Podcast appearances and mentions of Joshua Landis

Thursday, May 22, 2025

El mandatario estadounidense Donald Trump termina este jueves su gira oficial en el golfo Pérsico, en lo que representa un vuelco de la política estadounidense con los países del Medio Oriente, pues su viaje se ha centrado en los acuerdos comerciales, mas no en la diplomacia. Que un presidente estadounidense elija Oriente Medio como su primera gira oficial y no Canadá o México como suelen hacerlo, puede interpretarse como una señal de prioridades en su política exterior. Trump eligió una región con fondos de riqueza y potencial de inversión donde unos cuantos hombres ejercen autoridad absoluta.El mandatario rompe los esquemas y dice estar en contra de cualquier intervención estadounidense en la región, como Washington lo ha hecho con Afganistán, Irak, Libia o Siria; “siempre y cuando se lleven bien económicamente”, según el análisis de Joshua Landis, director del centro de Estudios de Medio Oriente en la Universidad de Oklahoma, EE.UU.Para Trump es una cuestión de economía“Como lo expresó el presidente Trump, se trata de la economía, él quiere acuerdos con Arabia Saudita y los países del Golfo, y desconocemos qué más le han prometido a cambio” señala Landis. Uno de los primeros ofrecimientos que se conocieron por parte de Catar fue un avión nuevo y el líder Sirio Ahmed al Sharaa también le ha propuesto a Trump que empresas estadounidenses puedan reconstruir la infraestructura petrolera en su país. “Recordemos que Siria es un productor de petróleo, pero su infraestructura está completamente destruida y necesita miles de millones de dólares de inversión”, indicó el analista, quien asegura que la oferta es una oportunidad para que las empresas estadounidenses regresen a esta parte de Oriente Medio.Durante la visita, los países del golfo Pérsico han recibido elogios de Donald Trump por sus camellos, sus edificaciones en mármol, entre otros. Los líderes árabes, por su parte, decían sentirse honrados con la visita del mandatario estadounidense.El Medio Oriente busca seguridad nacionalEl director del centro de Estudios de Medio Oriente en la Universidad de Oklahoma señala que países como Arabia Saudita, Catar y Emiratos Árabes Unidos dependen de Washington para su seguridad. “Estados Unidos les proporciona armas, y una de sus principales exigencias es el uso de aviones F-35. Quieren aviones de combate y tecnología estadounidenses de vanguardia”, indicó.Landis recuerda el tratado que Estados Unidos tiene con Israel de ventaja militar cualitativa (QEM, por sus siglas en inglés) en el que Washington garantiza a Israel una tecnología militar que supera “cualquier combinación de gobiernos árabes que pudieran oponerse”. En ese sentido, países como Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos buscarían, por medio de estos tratados, obtener esta tecnología militar estadounidense de vanguardia, indica el analista, agregando que “sería una gran decepción para Israel”.Los cortejos financieros no han parado, Arabia Saudita, por ejemplo, prometió a Trump inversiones por 600.000 millones de dólares en ámbitos como la defensa y la inteligencia artificial y Qatar Airways, compañía que pertenece a la monarquía Catarí, hizo un pedido "récord" de 160 aviones a la empresa estadounidense Boeing, por un valor de más de 200.000 millones de dólares.

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Celebrations in Syria after the US president announced that he's lifting decades of sanctions. Donald Trump says his decision will give the nation a chance at greatness after years of civil war. So, can Syria's new leadership deliver on the hopes of the people and rebuild the country? In this episode: Sinan Hatahet, Non-Resident Fellow, Atlantic Council's Syria Project. Joshua Landis, Director, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma. Omar Alshogre, Director, Detainee Affairs, Syrian Emergency Task Force. Host: Folly Bah Thibault Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Israel and Turkiye have held talks over Syria in a bid to avoid clashes there. Benjamin Netanyahu's government says Turkish military bases in post-Assad Syria is a red line. But what if that line is crossed? In this episode: Barin Kayaoglu, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Area Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara. Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Alon Liel, Former Director at the Israeli Foreign Ministry Host: James Bays Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Israel's expansionist policy in Syria's Golan Heights and its support for the Druze and Kurdish minorities are justified by Israeli officials on the grounds that they are protecting natural allies and countering Turkish influence. Yet Syria expert Joshua Landis says Israel's actions are having the opposite effect, making Syria's new Islamist leaders more dependent on Turkey for their protection.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Syria's new president has promised to unify the country in his first speech to the nation.He insists he'll form a government that reflects Syria's diverse society. But after more than a decade of civil war, how challenging is the road ahead? In this Episode: Danny Al Baaj, Vice President of the Syrian Forum for Advocacy and Public Relations. Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Mohammad Al Abdallah, Executive Director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre. Host: Cyril Vanier Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!

