Podcast appearances and mentions of brett mcgurk

Tensions continue to rise in the Middle East with Israel and Iran trading more missile fire. Anderson reports live from Tel Aviv. And, Brett McGurk, the former Middle East & North Africa Coordinator for the National Security Council, talks about how we got to this point. “Right now, this is blowback on decisions that Iran has made from October 7th on,” said McGurk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Brett McGurk was a lead negotiator for the U.S. Government in every round of hostage/ceasefire negotiations in 2023, 2024, and January 2025. In today's episode, which we recorded before a live audience at the Manhattan JCC last week, Brett sat down for his first long-form/on-the-record conversation on […]

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcastSubscribe to Ark Media's new podcast ‘What's Your Number?': lnk.to/DZulpYFor sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.orgTo contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorgDan on X: x.com/dansenorDan on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dansenorToday's episode:Following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Brett McGurk was a lead negotiator for the U.S. Government in every round of hostage/ceasefire negotiations in 2023, 2024, and January 2025. In today's episode, which we recorded before a live audience at the Manhattan JCC last week, Brett sat down for his first long-form/on-the-record conversation on his lessons learned, including how these lessons inform the current (on-again/off-gain) negotiations over the Witkoff Plan. Brett McGurk has held senior national security posts across the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.  Most recently, he served as President Biden's White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, he spearheaded U.S. Government efforts across the region to secure the release of Israeli hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza and he coordinated international support for Israel's defense against Iranian ballistic missile attacks.As Special Presidential Envoy for both President Obama and President Trump, McGurk was an architect of the global coalition of more than 80 countries together with local forces on the ground to defeat ISIS. He also led secret negotiations with Iran to secure the release of American hostages, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaein. As a senior White House official under George W. Bush, Brett was an early advocate for a change in Iraq war policy and helped develop “the surge” strategy. He also negotiated the Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, which continues to guide U.S. relations between the two countries.  He is now a Venture Partner at Lux Capital, a venture capital firm based in New York City and Silicon Valley, as well as a Special Advisor for international affairs at Cisco, and holds fellowships at both the Harvard's Belfer Center and the Atlantic Council. He's also a CNN Global Affairs Analyst. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorMARTIN HUERGO - Sound EditorMARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional EditingMAYA RACKOFF - Operations DirectorGABE SILVERSTEIN - ResearchYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. In a surprise move, six living hostages will be released on Saturday, including Israelis Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been held by Hamas since entering the Strip on their own in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The other four — Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert, and Eliya Cohen — were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel. Why are six being released versus the agreed-upon three, and why is Hamas offering a much more generous phase 2 deal? Former White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk last week penned his first op-ed since leaving government, taking the opportunity to defend the Biden administration’s handling of the hostage negotiations and insisting that Hamas was consistently the obstacle to an agreement. We hear Magid's thoughts on McGurk's statements, as well as the timing of them. Israel’s envoy to the United States has accused Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of violating the US-brokered peace deal between Jerusalem and Cairo, profiting from the desperation of Palestinians seeking to flee the Gaza Strip and duplicitously operating to benefit Hamas. This comes as Egypt is working with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to formulate a day-after plan for Gaza. Magid weighs in. Please see today's ongoing live blog for more updates. Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. For further reading: These are the six living hostages set to be released Saturday 6 hostages to be freed Sat.; Hamas says bodies of Bibas mom, kids set for Thurs. return News of Bibas family’s tragic fate met with confusion, mourning and rage Biden’s Mideast czar says Trump ‘right to stand firmly by Israel’ on hostage deal Arab plan for Gaza could involve up to $20 billion regional contribution Israel’s US envoy: Egypt’s Sissi is breaking peace deal, ‘playing both sides’ with Hamas IMAGE: Palestinian Hamas terrorist fighters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on February 15, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Face the Nation, hours before America begins its handover of presidential power, we begin with breaking news as the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire deal commences with the return of three Israeli hostages and a Palestinian prisoner swap. Is the cease-fire deal the beginning of a new way forward for peace in the Middle East? We'll talk with a key Biden negotiator of the truce, Brett McGurk. Incoming national security advisor Rep. Mike Waltz weighs in on the immediate national security challenges the new administration faces, including the future of TikTok in the U.S. Then, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Tim Kaine weigh in on Trump's cabinet picks following the first week of confirmation hearings. Finally, we explore the humanitarian crisis facing the youngest victims of the war in Gaza with Save the Children's Janti Soeripto. All this just ahead on Face the Nation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement took months and months. At the center of the talks representing the United States was Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. He joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the deal. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The negotiations that led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement took months and months. At the center of the talks representing the United States was Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. He joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the deal. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Als een overeenkomst tussen Israël en Hamas werkelijk leidt tot een houdbaar staakt-het-vuren en de uitwisseling van gijzelaars tegen Palestijnse gevangenen, is dat het gevolg van een politieke primeur. De Midden-Oosten-onderhandelaars van Joe Biden en Donald Trump sloegen gezamenlijk de leiders van Israël en Hamas met de koppen tegen elkaar, en die begrepen dat ze de vertrekkende en komende president niet tegen elkaar konden uitspelen. ‘Als de gijzelaars niet vrij zijn voor mijn inauguratie, breekt de hel uit’, had Trump gezegd. Wat hij daarmee precies bedoelde was niet duidelijk, maar Bibi Netanyahu zag het vermoedelijk als een steuntje in de rug, misschien wel als een carte blanche om de strijd tegen Hamas nog verder op te voeren. Hij moet verbijsterd zijn geweest toen hij Steve Witkoff, Trumps Midden-Oosten-onderhandelaar ontving, die in plaats van met een steunbetuiging met een donderspeech kwam. Het was, zeiden medewerkers, een ‘gespannen’ gesprek, en het kwam erop neer dat Bibi het nieuwste voorstel voor een wapenstilstand simpelweg móest aanvaarden. Tekenen bij het kruisje, was Witkoffs boodschap. Bidens onderhandelaar Brett McGurk, zette samen met Witkoff Hamas onder druk, met de boodschap dat verdere uitvluchten zinloos waren. Na de nederlaag van Hezbollah en Iran, en de vlucht van de Syrische leider Assad, was Hamas immers volledig geïsoleerd. In Qatar kwamen de zwaargewichten bijeen: Witkoff, McGurk, Mossad-chef David Barnea, Ronen Bar, baas van de Israëlische veiligheidsdienst en een Egyptische toponderhandelaar. Biden overlegde telefonisch met Netanyahu, de emir van Qatar, al-Thani, en president al-Sissi van Egypte. Het nieuwe voorstel voor een wapenstilstand is helemaal niet nieuw, het is al acht maanden geleden door Biden op tafel gelegd en sindsdien steeds gerecycled. In fases worden gijzelaars geruild tegen Palestijnse gevangenen en trekken Israëlische troepen weg uit Gaza. Wie nou precies geruild wordt tegen wie, en hoeveel militaire controle toch nog houdt zijn steeds de struikelblokken geweest, ten koste van duizenden doden en ten koste van de gijzelaars. Als het allemaal lukt, is het de verdienste van de kemphanen Biden en Trump, die voor één keer kozen voor de Verenigde Krachten van Amerika. Hadden ze ook voor Oekraïne moeten doen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For review:1.  US Sends B-52s to CENTCOM AOR.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending additional bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster presence in the region, as an aircraft carrier and its warships are preparing to leave.2. US and Israeli Officials continue discussions on ceasefire plans in Lebanon.A US official told The Times of Israel that US special envoy Amos Hochstein and White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk's meetings with top Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Thursday were “substantive and constructive."3. Iran Supreme Leader Orders Retaliation Attack on Israel.Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered plans be drawn up by his Supreme National Security Council, after being briefed on the extent of the damage from the Israeli strikes.4.  Ukraine President: "Zero Reaction" Concerning N. Korean Troops in Kursk.Regarding the reaction to the deployment of North Korean troops, Zelensky said, "Putin is checking the reaction of the West ... And I believe that after all these reactions, Putin will decide and increase the contingent ... The reaction that is there today is nothing, it is zero."5. Turkey and Indonesia collaborate on Armored Personnel Carrier.Manufacturing is set to begin in 2025. Deliveries are expected by the end of 2026, with the timing dictated by the Indonesian Army's specific needs. 6. Japan launches amphibious warship planned for Maritime Unit.The JS Nihonbare (LCU-4151) is an amphibious vessel that can transport a dozen vehicles or containers at speeds of 15.5 knots. 7. Taiwan to procure loitering munitions from the US in deal worth $360 million.The US State Department approved the sale of 291 x Altius 600M-V and 720 x  Switchblade 300 loitering munitions 

Israel has killed 22 people in an airstrike on central Beirut. We speak to Adam Tooze about new evidence that Israel is purposefully targeting children in Gaza. Plus: A Nobel Prize winner calls out the founder of OpenAI; and Thangam Debbonaire takes aim at pro-Palestine protesters. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Brett McGurk profile […]

Today marks one year since the Hamas attack on October 7th, 2023. We are joined once again by Khury Petersen-Smith, Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he researches U.S. empire, borders, and migration The U.S. continues to openly endorse Israel's expansionist foreign policy, moving more U.S. military assets into the region as Israel escalates its attacks in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and the West Bank. The devastation in Gaza and Lebanon is incomparable to what has taken place in prior wars, yet western media continues to diminish Israel's indiscriminate killing of civilians or report on other evidence of war crimes. The U.S. was not simply led by Israel into this war, but willfully joined in. Internal emails recently obtained by Reuters reveal that the Biden Administration knew as far back as October 13, 2023 that the weapons they provided to Israel were being used to target civilians in violation of international law. Brett Murphy, who reports for ProPublica's national desk, found that members of the Biden Administration worked overtime to expedite weapons transfers to Israel despite the concerns of White House officials that displacing Palestinian civilians en masse would lead to a humanitarian disaster. His reporting also exposes the outsized influence that defense industry lobbyists have on U.S. foreign policy. See Brett Murphy's reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-america-biden-administration-weapons-bombs-state-department In the wake of this news, CAIR—The Council on American-Islamic Relations is now renewing its calls to dismiss Secretary of State Antony Blinken and administration official Brett McGurk. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of CAIR joins us to explain the political thrust of those demands. This week's Resistance in Residence artists are Gabriele Christian and Chibueze Crouch who make up the performance duo OysterKnife. You can learn more about them on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_oysterknife_/ — Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Palestine Post: One Year Since October 7th appeared first on KPFA.

