لرؤيتِهِ فإنْ غُـبِّيَ عليكم فَعُدُّوا ثَلَاثِينَ»“Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break it on sighting it. But if (due to clouds) the actual position of the moon is concealed from you, you should then complete thirty days.” After investigating the new moon of Shawwal on this blessed eve of Sunday, the sighting of the new moon has been confirmed according to the Shariah requirements. Accordingly, tomorrow, Sunday, will be the first day of the month of Shawwal and the first day of the blessed Eid al-Fitr. On this occasion, Hizb ut Tahrir extends its sincere congratulations to the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of blessed Eid al-Fitr, asking Allah to bring it back next year with its state established, its Deen empowered, and its honorable Islam glorified. I also extend special congratulations, on behalf of myself and the Head of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir and all the brothers and sisters working in its departments and units, to the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the eminent scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah (may Allah protect him). We ask Allah (swt) to grant him success in fulfilling the glad tidings of the Messenger of Allah (saw) of the establishment of the second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly-Guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood at his hands. While we are pained by the decades-long scourge of wars that have plagued our Islamic Ummah, as one de-escalates another erupts, decimating its people and claiming their lives—not least is the brutal war that has been ongoing against our people in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, 2023—we nevertheless anticipate a change that is beginning to unfold, transforming the state of the Islamic Ummah from one of killing and humiliation to one of victory and glory, and, Allah willing, bringing an end to the Ummah's tragedies. Since the Arab Spring revolutions, then Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa and the fall of the criminal Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic Ummah has been in a state of turmoil and conflict with the reality imposed upon it by the West. It has become more acutely aware of the ugliness of this reality and more eager to free itself from it. It has grown closer to Islam, becoming stronger and more determined to confront its rulers in an attempt to reclaim its authority from them. The Ummah has experienced the toll of remaining under the yoke of agent regimes. It has witnessed with its own eyes the rulers' squandering of its wealth to the kuffar, colonialist West, their abandonment of it and its causes, their prevention of armies from mobilizing to rescue Palestine from the clutches of the criminal Jews, the blatant Western interference in its religion and its integrity, and the attempt to force it to bow its head to the Jewish entity, leaving it with the choice between normalization and death. All these scenes and events have made it realize that without the rule of Islam, it will remain colonized, targeted, and humiliated. Its conviction of its need for a Khilafah (Caliphate) state has been strengthened, and indeed, the Khilafah (Caliphate) has become its quest. By the grace of Allah, the Ummah has begun to find its way and no longer accepts postponing the implementation of Islam as a way of life. It has a clear and blatant aversion to secularism. In Ash-Sham, it is demanding that its new rulers declare it purely for Allah alone, and in all the lands, it is monitoring them, asking Allah to grant them success and guidance. The West is at its weakest point in controlling the Ummah, and therefore it is at its fiercest,

In this week's Gaslit Nation bonus show, we're joined by Olga Lautman, an expert on the Russian mafia. Her Substack, Trump Tyranny Tracker, is a vital resource documenting Trump's war against America, and the global war of fascism vs. democracy.    Olga made headlines recently by exposing connections between Trump's National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, and Russia, connected to SignalGate. (We call it the Kremlin Klown Kar for a reason!) Olga breaks down the implications of SignalGate and Trump's Putin-backed war against our democracy.     We also discuss a disturbing trend: an anti-war Russian scientist at Harvard was detained at immigration and faces deportation back to Russia, where she could be imprisoned or worse. This escalates alarm bells that the Trump regime is “disappearing” people, starting with the most vulnerable.    Olga offers insights on recent victories like the historic Democratic win in deep-red Trump country in Pennsylvania, as well as Trump's ongoing efforts to suppress votes and carry out his next coup. We also discuss whether to stay and fight or flee the country.   Stay and fight! Fleeing abroad, especially this early, is like obeying in advance.    Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make this show without you! To listen to the full episode and get all bonus shows, all shows ad-free, and more, be sure to join our community on Patreon.com/Gaslit - discounted annual subscriptions are available.    Show Notes:   Tell Gov. Kathy Hochul NO mask ban in New York state! https://action.aclu.org/send-message/say-no-mask-bans-new-york   Signalgate: Trump Tries To Dodge Explosive National Security Scandal | All Of Them Should Be Fired https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihHU3IVVrfM&t=552s   Don't miss out on our upcoming Gaslit Nation book club discussion and more. For all the details, check the show notes! For March, we're reading Gene Sharp's revolutionary handbook From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond. Our March 31st salon at 4pm will open with a book club discussion of Dictatorship to Democracy. For April, we're reading (if you haven't already!) Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower, and May's book club pick is Total Resistance: Swiss Army Guide to Guerrilla Warefare And Underground Operations. Get ready to make some good trouble!  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community 

What's the best way to fight evil? Laugh at fascist idiots and keep hunting Nazis, with your camera and the power of your voice.    This week, we're honored to welcome legend Sandi Bachom, an award-winning documentary filmmaker of such powerful films as Telling Jokes in Auschwitz and a Getty Images contributor whose work has appeared in acclaimed films like Laura Poitras's All The Beauty and All The Bloodshed, Danny's Strong's Dopesick, and Alex Gibney's Crime of the Century. But Sandi isn't just behind the camera—she's on the frontlines, documenting Nazis, like Trump's MAGA rallies, and the Charlottesville tiki torch march where Heather Heyer was murdered. Sandi was also at the Capitol on January 6th, capturing Trump's violent coup attempt in real time, footage used by the January 6 committee in Congress.  Stay loud. Stay brave. And as always—get ungaslit.    Join the Resistance Gaslit Nation Book Club: This Monday, March 31st at 4 PM ET, we're discussing From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp—the handbook that inspired revolutions from Ukraine to the Arab Spring. Grab your copy in the show notes and join us!  Share Your Story: History is unfolding now—and we need your eyewitness accounts. Take our Reject Hypernormalization Survey (linked in the show notes) to combat gaslighting and preserve the truth.   This week's episode is sponsored by Factor: Eat smart with Factor. Get started at FACTOR MEALS.com/gaslit50off to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.    Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Take Gaslit Nation's Reject Hypernormalization Survey https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/survey-reject-hypernormalization   Read or listen to for free: Gene Sharp's From Dictatorship to Democracy https://archive.org/details/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_1306_librivox   Patti Smith clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxqhg6z-t9o   Humiliation as Propaganda: Videos of Shackled Detainees Have History in El Salvador https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/americas/deportation-videos-el-salvador.html Amid ‘DEI' purge, Pentagon removes webpage on Iwo Jima flag-raiser Pages celebrating Navajo code talkers and other minority service members were also erased. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/03/17/pentagon-dei-native-american-iwo-jima/     Olga Lautman unmasks the making of a Russian/Trump group chat: https://x.com/OlgaNYC1211/status/1904344536521797806   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.  Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal groupavailable on Patreon.  Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet?: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/survey-reject-hypernormalization Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community  

Here's the first half of our recording of Monday's Gaslit Nation Salon with Dr. Lisa Corrigan, author of Prison Power: How Prison Politics Influenced the Movement for Black Liberation, and Black Feelings: Race and Affect in the Long Sixties. Dr. Corrigan is the Director of the Gender Studies Program at the University of Arkansas, and Affiliate Faculty in both African & African American Studies and Latin American and Latino Studies. The full discussion was over two hours, with Dr. Corrigan staying on to answer listeners' questions. Patreon supporters can find the full two-hour video recording of our discussion at Patreon.com/Gaslit. See you at Monday's salon at 4pm ET with Rise and Resist!  If you need to channel your rage and grief, especially after this recording, be sure to read Gaslit Nation's book of the month, From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp, which has inspired revolts around the world. Consider contributing in any way you can to crucial state races like Josh Weil's campaign in Florida and Judge Susan Crawford for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Every act of love and solidarity for our families and communities—whether it's showing up to protests, making calls, or donating what you can—makes a real difference. Gaslit Nation's salon on Monday at 4pm will be co-hosted by Rise and Resist, the protest group haunting Elon Musk's nightmares. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community  Show Notes: Meet Dr. Lisa Corrigan https://gender-studies.uark.edu/directory.php?uid=lcorriga Prison Power How Prison Influenced the Movement for Black Liberation https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/B/Black-Feelings Black Feelings Race and Affect in the Long Sixties https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/B/Black-Feelings Trump and Musk pluck $80M in funding authorized by Congress from NYC's bank account: The federal government took funds from the city's bank account and called it a “clawback” of taxpayer money. A lot of other people would call it stealing. https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-elon-musk-new-york-city-fema-funds-rcna192255 From Dictatorship to Democracy: https://archive.org/details/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_1306_librivox Josh Weil for Congress https://joshweil.us/ Judge Crawford for Wisconsin Supreme Court https://www.crawfordforwi.com/    