Trita Parsi and Joshua Landis analyze what's been going on in Syria. Tina Gerhardt reviews the annual UN climate conference, COP29, where little happened. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Behind the News, 12/19/24 - guests: Trita Parsi and Joshua Landis on Syria, Tina Gerhardt on COP20 - Doug Henwood

Trita Parsi and Joshua Landis analyze what's been going on in Syria • Tina Gerhardt reviews the annual UN climate conference, COP29, where little happened The post Syria and the failures of COP29 appeared first on KPFA.

Syria's uncertain political future ... Has the Islamist rebel group HTS actually moderated? ... The extent of retributive violence since Assad fell ... Syria's complicated factional divides ... America's control of Syrian oil fields ... Heading to Overtime ...

Syria's uncertain political future ... Has the Islamist rebel group HTS actually moderated? ... The extent of retributive violence since Assad fell ... Syria's complicated factional divides ... America's control of Syrian oil fields ... Heading to Overtime ...

Joshua Landis, professor of Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the recent rebel advances in Syria, the causes and conditions that paved the way for the fall of the Assad regime, the many mistakes of US policy since the start of the civil war, and the regional politics wrapped up in Syria's future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 On Sunday, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, where he's been granted political asylum. This comes after rebels seized Damascus, Syria's capital city, on that same day.Assad's fall from power marks the end of 50 years of brutal rule by his family. His father, Hafez al-Assad, a longtime military officer, was known for his iron fist.Joshua Landis is the head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and a leading expert on Syria.He explains the significance of Bashar al-Assad's fall, and looks back on the Assad family's half a century in power.For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

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In Episode 386 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis about two possible futures for the Middle East: The first will be defined by perpetual conflict, insecurity, and the specter of nuclear proliferation. The second would be defined by a tenuous, albeit hopeful, peace built on compromise and regional security. Professor Landis explains why he believes that this choice is now upon us and that we are at a turning point in the Middle East that provides us with a glimpse into what the future of this conflict-ridden region will look like and how it will fit into the larger global security order (or disorder) that is currently emerging. Between the first and second hours of this conversation, Dr. Landis and Kofinas discuss the wider war between Israel and Iran, the implications of the ongoing war in Lebanon, the Israeli war and occupation of Gaza, the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the future of the Palestinian movement for independent statehood, the rightward shift in Israeli politics, the status of the Abraham Accords, and the prospects for a new security arrangement and partnership between the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia that could result in a historic reset of the political and economic status quo in this still vital region of the world. You can subscribe to our premium content and access our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces, you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe and Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 10/23/2024

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Who was Haniyeh—and why'd Israel kill him? ... Why Netanyahu may want a US-Iran war ... Are pro-Israel groups at peak power? ... Israel's escalating conflict with Hezbollah ... The logic of Iranian retaliation ... Israel's lack of a viable endgame in Gaza ... Heading to Overtime ...

Who was Haniyeh—and why'd Israel kill him? ... Why Netanyahu may want a US-Iran war ... Are pro-Israel groups at peak power? ... Israel's escalating conflict with Hezbollah ... The logic of Iranian retaliation ... Israel's lack of a viable endgame in Gaza ... Heading to Overtime ...

Why Iran's attack on Israel was an “own goal” ... Did Iran minimize casualties on purpose? ... The rising odds of Israel attacking Iran directly ... America's contradictory relationship with Israel ... How conflict with Iran helps Israel ... What China wants in the Middle East ... America's destabilizing role in the region ... Heading to Overtime ...

Why Iran's attack on Israel was an “own goal” ... Did Iran minimize casualties on purpose? ... The rising odds of Israel attacking Iran directly ... America's contradictory relationship with Israel ... How conflict with Iran helps Israel ... What China wants in the Middle East ... America's destabilizing role in the region ... Heading to Overtime ...