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma speak with Ryan Grim, reporter at Drop Site News and co-host of Counter Points, to break down the biggest headlines of the day. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Israel's brutal assaults on Beirut and Gaza, the US' longshoremen strike, the US economy, Trump's attacks on legal migrants, student loan relief, the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and Eric Adams' legal woes, also watching Trump's pitch for his economic platform (it's just him bragging about ripping people off). Ryan Grim then joins, diving right into Israel's ongoing escalation and expansion of their military offensive, and the US' condonation of their brutal campaign as it now extends into Lebanon and potentially to Iran, stepping back to look at how the Biden Administration – and more particularly advisors Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein –  have skirted around US military recommendations and intelligence to endorse Israel's pivot whole-heartedly. After expanding on the role of US oil reserves in potentially bolstering Biden's commitment to expanding Zionist bloodthirst, Ryan, Sam, and Emma unpack the strong continuity between the campaigns and administrations of Harris and Biden, first touching on inklings of a potentially devastating departure from Biden's labor personnel before walking through the role this coherence plays in influencing the Harris campaign's ongoing pivot to center-right voters. They also touch on the role of the growing labor movement in bolstering and challenging the Harris campaign and wrap up the show with a conversation on the conservative canvassing conundrum and the pointlessness of the VP Debate. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the sentencing of former Colorado County Clerk Tina Peters over Trump's election scheme while no organizers of the scheme have been held accountable, and Kowalski from Nebraska gives me (the person writing this) a lovely compliment and unpacks some of JD Vance's industrial and manufacturing rhetoric from the debate. They also dive deep into the turnaround of the US economy and the boost it's giving to Harris' polling – with some helpful commentary from Laura Ingraham and Julie Su. Baddie from Cincinnati has some plans for Cincy's abandoned subway tunnels, Mike Lawler explains the nuances of Blackface, and JD Vance does some election denial. Neville from New Joisey helps to end the show with some good ol'-fashioned genocide-denial, plus, your calls and IMs! Follow Ryan on Twitter here: https://x.com/ryangrim Check out Drop Site News here: https://www.dropsitenews.com/ Check out Counter Points here: https://www.youtube.com/@breakingpoints Sign this letter alongside U.S. health professionals who've been in Gaza to Joe Biden & Kamala Harris: https://www.gazahealthcareletters.org/usa-letter-oct-2-2024 Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityrep ort Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Join Sam on the Nation Magazine Cruise! 7 days in December 2024!!: https://nationcruise.com/mr/ Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Henson Shaving: It's time to say no to subscriptions and yes to a razor that'll last you a lifetime. Visit https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY to pick the razor for you and use code MAJORITY and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor–just make sure to add them to your cart. Sunset Lake CBD: Visit https://SunsetLakeCBD.com and use code October24 to save 35% on all edibles. This sale ends October 8th. See their website for sale terms and conditions. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

On this new episode of THE POLITICRAT daily podcast Omar Moore plays the audio of the entire news conference by President Joe Biden at the NATO Summit, and provides analysis. Recorded on July 12, 2024. Subscribe: https://politicrat.substack.com Article by Brett McGurk: https://tinyurl.com/4jt55xmh Project 2025 summarized: https://trumpsproject2025.com Letter from Biden: https://tinyurl.com/5xdv8836 Accomplishments: https://wh.gov/therecord | https://joebiden.com/accomplishments Philadelphia Inquirer editorial: https://tinyurl.com/v9p6s399 Full article on predicted media failure at the debate: https://tinyurl.com/bdek3s5p Vice story: Republicans don't really want to secure the border: https://bit.ly/4c3uuJV | Debunking the myth of the migrant crime wave: https://tinyurl.com/msx2fc3r Reminder: Get busy voting. https://vote.org. Ajike Owens' official GoFundMe page: https://bit.ly/3WQOAk6 Donate: https://PayPal.me/PopcornReel New podcast: TÁR Talk (https://bit.ly/3QXRkcF) The new POLITICRAT newsletter is here! Subscribe for free: https://politicrat.substack.com. Social media: Spoutible - https://spoutible.com/popcornreel Mastodon - https://mas.to/@popcornreel Post: https://post.news/popcornreel Twitter: https://twitter.com/popcornreel Black Voters Matter: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org. Vote 411: https://vote411.org. The AUTONOMY t-shirt series—buy yours here: https://bit.ly/3yD89AL Planned Parenthood: https://plannedparenthood.org Register to vote NOW: https://vote.org The ENOUGH/END GUN VIOLENCE t-shirts on sale here: https://bit.ly/3zsVDFU Donate to the Man Up Organization: https://manupinc.org FREE: SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE BRAND NEW POLITICRAT DAILY PODCAST NEWSLETTER!! Extra content, audio, analysis, exclusive essays for subscribers only, plus special offers and discounts on merchandise at The Politicrat Daily Podcast online store. Something new and informative EVERY DAY!! Subscribe FREE at https://politicrat.substack.com Buy podcast merchandise (all designed by Omar Moore) and lots more at The Politicrat Daily Podcast Store: https://the-politicrat.myshopify.com The Politicrat YouTube page: bit.ly/3bfWk6V The Politicrat Facebook page: bit.ly/3bU1O7c The Politicrat blog: https://politicrat.politics.blog Join Omar on Fanbase NOW! Download the Fanbase social media app today. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to this to this podcast! Follow/tweet Omar at: https://twitter.com/thepopcornreel.

On this new episode of THE POLITICRAT daily podcast Omar Moore discusses the dangerous national security and foreign policy Orange Felon 34 (aka Trump) has and will institute if elected—and it's destruction on steroids. Recorded on July 11, 2024. Subscribe: https://politicrat.substack.com Article by Brett McGurk: https://tinyurl.com/4jt55xmh Project 2025 summarized: https://trumpsproject2025.com Letter from Biden: https://tinyurl.com/5xdv8836 Accomplishments: https://wh.gov/therecord | https://joebiden.com/accomplishments Philadelphia Inquirer editorial: https://tinyurl.com/v9p6s399 Full article on predicted media failure at the debate: https://tinyurl.com/bdek3s5p Vice story: Republicans don't really want to secure the border: https://bit.ly/4c3uuJV | Debunking the myth of the migrant crime wave: https://tinyurl.com/msx2fc3r Reminder: Get busy voting. https://vote.org. Ajike Owens' official GoFundMe page: https://bit.ly/3WQOAk6 Donate: https://PayPal.me/PopcornReel New podcast: TÁR Talk (https://bit.ly/3QXRkcF) The new POLITICRAT newsletter is here! Subscribe for free: https://politicrat.substack.com. Social media: Spoutible - https://spoutible.com/popcornreel Mastodon - https://mas.to/@popcornreel Post: https://post.news/popcornreel Twitter: https://twitter.com/popcornreel Black Voters Matter: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org. Vote 411: https://vote411.org. The AUTONOMY t-shirt series—buy yours here: https://bit.ly/3yD89AL Planned Parenthood: https://plannedparenthood.org Register to vote NOW: https://vote.org The ENOUGH/END GUN VIOLENCE t-shirts on sale here: https://bit.ly/3zsVDFU Donate to the Man Up Organization: https://manupinc.org FREE: SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE BRAND NEW POLITICRAT DAILY PODCAST NEWSLETTER!! Extra content, audio, analysis, exclusive essays for subscribers only, plus special offers and discounts on merchandise at The Politicrat Daily Podcast online store. Something new and informative EVERY DAY!! Subscribe FREE at https://politicrat.substack.com Buy podcast merchandise (all designed by Omar Moore) and lots more at The Politicrat Daily Podcast Store: https://the-politicrat.myshopify.com The Politicrat YouTube page: bit.ly/3bfWk6V The Politicrat Facebook page: bit.ly/3bU1O7c The Politicrat blog: https://politicrat.politics.blog Join Omar on Fanbase NOW! Download the Fanbase social media app today. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to this to this podcast! Follow/tweet Omar at: https://twitter.com/thepopcornreel.

Daha önce açıklanmıştı: Irak'ta kilit bu yaz kapanacak. Terör örgütünün hareket alanı daraltılacak. Bu kapsamda kritik birliklerin yerlerini aldığı söyleniyor. Hatta sahada hareketliliğin yoğunlaştığına ilişkin gözlemler yapılıyor. Kuzey Irak'tan artık daha sık gelen “etkisiz hale getirilen terörist” haberleri muhtemelen boşuna değil. Güvenlik politikalarını takip edenlerin dikkati bu yüzden Irak'ta. Ancak Ankara bu sıralar Suriye'nin kuzeyine özel bir önem veriyor. Sebebi terör örgütü PKK'nın “yerel seçim” adı altında saha tahakkümünü pekiştirecek bir girişime hazırlanması (Sözde seçimlerin 30 Mayıs'ta yapılacağı açıklanmıştı. 11 Haziran'a ertelendi. Yine ertelenme ihtimali var.) Daha önce dikkat çektiğimiz bu konu artık yoğun bir şekilde kamuoyu gündeminde (Bakınız; Yangından mal kaçırma: Terör örgütü ABD'den tanınma istiyor, 10 Mayıs 2024). Hatta hafta başında MGK açıklamasına da yansıdı. Açıklamada “Millî güvenliğimiz ve komşularımızın toprak bütünlüğü hilafına herhangi bir oldu bittiye fırsat verilmeyecek” denildi. O yazıda ABD'nin “Adım adım devletleşmeye gidiyorlar. CENTCOM bunu size anlatmıyor” diye uyarıldığını yazmıştık. Sözde seçimle ilgili muhataplara yapılan adrese teslim başka uyarılar da var. Onlara geleceğim ancak önce bazı hususların altını çizmem gerekiyor. PKK'NIN HAYALİ, ABD'NİN AMACI Bir. Terör örgütünün sözümona devletleşme ve Batı başkentleri tarafından tanınma girişimi yeni değil. Projenin patenti Suriye'deki örgüt kamplarından çıkmayan ABD'li komutanlara (CENTCOM) ve Brett McGurk'e ait. İlk hedef Suriye ve Irak'ın kuzeyini birleştirmek ve bölgeyi PKK üzerinden kontrol etmekti. İki. Ankara, kirli senaryoyu görmüş ve karşı hamlesini yapmıştı. Bu oyun bozucu hamle iki adımda gerçekleşti. Birincisi, Suriye'de yapılan son operasyonlarda sadece teröristler değil terör örgütü PKK'nın kurumsallaşma kapasitesi, tüm altyapısı hedef alındı. (Terör elebaşları “Suriye'de 10 yıl geriye gittik” diyor.) İkincisi, Irak'la Kalkınma Yolu konuşulurken aynı zamanda Suriye-Irak terör geçişlerinin engellenmesi konusunda da anlaşıldı. Üç. ABD'nin Suriye'den çıkma isteği günışığına çıkınca (Temmuz 2023), Türkiye ile masaya oturduğu haberleri dolaşıma girince ve Ankara'nın Irak hamlesi gelince terör örgütü panikledi. Suriye sahasındaki nüfuz alanını güçlendirmek için önce sözde toplumsal sözleşme, “anayasa” hazırladı (Aralık 2023). Şimdi de yerel seçim tertip ediyor. Örgüt yöneticileri amaçlarının “Kendi kendine yönetim, kendini temsil ve kaderini tayin (bağımsızlık)” olduğunu gizlemiyor. Bu ifadelere örgüt yayın organlarında rastlamak mümkün. ŞAM'DA ELÇİLİK SÜRPRİZİ

Bazı önemli gelişmeler İran Cumhurbaşkanı Reisi'nin düşen helikopterinin kaldırdığı toz bulutu içinde kayboldu. Helikopter düşmeden tam bir hafta önce, Umman'da gerçekleşen gizli buluşmadan bahsediyorum. ABD Ulusal Güvenlik Konseyi Orta Doğu ve Kuzey Afrika Koordinatörü Brett McGurk, burada İranlı yetkililerle bir araya geldi. Görüşme gizli olduğu için bize söylenenle ya da bilmemizi istedikleri kadarıyla yetineceğiz. Ancak bazı soru işaretlerimiz var. Şüphelerimizi de dile getireceğiz. Söylenen şu: ABD yönetimi Ortadoğu'daki krizin bölgesel bir savaşa dönüşmesini engellemeye çalışıyor. Bu yüzden İran'la temas kuruyor. Bu temasa 7 Ekim'in hemen ardından zaten başladılar. Önce aracılar (Çin) üzerinden konuştular. Bu trafikte ABD İran'a “Hizbullah'ı dizginle, gerilime müdahil olacaksan bu kontrollü olsun” mesajı verdi (Başka bir teklifle daha gittiler. Ona az sonra değineceğiz.) İran da sürece Lübnan değil Yemen üzerinden müdahil oldu. Mesafe uzak olunca müdahalenin etkisi de cılız kaldı. Kontrollüydü. Mış gibi yapıldı. Amaç iç ve bölge kamuoyuna “Bir şeyler yapıyorum” mesajı verebilmekti. Anlaşılabilir bir durum. Daha sonraki süreçte Amerikalı ve İranlı yetkililer ilk Umman toplantısını ocak ayında yaptılar. İsrail'in Şam'da İranlı komutanları vurması üzerine patlak veren füze gerilimi sırasında da doğrudan temas kuruldu. Hem ABD'nin hem de İran'ın pozisyonu gerilimin kontrolden çıkmaması üzerineydi. Böylece Hizbullah Hamas'ı hayal kırıklığına uğratan bir tutumla çatışmadan uzak durdu. Ne var ki bu politika İsrail'in Lübnan'da Hizbullah'a dönük saldırılarını engellemedi. ABD'nin İran'ı iletişim kurarak kontrol etme arayışı İsrail'in asıl hedefini bilmesinden kaynaklanıyor. İsrail, İran unsurlarını doğrudan hedef alarak Tahran'ı krizin içine çekmeye, gerilimi bölgesel savaşa dönüştürmeye çalışıyor. İsrail'in Suriye ve Lübnan'ın güneyinde tampon bölge oluşturma kararı 2019 tarihlidir. Tel Aviv yönetimi 7 Ekim saldırısını fırsata çevirerek bu planı hayata geçirmeye çalışıyor. Yani bu kurgusu çok önceden yapılmış bir tezgahtır. ABD de bu tezgahın parçasıdır. TAVŞANA KAÇ TAZIYA TUT POLİTİKASI