What's the easiest way for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to invade Canada? Simple: Have voters sit out the upcoming election and let Pierre Poilievre become Prime Minister. If you're Canadian—especially if you live abroad—now's the time to get organized. Make sure you and at least five of your family and friends have a plan to vote. Not sure if you're registered? Check here! Voting from abroad? Double-check your registration and make sure you've got everything you need by visiting this link. In this week's Gaslit Nation Canada Super Special, we're joined by the amazing Leigh McGowan from Politics Girl, plus Marcus Kolga, a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and human rights advocate. Marcus is an expert on Russian and Central/Eastern European issues and Kremlin disinformation. He regularly shares his insights in top publications like The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Maclean's, and The Atlantic Council. Marcus also played a crucial role in the Canadian campaign for the Magnitsky human rights sanctions and has helped drive similar efforts in Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, and Australia. His expertise has taken him to testify before parliaments in the UK, Australia, and Canada, covering everything from Russian disinformation to Interpol reform. Currently, he's a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad. This week's bonus show will be our live discussion with Dr. Lisa Corrigan, author of Prison Power: How Prison Politics Influenced the Movement for Black Liberation and Black Feelings: Race and Affect in the Long Sixties. Dr. Corrigan is the Director of the Gender Studies Program at the University of Arkansas and also teaches in both African & African American Studies and Latin American and Latino Studies.   Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 17 4pm ET – Dr. Lisa Corrigan joins our Gaslit Nation Salon to discuss America's private prison crisis in an age of fascist scapegoating  March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.  Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.  Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community    Show Notes: Ways to Vote in Canada https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=vote&document=index&lang=e How Canadians Can Vote Abroad https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/living-abroad/elections-faq Meet Politics Girl https://www.politicsgirl.com/ Meet Marcus Kolga https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/cm-expert/marcus-kolga/ Nadia Guerrera for Parkdale–High Park https://nadiaguerrera.ca/  Clip: Dropkick Murphys call out a Nazi at their Boston show https://bsky.app/profile/meidastouch.com/post/3lkhxscnvws2x Clip: Stephen Marche on why the US can't occupy Canada https://bsky.app/profile/jimmyalto.bsky.social/post/3lkgixldo6s2t Want to topple a dictator? Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480x270/p08qz3w0.jpg.webp

Just months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been rocked by an eruption of violence. Coastal towns have turned into killing fields, with forces aligned with the government accused of massacring hundreds of civilians from religious minorities. The Syrian online space is also littered with misinformation - part of an information war that is inciting sectarian fear and deepening divisions, in a country still raw from years of civil war and decades under a brutal regime. Lead contributors: Zaina Erhaim – Journalist Ahmad Primo – Founder, Verify Syria Ola Suliman – Campaigns lead, The Syria Campaign Rim Turkmani – Syria research programme director, LSE On our radar: The Trump White House is waging an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on university campuses. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Mahmoud Khalil - a Columbia graduate and, in theory, permanent US resident, who now faces deportation. ICE's PR blitz: Immigration raids as entertainment In Trump's America, immigration enforcement isn't just policy - it's a spectacle. With ICE raids increasingly staged for the cameras, and journalists given front-row access to capture dramatic arrests, is it law and order or a made-for-TV performance? The Listening Post's Tariq Nafi explores the media's role in shaping the immigration debate. Featuring: Patrick Bet-David – Host, PBD podcast Michelle Garcia – Journalist and author Abraham Paulos – Deputy director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration

What's the Republican spending bill all about? It's an extremely dangerous powergab engineered by Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House and dirty lawyer who came up with the legal strategy to try to overturn the 2020 election. The Republican spending bill essentially grants legal protections to Trump and Musk's ongoing illegal mass purge, to protect them against court orders–one of the last levers of power we have left. Any Democrat who votes for this is complicit in Trump and Musk's tech-backed coup, illegally mass firing federal workers to replace them with an A.I. surveillance state. This week's episode continues our conversation with Gil Durán of the Third Reich and FrameLab newsletters on Controlled Opposition—those Vichy Democrats who refuse to stand up to the fascist Republicans in power. But why? What's in it for them? In a dictatorship, no one is safe—not even former allies like Putin, who've found themselves mysteriously falling out of windows or exploding mid-air. Why are some Democrats still playing the role of complicit bystanders? The Senate is gearing up to vote on the extreme Republican spending bill, which slashes life-saving programs like Head Start and community health centers, while funneling billions to the Pentagon and Homeland Security. At a time when Trump is threatening to invade Canada and Greenland, and ICE is denying due process to green card holders like Mahmoud Khalil, the stakes couldn't be higher. The bill also cuts Washington, DC's budget—an attempt to punish the city for daring to protest Trump's corrupt regime. But here's the thing: shutting down the government doesn't empower Trump or Musk—it forces Democrats to get on the front lines and expose the Republican spending bill for what it really is: a power grab designed to protect Trump and Musk's illegal tech-backed coup. There's hope, though. While Trump and Musk face a future of justice (their approval ratings are plummeting), we need to keep fighting back.  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes:  The Nerd Reich https://www.thenerdreich.com/    FrameLab https://www.theframelab.org/   Chuck Schumer and Senate Dems are expected to help advance the GOP spending bill, which Republicans say would let Trump defund whatever projects he wants https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-republican-cr-budget-bill-nightmare-democrats-1235296004/   The 10 Democrats who voted to censure Rep. Al Green are misreading the moment https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/al-green-trump-resistance-democracy-rcna195314   Crypto cash is flooding the 2024 election. Here's who's benefiting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/crypto-firms-candidates-house-senate-election-2024/   Facebook cofounder Sean Parker illegally damages redwood forest for fantasy Game of Thrones wedding https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/crypto-firms-candidates-house-senate-election-2024/   Rep. Al Green Speaking in Congress https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3ljo4v6aip223   Congressional Supporters of Al Green Sing “We Shall Overcome” in Congress https://bsky.app/profile/ariellaelm.bsky.social/post/3ljqoabwcps2i   Some Democrats Endorse Bill Allowing Elon Musk to Create His Own Currency The GENIUS Act is the first pro-crypto bill Republicans want to rush through this Congress. Thanks to industry money, several Democrats are ignoring the bill's major problems. https://prospect.org/power/2025-03-10-some-democrats-endorse-bill-allowing-elon-musk-create-own-currency/   These 10 Democrats voted to censure Al Green https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5180324-10-house-democrats-censure-al-green/   Announcement! Are you concerned about what the broligarchy is doing with your data but feeling overwhelmed by all the tech? Do you get frustrated by the erosion of your sense of privacy and yet are unsure of what steps you, as a non-techie individual, can do?    Join us on Monday April 7th for a special edition of the Gaslit Nation salon when representatives from the Gaslit Nation Security Committee will share a plan for taking control of your data, protecting your privacy, and regaining data sovereignty in an age of surveillance capitalism.    This presentation will be geared towards non-techies and will help you prioritize steps you can take today to secure your data. Attendees will receive the following documents in a PDF: surveillance awareness self-assessment, prioritized action plan checklist, a calendar for the first thirty days of taking control of your data, and a copy of the presentation slides.   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 17 4pm ET – Dr. Lisa Corrigan joins our Gaslit Nation Salon to discuss America's private prison crisis in an age of fascist scapegoating  March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community 