In part 2, Joshua Landis discusses Hamas' recent ceasefire proposal and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's planned ground incursion into Rafah. Netanyahu has rejected international calls to abandon a military onslaught on the densely populated area around the Rafah Crossing, where 1.4 million Palestinians from all over the Gaza Strip are seeking shelter in a 64-square-kilometer area. Landis contends that Bibi's explicit repudiation of a two-state solution, as well as lack of plans to guarantee the safety of civilians before launching an invasion of Rafah, does little to assuage concerns about the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Joshua Landis is a historian and Sandra Mackey Chair and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Landis presents the case for an immediate U.S. troop withdrawal in the Middle East, arguing that many civil society groups as well as militant groups in Iraq are strongly opposed to the U.S.' military presence there. This is Part 1 of 2.

As US Bombing of Syria and Iraq Continues, Will Iraq's Government be Forced to Eject 2,000 US Personnel Who Could Become Hostages? | Conflicting Reports of Rifts in Ukraine's Leadership | Did SCOTUS Give Trump and Republican Legislatures a Way to Steal the 2024 Election? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

What Iran hopes to gain from the Israel-Hamas war ... Did Hamas expect such a massive retaliation from Israel? ... Why Israel's campaign in Gaza could backfire ... What Hezbollah is and how it got started ... Does Israel have an exit strategy in Gaza? ... Why the Arab world might unite in the years ahead ... How China could benefit from the current crisis ... Why the US hasn't pushed harder to resolve Israel-Palestine ... Is a one-state solution the best path forward? ... Can the Israeli government rein in West Bank settlers? ... How Israel-Palestine damages America's, and Biden's, credibility ...

What Iran hopes to gain from the Israel-Hamas war ... Did Hamas expect such a massive retaliation from Israel? ... Why Israel's campaign in Gaza could backfire ... What Hezbollah is and how it got started ... Does Israel have an exit strategy in Gaza? ... Why the Arab world might unite in the years ahead ... How China could benefit from the current crisis ... Why the US hasn't pushed harder to resolve Israel-Palestine ... Is a one-state solution the best path forward? ... Can the Israeli government rein in West Bank settlers? ... How Israel-Palestine damages America's, and Biden's, credibility ...

How US-China rivalry is shaking up the region ... Why Washington wants to control the Middle East oil spigot ... The odds of an imminent confrontation with Iran ... Is America breaking international law in Syria? ... What would a Middle East without US intervention look like? ... Why Israel lacks a written constitution ... Heading to Overtime ...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nonzero.substack.com1:41 How US-China rivalry is shaking up the region 12:44 Why Washington wants to control the Middle East oil spigot 25:01 The odds of an imminent confrontation with Iran 30:49 Is America breaking international law in Syria? 42:55 What would a Middle East without US intervention look like? 48:25 Why Israel lacks a written constitution 55:27 Heading to OvertimeRobert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, SyriaComment.com). Recorded August 08, 2023.Comments on BhTV: http://bloggingheads.tv/videos/66533 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods

How US-China rivalry is shaking up the region ... Why Washington wants to control the Middle East oil spigot ... The odds of an imminent confrontation with Iran ... Is America breaking international law in Syria? ... What would a Middle East without US intervention look like? ... Why Israel lacks a written constitution ... Heading to Overtime ...

It's Hump Day! Sam hosts independent journalist Erin Reed to discuss the recent spate of anti-trans bills working their way through state legislatures across the country. Then they're joined by Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss Syria's recent re-introduction into the Arab League. It's Hump Day! Sam hosts independent journalist Erin Reed to discuss the recent spate of anti-trans bills working their way through state legislatures across the country. Then they're joined by Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss Syria's recent re-introduction into the Arab League. First, Sam runs through updates on the Florida grand jury Trump case, Mark Meadows' testimony against Trump, the continuing environmental emergency in the American northeast, right-wingers leaving behind their gas stove schtick, Tucker's Twitter show, and US-Ukraine intelligence on the Nord Stream fiasco, also diving into the absurdity of economists sticking with their decades-old unemployment lies. Erin Reed then dives right into assessing the state of the right-wing's attack on trans people nationwide, exploring how they got the entire GOP on board despite the topic's electoral failures, and why Florida is a good case study for the fundamentalist dystopia they want to create. Wrapping up, Erin tackles the similarities we see between transphobic healthcare legislation and abortion TRAP laws, discusses the fight between progressive and fundamentalist states over border rights and trans care, and why parental rights might wind up saving trans lives in court. Joshua Landis then reflects on over a decade of US-Syrian conflict, stepping back to parse through the role of US intervention under the Obama Administration, with Obama's trepidation and interventionist tendencies resulting in a classic US counterinsurgency quagmire, destabilizing the region in the hopes of weakening Assad's regime while not fully delivering power to outside terrorist groups (Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, ISIS, etc). They also tackle the role of this conflict as a US proxy war, while simultaneously pushing the parties involved closer to the US' supposed “enemies.” After assessing the current actors in the region, and the particular role of US-Kurdish relations, Joshua walks Sam through Donald Trump's Caesar sanctions, and the current HR-3202 to continue them, exploring what the actual goal of these sanctions was, and why the US refuses to learn from their imperialist mistakes. And in the Fun Half: Sam and the MR Crew discuss the relative importance of the UFO whistleblowing case, watch Manchin get shut up by environmental protestors, Gabriel from Washington dives into AI growth, and Corey from SF parses through the ADHD medication shortage. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz side with guns over gas stoves in the culture war, and Crazy Canadian asks many questions about the recent Glacier NW v. Teamsters SCOTUS decision, plus, your calls and IMs! Check out Erin's work here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/ Follow Joshua on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/joshua_landis Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join 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: Zippix Toothpicks: Ditch the cigarettes, ditch the vape and get some nicotine infused toothpicks at https://zippixtoothpicks.com/ today, and get 10% off your first order by using the code MAJORITY at checkout. Your lungs will be glad you did. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