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. It is day 197 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode in the Jerusalem office. The alleged Israeli strike in Iran overnight Thursday-Friday went beyond the scope of several small drones described by Tehran. The strike reportedly included at least one missile launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes that targeted an air defense radar site near Isfahan that was part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site. What are we hearing from the US so far about the attack on Iranian soil? White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk said on Friday that the regional cooperation that took place in the thwarting of Iran's attack on Israel last weekend is something that the Biden administration has been working to bolster for the past several years. What else did he say? The Biden administration has managed to continue holding high-level discussions with Saudi Arabia in recent weeks aimed at brokering a normalization agreement between the leading Gulf kingdom and the Jewish state, three US officials told Magid last week. What does this information signal? The Palestinian Authority said on Saturday that it will reconsider bilateral relations with the US after Washington vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership. Magid dives into the meaning of the vote. Magid describes Benzi Gopstein, a far-right Israeli activist and close ally to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who was targeted in the third round of sanctions imposed by the Biden administration, aimed at clamping down on settler violence in the West Bank. For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog April 20, 2024 In ‘message,' IDF said to fire missiles at radar defense for secret Iran nuclear site US vetoes Security Council resolution recognizing Palestinians as full UN member state PA's Abbas threatens to reconsider ties with US after veto of UN membership bid Top Ben Gvir ally, former MK aide among targets of latest US and EU settler sanctions THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.  IMAGE: Illustrative - Demonstrators burn a US and an Israeli flag during the funeral for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel, in Tehran on April 5, 2024. (Atta Kenare / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with David Masciotra, author, lecturer and journalist based in Indiana, to discuss his recent book Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Israel's continuing operations in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, mounting pressure on Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel, Sec. Mayorkas' impeachment, student debt relief, unionization, and Mike Johnson's Ukraine aid package, before diving into Donald Trump's new middle-ground stance on abortion legislation, and the subtle backlash from his evangelical base. David Masciotra then joins, first outlining the definition of the “exurbs” – distinct from suburbia due to its lower density and greater distance from urban centers, yet much wealthier and with much more robust infrastructure than rural areas – and exploring the particular role they play in bolstering far-right politics electorally. After contextualizing the rise of exurbs as a late-stage development of white flight beginning in the mid-‘90s, with real estate firms building up isolated communities in previously rural towns and using exclusionary politics and property tax gimmicks to recruit those still escaping the growing diversity of urban centers and even some suburban areas, Masciotra walks Sam and Emma through the infrastructure of exurbia's isolation, with residents largely working outside of their towns while all civic, media, and commercial roles are taken over by mega-churches, casinos, and massive corporations, resulting in little-to-no connection with their community, much less the outside world. Wrapping up, David explores the major issue that comes with addressing these severely isolated communities, particularly when their “problems” largely arise from reactionary cultural issues grounded in racial resentment and Christian nationalism, and why our hope in conquering this issue lies in on-the-ground and bottom-up organizing. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma dive into the increasing pressure on Biden to halt weapons transfers to Israel after the IDF's slaughter of the employees of DC's favorite Chef José Andrés, Bernie Sanders' staunch rejection of Biden's rhetorical posturing of anger with Netanyahu, and Jonathan Guyer's recent reporting on the role of one Brett McGurk in Biden's Israel policy (particularly when it comes to the risk of expanding the conflict into a regional war). Jon Stewart discusses Apple's massive fear of the FTC and Lina Khan, Dawn Staley has no time for transphobic fear-mongers, and far-right weirdos Rudy Giuliani and Brian Glenn posit interesting scientific theories. Bill Maher struggles to find common ground with Billy Dee Williams despite their shared appreciation for blackface. Check out David's book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740832/exurbia-now-by-david-masciotra/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ; use coupon code Majority and get 15% off; ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/ Get emails on the IRS pilot program for tax filing here!: https://service.govdelivery.com/accounts/USIRS/subscriber/new Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Cozy Earth: IF you've never tried Cozy Earth, I've got awesome news!  You can SAVE up to 35% off Cozy Earth right now!  But hurry... this offer won't last.  Go to https://CozyEarth.com and enter my promo code MAJORITY REPORT at checkout  for up to 35% off on your first order!  That's https://CozyEarth.com promo code MAJORITY REPORT. 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Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden's Middle East adviser, travelled to Israel to meet with Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

En el próximo episodio de El Brieff, exploraremos desde la petición de AMLO a EE.UU. sobre investigaciones de narcoapoyos, hasta la desaceleración de la inflación en México que sugiere un posible recorte de tasas de interés. Analizaremos el papel de Brett McGurk en las tensiones de Israel con Gaza, el sorprendente salto de Nvidia en la bolsa, y la trágica muerte de Alexei Navalny en prisión rusa. También discutiremos la decisión del banco central de Turquía frente a la inflación, la polémica en la Cámara de los Comunes británica, el potencial liderazgo de Mark Rutte en la OTAN, el controvertido acuerdo de Albania con Italia sobre inmigración, y finalizaremos con el prometedor rendimiento de Sergio Pérez en los entrenamientos de pretemporada de F1. STRTGY te ayuda a impulsar las ventas de tu negocio con I.A. conoce más de nosotros en www.strtgy.ai y escríbenos a arturo@strtgy.ai para recibir más información. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyaz Saray Ortadoğu Koordinatörü Brett McGurk rehineler için İsrail'de. Başkan Biden göçmen sorununu Trump'ın döneminde kullandığı göçmenlik yasasıyla çözmeye çalışacak. ABD Alabama Yüksek Mahkemesi'nin dondurulmuş embriyo kararını tartışıyor. Trump'ın avukatları 355 milyon dolarlık cezanın icrası için erteleme talep etti. ABD özel robot uzay aracıyla yarım yüzyıl sonra Ay'a ilk kez indi

Julia Ioffe joins Peter to chat about Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin, and the whole carny act side show it has kicked up. Then they discuss Brett McGurk, perhaps the most controversial player in all of Washington. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ralph welcomes leaders from two grassroots groups advocating against the war on Gaza. First, from Tel Aviv, we are joined by Ido Setter of “Standing Together” a movement aimed at mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice. Then, here in America, Stefanie Fox, executive director of Jewish Voice For Peace, reports on their work taking action in Congress, on the streets, and in the press to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza.Ido Setter works on Standing Together's digital mobilization team. Standing Together is a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice.For the last two decades, the Israeli government and Israel as a state didn't offer any kind of hope for the Palestinian. There wasn't another serious peace process, no serious talks, and basically the Israeli government said to Palestinians, “Listen, this is how things are going to be. Deal with it.” And when you don't offer any hope, people will go to extreme places. So what happened on October 7th was, of course, a strategic collapse. But it was also an accumulation of the past two decades, where Israel didn't think that moving forward with a peace treaty or some kind of a peace agreement with the Palestinian people was an imperative.Ido SetterNothing stays on one side of the border. Everything that happens on the Palestinian side of the border eventually comes back to the Israeli side of the border… We need to stop right now what's happening at the current moment in Gaza, have compassion, and move in the opposite direction that Benjamin Netanyahu and his hawkish government is trying to lead us.Ido SetterStefanie Fox is Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, which is one of the largest Jewish anti-Zionist organizations in the world.There is a large and growing community of faith leaders, of rabbis, of synagogues, of many, many Jews who are working to build a Judaism liberated from Zionism. And so there's probably 10 synagogues across the country that are anti- or non-Zionist. There are dozens of independent spiritual communities we call Chavurot that are connected (or not) to Jewish Voice for Peace. There's a burgeoning and growing movement to fight for the soul of Judaism, to fight for the future of our communities. And we have millennia of Jewish tradition—that predate the founding of the state of Israel and the movement of political Zionism—to lean on and to extend into a future where we are not bound up and made complicit in support for a genocidal ethno-state.Stefanie FoxThe term ‘semite' comes out of 19th century scientific racism. It's not really something in any moment in history that anybody has actually used to describe themselves. It's only a racist term. And so, the term ‘antisemitism' does refer to the bigotry and discrimination that emerged out of that racist classification system. And at its root it comes from the same white supremacy in which anti Palestinian racism and erasure and Zionism itself were born… And of course, antisemitism is real. There's real hatred and bigotry and discrimination against Jews. The point is that antisemitism and white supremacy and Zionism emerge from the same root of exclusionary ethno-nationalist racialized state building.Stefanie FoxIn order for [President Biden and the US Congress] not to ask for a ceasefire, they are engaged in hostilities now—the U.S. that is—against the Houthis in Yemen. They are bombing in Iraq and Syria. It's quite a price the U.S. is paying…because if there were a ceasefire, there'd be no Houthi assailing of shipping in the Red Sea. There would be no missiles with Hezbollah in Lebanon.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 1/24/241. Just Foreign Policy reports that there is dissent brewing among Obama foreign policy alumni regarding President Biden's air war on the Yemeni Houthis. Former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, considered Obama's foreign policy guru, called the campaign “a dangerous escalation,” and further stated "We have no legal basis to be doing that.” Rhodes, joined by former National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor, are thus aligned with the dozens of groups – including the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and World BEYOND War, among many others – which signed a letter calling for an end to the campaign. Representative Ro Khanna, writing in the Nation, argues that “President Biden has both the constitutional obligation and a political imperative to seek congressional authorization for proposed hostilities,” but is quick to note that “ it is…not too late to pursue a more effective approach…which happens to be wildly popular with voters—regional diplomacy and statesmanship.” Asked "Are the airstrikes in Yemen working?" President Biden himself replied “are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they gonna continue? Yes," per Just Foreign Policy.2. Following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's statement ruling out a two-state solution, more Senate Democrats are warming up to the idea of imposing conditions on military aid to Israel. Yahoo! News reports that 18 Senate Democrats now support “an amendment that would require that any country receiving funding in the supplemental [aid package] use the money in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict,” with five Senators – Tina Smith, Tammy Baldwin, Laphonza Butler, Jon Ossoff, and Raphael Warnock – adding their names after Netanyahu's comments, per Jewish Insider. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been non-committal, with the Times of Israel reporting that he said “the Democratic caucus is still discussing the best way forward, regarding conditioning aid to Israel.”3. The Huffington Post reports controversial Biden Middle East advisor Brett McGurk may have earned a target on his back from Congressional Progressives. A draft letter from Congressional Democrats to Biden demanding McGurk's resignation is already circulating, with sources saying frustration with McGurk “has reached a boiling point.” McGurk's signature Middle East policy has been his attempted marriage of Israel and Saudi Arabia, even going so far as to push “U.S. officials to tie the future of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza to the prospective Saudi-Israel deal.” Other officials, speaking anonymously, called the plan “delusionally optimistic.” However, while Progressives may well claim McGurk's political scalp, some worry that he could become a scapegoat for administration-wide policy on Palestine.4. Harvard, caving to attacks from the likes of Larry Summers and billionaire Bill Ackman, has established an “Antisemitism taskforce.” However, this has not stopped the bad-faith attacks on the university, with that same coterie now alleging that the co-chair of the task force – Professor of Jewish History Derek J. Penslar – is insufficiently Zionist, per the Crimson. Penslar has previously signed a letter stating “‘Israel's long-standing occupation' of Gaza [has] resulted in a ‘regime of apartheid,'” and rejects the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which includes anti-Zionism. Summers wrote that Penslar is “unsuited” to lead the task force; meanwhile the American Academy for Jewish Research writes “Professor Penslar is a prolific scholar with a stellar international reputation, whose numerous books address the historical development of many of the topics raising rancor at our universities today: antisemitism, Zionism, Jews and the military, and the history of Israel.” Responding to Summers, Professor Steven Levitsky, who is Jewish, said “Larry Summers…is not representative of a majority of Jews at Harvard,” adding “That guy is batshit crazy — and you can quote me on that.”5. U.S. District Judge William Young has blocked the planned merger of Spirit Airlines and Jetblue Airways, arguing the acquisition would “‘substantially lessen competition' in violation of the Clayton Act, which ‘was designed to prevent anticompetitive harms for consumers,'” per the Hill. President Biden praised the decision in a statement, saying “Today's ruling is a victory for consumers everywhere who want lower prices and more choices. My Administration will continue to fight to protect consumers and enforce our antitrust laws.” The Department of Justice has been fighting this merger since March 2023.6. The New Republic reports “Earlier this month, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released an explosive report documenting that Donald Trump's businesses pocketed at least $7.8 million in payments from foreign governments during his presidency.” Yet, House Democrats are powerless to subpoena witnesses to further investigate this report because Republicans hold the majority. Ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Jamie Raskin, has been pushing Senate Democrats – who hold the gavels in that chamber – to issue subpoenas. Yet these Senate Democrats have hesitated to do so. We urge these powerful Democratic committee chairs to use their subpoena power. The American people deserve to know if their president profited from foreign dealings at their expense.7. Public Citizen reports “the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] plans to crack down on banks charging ridiculous overdraft fees. Their proposal would cap overdraft fees at $3 and close the loophole that allows banks to take advantage of Americans who are already struggling.” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra is quoted saying “Decades ago, overdraft loans got special treatment to make it easier for banks to cover paper checks that were often sent through the mail…Today, we are proposing rules to close a longstanding loophole that allowed many large banks to transform overdraft into a massive junk fee harvesting machine." According to the CFPB's statement, “The proposed rule would apply to insured financial institutions with more than $10 billion in assets… The CFPB estimates that this rule may save consumers $3.5 billion or more in fees per year.”8. California Senate candidate Barbara Lee has picked up the endorsement of the statewide McClatchy editorial board, including major Golden State papers like the Sacramento Bee. In their announcement of the endorsement, the Bee wrote “Barbara Lee stood out from the rest. Her independence, her perseverance in fighting for the underdog and her life experiences set her apart.” Confirming this assessment, just this week Congresswoman Lee was kicked out of a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Cuba for arguing in favor of normalizing diplomatic relations.9. The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Trader Joe's for the company's attempted union busting. Based on a 2022 unfair labor practice charge, the complaint alleges the company shuttered their New York City wine store in order to avoid impending unionization, in addition to “subject[ing] employees to interrogation, threaten[ing] to cut their benefits and [telling] them deciding to join a union would be ‘futile,'” Grocery Dive reports. The United Food and Commercial Workers union praised the decision, writing “Trader Joe's shamelessly and illegally engaged in union busting to scare Trader Joe's workers across the region and stop these workers from having a voice on the job. We applaud the NLRB's decision …and look forward to holding Trader Joe's accountable for their egregious anti-worker behavior.” Possible remedies the board could utilize include compelling the company to reopen the store.10. Finally, he Intercept reports Republicans Glen Grothman and Marco Rubio have put forward a bill to provide pensions to citizens who worked for Air America. But just what was Air America? The generically named airline was in fact a CIA cutout which “has been accused of running weapons and even…drugs in Southeast Asia.” The faux airline also played a key role in the CIA's operations in Laos and Cambodia, among the darkest chapters in American covert ops history. Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes told the Intercept “The whole point of Air America was to kill Communists.” Ironically, as the piece points out, these are the same Republicans who decry the so-called “deep state.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