How do we fight back against the broligarchs? Journalist Gil Durán, of the must-read newsletters Nerd Reich and FrameLab, shows the way, in this week's Gaslit Nation.    Jean-Paul Sartre's famous line, “Hell is other people,” from his play No Exit, written in Nazi-occupied France, captured a grievance that mirrored the era's ideological clashes—fascism, communism, and isolationism, often overlapping and competing, fueling Stalin's genocides, the Holocaust, and World War II. The solution to sharing society with others, it seemed, was elimination: kill them.    This is why democracies rely on tolerance—you don't have to like my existence, but you must let me exist in peace. Yet today's tech oligarchs, having amassed unimaginable wealth, would rather invest billions in creating tech colonies and new religions to justify mass murder, enslavement, and C.E.O. king fiefdoms than address world hunger, provide free education, and strengthen social safety nets. Their vision isn't coexistence—they're building an anti-empathy billionaire bunker cult.    Gil Durán, a San Francisco journalist and former editorial page editor of The Sacramento Bee and The San Francisco Examiner, has a front-row view of the rise of the broligarchs, analyzing their fascist justifications for cruelty in his popular newsletter, Nerd Reich. Durán spent over a decade in California politics, serving as chief communications strategist for Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Attorney General Kamala Harris. His work has appeared in The New Republic, Esquire, and PBS. He co-founded Framelab, a newsletter on politics, language, and the brain, with Dr. George Lakoff. Most importantly we discuss: how do we defeat the Nerd Reich and the Vichy Democrats?    This week's bonus for our Patreon subscribers at the Truth-teller level and higher continues with Gil Durán of Nerd Reich, examining Democratic leaders as controlled opposition—public allies secretly serving the oligarchs. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   The Nerd Reich by Gil Durán https://www.thenerdreich.com/   FrameLab https://www.theframelab.org/   Trump on Charter Cities: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/agenda47-a-new-quantum-leap-to-revolutionize-the-american-standard-of-living   One of Peter Thiel's favorite book: The Sovereign Individual: How to Survive and Thrive During the Collapse of the Welfare State https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780684810072 Find a Tesla Takedown Protest near you: https://www.teslatakedown.com/   Download/print fliers made by Rise and Resist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NsdVaglj2-qbaUxPL-aXlPSSMbnjAPV-/view?usp=sharing   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rCUHIzHfJunm2fnZzdm2sMUWlRYeUtGg/view?usp=sharing   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MfkQlear-zAGgpkth6j_r85sSoXihilr/view?usp=sharing   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fXKCdNCrkPOL8nYI8I9WU7-DGIAGHSXb/view?usp=sharing   https://drive.google.com/file/d/14oYKLO_vzVzEU1sxXSaH1kd_lZ1ylaOG/view?usp=sharing   Clip: Elon Musk realizes he might lose his empire: https://bsky.app/profile/internetceleb.bsky.social/post/3lk2rd73f422n   Robert Reich on Twitter: “When Trump was sworn in, Elon Musk's corporations were under more than 32 investigations conducted by at least 11 federal agencies. Most of the cases are now closed or likely to be closed soon, and the federal agencies are being defanged by DOGE. Funny how that works, huh?” https://x.com/RBReich/status/1898780869092884808   Andrea on Bluesky: “Start building a case for Trump and Musk to be arrested by the International Criminal Court” https://bsky.app/profile/andreachalupa.bsky.social/post/3lk47dkixgs2k   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 17 4pm ET – Dr. Lisa Corrigan joins our Gaslit Nation Salon to discuss America's private prison crisis in an age of fascist scapegoating  March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community 

This week on Conflicted, Ronnie Hamada is back with Thomas to describe his experiences as a Kurdish civilian during the Syrian Civil War, as we continue our retrospective on that most complex of conflicts. And this week, after setting up some Kurdish history last time, Ronnie takes us through what it was like to live through the Arab Spring protests as a university student, where he saw his classmates attacked by Assad backed thugs, and as violence increased around him by the day. In a gripping conversation, Ronnie recounts some harrowing experiences, detailing a terrifying robbery at an internet cafe, the escalating violence in Aleppo, and the eventual decision to flee to Afrin. He shares the impact of the war on civilians, the rise of the PYD and YPG, and his family's efforts to navigate the chaos.  New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Syria's complex history and politics led to the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad on December 8, 2024 – as unexpected as the Arab Spring revolutions that gripped the Middle East thirteen years earlier.   Located at the center of regional competition, the nation of Syria will continue to experience foreign intervention from its neighbors, as well as the United States.  Meanwhile, the millions of Syrian refugees outside the country are gradually returning to rebuild their homeland.  Host Sahar Aziz speaks with Professor Bassam Haddad about the origins of Syria's uprising in 2011 that culminated in the overthrow of the Assad regime in 2024, the current uncertainty of Syria in regional politics, and what to expect in U.S. Middle East policy under the second Trump administration.Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation at https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://csrr.rutgers.edu/newsroom/sign-up-for-newsletter/

This motivating discussion was supposed to run earlier, but then the third year anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine was marked by Trump viciously reminding the world he works for Russia by kicking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House, after he, Vance, and MTG's boyfriend tried to ambush the war hero.    In our recorded first ever Gaslit Nation book club, we discussed Albert Camus' The Stranger (Matthew Ward translation) and Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, to see what wisdom they hold for us today, and how these two works “talk to each other.”    For March, we're reading Gene Sharp's revolutionary handbook From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond. Our March 31st salon at 4pm will open with a book club discussion of Dictatorship to Democracy. For April, we're reading (if you haven't already!) Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower, and May's book club pick is Total Resistance: Swiss Army Guide to Guerrilla Warefare And Underground Operations. Get ready to make some good trouble!    To hear the full discussion, be sure to join our community on Patreon. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make this show without you!    Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 17 4pm ET – Dr. Lisa Corrigan joins our Gaslit Nation Salon to discuss America's private prison crisis in an age of fascist scapegoating  March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available here Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available here Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community   

Who is "Woke Jesus"? It's the actual Jesus from the Bible—the dark-skinned Jewish revolutionary who advocated for feeding the poor and healing the sick. The Christian nationalists who use Trump's MAGA movement as a weapon against our democracy are also at war with Jesus, as this week's guest explains. By the strictest definition, doesn't that make Trump the anti-Christ?    Investigative journalist Katherine Stewart, author of the new book Money, Lies, and God, examines the right-wing Libertarian elites taking over our democracy through white Christian nationalist foot soldiers and offers ways to fight back. Stewart is also the author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism and The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children. Her journey included witnessing Christian nationalist recruitment and hate campaigns take root in her child's public school. As Andrea discuses in the opening of this week's show, MAGA/Russia are weakening the U.S. from within (mass purge, trade war, declaring war on experts, etc.) so that we're scared and confused, and easier to conquer. We won't let them win.    Thank you to everyone who joined Gaslit Nation's first book club last month! For March, we're reading Gene Sharp's revolutionary handbook From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond. Our March 31st salon at 4pm will open with a book club discussion of Dictatorship to Democracy. For April, we're reading (if you haven't already!) Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower, and May's book club pick is Total Resistance: Swiss Army Guide to Guerrilla Warefare And Underground Operations. Get ready to make some good trouble!    EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: March 17 4pm ET – Dr. Lisa Corrigan joins our Gaslit Nation Salon to discuss America's private prison crisis in an age of fascist scapegoating  March 31 4pm ET – Gaslit Nation Book Club: From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, which informed revolts in Ukraine, the Arab Spring, Hong Kong, and beyond  NEW! April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join on Patreon.com/Gaslit.  Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group on Patreon.com/Gaslit.  Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Voting is an act of fact checking: The dictator or wannabe dictator claims legitimacy. By voting, even if your vote is illegally not counted, your presence casting the vote adds up, and together the exit polls can indicate whether the election was stolen. Look to Venezuela's grassroots powerhouse effort to count votes to prove the opposition won the election: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/10/gonzalez-proof-win-venezuela-election-vote-tally-maduro   Russia sought to influence LGBT voters with ‘Buff Bernie' ad: Materials made public in committee dump of Facebook propaganda https://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/11/01/russia-facebook-ad-sought-influence-lgbt-voters-buff-bernie/   The Insider reveals new details of Russian intelligence scheme offering Taliban $200,000 bounties for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/01/09/the-insider-reveals-new-details-of-russian-intelligence-scheme-offering-taliban-200-000-bounties-for-killing-u-s-soldiers-in-afghanistan   Marisa Kabas on Blueskye: “SCOOP: Now that Linda McMahon is confirmed/sworn in as secretary, Trump will be imminently issuing an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. I've obtained a draft of an email that McMahon will be sending to staff re: the EO and the department's “final mission”. Here is a portion:” https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social/post/3ljj64pfjzk2v   Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by Katherine Stewart https://bookshop.org/p/books/money-lies-and-god-inside-the-movement-to-dismantle-american-democracy-katherine-stewart/21368231?ean=9781635578546&next=t&next=t   The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-power-worshippers-inside-the-dangerous-rise-of-religious-nationalism-katherine-stewart/8555591?ean=9781635577877&next=t&next=t   The Good News Club: The Religious Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children by Katherine Stewart https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-good-news-club-the-religious-right-s-stealth-assault-on-america-s-children-katherine-stewart/6717978?ean=9781610392198&next=t&next=t Download "From Dictatorship to Democracy" for free here:  https://archive.org/details/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_1306_librivox   Download "Total Resistance: Swiss Army Guide to Guerrilla Warefare And Underground Operations" https://archive.org/details/total-resistance-swiss-army-guide-to-guerilla-warfare-1965 Opening clip: https://x.com/theelishev/status/1896120665532719511 Clip: Trudeau: "I heard he talked about banking again this morning in a tweet, which doesn't make any sense because 16 banks are currently active in Canada holding about $113b worth of assets in this country, so American banks are alive and well and prospering in Canada. It's an example of not really being able to see what he wants ... what he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that'll make it easier to annex us." https://x.com/atrupar/status/1896962522764227069 Clip of Daryl Hannah at the Oscars: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1301955947523848 Clip: Conan Jokes About 'Anora' and Russia At The Oscars 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiwBNniPhR8  