The US has hoped and wished and in the last 12 years backed armed opposition efforts to depose Syrian President Bashar Assad. After a bloody war that has left the country in virtual ruins, Assad remains in power. Not only that, but Arab leaders are now bringing him back into the regional fold. The U.S. isn't happy, but what can it do? Joshua Landis, University of Oklahoma professor and Director of the school's Center of Middle East Studies, joins Dan and Kelley this week to talk about one thing that should happen, and that's the lifting of crippling sanctions on the Syrian people. Josh talks about that and Middle East regional dynamics, including China's growing influence and Washington's reaction. In the first segment, Kelley and Dan talk about more Washington disappointment, as India just isn't playing ball, at least not the game the Biden Administration wants to play.Recently from Joshua Landis:US should encourage Arab, Turkish normalization with Syria, Responsible Statecraft, 4/7/23 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crashingthewarparty.substack.com

Over ten years ago, most Arab countries in the Middle East cut ties with the Syrian government during the civil war and supported armed groups dedicated to the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Meanwhile, Iran was Assad's key backer.  But now, in the Spring of 2023 a big shift is underway. Saudi Arabia and Iran are taking steps towards rapprochement and Arab governments throughout the region are re-opening embassies in Damascus and re-establishing diplomatic relations with Syria. Joining me to explain what is driving this regional re-alignment is Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the Mackey Chair. We kick off discussing how the outbreak of the Syrian civil war impacted regional diplomacy and why now we are seeing such profound changes in the the geopolitics of the Middle East.   