In this episode of the More Freedom Foundation Podcast, Rob and Ruairi discuss Brett McGurk's role in the Middle East and how his actions have been detrimental to the region. They delve into the reasons behind his rise to power and the mystifying fact that he has been allowed to continue his disastrous influence on the Middle East after guiding a solid decade of failure. Tune in to hear their insights and analysis on this important topic. ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Books⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok

It's Casual Friday! Emma speaks with Alex Pareene, contributing editor at The New Republic and co-host of The Politics of Everything podcast, to round up the week in news. Then, she is joined by Francesca Fiorentini, host of the Bitchuation Room! First, Emma runs through updates on Biden's war in the Middle East, the backlash to that policy, Netanyahu's “From the River to the Sea” proclamation, the growing Gaza death toll, Mexico and Chile's new request for an ICC probe into Israel, Biden's student loan relief, Congress' continuing resolution and CTC, and Washington state's take on Donald Trump's ballot access, before diving into the recent revelations around the deadly inaction from the Uvalde Police in the Robb Elementary mass shooting in 2022. Alex Pareene then joins, diving into Democrats' ongoing attempt to pin the accountability for Biden's war in the Middle East on Brett McGurk, Biden's NSC Coordinator for the Middle East, and touches on Biden's recent statements on his strikes on Yemen as a perfect encapsulation of US foreign policy. Alex and Emma also parse through Bibi Netanyahu's recent statements outrightly rejecting the idea of a Palestinian state, the growing violence in the Middle East, and the hollowness of many 2-state solution arguments. Wrapping up, Pareene touches on Biden's weak support as the 2024 election cycle begins, also exploring results coming out of the Iowa caucuses, and what the hell the non-Trump candidates are fighting for. Francesca Fiorentini also joins, as she discusses her upcoming shows on the West Coast (including an Emma Vigeland appearance), her Seinfeldian experiences doing stand-up, and grappling with the liberal zionist desire to have their genocide and perpetrate it too. Wrapping up, they watch Matt Lee school the US State Department Spokesperson on Israel's controlled demolition of Gaza University. And in the Fun Half: Emma watches Nikki Haley attempt to do a slavery revisionism revision only to be reminded of slavery by Jake Tapper, and Candace Owens inspires a grand debate on what category of killer Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) falls under. Donald Trump gets desperate on Hannity, and Goya's CEO and ND Governor Burgum remind the Fox audience of Trump's qualifications, plus, your IMs! Follow Alex on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/pareene?lang=en Check out the Bitchuation Room here: https://www.youtube.com/franifio Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Earthbreeze: Right now, you can subscribe to Earth Breeze and save 40%! Go to https://earthbreeze.com/majority to get started. That's https://earthbreeze.com/majority for 40% off! ZBiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/MAJORITY to get 15% off your first order when you use MAJORITY at checkout. You can also sign up for a subscription using my code - so you can stay prepared no matter the time or occasion. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

We're joined on this episode by Erik Sperling, executive director of Just Foreign Policy to discuss the latest on the US strikes on Yemen, the threats of a broader regional conflict, the push to oust White House advisor Brett McGurk, Netanyahu's “river to the sea” comments and more. You can follow Erik here: https://twitter.com/ErikSperling If you're near Montreal, join Paris, Rob & Nashwa Lina Khan for a very fun event on January 20th. More info here: https://bit.ly/newsucksweknow Our most recent premium episode with Mac aka @GoodPoliticGuy is available here: https://www.insurgentspod.com/p/ep-243-our-beloved-shipping-lanes This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

President Biden's top advisor Brett McGurk is quietly pushing a controversial proposal to reconstruct Gaza after Israel's assault concludes, according to HuffPost.

kuzey Irak'ta terör örgütü PKK'nın iki hafta arayla düzenlediği terör saldırıları yeni ve sert bir dönemin habercisi. Düğüm çözüldü, bıçak kemiğe dayandı. Bu saldırıların arkasında ABD'nin PKK'ya verdiği garanti var. Ankara tabloyu gördü, yanıtını verdi. Bu yazıda ABD garantisine, Ankara'nın aldığı karara, Talabani'nin neden gündeme geldiğine odaklanacağım. Önce kısa bir arkaplan.. Türkiye'nin Şam'la diyalog kurma kararı bölgede ABD lehine kurulan statükoyu bozdu. Böyle bir anlaşma hayata geçerse ABD'nin Suriye'de kalması imkansız hale gelecekti. Bunun üzerine ABD yeni bir oyun planı kurdu. Suriye ve Irak'ın kuzeyinde geçişkenliği artıracak, askeri varlığını tahkim edecek, bölgeyi PKK ve Talabani üzerinden kontrol edecekti. ABD Genelkurmay Başkanı Milley bu kapsamda Suriye'nin kuzeyinde teröristlerle buluştu. (ABD'li Generalin Gizli Ziyaretinin Deşifresi, Mart 2023) Bunu yaparken Ankara-Şam normalleşme sürecini İran'la birlikte sabote ettiler. Süreç tıkandı. ABD, bölgedeki varlığını terör örgütü PKK üzerine kuruyordu. İran'la da içli dışlı olan terör örgütünden sadakat bekliyordu. PKK da karşılığında ABD'den Türkiye'nin terör elebaşlarını hedef alan nokta operasyonlarına (ve Suriye'deki varlığına) ilişkin koruma garantisi istedi. (ABD'li General Teröristle Neyin Pazarlığını Yaptı, Mart 2023) Bu sırada Kuzey Irak'ta düşen ve teröristleri Suriye'den Irak'a götüren bir helikopter ABD'nin bölgede kurmaya çalıştığı yeni oyunu deşifre etti. Bafel Talabani sobelendi. Ankara Süleymaniye'ye hava sahasını kapattı. (Şeytan Üçgeninde Düşen Helikopter, Mart 2023) ABD-PKK pazarlıklarının sürdüğü sırada, Irak'ın Süleymaniye kentinde PKK'lı terörist Mazlum Abdi'ye (Brett McGurk ve Bafel Talabani'nin dostudur) operasyon düzenlendi. Abdi şans eseri kurtuldu. (Nisan 2023) Daha fazla detaya boğmayayım. Gelinen noktada TSK ve MİT'in etkili operasyonlarıyla terör örgütü elebaşları ard arda öldürüldü. PKK da ABD'ye “Bizi korumuyorsunuz” eleştirilerini açıktan dillendirmeye başladı. ABD-PKK pazarlığının 2023'ün Eylül ayında sonuçlandığı anlaşılıyor. PKK bundan sonra düğmeye bastı. 1 Ekim'de Ankara'da İçişleri Bakanlığı'na yönelik terör saldırısı bu garantiye duyulan güvenle düzenlenmiştir. ABD, 5 Ekim'de Suriye'de “Askerlerime çok yaklaştınız” diyerek Türk SİHA'sı düşürmüş ve PKK'ya “Sözümü tutuyorum” mesajı vermiştir. (Elebaşlara yönelik Türk operasyonlarını durduramamıştır, o ayrı.) Kuzey Irak'ta düzenlenen terör saldırıları da -İsrail teşvik etse bile- yine bu güvenceye dayanır. Şimdi Ankara'nın buna yanıtına odaklanalım. Ankara ABD'nin Suriye-Irak hattında kurmaya çalıştığı terör eksenini kırmak için Bağdat'la -önemli mesafe kat edilen- bir diplomasi trafiği yürütüyor. Bu kapsamda 5 ay gibi kısa bir sürede masaya Kalkınma Yolu Projesi kondu. Bağdat ve Ankara'da, Dışişleri Bakanı Hakan Fidan'ın yaptığı toplantılar sonrası Irak, terör örgütü PKK'yı yazılı bir metinde ilk kez “Tehdit” olarak niteledi. (Aralık 2023) (Kalkınma Yolu'nu dinamitlemek için bundan sonra da çok sayıda aktör tarafından çok sayıda girişim gerçekleşecektir.) Bu işin bir boyutu. Diğer boyutunda terörü kaynağında kurutma stratejisi devam ediyor. ABD'nin, terör örgütüne verdiği garanti de ortada. Peki, ne olacak?