This week for our Conflicted Community members, we return to Yemen for an interview with, Dr Elisabeth Kendall, an academic whose work has covered so many varied manifestations of the country's culture, politics, and the conflict that has engulfed it for the past decade. Elisabeth is a professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Cambridge, where she is also the Mistress of Girton College. Her research explores how militant jihad groups use 'soft' culture (poetry, literature, song) and harness local grievances, to recruit and win toleration in the broader community, and she has spent significant time in Yemen, carrying out research, while also following the ongoing war. Thomas and Elisabeth discuss her journey into the field, and the complexities of Yemeni politics, particularly during the Arab Spring, emphasising the importance of primary sources in understanding jihadism and critiques the international community's role in Yemen's political landscape. They discuss the complex dynamics of the Yemeni conflict, exploring the roles of various international and regional actors, the evolution of the Houthis, and the challenges of achieving peace. And to end, they have a fascinating discussion on the significance of poetry in jihadist culture, illustrating how it serves as a tool for propaganda and emotional engagement. To listen to the full episode, you'll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don't forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Conflicted, we begin in earnest our retrospective on the Syrian Civil War, where we will be inviting actual Syrians from a multitude of different perspectives, to tell us about their experiences of the war.  After setting the scene with our old friend Wassim Nasr last time, over our upcoming episodes, we'll be creating a kind of narrative history for you, our listeners, as we make sense of this most complex of conflicts from as many angles as we can. In this episode, Thomas invites on Syrian Kurd Ronnie Hamada to delve into the complexities of the Syrian Civil War, focusing on the Kurdish experience and setting the scene with their historical identity.  Ronnie has been working in data and analysis of conflicts in Syria and the wider Middle East for the past 10 years, working alongside journalists and NGOs to map conflicts and combat misinformation, and his story of life under siege in Aleppo and Afrin is an extraordinary one… They explore the historical context of Kurdish nationalism, the impact of Arab nationalism, and the political dynamics within Kurdish communities in Syria. Ronnie shares his personal story and insights, highlighting the challenges faced by Kurds, including statelessness and cultural repression and the intricate dynamics of Kurdish identity and politics in Syria, particularly in the context of the Arab Spring. New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fight for immigrant rights is at a crossroads. With the second Trump administration bringing unprecedented legal and financial attacks, many advocates and professionals are asking: How can we do more to empower immigrants right now, beyond defensive legal battles?In this episode of SYNARCHY, host and Immigrant Finance® Co-Founder Adina Appelbaum speaks directly to change-lmakers, advocates, and professionals who are ready to step up and create real, lasting impact for immigrant communities. She draws on insights from her time living in Egypt during the Arab Spring, underscoring the role of social movements and the power of hope, collective action, and resilience.She calls for the urgent need to move beyond defense mode and shift into building long-term solutions that create a better world, for example immigrant financial resilience, to make lasting change.Adina introduces the Immigrant Finance® Certification Program, a new initiative designed for those who want to go beyond advocacy and equip immigrants with the financial tools to build wealth, security, and power.

This week for our Conflicted Community members, we have an interview with the Egyptian political activist Dalia Ziada, whose incredible personal story crosses so many of the major events in the modern middle east, from the Arab Spring, to October 7th. Dalia is an award-winning Egyptian writer and political analyst whose work focuses on governance, geopolitics, and defense policy. In Egypt, she co-founded the Liberal Democracy Institute in 2015, she is the Executive Director of the Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies and also serves as a board member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Egypt's National Council for Women. She's a frequent media commentator, advocating for women's rights and against female genital mutilation in the Muslim World, and she is the author of multiple books, including “The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf - Egypt: Military, Islamism, and Liberal Democracy”, on the Arab Spring and its fallout in Egypt. In a wide ranging conversation, Thomas and Dalia discuss her story of liberal activism in Egypt, teaching herself out of antisemitism, the Arab Spring, October 7th, and more… To listen to the full episode, you'll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don't forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can rising insurance premiums finally make climate change a reality for everyone? And, what does it mean for the world that climate change denier Donald Trump has returned to the American presidency? Jonathan Mingle, journalist and author of "Fire and Ice," joins the podcast to explore the tangible impacts of climate change on everyday life. We discuss the disturbing projections of a world three degrees warmer and the looming crisis of insurability in the U.S. We also examine political challenges and the potential impacts of a second Trump presidency on global climate action, highlighting the stark choices and immediate actions needed to address these issues amidst seeming federal inaction.There is an urgent need to break free from our fossil fuel dependency and rethink our energy, agriculture, and land use systems for a climate-stable future. So, we discuss the current impacts of climate change, such as wildfires, hurricanes, and heatwaves, which are not just future threats but present realities. Our discussion spans from the tangible effects on regions like New England and Vermont to the broader socio-political implications, including mass migrations, rising nationalism, and xenophobia, drawing parallels with historical events like the Arab Spring.Messaging plays a critical role in the climate change debate, and we examine the challenges of crafting a universally compelling narrative that transcends political divides. Despite widespread support for climate initiatives, political messaging remains contentious, and Jonathan highlights the importance of building coalitions to advance meaningful action. Finally, we highlight the environmental and health impacts of black carbon, the pressing need to rethink democratic structures for better climate outcomes, and the importance of both individual and corporate responsibility in addressing these urgent environmental challenges.-------------------------Follow Deep Dive:BlueskyYouTube Email: deepdivewithshawn@gmail.com Music: Majestic Earth - Joystock

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family. The Peacock and the Sparrow by I. S. Barry Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he's anxious to dispense with his mission—uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience, to questions he never thought to ask. When his trusted informant becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict. His budding romance with Almaisa—and his loyalties—are upended; in an instant, he's caught in the crosswinds of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he sets out to learn the truth behind the Arab Spring, win Almaisa's love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain's secrets end and America's begin. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Arab Spring hits THE NEWSROOM in its fifth episode ("Amen"), but once again Aaron Sorkin finds himself more concerned with Will McAvoy's workplace dramas, including a nefarious attempt by the ACN morning show to bring his downfall. PLUS: Was the '60s "the decade where everything changed"? At least one magazine cover believes so! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/122160705

Growing up in Connecticut and Long Island, New York, McGinniss studied Arabic and Middle Eastern history at Georgetown University and traveled to Jordan, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt's Tahrir Square less than a month before it became the flashpoint for the widespread protests and revolutions that erupted during the Arab Spring. McGinniss next worked at the Al-Jazeera program “Min Washington,” broadcasting to households in Arabic throughout the Middle East, at NBC News's Washington Bureau as a production assistant, and as the video director at Daily Caller, where he built a team of ten video producers. While covering the demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparked by the police shooting of a black man named Jacob Blake, McGinniss witnessed Kyle Rittenhouse shoot Joseph Rosenbaum and nearly got shot himself when a bullet ricocheted near his foot. McGinniss was plunged into the national spotlight and was praised for his clear, non-biased reporting of the violence. As The New Yorker observed in its trial coverage, “when McGinniss testified, he strove to be as assiduously neutral about the shooting as he had been in interviews with me and with others.” After his appearance on Tucker Carlson was taken out of context by CNN, McGinniss's straightforward appearance not only corrected the record, it also showed how one person can compel a news corporation to diverge from preset talking points and relay to the public the truth behind a shooting that will go down in history as the peak of 2020's unrest.   But McGinniss soon found himself a political lightning rod. Donald Trump's MAGA supporters initially celebrated McGinniss for not vilifying Rittenhouse and merely reporting what he saw. During the trial, his role as a named victim put him in the crosshairs of the political right. After Rittenhouse's acquittal on murder charges, McGinniss felt the wrath of Black Lives Matters supporters and others. “I was really the friend of nobody,” he says.