For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and a chance to have your comment read on the show in the Absurd Arena at http://usefulidiots.substack.com Or find us on Locals at http://usefulidiots.locals.com Click here for the full interview with Professor Joshua Landis: https://open.substack.com/pub/usefulidiots/p/us-sanctions-block-aid-to-earthquake?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web “Sanctions are a form of war. They're economic warfare. And they destroy people's lives.” Joshua Landis (https://twitter.com/joshua_landis), Sandra Mackey Chair in Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, is one of the foremost experts on Syria. This week, as Syria, along with neighbor Turkiye, grapples with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, Professor Landis joins the Useful Idiots to explain the deadly consequences that sanctions pile on to the damage. “America likes to talk about all its precision bombing and hitting someone with a drone to avoid collateral damage,” Landis explains. “But sanctions? It's all about collateral damage. Very little of it is targeted.” But if you read corporate media outlets like the New York Times or Washington Post, you'd find a much different story. Both papers this week published headlines that were hastily changed when they realized they were being a little too truthful. See if you can tell the difference: (In case you missed it, they changed it from “Syria is not able to receive direct aid from many countries because of sanctions” to “The Syrian government tightly controls what aid it allows into opposition held areas.”) When the Times accidentally tells the truth, they can always be trusted to fix their mistake. WaPo's original opinion headline Their fixed headline, hours later The original WaPo headline implored “Don't lift sanctions of Syra to help earthquake victims.” But when they realized they were saying the quiet part too loud, they made a quick change to “Lifting sanctions on Syria won't help earthquake victims.” Good catch. Professor Landis knows that sanctions are exacerbating the death toll in Syria, as indicated by both original headlines. Watch the full episode to hear him explain the history of sanctions, why the poor bear the worst of their destruction, and how to help. Plus, catch this week's Thursday Throwdown where Seymour Hersh reveals how Lyin' Biden blew up the Nord Stream pipeline and Katie explains why Joe Rogan's antisemitic defense of Ilhan Omar's non-antisemitic statements was so unhelpful. Oy. And don't miss the Absurd Arena's new home: the Substack app chat. Katie and Aaron will now be live in the discussion board each Tuesday at noon EST. It's all this, and more, on this week's episode of Useful Idiots. Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 291 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Joshua Landis. Landis is the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and a widely recognized Syria expert. He was last on the podcast over three years ago to discuss the then-ongoing invasion of northern Syria by the Turkish military and the long-term withdrawal of American forces from the Middle East and Central Asia. The background for today's conversation are the ongoing negotiations between Turkey, Russia, and Syria and President Erdoğan's desire to expand Turkey's military presence in northern Syria. Erdoğan's stated aim is to create a larger buffer zone in which to transfer Syrian refugees and from which to defend Turkey from the threat posed by an independent Kurdish state aligned with elements of The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Ankara's jingoistic rhetoric may be in part responsible for bringing Russia and Syria to the table and we may be on the verge of a reset in Turkish-Syrian relations and a reproachment between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Bashar al-Assad. The implications of such a reset would be profound for the Syrian people and is further evidence of Turkey's bid for strategic autonomy. It is also reflective of the emerging geopolitical complexities of the Middle East and Europe, which have only been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Joshua Landis and Demetri spend the first hour of their conversation focused mostly on the historical antecedents of the conflict in Syria and the larger American presence in the Middle East. They devote the second hour to assessing long-term prospects for Turkey as a regional power, the role of the EU and NATO as counterbalancing forces to Turkish aggression in the Aegean, and the prospects for normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria and what this means for the US and Europe long-term. You can subscribe to our premium content and gain access to our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page. If you still have questions, feel free to email info@hiddenforces.io, and Demetri or someone else from our team will get right back to you. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe & Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 12/29/2022

Josh: World War I shattered empires, ethnic cleansing created nation-states ... How the US and Russia wound up cooperating to fight ISIS and Sunni militias ... Why Turkey is holding up NATO membership for Sweden and Finland ... By helping to keep Syria divided, is the US giving ISIS free rein? ... What Turkey wants in exchange for letting Sweden and Finland into NATO ... In retrospect, should the US not have intervened in Syria? ... Why Russia-Ukraine might become another devastating frozen conflict ... Josh: Putin misapplied the lessons of Syria to Ukraine ... How US sanctions impede conflict resolution in the Middle East ...

Josh: World War I shattered empires, ethnic cleansing created nation-states ... How the US and Russia wound up cooperating to fight ISIS and Sunni militias ... Why Turkey is holding up NATO membership for Sweden and Finland ... By helping to keep Syria divided, is the US giving ISIS free rein? ... What Turkey wants in exchange for letting Sweden and Finland into NATO ... In retrospect, should the US not have intervened in Syria? ... Why Russia-Ukraine might become another devastating frozen conflict ... Josh: Putin misapplied the lessons of Syria to Ukraine ... How US sanctions impede conflict resolution in the Middle East ...

Joshua Landis, professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the civil war in Syria, the fragmentation of the country, the history of US interventions in the conflict, how America's strategy there works against itself, and how best to stabilize and potentially resolve what has become a protracted quagmire. NotesJoshua Landis bioSteven Simon, Joshua Landis, and Aiman Mansour, “How to Win the Influence Contest in the Middle East,” Foreign Affairs 100, no. 1 (February 3, 2021). Joshua Landis and Steven Simon, “The Pointless Cruelty of Trump's New Syria Sanctions,” Foreign Affairs 99, no. 4 (August 17, 2020). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For many of us the end of the American war in Afghanistan was inevitable. In the end the conflict was more about a massive grift than about nation-building and smart strategic thinking. Joe Biden says the US is done with remaking foreign countries through the use of force. There is no reason to take the American president at his word. CrossTalking with Joshua Landis, Scott Ritter, and Maxim Suchkov.