Recorded Monday, January 15, 2024:Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, returns to the American Prestige podcast to discuss his recent pieces covering the post-Gaza plans of top White House official Brett McGurk and the imminent departure of the White House's special Middle East envoy on humanitarian issues.Then, for American Prestige subscribers, the group gets into the NSC's attempts to discredit Akbar's reporting, the media backlash, how this compares to treatment of reporters under Trump, and more.Subscribe to American Prestige for the full interview!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.comAkbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, returns to the podcast to discuss his recent pieces covering the post-Gaza plans of top White House official Brett McGurk and the imminent departure of the White House's special Middle East envoy on humanitarian issues. Then, for subscribers, the group gets into the NSC's attempts to discr…

A HuffPost investigation details how Biden's top advisor Brett McGurk is shaping US policy in the Middle East and the response to Israel's assault on Gaza.

This is the web version of Foreign Exchanges, but did you know you can get it delivered right to your inbox? Sign up today:TODAY IN HISTORYDecember 2, 1805: At the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon wins what was arguably his greatest victory against a larger joint Russian-Austrian army. The Allies suffered 36,000 dead/wounded/captured compared with only 9000 for the French. The French victory was so complete that not only did it end the War of the Third Coalition, it allowed Napoleon to create the Confederation of the Rhine among the German states that had become French clients. Emperor Francis II was then forced to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire, which had been in existence continuously since 962 and traced its origins back to Charlemagne's coronation as “emperor of the Romans” in 800.December 2, 1942: Enrico Fermi and his team create the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction at “Chicago Pile-1,” a rudimentary reactor built under the campus of the University of Chicago. This was the first milestone achievement for the Manhattan Project in its race to build a nuclear bomb before Nazi Germany.December 3, 1971: The Pakistani military undertakes preemptive airstrikes against several Indian military installations, beginning the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, itself the final phase of the Bangladesh Liberation War. India was preparing to enter the war on Bangladesh's side anyway, so when I say these strikes were “preemptive” I am not using that term in the phony, George W. Bush “hey they might attack us someday, you never know” sense of the term. The war, to put it mildly, was a complete disaster for the Pakistanis, who were forced to surrender a scant 13 days later and had to give up their claims on “East Pakistan” (Bangladesh) while suffering around a third of their military killed, wounded, or captured. In one of Henry Kissinger's more notorious acts, the Nixon administration opted to support Pakistan despite evidence of its armed forces committing major atrocities against Bangladeshi civilians.December 3, 1984: A Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, spews toxic methyl isocyanate gas overnight, resulting in the deaths of between 3800 and 16,000 people and causing injury to at least 558,000 more. Union Carbide maintains that the leak was caused by deliberate sabotage, though Indian courts subsequently found several officials at the plant guilty of negligence. The “Bhopal Disaster” remains one of the worst industrial catastrophes in history and its adverse effects are still being felt by people in that region to the present day.MIDDLE EASTISRAEL-PALESTINEThe Israeli military (IDF) was advancing on the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on Sunday, with Hamas officials and residents both reporting indications of nearby fighting and the IDF later confirming that it has sent ground forces into southern Gaza. The IDF has been ordering civilians to evacuate the eastern reaches of Khan Younis, and of course it's posted a helpful interactive map on its website that warns civilians of imminent danger provided those civilians have reliable internet access and haven't lost their special IDF secret decoder rings. Residents of Khan Younis will likely move further south to Rafah, though that city is also under heavy IDF bombardment so it's not really safe either. Israeli officials say the IDF struck more than 400 targets over the weekend, and the official Gazan death toll had risen at last check to 15,523. The real death toll may be substantially higher, given the likelihood of bodies that haven't yet been recovered and the closure of most of the hospitals that were handling casualties.Elsewhere:* Aid shipments into Gaza have resumed. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says that 100 truckloads of aid entered the territory from Egypt on Saturday and I believe the aim was to bring in a similar number of trucks on Sunday though I have not seen any information yet as to whether that was accomplished.* The Biden administration may be “pressing” Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations, as White House spokes-ghoul John Kirby told NBC on Sunday, but there's no indication it's having any success. After the ceasefire collapsed on Friday the Israeli government recalled its Mossad negotiators from Qatar, and for Hamas's part the Islamist group's political wing has sworn off any future prisoner swaps “until the war ends.”* The administration is continuing to send large quantities of ordinance to the IDF, including massive “bunker buster” bombs. So any claim that it's really pushing the Israeli government to negotiate a ceasefire or even demonstrate greater discernment in its bombardments really doesn't hold up terribly well.* Israel Hayom is reporting that “key figures” in the US Congress have been shown the text of a “new initiative” that would condition future US aid to Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, and Yemen (all of which it identified as “Arab states,” which would be news to the Turks) on the willingness of governments in those four states to enable the ethnic cleansing of Gaza by taking in refugees. That same outlet has also reported (in Hebrew, so here's a summary from Ryan Grim) that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Minister of Strategic Planning Ron Dermer to put together a plan to “thin the population in Gaza to a minimum,” which if nothing else is an incredible euphemism. The Biden administration has rejected any forced and/or permanent relocation of Gazan civilians, a point that Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated during her visit to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai over the weekend. But it perhaps could be sold on the idea of a “voluntary” (in quotes because in reality it would be anything but) evacuation that is characterized as temporary even if there's no real intention to ever let the evacuees return.* The Guardian says its reporting has confirmed the findings of that bombshell +972 Magazine piece from a few days ago, which reported that the IDF has been using an AI system called “Habsora” (“The Gospel”) to identify targets under a process that's been likened to a “mass assassination factory.” The system is producing targets faster than the IDF can attack them, including private homes where the likelihood of civilian casualties is high. Israeli officials are apparently insisting that the AI is programmed to minimize civilian risk, an assertion that cannot be squared with the high number of civilian casualties incurred so far in this conflict.* Israeli settler mobs attacked two West Bank villages in separate incidents on Saturday, killing at least one Palestinian in one of those attacks. The human rights organization Yesh Din says it's catalogued some 225 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, resulting in at least nine deaths.* On a somewhat related note, one of the people killed in last Thursday's shooting in East Jerusalem turns out to have been an Israeli civilian who shot and killed the two Hamas attackers and then was mistakenly gunned down by Israeli soldiers. Video footage apparently shows the man disarming, kneeling, and opening his shirt to demonstrate to the soldiers that he was not a threat, but one of them killed him anyway. The incident has raised issues regarding the trigger happiness of Israeli security forces and the wisdom of the Israeli government's armed vigilante program, which in addition to risking civilian Palestinian deaths also risks more “friendly fire” shootings like this one.* The Washington Post published a story this weekend about the hasty evacuation of al-Nasr Children's Hospital in northern Gaza last month. Without going into some of the grislier details, the staff was forced to evacuate by the IDF and left behind four premature infants who likely would not have survived relocation. They say Israeli officials told them the infants would be taken out in Red Cross ambulances but apparently they were left to die and, eventually, decompose. Reporters discovered their remains during the ceasefire. Israeli officials insist that they never ordered al-Nasr's evacuation and have questioned the veracity of the story, despite video evidence and a recording of a phone call that the IDF itself released in which an Israeli official appears to acknowledge the need to rescue patients from the facility. The Red Cross says it never agreed to assist the evacuation and that conditions in northern Gaza would have made it impossible for its personnel to get to al-Nasr to retrieve the infants.* I mention the al-Nasr story because it strikes me as especially galling. In general I'm trying not to focus heavily on individual atrocities or allegations of atrocities in compiling these newsletters—there would be no space for anything else otherwise. I hope readers don't mistake that for apathy about any of these stories, going back to and including the atrocities committed/allegedly committed by Gazan militants on October 7 (I know cases of sexual violence have been receiving heavy coverage of late). I feel my role here is to try to provide an overview and for me that means keeping some distance from specific events. I'm sure I don't do that consistently but it is my aim.SYRIAAccording to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that Saturday morning Israeli missile attack in the vicinity of Damascus killed at least two of its personnel who were in Syria on an “advisory” mission. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strikes killed two Syrians who were affiliated with Hezbollah as well as two foreigners, presumably these IRGC members, while wounding five other people.YEMENHouthi rebels in northern Yemen fired a barrage of missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea on Sunday. The group damaged three commercial ships and also fired at least three drones at the US naval destroyer USS Carney, which shot the projectiles down. There's no indication of any casualties and two of the vessels reported only minor damage (I'm unsure as to the status of the third). I would not be surprising if the US military were to retaliate against the Houthis in the near future, and there is a genuine risk that this could lead to a full-blown resumption of the Yemen war—though of course that would require Saudi Arabia's involvement.IRAQIraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaʿ al-Sudani reportedly told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a phone conversation on Saturday that Baghdad does not appreciate the US military carrying out attacks on Iraqi soil. The US attacked two Iraqi militia-linked targets on November 22 (during this newsletter's holiday pause), “killing nine pro-Iran fighters” in retaliation for attacks against US personnel according to AFP. Those attacks tapered off during the Gaza ceasefire, but as we know that ceasefire is no longer operative.On Sunday, US forces carried out a drone strike on a militia target in Iraq's Kirkuk province, killing at least five people and wounding five more. There was initially no indication as to responsibility (though one didn't exactly have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve this caper), but the US military later confirmed that it was responsible and characterized the strike as preempting “an imminent threat.”ASIAPAKISTANUnspecified gunmen attacked a bus in northern Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region late Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 26 others. The bus driver was among those killed, along with the driver of a truck with which the bus collided. There's been no claim of responsibility and the main body of the Pakistani Taliban has taken the rare step of denying any involvement.PHILIPPINESA bombing targeting a Catholic mass killed at least four people and left several others wounded on the campus of Mindanao State University in the southern Philippine city of Marawi on Sunday. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via Telegram. The previous day, the Philippine military said its forces killed at least 11 jihadist militants in nearby Maguindanao province in an attack targeting “suspected leaders and armed followers of the Dawla Islamiyah [i.e. ‘Islamic State'] and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters” to borrow the AP's verbiage. I don't know whether Sunday's bombing was planned in advance or was intended as a direct retaliation for Saturday's incident.AFRICAGUINEA-BISSAUThe president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, characterized Thursday night's gun battle between elements of the National Guard and his Presidential Palace Battalion as an “attempted coup” in comments to reporters on Saturday. Embaló had been out of the country attending the COP28 summit when the incident took place and said it had delayed his return to Bissau. National Guard commander Victor Tchongo is now in government custody, but Embaló appeared to suggest that there were other coup plotters behind Tchongo and said he would open an investigation into the incident on Monday. The National Guard is part of the Interior Ministry, which AFP says is “dominated” by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAICG). That party, which won June's parliamentary election and now controls the government, is opposed to Embaló.BURKINA FASOThe military governments of Burkina Faso and Niger announced on Saturday that they are both withdrawing from the G5 Sahel regional counterinsurgency force. That group was formed in 2014 with the aim of pooling resources to battle the various jihadist groups that were threatening Sahelian governments. It began deploying joint forces a couple of years later, but as you might already have concluded it's had minimal impact on the region's jihadist crisis. Mali's ruling junta quit last year, so of the original five member states only Mauritania and Nigeria still remain.ETHIOPIAOfficials in Ethiopia's Oromian regional government have accused the rebel Oromo Liberation Army of killing at least 36 civilians in attacks on three villages that took place on November 24 and 27. The OLA apparently hasn't commented and there's no confirmation of the government claim, but the alleged attacks took place not long after another round of peace talks between the OLA and Ethiopian government broke down, so it's conceivable the group decided to lash out in that moment. The OLA was formed as the military wing of the Oromo Liberation Front in the 1970s but broke away from the group's political leadership when the latter reached a peace accord with the Ethiopian government in 2018. It frequently attacks non-Oromo communities in Oromia, though authorities have only said that the victims of these attacks were Orthodox Christians without reference to ethnicity.EUROPEUKRAINERussian military operations in eastern Ukraine may have hit a couple of speed bumps over the weekend. For one thing, reports that emerged on Friday suggesting that the Russians had seized the town of Maryinka, southwest of the city of Donetsk, appear to have been a bit premature. Ukrainian forces are reportedly still in control of some parts of the town, including a coking plant, though that may change in relatively short order of course. Elsewhere, the Ukrainian military claimed on Saturday that Russian attacks on the city of Avdiivka had completely ceased for a full day. That too could change in a hurry, and indeed may already have changed by the time you read this, but it suggests the Russians were at least regrouping after spending the previous several days in what seemed like intense fighting to try to take the city.The Ukrainian government says it's investigating a claim that Russian soldiers summarily executed two surrendering Ukrainian military personnel. Details are minimal but there's a video of this alleged incident circulating on social media. Needless to say, intentionally killing surrendering soldiers is a war crime.FRANCEA knife-wielding attacker killed one German tourist and wounded two other people near Paris's Eiffel Tower late Saturday. The attacker is a French national who was on a French government “watch list,” had apparently pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and was also “known for having psychiatric disorders” according to Reuters. He cited the conflict in Gaza, among other triggers, to police after his arrest.AMERICASBRAZILBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Sunday that he has no intention of bringing Brazil into full membership in the OPEC+ bloc and would stick to “observer” status only, one day after he somewhat incoherently told reporters that he wanted to join the group of major oil producing nations to try to encourage them to stop producing oil. OPEC+ extended a membership offer to Brazil on Thursday, which I gather has raised some eyebrows given Lula's stated commitment to combating climate change. Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, is continuing to pursue new oil exploration, also despite Lula's climate change position, though he says his aim is to invest oil profits in non-fossil fuel energy alternatives (and to encourage OPEC+ nations to do likewise). Oil remains the cause of, and solution to, all of humanity's problems.VENEZUELAVenezuelans, or at least the ones who participated, apparently voted overwhelmingly in Sunday's referendum to support their country's territorial claim on western Guyana's Essequibo region. Election officials said that the vote was 95 percent in favor for all of its five clauses—the most contentious of which was a question about whether or not to declare Essequibo a new Venezuelan state and extend citizenship to its residents—though there's not much insight as to turnout. There's no indication that the Venezuelan government is planning any imminent steps to try to actualize its claim on Essequibo but the referendum has nevertheless caused some consternation in Guyana and internationally.UNITED STATESFinally, HuffPost's Akbar Shahid Ahmed offers some welcome reassurance that the worst Middle East “expert” in Washington is still central to the Biden administration's regional policy:Four men in Washington shape America's policy in the Middle East. Three are obvious: President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The fourth is less well-known, despite his huge sway over the other three ― and despite his determination to keep championing policies that many see as fueling bloodshed in Gaza and beyond.His name is Brett McGurk. He's the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and he's one of the most powerful people in U.S. national security.McGurk crafts the options that Biden considers on issues from negotiations with Israel to weapon sales for Saudi Arabia. He controls whether global affairs experts within the government ― including more experienced staff at the Pentagon and the State Department ― can have any impact, and he decides which outside voices have access to White House decision-making conversations. His knack for increasing his influence is the envy of other Beltway operators. And he has a clear vision of how he thinks American interests should be advanced, regarding human rights concerns as secondary at best, according to current and former colleagues and close observers.Indeed, even though McGurk has spent nearly 20 years giving bad advice about the Middle East to a succession of US presidents—and even though his fixation on Saudi-Israeli normalization at Palestinian expense may have helped trigger the October 7 attacks—his influence today appears to be greater than it's ever been. I'm sure that makes all of us feel a little better.Thanks for reading! Foreign Exchanges is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.foreignexchanges.news/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.americanprestigepod.comDerek speaks with Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior foreign affairs reporter at HuffPost, about what is going on within the Biden administration around the Gaza War. Topics include sidelining the State Department, stifling voices therein, figures influencing Biden's Middle East policy like Brett McGurk, and more.Then, for subscribers, Danny and Derek welcome b…