Bridget sits down with Curtis Yarvin, political theorist and writer formerly known as Mencius Moldbug. They discuss the road that brought Curtis to this point, his debate with Ilya Shapiro, whether capitalism requires democracy, whether oligarchs are more concerned with the outcomes of power rather then power itself, the Arab Spring, debating “isms”, why he believes the most peaceful and stable form of government is the monarchy, the truth about revolutions, why he's selective about his conspiracy theories, the Great No, the power of the executive branch, and why all Libs are basically conformists. Check out his Substack, Gray Mirror - https://bit.ly/WiW-GrayMirror --------------------------------------------------------------------- Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy - Podcast Bridget Phetasy admires grit and authenticity. On Walk-Ins Welcome, she talks about the beautiful failures and frightening successes of her own life and the lives of her guests. She doesn't conduct interviews—she has conversations. Conversations with real people about the real struggle and will remind you that we can laugh in pain and cry in joy but there's no greater mistake than hiding from it all. By embracing it all, and celebrating it with the stories she'll bring listeners, she believes that our lowest moments can be the building blocks for our eventual fulfillment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PHETASY IS a movement disguised as a company. We just want to make you laugh while the world burns. https://www.phetasy.com/ Buy PHETASY MERCH here: https://www.bridgetphetasy.com/ For more content, including the unedited version of Dumpster Fire, BTS content, writing, photos, livestreams and a kick-ass community, subscribe at https://phetasy.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/BridgetPhetasy Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bridgetphetasy/ Podcast - Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/walk-ins-welcome/id1437447846 https://open.spotify.com/show/7jbRU0qOjbxZJf9d49AHEh https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/I3gqggwe23u6mnsdgqynu447wvaSupport the show

On Syria, the fall of Assad, and nationalism in the Middle-East. [Patreon Exclusive] Historian Djene Bajalan talks to Alex about a major rearrangement in the Levant. We discuss: Who are Syria's new rulers HTS, and what is their vision – if any? Did geopolitics really determine the fall of Assad and the Ba'ath Party? How HTS's victory is so profoundly different from Islamism in Iran 1979 Why 2025 finally closes the book on the Arab Spring – and on secular Arab nationalism Were the Kurds wrong to rely on US protection? And in the full episode we continue by discussing... Is Turkey the big winner of the decade? What the Left gets wrong on nationalism Civic versus ethnic nationalism, revisited What was democratic, liberal and revolutionary about nationalism – and whether it can be again How conservatives recuperate left-wing ideas, which were always conservative from the start Links: Djene's writing at Jacobin /95/ The Fall of Rojava? ft. Dani Ellis / Alexander Norton

So much can happen in 25 years…let's go back to how the 20th century began…in just a quarter century, we got radio, airplanes, the Great War, the Russian revolution, the Soviet Union, and the rise of Communism. The Titanic sank…women were empowered to vote…Einstein came up with the theory of relativity…Henry Ford changed manufacturing forever with the use of the assembly line, not to mention the introduction of cars. We also go stainless steel, the first x-ray machine, the zipper, neon lighting, and instant coffee…and that's just for starters. Now let's look at the first 25 years of the 21st century… 9/11 and the wars that followed…the rise of China as global power…the Arab Spring…an awareness of climate change…LGBT rights and social movements…covid…trump…the incorporation of the internet into everything. Now that the century is a quarter done, it's also a good time to look back on what happened in music…the short answer is “a lot”…but because change happened so consistently and was adopted by so many people, it's easy to lose perspective of how much things have changed since the clocks ticked over to January 1, 2000. Let's take stock of things…this is part two of the greatest rock moments of the millennium—so far. Songs in this episode: The Thermals - Here's Your Future Amy Winehouse - Rehab REM - Mine Smell Like Honey Joy Division - Transmission Women - Eyesore The Hives - Tick Tick Boom Presidents of the USA - Video Killed The Radio Star Twenty One Pilots - Heathens Our Lady Peace - Will The Future Blame Us U2 - The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For exiled Syrians, this is their Berlin Wall moment—the doors to a homeland they thought they'd never see again are suddenly swinging open. The heady days following December 8 and the fall of Assad's seemingly immovable regime have brought an unexpected Christmas gift: a return to Damascus. But as the initial euphoria fades, clear-eyed Syrians know better than to declare "and they all lived happily ever after". The lessons of the Arab Spring loom large, and the challenges ahead are daunting. How to navigate a landscape shaped by heavily armed factions: sometimes allies, sometimes rivals? What to do with thousands of Syrian civil servants and state security employees left unpaid since Assad's fall?And as the international community moves to lift sanctions, the bigger question remains: how to channel money and efforts toward rebuilding a Syria that is not just revived, but reimagined?Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.

ชมวิดีโอ EP นี้ใน YouTube เพื่อประสบการณ์การรับชมที่ดีที่สุด https://youtu.be/_M5B5Dd6PDU 8 Minute History เอพิโสดนี้ ว่าด้วยเรื่องราวของ ‘ซีเรีย' ประเทศเกิดใหม่ช่วงหลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 แต่เป็นจุดยุทธศาสตร์สำคัญที่มีประวัติศาสตร์ย้อนไปได้ถึงยุคโรมัน ทำไมพื้นที่แห่งนี้จึงกลายเป็นสมรภูมิสำคัญของสงครามใหญ่หลายครั้ง โดยเฉพาะความขัดแย้งในตะวันออกกลาง ซีเรียภายใต้การปกครองของตระกูล al-Assad ที่กินเวลา 54 ปีตั้งแต่รุ่นพ่อยันรุ่นลูกมีที่มาที่ไปอย่างไร เหตุการณ์ Arab Spring ส่งผลต่อซีเรียมากน้อยแค่ไหน และนำมาสู่สงครามกลางเมืองที่ยืดเยื้อยาวนาน 13 ปีได้อย่างไร ติดตามได้ในเอพิโสดนี้

ชมวิดีโอ EP นี้ใน YouTube เพื่อประสบการณ์การรับชมที่ดีที่สุด https://youtu.be/_M5B5Dd6PDU 8 Minute History เอพิโสดนี้ ว่าด้วยเรื่องราวของ ‘ซีเรีย' ประเทศเกิดใหม่ช่วงหลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 แต่เป็นจุดยุทธศาสตร์สำคัญที่มีประวัติศาสตร์ย้อนไปได้ถึงยุคโรมัน ทำไมพื้นที่แห่งนี้จึงกลายเป็นสมรภูมิสำคัญของสงครามใหญ่หลายครั้ง โดยเฉพาะความขัดแย้งในตะวันออกกลาง ซีเรียภายใต้การปกครองของตระกูล al-Assad ที่กินเวลา 54 ปีตั้งแต่รุ่นพ่อยันรุ่นลูกมีที่มาที่ไปอย่างไร เหตุการณ์ Arab Spring ส่งผลต่อซีเรียมากน้อยแค่ไหน และนำมาสู่สงครามกลางเมืองที่ยืดเยื้อยาวนาน 13 ปีได้อย่างไร ติดตามได้ในเอพิโสดนี้

A complex array of domestic, regional, and international factors contributed to the rise of Hafez Al Assad as president of Syria in 1970 and the ultimate demise of his son, Bashar Al Assad on December 8, 2024 – thirteen years after the Syrian people unsuccessfully rose up peacefully as part of the regional phenomena commonly referred to as the Arab Spring.  Located at the center of geopolitical competition between Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, the nation of Syria will continue to play an instrumental role in regional politics, which in turn impacts U.S. interests in the oil-rich Middle East.Host Sahar Aziz speaks with Professor Omar Dahi about what lies ahead what lies ahead for the Syrian people, who like other Arabs in the region, yearn for self-governance, peace, and security for their nation.Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation:Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://csrr.rutgers.edu/newsroom/sign-up-for-newsletter/ 

In this week's episode of One Decision, host Christina Ruffini speaks with Democratic United States Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They spoke from his office in Washington D.C. about various foreign policy challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the future of Syria and other countries affected by the Arab Spring, and the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. Van Hollen says President Biden hasn't leveraged American influence effectively regarding Israel's handling of the war and shares his perspective on how the incoming Trump administration might approach Israel and Netanyahu's government. Plus, co-host and former United States Secretary of Defense and former CIA Director Leon Panetta shares memories of former US President Jimmy Carter and what his real legacy will be.