00:03:37 Why the Middle East seems ‘excel at conflict’ the last 70 years?00:14:03 How America managed to avoid ethnic strife (unlike the Middle East)?00:18:02 What is actually happening in Syria? What conflicts predates the war? How does ISIS fit into the Syrian War?00:33:33 Why the major world powers abuse the Syrian conflict as a proxy conflict? What does Russia in particular want?01:00:00 How can we rebuild Syria? Should we abolish sanctions? Do we need a new Marshall Plan for Syria? You may watch this episode on Youtube – #78 Joshua Landis (A deep dive into the Syrian conflict). Joshua Landis is the Director of the Center for Middle East Studiesand an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma. Read Joshua’s opinions on his blog or follow him on Twitter @joshua_landis. Apologies for my terrible audio in this episode. Joshua’s excellent audio and video makes up for that – I hope! Big Thanks to our Sponsors! ExpressVPN – Claim back your Internet privacy for less than $10 a month! Mighty Travels Premium – incredible airfare and hotel deals – so everyone can afford to fly Business Class and book 5 Star Hotels! Sign up for free! Divvy – get business credit without a personal guarantee and 21st century spend management plus earn 7x rewards on restaurants & more. Get started for free! Brex – get a business account, a credit card, spend management & convertible rewards for every dollar you spend. Plus now earn $250 just for signing up (Terms & Conditions apply).

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://padldoustiblog.wordpress.com/2021/05/02/joshua-landis-machiavellians-cunning-fox/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/peyman-adl-dousti-hagh/message

Dr. Atef Abdel Gawad discussed This important topic with distinguished guests and experts: Ambassador Theodore Kattouf | President & CEO of AMIDEAST, professor Joshua Landis, who is the Sandra Mackey Chair and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and Journalist Ray Hanania, who Is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper based in Riyadh. The episode was broadcast: 5/3/2021 US Arab Radio can be heard on wnzk 690 AM, WDMV 700 AM, and WPAT 930 AM. Please visit: www.facebook.com/USArabRadio/ Web site : arabradio.us/ Online Radio: www.radio.net/s/usarabradio Twitter : twitter.com/USArabRadio Instagram : www.instagram.com/usarabradio/ Youtube : US Arab Radio

Joshua Landis: The French mandate and Lebanese history Lebanon was once a model for the Middle East. Today, it looks more like Syria or Iraq. Why? And should the French be held accountable? Joshua Landis, Director: Centre for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma Japan’s POWs: systematic mistreatment? During World War Two more Australians died in Japanese prisoner of war camps than were killed in combat. Conventional wisdom says they were systematically mistreated. Sarah Kovner argues that the story is more complex than that. Sarah Kovner, Senior Research Scholar in the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Author: Prisoners of the Empire: POWs and Their Captors in the Pacific. Vale Brent Scowcroft: US foreign policy veteran Two-time US national security adviser Brent Scowcroft was an architect of the Gulf War, and a leading opponent of the Iraq war. He died recently aged 95.

Joshua Landis: The French mandate and Lebanese history Lebanon was once a model for the Middle East. Today, it looks more like Syria or Iraq. Why? And should the French be held accountable? Joshua Landis, Director: Centre for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma Japan’s POWs: systematic mistreatment? During World War Two more Australians died in Japanese prisoner of war camps than were killed in combat. Conventional wisdom says they were systematically mistreated. Sarah Kovner argues that the story is more complex than that. Sarah Kovner, Senior Research Scholar in the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Author: Prisoners of the Empire: POWs and Their Captors in the Pacific. Vale Brent Scowcroft: US foreign policy veteran Two-time US national security adviser Brent Scowcroft was an architect of the Gulf War, and a leading opponent of the Iraq war. He died recently aged 95.