By all indications, the tectonic plates in the Middle East are shifting. Representatives of the White House — National Security adviser Jake Sullivan and Mideast coordinator Brett McGurk — have been traveling back and forth between Washington and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on behalf of US President Joe Biden. What's on the table? A signing of the Abraham Accords between Saudi Arabia and Israel. What cost will all this 'peace and safety' be obtained at? An off the charts, sky-high end times cost with Mohamed bin Zayed holding all the cards. You remember him, he's the creator of the Abraham Accords. On this episode of the NTEB Prophecy News Podcast, Ukraine is now saying they will commence a bombing campaign on Moscow, a drag queen musician is top-of-the-charts on iTunes Christian chart, Phoenix has had 31 days over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and leprosy has been confirmed in Texas. That's a pretty full plate, but not what we want to talk about today here on Day 1,232 Days Of 15 Days To Flatten The Curve. What we are interested in today are the current, closed-door negotiations underway right now for Israel and Saudi Arabia to sign an Abraham Accords 'peace and safety' normalization covenant, umm, pact, with Israel. That's the ticket, please join us for these amazing end times developments.

Some Biden administration officials, notably Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East, and Amos Hochstein, special presidential coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, have been passing through Iraqi Kurdistan, encouraging Iraqi Kurds to sell oil to Turkey while arguing this will bolster US efforts to isolate Russia and Iran. Expert Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Pentagon official, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why these energy schemes, primarily from officials like Amos Hochstein, are doing not only Iraq, but Iraqi Kurds and US interests from the Middle East to the Eastern Mediterranean a disservice.Read Michael Rubin's latest in the Washington Examiner: State Department does Iraq a disservice with energy schemesYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:PM ends talks of elections before EasterDefense ministers agree to keep channels open

In a recent interview, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke on President Biden's foreign policy one year into the administration and yet made no mention of the Middle East. What is Biden's foreign policy in the Middle East, a region studded with humanitarian crises and seemingly intractable conflicts that impinge on U.S. interests, from Iran, Israel and Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. How does the administration define U.S. interests in the region? And where does the Middle East fit in the list of its priorities?Join Aaron David Miller as he sits down with Brett McGurk, the president's point person on the Middle East, to discuss these and other issues.

*) US warns of ‘other options' to add pressure on Iran as nuclear talks resume The United States has warned it is "prepared to use other options" including military force to ramp up pressure on Iran if nuclear talks collapse. The US National Security Council's coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, issued the warning over the weekend, according to CNN. McGurk said “military force to prevent” Iran “from obtaining a nuclear weapon” is “a very achievable objective” International talks on Iran's nuclear programme will restart in Vienna on Monday with analysts foreseeing major obstacles to any speedy resumption of the 2015 nuclear deal. *) Opposition candidate takes big lead in Honduras presidential election Left-wing opposition candidate Xiomara Castro has taken a commanding lead in Honduras' presidential election, preliminary results showed. With 16 percent of votes counted, former first lady Castro had taken almost 53.5 percent compared to ruling party's Nasry Asfura at 34 percent. Castro, whose husband Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup in 2009, is hoping to become the first female president of Honduras. *) EU border agency plane to monitor Channel migrant crossings Ministers from several European countries have agreed to deploy a plane around the clock, to tackle what they call "migrant trafficking" in the English Channel. The aircraft will monitor the area from France to the Netherlands, starting Wednesday. The ministers met in France on Sunday, after 27 people died a few days earlier trying to cross the English Channel to Britain. The British home secretary Priti Patel was disinvited from the meeting after Boris Johnson called on France to take back the people who crossed over to the UK. *) African leaders call for reverse of Omicron-linked travel bans South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on countries to reverse scientifically "unjustified" travel bans linked to the discovery of the new coronavirus variant Omicron. Dozens of nations have blacklisted the country and its neighbours since South African scientists flagged Omicron on November 25. Ramaphosa's Malawian counterpart Lazarus Chakwera accused Western countries of "Afrophobia" for shutting their borders. *) Louis Vuitton creative director dies of cancer at 41 One of fashion's most influential designers, Virgil Abloh has died from cancer at the age of 41. Abloh was the first Black creative director for the world's biggest luxury brand Louis Vuitton. The Ghanaian-American founded his own label Off-White in 2013. He was also an important figure in the music industry, collaborating on album covers with artists like Kanye West and Jay-Z.

The clock ticks perilously down towards the day the nuclear deal goes into effect. For Jason, it feels like the door is closing. What he doesn't know is that his family, the Post, and the Obama administration are increasing the pressure on Iran. Featuring Marty Baron, Brett McGurk, Lisa Monaco, Ben Rhodes and John Kerry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The public effort to get Jason out gains new life with #FreeJason and some famous supporters, including Muhammad Ali and Anthony Bourdain. Meanwhile, the U.S. government pivots to a secret backchannel to negotiate his release as the true reason for Jason's imprisonment becomes clear. Featuring interviews with former Secretary of State John Kerry and Obama Administration officials Brett McGurk, Ben Rhodes and Wendy Sherman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While Joe Biden has faced some mild Congressional pushback for bombing the Iraq-Syria border, Tulsi Gabbard says her former colleagues are ignoring the larger issue: the ongoing US dirty war on Syria. After a decade of proxy warfare that empowered Al Qaeda and ISIS, the US is now occupying one-third of Syria and imposing crippling sanctions that are crushing Syria's economy and preventing reconstruction. While Gabbard has been vilified for her stance on Syria, many top White House officials -- including Joe Biden himself -- have already acknowledged the same facts that she has called out. Aaron Maté plays clips of Biden and some of his most senior aides admitting to the horrific realities of the US dirty war on Syria, and argues that Gabbard only stands apart in being wiling to criticize it. Featuring clips from: Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic Congressmember; President Joe Biden; Brett McGurk, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa; Martin Dempsey, former Joint Chiefs chairman; Rob Malley, Special Envoy for Iran; John Kerry, Special Envoy for Climate & former Secretary of State; former President Donald Trump; Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on Sanctions; Dana Stroul, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East; Vice President Kamala Harris.

Washington Orta Doğu’da saatleri geriye alıyor Trump’la yaşadığı “derin görüş ayrılıkları” nedeniyle 22 Aralık 2018 tarihinde DEAŞ’la Mücadele Özel Temsilciliği görevinden istifa eden Brett McGurk, yeni başkanın ekibinde “Orta Doğu ve Kuzey Afrika Koordinatörü” olarak sahneye geri döndü. Yazan: Mehmet A. Kancı Seslendiren: Halil İbrahim Ciğer

Journalist Amberin Zaman analyzes Turkey's latest attempts at a diplomatic “reset” with the United States, and discusses what is in store for the US-Turkey relationship as the new Biden administration takes over. We also take a look at Syria, and whether the appointment of Brett McGurk to the National Security Council will cause more friction in US-Turkish relations. Finally, we break down recent reports that point to a rift in the governing coalition in Turkey, and examine if that means early elections may be on the horizon.Amberin Zaman is a roving staff correspondent for Al-Monitor covering the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Prior to Al-Monitor, Amberin Zaman served as The Economist's Turkey correspondent between 1999 and 2016.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here: Turkey's nationalists threaten AKP alliance with calls to ban pro-Kurdish partyTurkey's scapegoating of McGurk rooted in revisionismCan Syria be stitched back together again?Turkey launches charm offensive to ease tensions with EUEU, Turkey cautiously eye improved ties after tough 2020Athens eyes even stronger ties with US

A town in northeast Syria is increasingly becoming a battleground between Turkish-backed groups and US-backed forces amid fears of a new large-scale Turkish offensive. We look at the situation in Syria with Dr. Aykan Erdemir, and also break down President elect Joe Biden's announcement to appoint Brett McGurk to a senior role at the NSC managing the Middle East and North Africa.Dr. Aykan Erdemir, the Director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Turkish lawmaker, discusses the situation on the ground in Syria along with Turkey and Russia's role, and analyzes the impact Brett McGurk's appointment will have on the region.You can read the articles we discuss on The Daily Roundup here: Fighting Continues Over Flashpoint Town in Northern SyriaBiden to Tap More Former Obama Officials for Top National Security JobsBiden to pick Brett McGurk for top White House Middle East roleDemocrats Take Control Of Senate With Twin Georgia VictoriesMeet the senators who will be in charge if Dems win the SenateCapitol Secured After Pro-Trump Mob Breaches BuildingEU Commission approves Moderna coronavirus vaccineEU approves Moderna jab amid tensions over slow rollout of vaccines 