Many of us love exploring off-the-radar countries few people have even heard of, but how many actually invest and build businesses there? That's exactly what today's guest, Rafael Millan—better known as Rafa—has been doing for nearly two decades. From Europe to Africa and eventually South America, Rafa's journey is packed with both invaluable lessons and crazy stories. In this episode, Rafa shares how his expat journey led him to invest and do business in “wild frontier” nations like Mali and The Gambia. We'll dive into the obstacles of doing business in Europe today, the vital role of finding the right business partners, and why Rafa considers Paraguay his ultimate investment haven.  Enjoy! TODAY'S CONVERSATION WITH RAFAEL MILLAN Find out how Rafa's bilingual upbringing in Europe prepared him for an international life at an early age.  Discover why Paraguay captured Rafa's business attention and why it checked all the boxes to become his “final destination” for investment.  Uncover some of the off-the-radar countries Rafa has been invested in - places you would never even think of, like Mali and the Gambia. Learn about the sad fate that befell the once-promising country of Mali after the “Arab Spring” and the fall of Gaddafi in Libya.  Tune in as Rafa shares a wild story about how one of his business partners in Africa ended up in a slightly different line of work. Listen to hear how Rafa's experiences in war-torn countries led him to appreciate the peace of mind of doing business in a country like Paraguay. Rafa and I discuss the importance of finding the right business partners. If we had to do all this ourselves, we would never get anything done! Are Europe's best years behind it? Hear from Rafa why doing business in Europe has become so difficult.  By the end of this conversation, you'll gain key insights into investing internationally and hear a few entertaining stories! HOW TO CONTACT RAFAEL MILLAN Email: expat@greenparana.com SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Keep up to date on the latest news affecting expats, as well as maintain a steady stream of my opinions, travel stories, and more by subscribing to our newsletter. Not only will you receive the EMS Pulse newsletter and the weekly Expat Sunday Times, but sign up now, and you'll also receive my FREE special report, “Plan B Residencies and Instant Citizenships.” THE WEALTH, FREEDOM & PASSPORTS CONFERENCE IN PANAMA MARCH 14-15 Join us in Panama for the inaugural

Since TechStuff first launched in 2008, a lot of stuff has happened in the world of tech. Join Jonathan as he looks back on a big tech story for each year of his experience in hosting a technology podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air Date 12/28/2024 Decades of dictatorial rule in Syria have come to an end, leading to something else to be determined. Israel sprang into action taking control of Syrian land on their border. And no one seems to care what the US thinks of all this, which is telling. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Membership 20% off for the Holiday! Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Send the Gift of Membership! (Or on Patreon) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Assad Ousted From Syria - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-10-24 KP 2: Assad downfall: Is the Arab Spring back from the dead? - Middle East Eye - Air Date 12-14-24 KP 3: Syria's Transition, Biden Migrant Detention Facilities Part 1 - American Prestige - Air Date 12-13-24 KP 4: Why is Israel bombing Syria? - The Take - Air Date 12-17-24 KP 5: “Lawless”: Marwan Bishara on Israel Bombing Syria 800 Times & Expanding Occupation of Golan Heights - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-16-24 KP 6: Syria: Western Hypocrisy, Israeli Expansion & The Fall of Assad - Double Down News - Air Date 12-20-24 (53:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On closing out the year DEEPER DIVES (56:35) SECTION A - THE SYRIAN PEOPLE (1:38:56) SECTION B - ISRAEL (2:03:38) SECTION C - HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE PROXY WAR SHOW IMAGE Description: The sun shining through a Syrian flag flying in the breeze against a clear sky. Credit: “Close up of Syrian flag” by Ahmed akasha, Pexels | License: Pexels   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastadon | Threads | X

This week, we bring you two stories about the science of morality. Or morality in science. Either way you want to look at it. Part 1: Political scientist Ethan Hollander interviews a Nazi war criminal as part of his research. Part 2: As a graduate student, Cather Simpson is excited to present her work -- but then her adviser lies about it. Ethan J. Hollander is a professor of political science at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He is also the author of Hegemony and the Holocaust: State Power and Jewish Survival in Occupied Europe. Hollander's published scholarship also includes research on democratization in Eastern Europe and on the Arab Spring. At Wabash, Dr. Hollander teaches courses on the Politics of the Middle East, Ethnic Conflict and Genocide, European Politics, and Research Methods and Statistics. He is a native of Miami Beach, and received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in 2006. When Cather Simpson graduated from high-school in the USA, she was certain she was going to become a neurosurgeon. She was very, very wrong. In her first year at uni, she discovered scientific research and got completely hooked. She is now a Professor of Physics and Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, where she started and directed a super-fun ultrafast laser lab called the Photon Factory. These days, she's morphed into an entrepreneurial academic. The first company she co-founded, Engender Technologies, uses lasers to sort sperm by sex for the dairy industry. The second, Orbis Diagnostics, uses lasers for infectious disease testing at point-of-care – she is currently CEO there. The latest, Luminoma DX, uses light to screen more effectively for skin cancers. When she's not enjoying the pleasure and satisfaction from using lasers to solve the knotty problems presented by Mother Nature, she's doing 5000 piece puzzles and being “Schrodinger's Mom” – simultaneously the world's best and worst mother – to two lovely sons. Note: Ethan's story was produced as part of our partnership with Springer Nature's Springer Storytellers program. Find out more at beforetheabstract.com. Cather's story was produced as part of our partnership with SCANZ, Science Communicators Association of New Zealand. Find out more at www.scanz.co.nz. And look for more Story Collider shows in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2018! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comWhat the hell just happened in Syria? We asked one of the sharpest scholars on the subject to give us a primer. Aaron Zelin is a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he also directs the “Islamic State Worldwide Activity Map” project. He's also a visiting research scholar in the politics department at Brandeis and the founder of the website Jihadology. His first book is titled Your Sons Are At Your Service: Tunisia's Missionaries of Jihad, and his forthcoming book covers the history of Syrian jihadism. We talk about the entire history of Syria, as it faces what could be a turning point. For two clips of our convo — on the evil of the Assad dynasty, and the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: how Aaron's career was influenced by 9/11 at age 15; becoming an expert on jihadism; St. Paul at Damascus; the Ottoman Empire; the Arab Congress; Syria's independence from France after WWII; the subsequent coups; the Sunni majority in Syria; the rise of the Alawites; the Druze and Christians; the Kurds; the optimism in the ‘60s/‘70s for Arab liberalization; pan Arabism and Nasser; the Muslim Brotherhood; Hafez al-Assad coming to power in 1971; his son Bashar educated in the UK; how a former Nazi for real helped shape the regime; al-Qaeda and bin Laden; the Islamic State; “Baby It's Cold Outside”; the secret police of Syria; the 1982 massacre in Hama; Bashar coming to power in 2000 because of his older brother's early death; Bashar seen as nerdy and uncharismatic; the Damascus Spring; the Iraq War; the rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani; his imprisonment in Abu Ghraib; Zarqawi; the Arab Spring; civil war erupting in Syria in 2011; the Free Syrian Army; the Assad regime torturing kids; the refugee crisis; Russia getting bogged down in Ukraine; Hezbollah and Hamas decimated; Iran on the defense; how the Assad regime collapsed in ten days; and Golani's potential as a reformer.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Brianna Wu on trans lives, Mary Matalin on our sick culture, Adam Kirsch on his book On Settler Colonialism, John Gray on the state of liberal democracy, Jon Rauch on his new book on “Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy,” Nick Denton on the evolution of new media, and Ross Douthat on how everyone should be religious. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