On this edition of The Critical Hour, co-hosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon talk to Attorney John Burris about Jacob Blake, a Black man from Wisconsin who was shot multiple times in the back by police with his kids present."Two Wisconsin police officers were on leave Monday as state authorities investigate why an African American man was shot multiple times in the back as he entered the driver's side door of an SUV, officials said" CNN reported Monday. "The man's three children - 3, 5 and 8 - were in the car, a family attorney said. Identified by the governor as Jacob Blake, the man is in serious condition and fighting for his life." Where should we be focusing our analysis right now?The New York Times reported Monday, "After Coronavirus cases surged in June and July, the number of new reported cases in the US began to level off, then drop, though the infection rate remains one of the world's highest." Is this an accurate statement?"Tennessee protesters will face harsh penalties, including losing the right to vote, as punishment for participating in protests under a law enacted by the Tennessee GOP-dominant General Assembly," Common Dreams reported on Saturday. "Right-wing Governor Bill Lee quietly signed off on the bill Thursday, AP reported." How concerned should we be about Americans' First Amendment right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?There's a great piece in The Grayzone by Aaron Mate entitled "Crushing US Sanctions Devastate Syria's People and Post-War Reconstruction." It's an interview with leading Syria scholar Joshua Landis on how "crippling US sanctions are devastating Syria's people and hindering post-war reconstruction." International journalist Caleb Maupin gives his thoughts on this controversial issue.There's a piece at Antiwar.com entitled "Catapulting Russian-Meddling Propaganda," whose subhead reads, "The New York Times is leading the full-court press to improve on what it regards as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's weak-kneed effort to blame the Russians for giving us Donald Trump." What are we to make of this article?"Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says US demand for Iran sanctions is ‘completely unreasonable,'" read a Saturday headline in the South China Morning Post. The outlet reported, "On Thursday, the US formally asked the UN to trigger the 'snapback,' a mechanism under the 2015 nuclear accord that allows a participant to restore pre-2015 sanctions on Iran, on the grounds that Tehran has significantly violated the agreement." What are we to make of this?The South China Morning Post reported Saturday that "on Friday the USS Ronald Reagan and its carrier strike group returned to the South China Sea for a series of air defense exercises after a joint drill with Japan. The US Navy also sent a destroyer, the USS Mustin, through the Taiwan Strait following the exercise with Japan in what America said was a demonstration of its commitment to a 'free and open Indo-Pacific.'" The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command, which covers the Taiwan Strait, said after the Mustin's passage that the military was monitoring US activity and was on “high alert” to protect China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Post noted."In the wake of the deadly port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4, many in Yemen are hoping that the world, and the United States and Saudi-led Coalition, in particular, will have gained a renewed sense of urgency in working to avoid a similar disaster off the coast of Yemen in the heavily traveled Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the worlds' busiest international shipping lanes," MintPress News reported on August 21. "There, the FSO Safer sits roughly 25 miles northwest of Yemen's port city of Hodeida, not only threatening the poorest country in the Middle East but also posing a very real threat to all countries bordering the Red Sea and to international navigation in general." Is this hope a reality?GUESTSJohn Burris - Civil rights attorneyDr. Yolandra Hancock - Physician David Schultz - Professor of political science at Hamline University and author of "Presidential Swing States: Why Only Ten Matter"Caleb Maupin - Journalist and political analystRay McGovern - Former CIA analyst and co-founder Veteran Intelligence Professionals for PeaceScott Ritter - Former UN weapons inspector in Iraq Danny Sjursen - Retired US Army major and author of "Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War"Elisabeth Myers - Lawyer, former editor-in-chief of Inside Arabia and democracy lead for Democrats Abroad

In a new article for Foreign Affairs, scholar Joshua Landis and former Obama administration official Steve Simon write that US sanctions on Syria "further immiserates the Syrian people, blocks reconstruction efforts, and strangles the economy that sustains a desperate population during Syria’s growing humanitarian and public health crises." Landis, a leading expert on Syria, joins Pushback. Guest: Joshua Landis, Sandra Mackey Professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

Investigating Bloomberg's Relationship with Wall Street; The UN Warns of "The Biggest Humanitarian Horror Story of the 21st Century" In Syria; Trump's Flurry of Pardon Ahead of Stone's Sentencing On Thursday backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Color revolutions, uprisings and unrest. Every week it seems, a new country added to the list. What’s driving this trend and are all protests alike? “All across the Middle East and beyond there are large scale protests and growing political instability. In many countries the old ways of doing business have only enriched privileged elites, while the prospects for the many are few and far in between. Do the elites have answers for today’s growing problems?” CrossTalking this subject with host Peter Lavelle are guests James Jatras, Patrick Henningsen, and Joshua Landis. Watch here: https://21w.co/crosstalk-global-uprising 