On COI #54, Kyle discusses Julian Assange being denied bail after a judge ruled against his extradition to the US. The denial of bail is further proof the prosecution of Assange has nothing to do with justice. The goal of the US, UK, and Sweden is to keep Assange behind bars to punish him for exposing war crimes.  While governments focus on keeping the people who expose their crimes behind bars, criminals acting on behalf of the state continue to go free. The Kenosha officer who paralyzed James Blake will not face charges. Victoria Nuland, who empowered neo-Nazi factions in Ukraine by orchestrating a coup in 2014, will be nominated for a high-level State Department position. Brett McGurk, who resigned to prevent Trump from ending an illegal war, will be given an advisor position in Biden's NSC.  YouTube – Conflicts of Interest Facebook – Conflicts of Interest Twitter – Conflicts of Interest Apple Podcast – Conflicts of Interest Support Our Sponsor Visit Paloma Verde and use code PEACE for 25% off our CBD

Nicolle Wallace discusses the Secretary of State of Georgia claiming Senator Lindsey Graham pressured him to toss out legal votes. Plus, the GOP sounding the alarm over Trump’s impact on the Senate runoff races in Georgia, the role of social media in the spread of disinformation, new coronavirus restrictions sweep across the U.S. as cases rise, Trump orders a draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, Biden is weary of investigations into Trump when he leaves office, and Biden builds up his senior staff.Joined by: Jonathan Lemire, Mark Salter, A.B. Stoddard, Donna Edwards, Robert Costa, Donny Deutsch, Kara Swisher, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Jeremy Bash, Brett McGurk, Ambassador Michael McFaul, Carol Lee, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Dr. William Schaffner, Shaquille Brewster, Sam Stein, and Kim Atkins

To hear the full episode, subscribe at patreon.com/TrueAnonPod We are joined by investigative reporter Matthew Petti (twitter.com/matthew_petti) to talk about the recent alleged oil deal in Northern Syria, different factions in the State Department, Washington's possible desire for militiafication in the North, and what the future might portend. ---------- On the Trump/Pompeo team: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/state-department-seeks-maximum-pressure-iran-syria-116666 On the history of rebels and Brett McGurk: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/made-america-how-us-government-paid-turkeys-war-syria-94401 On the pencil incident: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/exclusive-inside-state-departments-meltdown-kurds-90241 On the CIA analyst talking about an Arab SDF: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/inside-iran-hawks-hijacking-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-90041 On the Bolton book the multicolored map: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/exclusive-john-bolton-tells-how-iran-hawks-set-trump%E2%80%99s-syrian-kurdish-disaster-163062 On the oil and Assad: https://reason.com/2019/12/03/the-madcap-scheme-to-take-syrias-oil/ On Delta Crescent: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/did-mike-pompeo-mislead-congress-about-syria%E2%80%99s-oil-166158 On Russia and the oil: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/us-general-were-talking-russia-about-syrias-oil-166762 On the peace talks: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/syria%E2%80%99s-kurds-we-were-cut-out-syrian-peace-negotiations-167396 plus other recommended reading The cursed photo of Rayburn and some other details on the oil by Zack Kopplin: newrepublic.com/article/158841/pompeo-trump-steal-oil-kurds-syria-iraq On the reason for being in Tanf: al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/us-tanf-base-syria-john-bolton-trump-troops.html On the corruption at Tanf: thedefensepost.com/2020/04/16/syria-rebels-defect-maghawir-al-thawra/ On Mazloum’s leaked message to US leaders: cnn.com/2019/10/12/politics/us-syria-meeting-doc/index.html

The most charitable interpretation of the events surrounding the Russian bounty scandal is that we have suffered a catastrophic breakdown in our policy processes. But the scandal likely reveals other, even larger, internal crises--a government wide set of leadership failures from COVID to the economy to social unrest to this national security scandal and, of course, the President's pattern of putting Russia before America in his thoughts and as the prime beneficiary of his actions. We discuss this extraordinarily disturbing series of events with former Trump Special Envoy and advisor to President's Obama, Bush and Clinton, Brett McGurk, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe Mark Hertling and Vice President for the Third Way's National Security Program Mieke Eoyang. Join co-hosts Ryan Goodman of Just Security and David Rothkopf for this special episode. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The most charitable interpretation of the events surrounding the Russian bounty scandal is that we have suffered a catastrophic breakdown in our policy processes. But the scandal likely reveals other, even larger, internal crises--a government wide set of leadership failures from COVID to the economy to social unrest to this national security scandal and, of course, the President's pattern of putting Russia before America in his thoughts and as the prime beneficiary of his actions. We discuss this extraordinarily disturbing series of events with former Trump Special Envoy and advisor to President's Obama, Bush and Clinton, Brett McGurk, former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe Mark Hertling and Vice President for the Third Way's National Security Program Mieke Eoyang. Join co-hosts Ryan Goodman of Just Security and David Rothkopf for this special episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump says he's never even heard of Brett McGurk, but that's what he says whenever he feels jilted. On today's episode of Deep State Radio, Rosa Brooks stands in for David Rothkopf as host, and DSR regulars Ryan Goodman and David Sanger are joined by Brett McGurk, who hurt Trump's feelings very badly when he resigned as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in late 2018. Rosa, Brett, David and Ryan talk about whether the last week has been a "break glass in emergency" moment for the nation's senior military leaders, whether everyone left in the Trump administration should resign en masse, and whether the US need an ROTC-type program for future diplomats. David admits to having a pet cow, Rosa defends the ugly chair in her Zoom background and admires Sebastian Gorka's leather vest, and Kori Schake's laugh is sorely missed. Don’t miss it! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump says he's never even heard of Brett McGurk, but that's what he says whenever he feels jilted. On today's episode of Deep State Radio, Rosa Brooks stands in for David Rothkopf as host, and DSR regulars Ryan Goodman and David Sanger are joined by Brett McGurk, who hurt Trump's feelings very badly when he resigned as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in late 2018. Rosa, Brett, David and Ryan talk about whether the last week has been a "break glass in emergency" moment for the nation's senior military leaders, whether everyone left in the Trump administration should resign en masse, and whether the US need an ROTC-type program for future diplomats. David admits to having a pet cow, Rosa defends the ugly chair in her Zoom background and admires Sebastian Gorka's leather vest, and Kori Schake's laugh is sorely missed. Don’t miss it!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tommy and Ben talk about the fallout from Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. What do we know about Iran’s ballistic missile strikes on bases hosting U.S. troops in Iraq? How are the Iranian people responding? Why is Trump threatening to commit war crimes? Why does the rationale for the strike keep changing and what can Congress do to stop the war from escalating? Then they discuss Kim Jong Un’s announcement that North Korea will abandon constraints on its nuclear program and how climate change has led to catastrophic fires across Australia. Then Middle East expert and former Bush, Obama and Trump aide Brett McGurk joins to discuss when the Soleimani assassination means for our relationship with Iraq and our efforts to fight ISIS.

The withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria has had grave repercussions for the security and stability of the entire region. The Turkish military has invaded northern Syria, killing dozens of Kurdish civilians and forcing over 200,000 Kurds to flee. In the absence of US troops, Russian and Syrian troops have rushed in to fill the power vacuum. Meanwhile, hundreds of ISIS fighters have escaped detention. Brett McGurk, distinguished lecturer at Stanford University and former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and David Phillips, director of peace-building and rights at Columbia University and former senior advisor to the US Department of State, make sense of the cascading impacts with WorldAffairs co-host Ray Suarez. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

President Donald Trump recently made the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria. Why was the U.S. there in the first place; where do things stand now with Turkey, the Kurds, and Syria; and what effect did that decision have on the fight against ISIS? Brett McGurk is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He previously served as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State. In this episode, McGurk discusses why the removal of U.S. troops from Syria is a big deal, the effect it has had on the fight against ISIS and security in northern Syria, and what it signals to the rest of the world.

President Donald Trump recently made the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria. Why was the U.S. there in the first place; where do things stand now with Turkey, the Kurds, and Syria; and what effect did that decision have on the fight against ISIS? Brett McGurk is the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He previously served as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State. In this episode, McGurk discusses why the removal of U.S. troops from Syria is a big deal, the effect it has had on the fight against ISIS and security in northern Syria, and what it signals to the rest of the world.

MACRON : L’HUMILIATION A STRASBOURG Le 28 août dernier, Emmanuel Macron proposait Sylvie Goulard au poste de commissaire européen. Ursula von der Leyen, qui doit devenir présidente de la Commission européenne en novembre, lui attribuait le portefeuille du Marché unique, dont l'objet est de faire fonctionner le marché intérieur et de développer une politique industrielle. Cette candidature s’est trouvée fragilisée par une enquête du parquet de Paris et du Parlement européen visant le Modem dont Sylvie Goulard était membre pour de potentiels emplois fictifs de collaborateurs au Parlement européen. Contrainte pour cette raison à démissionner, en juin 2017, de son poste de ministre des Armées, elle doit en outre répondre d’un possible conflit d'intérêts, car d'octobre 2013 à janvier 2016, parallèlement à sa fonction de députée européenne, elle a travaillé pour un think tank américain, l'Institut Berggruen, pour plus de 10.000 euros par mois. Soumise à l’accord du Parlement européen, la candidate française a fait face au scepticisme de nombre de députés quant à son éthique et elle a peiné à expliquer son versement de 45.000 euros visant à mettre un terme au contentieux avec le Parlement européen dans l'affaire des emplois présumés fictifs. Elle ne convainc pas les euros-députés qui décident de lui imposer une session de rattrapage sous la forme d'un questionnaire écrit, à renvoyer pour le 8 octobre. Dans ses réponses, Sylvie Goulard refuse de s’engager à démissionner en cas de mise en examen dans le cadre de l’enquête toujours en cours d'instruction à Paris, sur les emplois présumés fictifs, alors même que cette affaire a provoqué sa démission du gouvernement français en 2017. Les eurodéputés ont demandé à Sylvie Goulard de passer une nouvelle audition : le 10 octobre, fait inédit pour la France, sa candidature est rejetée par 82 voix contre 29 et une abstention. Après la Roumanie et la Hongrie, la France est ainsi le troisième pays à voir son candidat recalé. Emmanuel Macron, qui avait réussi à écarter la candidature de Manfred Weber à la tête de la Commission et à imposer celle d’Ursula von der Leyden a estimé que la décision des parlementaires de Strasbourg relevait du « ressentiment » et déclaré que l’Europe connaît "une crise politique que nous ne devons pas laisser s'installer". ***LES KURDES A L’ABANDON Le 6 octobre au soir, un communiqué de la Maison blanche a informé du retrait des troupes américaines stationnées en Syrie aux abords de la frontière turque. Trois jours plus tard, la Turquie lançait une opération militaire destinée à chasser des secteurs frontaliers la milice kurde syrienne des Unités de protection du peuple (YPG), qu’elle qualifie de « terroriste ». Ankara déclare vouloir instaurer une « zone de sécurité » de 32 kms de profondeur en territoire syrien pour séparer sa frontière des zones contrôlées par les YPG. Plusieurs villes ont été bombardées, entraînant la mort des dizaines de civils et d'importants déplacements de populations, et provoquant de nombreuses condamnations de la communauté internationales. Le désengagement américain a été vivement critiqué outre-Atlantique, et notamment par des membres influents du parti Républicain et par d’anciens militaires en poste dans la zone. La milice kurde visée par l'offensive turque est au premier rang de la lutte contre l’État Islamique en Syrie. Son effectif était estimé en 2015 entre 35 000 et 65 000 combattants. Elle représente un allié important dans la lutte contre l’État Islamique. Elle vise à terme la création d'un État Kurde regroupant des populations aujourd'hui à cheval sur plusieurs pays, solution rejetée au premier chef par la Turquie, mais aussi par l'ensemble des acteurs internationaux au Proche-Orient. Le Président Erdogan, récemment malmené aux dernières élections locales, pourrait être tenté de se relégitimer par cette opération. Cité par Courrier international, Brett McGurk, ancien envoyé de Trump chargé de la coalition internationale contre l’État islamique, considère que “ Moscou devrait être un grand bénéficiaire” de la décision américaine car “le retrait complet des forces américaines fait disparaître du paysage la seule puissance militaire capable de rivaliser avec la Russie et d’influer sur l’avenir de la Syrie » Ruslan Mamedov, spécialiste russe du Moyen-Orient cité par Bloomberg estime que « L’offensive de la Turquie contre les Kurdes pourrait avoir un effet positif pour la Russie, car cela va obliger les Kurdes à se rendre compte qu’ils doivent conclure un accord avec Damas, ce qui correspond à l’objectif principal de Poutine : un règlement politique qui place la Syrie tout entière sous le contrôle du président Bachar El-Assad. »

President Donald Trump in his “great and unmatched wisdom.”! President Trump and the art of the broken deal! The “benefit” of betrayal! Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Marco Rubio, Brett McGurk, General Mattis, John Bolton, Representative Eliot Engel, Representative Kevin McCarthy, Nikki Haley, and wait for it, Hillary Clinton! The Kurdish forces, the Kurdish peoples, and the Syrian Democratic Forces – SDF.