On today's AAI podcast, Marc is joined by I.S. Berry (@isberryauthor) of The Peacock and the Sparrow fame. They discus the current Syria crisis, life as a case officer witnessing the Arab spring, and Berry's jump into literary super stardom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2011, as the Arab Spring took hold across the Middle East, the seeds of Syria's revolution were sown by students and young people in the city of Daraa. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn reports on how the city that fostered the uprising is celebrating the deposing of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This week on The Amanpour Hour, Chrisitane explores the aftermath of the stunning fall of Syria's Assad regime, unpacking its geopolitical ripple effects with the view from Europe and what Trump 2.0 might do, featuring EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas and former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby. Then on the ground in Syria, Jomana Karadsheh reports from Daraya, the birthplace of Syria's anti-regime Arab Spring movement that simply called for reforms, speaking to one woman whose loved ones disappeared into Syria's notorious prison system. Also on the show, from her archives, Christiane revisits her 2017 interview with the defector known as “Caesar” who documented the Assad dynasty's atrocities. Then, as Netanyahu takes the stand in his corruption trial, Alex Gibney and Alexis Bloom discuss their explosive film, The Bibi Files, featuring banned interrogation footage inside Israel. Finally, Christiane speaks with Mediha and Hasan Oswald about their film, "Mediha," which documents her harrowing story of survival in ISIS captivity through her own video diaries, offering a poignant look at healing and hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Ehrenfeld joins us for a chat about Syria and the Middle East and her latest book "The Soros Agenda". We chat about the Canadian Gun Grab, the surprise of the Syria take over, Migration, Assad, the Arab Spring, the 13 years civil war, the Toyota truck phase, what is going on there now, the solution, Hamas, UN appointed terrorists, Obama and the call from the Clinton's, and the conspiracy of Greater Israel.   In the second half we get further into conspiracies, Trump, the nuclear war threat, Muslim Brotherhood, the radical Suni's, her immigration to the USA, free speech, the constitution, the Syrian refugees and mass emigration/immigration, Soros the God and the Joos, Open Society, Orwellian language, and forecasting political changes.   https://acdemocracy.org/mission/ https://www.amazon.com/Soros-Agenda-Rachel-Ehrenfeld/dp/1645720470   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Rokfin www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Outlawed Canadians YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlawedCanadians Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com 