In Episode 106 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Joshua Landis, a Middle East scholar and Syria expert about the disorderly withdrawal of American forces from Syria and the larger shift in the balance of power that we are seeing as nations scramble to remake alliances in the wake of America’s absence. It seems that what we've seen transpire in the Middle East during the past week is a symptom of a much larger trend: the deterioration of the rules-based international order, the fulcrum around which the world has turned for three generations—the entirety of living memory. It is the break-down of national borders, in many cases borders that have been artificially constructed and maintained by the credible threat of American military power. As America begins its long-anticipated withdrawal from the world stage, others will rise to take her place. It was probably naive to imagine that this could happen in a managed way. Perhaps it was always destined to be messy. As much as Trump's detractors wish to blame him for the mess in Syria, the truth is, he is only an accelerant. He isn't responsible for assembling the reactants.  The forces currently being unleashed in what was once Northern Syria remain contained within the Greater Middle East, but Turkey’s involvement creates the potential for spillover into the Balkans and southern Europe at some indeterminate date in the future. Turkey has been flexing its geopolitical muscles with Greece for years. It is no longer inconceivable to imagine that its membership in NATO will prove to be an insufficient deterrent for curbing Turkish military aggression or the expansionary ambitions of Erdoğan in the Aegean. Erdoğan seems to be staking his political career on the vision of a more assertive and expansionary Turkish foreign policy. Turkey remains strategically indispensable to the US & NATO. If he expands Turkey's current activities in Cypriot waters, it isn't clear who will stop him. It's a cliché, but all bets do seem to be off. If the nations of the world decide that America can no longer guarantee their security or maintain the integrity of their borders, we may start to see a rapid reorganization of the international order along radically different lines. It's hard to believe, but Russia has played its cards better than any one of the major powers. It has capitalized on (and in some cases stoked) the chaos of political dysfunction both within and across the transatlantic relationship. It seems to have positioned itself as the new dance partner for any country suddenly in need of an escort. Its economy may be half the size of California's, but this has not stopped Putin from rebranding the Russian Federation as "the new neighborhood muscle," that will have your back when the US doesn't. America's leaders have exhibited remarkable incompetence in the area of foreign policy, displaying only flickering instances of humility and foresight since being thrust upon the world stage as the new global hegemon and the only standing survivor of the Cold War. For years, we've been asking ourselves what this new world is going to look like, a world without America guaranteeing security for the liberal, democratic order. The events currently transpiring in Syria may be giving us our first real glimpse of what that world will look like. It's chaotic. It's authoritarian. And it's more violent. This is the new backdrop for which the circus that is American politics will play out in 2020. Democratic candidates who have staked their candidacies on demonizing Donald Trump, while avoiding addressing the forces that brought him to office in the first place risk being totally blindsided by even lower voter turnout and a re-election of Donald Trump in 2020. If that happens, American foreign policy will likely go into crisis. It's really unclear at that point what would happen. The proverbial "Deep State" has resisted his candidacy from the beginning but has not gone so far as to overthrow his popular mandate. Should he be re-elected, what will Washington's elite, its intelligence agencies and wealthy benefactors do? Will they sit by and watch while Trump dismantles what is left of their dysfunctional experiment in American empire? Or, will they impeach him? He certainly hasn't made it difficult with his actions, but they no longer have the credibility to do it without further sacrificing their own legitimacy. This is truly uncharted waters. We should all pray that a new consensus can emerge in the next twelve months that will bring enough of the country together to stop the bleeding, but it is not clear from what source this unanimity will spring. This week’s rundown is a 16-page compilation of all the information (including pictures and links material referenced during the episode) compiled by Demetri ahead of his recording with Joshua Landis. You can access this document, along with a transcript to this week’s episode through the Hidden Forces Patreon Page. All subscribers also gain access to our overtime feed, which can be easily be added to your favorite podcast application. Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe & Support the Podcast at http://patreon.com/hiddenforces Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod

The Kurds Desperate Deal with Assad and Russia; Since Trump Does Not Act in America's Interest but for Personal Gain, Is He Being Blackmailed by Putin and/or Erdogan?; Damaging Testimony from Trump's Former Russia Expert on the National Security Council backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Professor Joshua Landis is the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at The University of Oklahoma. Prof. Landis joins The Stock Podcast to discuss the recent Saudi oil attack. On Sept. 14, 2019, the world awoke to the news that numerous drones and scud missiles hit Abqaiq, the world's largest oil processing facility. The attack resulted in 5.7 million barrels of oil production capacity going offline, which equates to about 6% of global oil production. The event was the single largest loss of Saudi oil production in history. Immediately after the attack, Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi's claimed responsibility. However, Prof. Landis is convinced that Iran is ultimately responsible, and the country with the most to gain from an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure.  The post Saudi Oil, Iran, and The Abqaiq Attack – Professor Joshua Landis – The Stock Podcast, Ep.39 appeared first on The Stock Podcast | CEO & CFO Interviews.