Bryan is celebrating the anniversary of our first episode on a beach, so this week, Chris and Melanie are joined by Tom Karako of CSIS. In this episode they discuss the Syria Study Group Report, which concludes that "the US can still influence the outcome of the Syrian war in a manner that protects US interests." Does America have interests in Syria? If so, can they be managed and protected, particularly with a president who seems uninterested in investing political capital and American resources there? How has the Syrian civil war affected Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and does that matter to America? Finally, is there anything the United States should do about the terrible humanitarian situation, the effects of which have spilled over to other countries? Tom tells us about taking his son to his first baseball game (go Nats!), Chris has a birthday wish for a former president, and Melanie both sticks it to and congratulates the press. We can't wait for Bryan to return and give us his review of the Downton Abbey movie!   Links "Syria Study Group Final Report," United States Institute of Peace, September 24, 2019 Josh Blackman, "When Is It Acceptable Journalistic Practice to Surface Old Social Media Posts?" Reason, September 27, 2019 Vance Serchuk, "Russia's Middle East Power Play," National Review, September 12, 2019 Michael Singh, Tweet, September 23, 2019 Trevor Thrall, “Resettling Syria’s Refugees Would Be Cheaper Than Widening the War,” Defense One, October 21, 2015 Alex Nowrasteh, “Terrorists by Immigration Status and Nationality: A Risk Analysis, 1975 – 2017,” Cato, May 7, 2019 Kareem Fahim, “In ‘60 Minutes’ Interview, Saudi Crown Prince Denies Ordering Khashoggi Killing,” Washington Post, September 29, 2019 Anna Massoglia, “Saudi Arabia Ramped Up Multi-Million Foreign Influence Operation After Khashoggi’s Death,” Open Secrets, October 2, 2019 Elizabeth Wolfe and Brian Ries, “Jimmy Carter, the Oldest Living Former US President, Is 95 Today,” CNN, October 1, 2019 Reis Thebault and Brittany Shammas, "Amber Guyger, Police Officer Who Shot a Man to Death in His Apartment, Found Guilty of Murder," Washington Post, October 1, 2019 Josh Blackman, "When is It Acceptable Journalistic Practice to 'Surface' Old Social Media Posts?" Reason, September 27, 2019 Jack Detsch, "Congress Aims to Restore Syria Stabilization Aid," Al-Monitor, September 18, 2019 Brett McGurk, "Hard Truths in Syria," Foreign Affairs, May 28, 2019 Eric Schmitt, "US Sees Rising Threat in the West from Qaeda Branch in Syria," New York Times, September 30, 2019 Brittany Shamas, "When Trump's Special Envoy to Ukraine Resigned, a Student Newspaper Beat Everyone to the Story," Washington Post, September 28, 2019 "Timeline: Syria's Eight Years of Fire and Blood," Reuters, March 16, 2019 Keith Pandolfi, "How to Refinish Woodwork," This Old House "Hypersonic," Merriam-Webster Events "NATO: The Dangerous Dinosaur," Cato Book Forum, October 18, 2019 "Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America’s Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover)," Cato Book Forum, October 21, 2019

Is the Trump administration pursuing a realist foreign policy? In a recent speech, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicates that it is, while Brett McGurk, in his article in Foreign Affairs, disagrees. Listen in to hear what Melanie, Chris, and Bryan think, as well as to hear Chris' views on Canadian sportsmanship.   Links Brett McGurk, "American Foreign Policy Adrift: Pompeo Is Calling for Realism-Trump Isn’t Delivering," Foreign Affairs, June 05, 2019 Khadrice Rollins, "Cheering for Injuries Didn't Start in Toronto, But That's Where It Should End," Sports Illustrated, June 11, 2019 William Smith, "Mike Pompeo: American Jacobin," American, May 28, 2019 Heather Hurlburt, "More Diplomacy, Less Intervention, but for What? Making Sense of the Grand Strategy Debate," Lawfare, June 07, 2019 Rick Atkinson, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, (Henry Holt and Co, 2019) George Will, The Conservative Sensibility, (Hachette Books, 2019) Jennifer McDermott and Michelle R. Smith, "Naval War College Heads Reassigned Pending Investigation," Navy Times, June 11, 2019 Austin Ramzy "Hong Kong Leader, Carrie Lam, Says She Won't Back Down on Extradition Bill," New York Times, June 10, 2019 Michael R. Pompeo, "Remarks at the Claremont Institute 40th Anniversary Gala: A Foreign Policy From the Founding," S. Department of State, May 11, 2019 Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, "Trump Undercuts Bolton on North Korea and Iran," New York Times, May 27, 2019 David A. Graham, "Trump Sides with North Korea against the CIA," Atlantic, June 10, 2019 Eliana Johnson, "Pompeo and Bolton Tensions Escalate as Iran Debate Intensifies," Politico, May 17, 2019 Robert Costa, "'I Think You Mean That, Too: Trump's Aides Struggle to Defend, Explain His Foreign Policy Statements," Washington Post, March 6, 2019 Chris Dougherty, "Why America Needs a New Way of War," Center for a New American Century, June 12, 2019 Mike Benitez, "F-15X: The Strategic Blind Spot in the Air Force's Fighter Debate," War on the Rocks, June 3, 2019, Alexander Hamilton, "Federalist No. 70"    Music and Production by Tre Hester

Upheavals and changing political dynamics across the Middle East are threatening to destabilize the region. External powers, notably the United States and China, are shifting their tactics, as Washington rebalances its presence and Beijing expands its economic interests. In this episode, Paul Haenle spoke with Brett McGurk, former special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS and nonresident senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on his extensive background working in the Middle East and the implications of shifting U.S. and Chinese policy for the region.

President Trump said the Islamic State was defeated after they lost the last territory of their self-declared caliphate. But then they claimed credit for the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, and elusive ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi appeared for the first time in five years, in a video praising the attack. Is ISIS really beaten, or are they just regrouping? Jen talks to Brett McGurk, former U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, about these questions and more. Read Brett's recent op-ed in Foreign Affairs about U.S. strategy in Syria, and his piece in the Washington Post about a GI Bill for diplomacy

A Conversation About War, Diplomacy and Presidential Decision-Making Brett McGurk has just joined Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute. He resigned from his special envoy post this past December when President Trump announced a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria without any process or deliberation. McGurk had served as President Trump's envoy to defeat ISIS for the past two years, helping to oversee a global campaign with a coalition of 75 countries and 4 international organizations. He was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama in 2015 and was retained in this role by the Trump administration. McGurk has had nearly two decades of diplomatic service, particularly in the Middle East, across Democratic and Republican administrations. He was presented the Distinguished Honor Award by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State John Kerry for exceptional service overseas. From October 2014 to January 2016, McGurk led 14 months of secret negotiations with Iran that led to a prisoner swap and the return home of six Americans, including journalist Jason Rezaian. Before joining the Bush administration's national security team, McGurk served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and was at the Supreme Court during the September 11, 2001 attacks, an experience that led to his practice of foreign affairs at the highest levels in Washington, D.C. and on the front lines. Come for a rare visit about his experiences as a seasoned diplomat as well as his thoughts on the direction of U.S. foreign policy and the intertwining of policy and politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPEAKERS Brett McGurk Distinguished Lecturer, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University; Former Special Presidential Envoy Under Trump and Obama; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Under President Obama; Former Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan Under President George W. Bush; Senior Foreign Affairs Analyst, NBC News In Conversation with Brian Fishman Policy Director of Counterterrorism, Facebook; Former Director of Research, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point; Former Adjunct Professor, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, California on May 1st, 2019.

Opening Monologues. World Peace for Christmas. War Is Over. On The Verge of The Wall. Government Shuts Down. All kinds of great stocking stuffers headed into the holidays. President Trump announces American troops coming home from Syria and Afghanistan. So maybe our wars don't always have to be endless? Neoconservative Bill Kristol has another cow. The Military Industrial Complex goes apoplectic. Secretary of Defense Jim "Mad Dog" Mattis resigns, along with grandstanding Obama holdover Brett McGurk. But surely most Americans -- including peaceniks, pacifists, flower children, monks, nuns and Buddhists -- will be uniting in peace-loving joy. Meanwhile, Trump fights for border security against the "weird passion" for wide open borders shared by Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. A bit of stressful "careening" from Trump along the way this week, but once again we thankfully arrive at the proper destination. The sovereignty battles we want, the battles MAGA can win. Whose borders shall we protect? Our own for once? Time for Mitch McConnell to fight for The Wall the way he fought for Kavanaugh. Plus, amazing new Gallup polling data shows Trump has earned 93% popularity with Republican Women and has achieved the highest intra-party approvals of any president in American history. Wow. Also, another Christmas Yodel and notes on The Weezer Thing. With Listener Calls & Music via John Lennon, Riders In the Sky, the Smithereens, Jo Stafford, Sheryl Crow and Weezer.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two chaotic years in office, President Trump struggles to maintain any semblance of control. And even for a dysfunctional administration like this one, the turmoil was more pronounced than ever this week.Despite the objections of his Cabinet, Trump unilaterally decides to withdraw US troops from Syria— enraging Congress and dumbfounding allies; Secretary of Defense James Mattison and presidential anti-ISIS envoy Brett McGurk both resign in protest; the government partially shuts four three days before Christmas, and the stock market has its worst week in a decade.How will Congress maintain a check on this administration when it feels like the wheels are coming off? And is the White House ready for an even more chaotic next two years?As always, you can jump to a section of the show by using our available chapters:IntroHighlight/LowlightWithdrawal from Syria Christmas Government Shutdown RankingsClosingThe shows we discuss today include:State of the Union on CNNMeet the Press on NBCFace the Nation on CBSThis Week on ABCCheck out Brendan’s analysis of Chris Christie’s Mic-Takeover Analysis : Email us at podcast@polilogue.com or you can send us your feedback @PolilogueCast. You can also follow us at @sotonaomi_ and @bsteidle.Want to stalk us some more? Check out some of our other work: Brendan’s website: www.armisticedesigns.com Naomi's website: www.startwithaquestion.org

First, Jake sits down with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Corker to discuss the partial government shutdown, the resignations of Defense Secretary James Mattis and top diplomat in the ISIS fight Brett McGurk, and Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria. Then, Trump talks to Senator Rand Paul, who supports the President's decision on Syria about that and the ongoing partial government shutdown. Next, incoming House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff joins Jake to discuss the President venting about federal prosecutors to the acting AG and other developments in the Russia investigation. Finally, in the State of the Cartoonion Jake looks at Trump's Jurassic twitter habits.