This week we talk about coups, the Arab Spring, and Bashar al-Assad.We also discuss militias, Al Qaeda, and Iran.Recommended Book: The Algebraist by Iain M. BanksTranscriptIn the early 2010s, a series of uprisings against unpopular, authoritarian governments spread across the Middle East—a wave of action that became known as the Arab Spring.Tunisia was where it started, a man setting himself on fire in protest against the nation's brazenly corrupt government and all that he'd suffered under that government, and the spreading of this final gesture on social media, which was burgeoning at the time, amplified by the still relatively newfound availability and popularity of smartphones, the mobile internet, and the common capacity to share images and videos of things as they happen to folks around the world via social media, led to a bunch of protests and riots and uprisings in Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and Algeria, initially, before then spreading to other, mostly Arab majority, mostly authoritarian-led nations.The impact of this cascade of unrest in this region was immediately felt; within just two years, by early 2012, those ruling Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen had been toppled, there were attempts to topple the Bahraini and Syrian governments, there were massive protests in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Algeria, and Sudan, and relatively minor protests, which were still meaningful because of the potential punishments for folks who rocked the boat in these countries, smaller protests erupted in Djibouti, Western Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Mauritania.Several rulers and their ruling parties committed to stepping down soon, or to not run for reelection—some of them actually stuck with that commitment, though others rode out this period of tumult and then quietly backtracked.Some nations saw long-lasting periods of unrest following this eruption; Jordan had trouble keeping a government in office for years, for instance, while Yemen overthrew its government in 2012 and 2015, and that spun-out into a civil war between the official government and the Iran-backed Houthis, which continues today, gumming up the Red Sea and significantly disrupting global shipping as a consequence.What I'd like to talk about today, though, is another seriously disruptive sequence of events that have shaped the region, and a lot of things globally, as well, since the first sparks of what became the Arab Spring—namely, the Syrian Civil war—and some movement we've seen in this conflict over the past week that could result in a dramatically new state of affairs across the region.—In 1963, inspired by their brethren's successful coup in nearby Iraq, the military wing of the Arab nationalist Ba'ath party of Syria launched a coup against the country's post-colonial democratic government, installing in its stead a totalitarian party-run government.One of the leaders of this coup, Hafez al-Assad, became the country's president in 1971, which basically meant he was the all-powerful leader of a military dictatorship, and he used those powers to even further consolidate his influence over the mechanisms of state, which meant he also had the ability to name his own successor.He initially planned to install his brother as leader when he stepped down or died, but that brother attempted to overthrow him when he was ill in 1983 and 1984, so when he got better, he exiled said brother and chose his eldest son, Bassel al-Assad, instead.Bassel died in a car accident in 1994, though, so Hafez was left with his third choice, Bashar al-Assad, which wasn't a popular choice, in part because it was considered not ideal for him to choose a family member, rather than someone else from the leading party, but also because Bashar had no political experience at the time, so this was straight-up nepotism: the only reason he was selected was that he was family.In mid-2000, Hafez died, and Bashar stepped into the role of president. The next few years were tumultuous for the new leader, who faced heightened calls for more transparency in the government, and a return to democracy, or some form of it at least, in Syria.This, added to Bashar's lack of influence with his fellow party members, led to a wave of retirements and purgings amongst the government and military higher-ups—those veteran politicians and generals replaced by loyalists with less experience and credibility.He then made a series of economic decisions that were really good for the Assad family and their allies, but really bad for pretty much everyone else in the country, which made him and his government even less popular with much of the Syrian population, even amongst those who formerly supported his ascension and ambitions.All of this pushback from the people nudged Bashar al-Assad into implementing an increasingly stern police state, which pitted various ethnic and religious groups against each other in order to keep them from unifying against the government, and which used terror and repression to slap down or kill anyone who stood up to the abuse.When the Arab Spring, which I mentioned in the intro, rippled across the Arab world beginning in 2011, protestors in Syria were treated horribly by the Assad government—the crackdown incredibly violent and punitive, even compared to that of other repressive, totalitarian governments in the region.This led to more pushback from Syrian citizens, who began to demand, with increasing intensity, that the Assad-run government step down, and that the Ba'athists running the dictatorship be replaced by democratically elected officials.This didn't go over well with Assad, who launched a campaign of even more brutal, violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and the torture and execution of people who spoke out on this subject—leading to thousands of confirmed deaths, and tens of thousands of people wounded by government forces.This response didn't go over super well with the people, and these protests and the pushback against them spiraled into a full-on civil uprising later in 2011, a bunch of people leaving the Syrian military to join the rebels, and the country breaking up into pieces, each chunk of land controlled by a different militia, some of these militias working well together, unifying against the government, while others also fought other militias—a remnant of the military government's efforts to keep their potential opposition fighting each other, rather than them.This conflict was officially declared a civil war by the UN in mid-2012, and the UN and other such organizations have been fretting and speaking out about the human rights violations and other atrocities committed during this conflict ever since, though little has been done by external forces, practically, to end it—instead it's become one of many proxy conflicts, various sides supported, mostly with weapons and other resources, though sometimes with training, and in rare instances with actual soldiers on the ground, by the US, Turkey, Russia, Iran, the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Britain, France, Israel, and the Netherlands.This conflict has demanded the country's full attention for more than a decade, then, and it's had influence even beyond Syria's borders, as groups like the Islamic State, or ISIS has been able to grow and flourish within Syria, due to all the chaos and lack of stability, refugees from Syria have flooded across borders, fleeing the violence and causing all sorts of unintended disruptions in neighboring and even some further-afield countries where, in some cases, millions of these refugees have had to be taken care of, which in turn has influenced immigration-related politics even as far away as the European Union. Also due to that lack of internal control, crime has flourished in Syria, including drug-related crime. And that's lets to a huge production and distribution network for an illegal, almost everywhere, amphetamine called Captagon, which is addictive, and the pills often contain dangerous filler chemicals that are cheaper to produce.This has increased drug crime throughout the region, and the Syrian government derives a substantial amount of revenue from these illicit activities—it's responsible for about 80% of global Captagon production, as of early 2024.All of which brings us to late-2024.By this point, Syria had been broken up into about seven or eight pieces, each controlled by some militia group or government, while other portions—which make up a substantial volume of the country's total landmass—are considered to be up in the air, no dominant factions able to claim them.Al-Assad's government has received a fair bit of support, both in terms of resources, and in terms of boots on the ground, from Iran and Russia, over the years, especially in the mid-20-teens. And due in large part to that assistance, his forces were able to retake most of the opposition's strongholds by late 2018.There was a significant ceasefire at the tail-end of 2019, which lasted until March of 2020. This ceasefire stemmed from a successful operation launched by the Syrian government and its allies, especially Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, against the main opposition and some of their allies—basically a group of different rebel factions that were working together against Assad, and this included groups backed by the Turkish government.On March 5, 2020, Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Putin, which were backing opposite sides of this portion of the Syrian civil war, agreed on a ceasefire that began the following day, which among other things included a safety corridor along a major highway, separating the groups from each other, that corridor patrolled by soldiers from Turkey and Russia.This served to end most frontline fighting, as these groups didn't want to start fighting these much larger, more powerful nations—Russia and Turkey—while trying to strike their enemies, though there were still smaller scuffles and attacks, when either side could hurt their opponent without being caught.In November of 2024, though, a coalition of anti-Assad militias launched a new offensive against the Syrian government's forces, which was ostensibly sparked by heavily shelling by those forces against civilians in rural areas outside Aleppo, the country's second-largest city.On the 29th of November, those forces captured most of Aleppo, and then plowed their way through previously government-held towns and cities at a fairly rapid clip, capturing another regional capitol, Hama on December 5, and securing Damascus, the capitol of the country, on December 8.This ended the 13-year civil war that's plagued Syria since all the way back in 2011; Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, according to Russian and Iranian officials, and he resigned before he hopped on that flight; Russian state media is saying that Assad and his family have been granted asylum by the Russian government.This is a rapidly developing story, and we'll know more over the next few weeks, as the dust settles, but right now it looks like the Syrian government has been toppled by rebel forces led by a man named Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a 42-year-old child of Syrian exiles who was born in Saudi Arabia, and who spent the early 2000s fighting against US occupation forces in Iraq as part of Al Qaeda.He apparently spent a few years in an Iraqi prison, then led an Al Qaeda affiliate group, which evolved into its own thing when he broke ties with Al Qaeda's leadership.This new group that he formed, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, tried to differentiate itself from groups like Al Qaeda by saying they didn't want to play a role in the global jihad, they just wanted to reform the government in Syria. As part of that pivot, they started governing and building infrastructure across the chunk of Syria they claimed, even to the point of collecting taxes and providing civilians with identity cards; though throughout this period they were also known for ruling with an iron fist, and for being hardcore authoritarians, dedicated to implementing a hard-line version of Islamist ideological law.In the midst of their blitz-like capture of Syria, though, representatives from this group have said they'll implement a religiously tolerant representative government, and they won't tell women in the country how to dress.Following the capture of Damascus, Syria's Prime Minister said that he would remain in the country, and that he was ready to work with whomever takes the reins as things settle down, happy to make the transition a smooth and peaceful one, essentially, whatever that might mean in practice.The US military has taken this opportunity to strike dozens of Islamic State facilities and leaders across the country, marking one of the biggest such actions in recent months, and military leaders have said they would continue to strike terrorist groups on Syrian soil—probably as part of an effort to keep the new Syrian government, whatever its composition, from working with IS and its allies.Russia has requested a closed-door meeting with the United Nations Security Council to discuss Syria's collapse, and it's been reported that they failed to come to Assad's aid because they're too tied up in Ukraine, and they weren't able to move forces from North Africa rapidly enough to do much good; though there's a chance they'll still shift whatever chess pieces they can to the area in order to influence the composition of the new government, as it's forming.Iran has said they welcome whatever type of government the Syrian people decide to establish, though it's likely they'll try to nudge that formation in their favor, as Syria has long been an ally and client state of theirs, and they are no doubt keen to maintain that reality as much as possible, and bare-minimum to avoid the establishment of an enemy along their border.And Israel has entered what's supposed to be a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights because this zone is on the Syrian border; they've also captured a buffer zone within Syria itself. They've launched airstrikes on suspected chemical weapon sites in Syria, to prevent them from falling into extremist hands, they've said, and Israeli leaders said they want to keep any issues in their neighbor from impacting Israeli citizens. And Iraq's government has announced that they're doing the same along their shared border with Syria, so the whole region is bulwarking their potential weak points, just in case something goes wrong and violence spreads, rather than being tamped down by all this change.Israel's prime minister, and other higher ups in the government, have also claimed responsibility for Assad's toppling, saying it was their efforts against Iran and its proxy forces, like Hezbollah, that set the stage for the rebels to do what they did—as otherwise these forces would have been too strong and too united for it to work.Notably, the now-in-charge rebel group has been a longtime enemy of Iran and Hezbollah, so while there's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding all of this, Israel's government is no doubt generally happy with how things have progressed, so far, as this could mean Syria is no longer a reliable corridor for them, especially for the purposes of getting weapons to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, along Israel's northern border.That said, this same group isn't exactly a fan of Israel, and is backed by Turkey, which has been highly critical of Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon.So it's an incredibly tumultuous moment in Syria, right now, and in this region, as a whole, because the conflict in Syria has been super impactful on everyone thereabouts, to varying degrees, and this ending to this long-lasting civil war could lead to some positive outcomes, like Syrian refugees who have been scattered across neighboring countries being able to return home without facing the threat of violence, and the release of political prisoners from infamous facilities, some of which have already been emptied by the rebels—but especially in the short-term there's a lot of uncertainty, and it'll likely be a while before that uncertainty solidifies into something more knowable and predictable, as at the moment, much of the country is still controlled by various militia groups backed by different international actors, including Kurdish-led forces backed by the US, and forces allied with Turkey in the north.So this change of official governance may shuffle the deck, but rather than stabilizing things, it could result in a new conflict catalyzed by the power vacuum left by the Assad government and its allies, if rebel forces—many of which have been labeled terrorists by governments around the world, which is another wrinkle in all this—if they fail to rally behind one group or individual, and instead start fighting each other for the opportunity to become the country's new dominant force.Show Noteshttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/syria-hts-jolani.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/briefing/syria-civil-war-assad.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/assads-rule-collapses-in-syria-raising-concerns-of-a-vacuum-95568f13https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hts-who-what.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/12/07/syria-rebels-biden-intelligence-islamists/https://apnews.com/article/turkey-syria-insurgents-explainer-kurds-ypg-refugees-f60dc859c7843569124282ea750f1477https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-lebanon-news-7-december-2024-53419e23991cfc14a7857c82f49eb26fhttps://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-sweida-daraa-homs-hts-qatar-816e538565d1ae47e016b5765b044d31https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/syria-damascus-eyewitness-assad.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/article/syria-civil-war-rebels.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/08/world/syria-war-damascushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%27ath_Partyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Syrian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez_al-Assadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_revolutionhttps://www.cfr.org/article/syrias-civil-warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_al-Assadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenethyllinehttps://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/07/border-traffic-how-syria-uses-captagon-to-gain-leverage-over-saudi-arabia?lang=enhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_Syria_offensive_(December_2019_%E2%80%93_March_2020)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Syrian_opposition_offensiveshttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j99447gj1ohttps://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-rebels-war-israel-a8ecceee72a66f4d7e6168d6a21b8dc9https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/09/world/syria-assad-rebelshttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/world/middleeast/israel-assad-syria.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/iran-mideast-proxy-forces-syria-analysis-c853bf613a6d6af7f6aa99b2e60984f8https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/briefing/irans-very-bad-year.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/syria-hts-assad-aleppo-fighting-2be43ee530b7932b123a0f26b158ac22https://apnews.com/article/syria-insurgents-aleppo-iran-russia-turkey-abff93e4f415ebfd827d49b1a90818e8https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hama-homs.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring This is a public episode. 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The Arab Spring may be making a return. A rebel uprising in Syria has now officially toppled the Assad regime. The country became a key focus of the uprisings in 2011 where people were overthrowing dictators in the region, but ended in Syria mainly through Russian intervention. And now, with a power vacuum taking place, as Russian and Iranian forces are pulled into their own conflicts, it appears those revolts are back. Despite this, President-elect Donald Trump is also issuing a warning to the United States to not intervene, suggesting this is not America's conflict. We'll discuss this topic, and others, in this episode of Crossroads. Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.     ⭕️

Since Syria's "Arab Spring," protests devolved into a decade-plus bloodletting. Fleeing civilians have been caught in the crossfire between the Assad regime, its Russian and Iranian allies and the various opposition groups that have fought against them. As the conflict reignites, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports on the victims of this war and its survivors. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Tommy and Ben discuss the anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel and how the war has expanded across the Middle East in the year since, they play reflections from a Palestinian journalist in Gaza and an Israeli woman whose relatives were taken hostage, and discuss the heavy fighting this week in both Northern Gaza and Lebanon. Then they talk about how the war has become a major issue on the campaign trail, Trump's bizarre claim to have visited Gaza and support for Israel attacking Iranian nuclear infrastructure, Kamala Harris's frosty comments about Benjamin Netanyahu on 60 Minutes, Macron's call to stop arming Israel, and Netanyahu's ominous message to the Lebanese people. They also talk about Bob Woodward's new book, the Tunisian election and the end of the Arab Spring, the dangers of the far-right surge in Austria, and a Qantas Airlines experience of in-flight entertainment gone horribly wrong. Then, Ben speaks to Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new book, “The Message”, that digs into the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and how victims can become victimizers.