Podcasts about Muammar Gaddafi

This is what really caused Paul Gascoigne's problems - I had no idea. My 3 Must Re-Watch Moments: 04:30 – The Primal Wound: The moment Gazza describes the childhood trauma that "broke" his brain and planted the seeds for his future psychosis. 31:55 – The Raoul Moat Breakdown: A chilling breakdown of the infamous incident where Paul's reality completely fractured under public scrutiny. 58:00 – This hit hard. While the world watches the World Cup, we investigate the darker side of England's most famous talent. This isn't just an interview; it's a psychological autopsy of a mind pushed to the brink. SUPPORT MY GUEST: Buy Paul Gascoigne's fascinating, poignant & hilarious new book: https://amzn.eu/d/076FkrqC SUPPORT MY SPONSOR: BON CHARGE: Go to https://boncharge.com and use code HERETICS to save 15%. RUMBLE WALLET: Take Control of Your Money and claim $5 in US Stablecoin (USA₮)! Download now at http://wallet.rumble.com/heretics and use the code Heretics5. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Offer available to US residents only. Offer not available in New York State. Must be 18+. Offer is available for a limited time and for the first 1000 wallets activated and funded. Details and full official rules available at http://rumble.com/promoofficialrules. --- We explore the "Gazza" phenomenon through a true crime lens: what triggers a total break from reality? We delve into the foundational trauma Paul suffered at age 10, the escalating paranoia that mirrored a psychological thriller, and the infamous Raoul Moat incident—a moment of public psychosis captured in real-time. This is a deep dive into the harrowing mechanics of a terrifying psychosis and the man who had to survive his own brain. Chapters: 0:00:00 — Gazza Highlights 0:02:32 — The Moment That Started Everything 0:05:57 — What They Made Him Do The Next Day 0:07:12 — The Nightmares, The Twitches 0:08:07 — Living With OCD: Two Days In One Day 0:13:08 — Six Weeks Without Sleep: "I Went Psychotic" 0:14:46 — The Parrots, The Pillars & Talking To Freddie Mercury 0:15:29 — "I Died. Here's What Happened Next" 0:19:09 — How Football Saved Him (And What It Cost) 0:21:53 — "I Was Better Than Messi" 0:24:17 — Glenn Hoddle, The Spiritualist And The World Cup Betrayal 0:30:57 — Hacked For 30 Years: The Phone, The Press, And The Paranoia 0:35:49 — Revenge On The Paparazzi 0:36:59 — Chicken, A Fishing Rod, And A Police Siege: The Raoul Moat Story 0:39:59 — Alcoholism: "I'm A Sad Drunk Now" 0:44:10 — Robbie Williams, Liam Gallagher, Gaddafi's Sons, And The Pope 0:50:41 — The Allegations, The Ex-Wife, And What He Says Really Happened 0:54:33 — Regrets, The Tackle, And The Tears At Italia 90 0:58:00 — "If You Could Talk To That Ten-Year-Old Boy, What Would You Say?" 1:01:40 — Are You Scared Of Dying? #PaulGascoigne #Gazza #TrueCrimePsychology #Psychosis #WorldCup #MentalHealth #Trauma #DarkPsychology #AndrewGold #Heretics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPONSORS: 1) DOSE: Head to dosedaily.co/JULIAN or enter JULIAN to get 35% off your first subscription. 2) AMENTARA: Go to amentara.com/go/julian and use Code: JDP22 for 22% off your first purchase. JOIN PATREON FOR EARLY UNCENSORED EPISODE RELEASES: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey CLIPPERS DISCORD: https://discord.gg/8QmWEKJ3BT (***TIMESTAMPS in Description Below) ~ Robert J. O'Neill is a former U.S. Navy SEAL (1996–2012) and SEAL Team Six leader, widely recognized for his role in clandestine military operations. During his career, he participated in over 400 combat missions across four theaters of war, including the rescue of Captain Phillips and the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. ROBERT'S LINKS: IG: https://www.instagram.com/mchooyah/ BUY HIS BOOK: https://rjoapparel.com/ X: https://x.com/mchooyah?lang=en PODCAST: https://www.instagram.com/theoperatorpodcast/ FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY INSTAGRAM (Podcast): https://www.instagram.com/juliandoreypodcast/ INSTAGRAM (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://twitter.com/julianddorey JULIAN YT CHANNELS - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Clips YT: https://www.youtube.com/@juliandoreyclips - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Daily YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JulianDoreyDaily - SUBSCRIBE to Best of JDP: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofJDP ****TIMESTAMPS**** 0:00 - Bin Laden Raid, Body Cam, Pakistan 20:08 - Pakistan Both Sides, Why Rob Became Marine, Charlie Sheen Script 30:26 - Hell Week Quitter, Woman Found Bin Laden, Last Call Before Mission 44:15 - Secret Helicopters, Delta Force is Legit, Maduro Capture, China Lying 58:48 - Drones Are Horrifying, Forgotten War Kosovo, Back to Church 1:07:57 - Panic Contagious, Ibogaine Treatments, PT5D, Entering Bin Laden's House 1:28:31 - I K*lled Osama, Pakistani Live Tweeting, Arriving w/ Body Story 1:38:10 - Bin Laden Location, Gaddafi fake out, 1 Thing Rob loves about Hillary 1:51:07 - Bohemian Grove Declined, Nothing Created in DC, We Are Burning Books 1:57:40 - How Rob Sees War, The Awakening Iraq, When Rob Knew They'd Lose 2:08:21 - Rescued Marcus Luttrell, CIA Saves Sources, Can't Conquer Afghanistan 2:19:55 - Joining Navy SEAL Team 6, Military Officers Can't Win, Red Tape Everywhere 2:28:06 - Joined Six on Whim, Combat Like Skydiving 2:40:23 - Kids Changed Everything, Goodbye Before Mission, Humanity Ruins Everything 2:46:53 - How Rob went Public, Writing The Operator, Germany on 9/11 3:01:11 - Bin Laden Detractor Discrepancies, Life After the Fact 3:13:42 - Brent Tucker Litigation False Claims 3:19:04 - Rob's Work CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 439 - Robert O'Neill Music by Artlist.io Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A version of this essay has been published by Open Magazine at https://openthemagazine.com/world/india-will-collapse-without-digital-sovereignty-and-pax-indica-lessons-from-hormuzBy now it is clear that the Iran War (or West Asia War) has been a disaster to all concerned, including the principals as well as assorted passersby. The massive amounts spent by the US (at last count $25 billion) are at least articulated; the bill for the enormous infrastructural and human suffering inflicted on Gulf states, in the theater of war, must be greater, by definition.The collateral damages suffered by the rest of the world from the cessation of trade through the Straits of Hormuz will presumably run into the trillions of dollars. As one of the worst affected, India, which imports 90% of its hydrocarbons from the Gulf, not to mention other essential items such as urea (for fertilizer), sulfuric acid, helium, etc., is on track to take a massive hit. As an article in The Economic Times said, “India must brace for broad-based economic shock”.Indian exports of up to $50 billion are also affected, especially agricultural products including perishable foodstuffs, but also gems and jewellery, electronics, textiles and garments. Some of this can be diverted via Oman and the UAE's Fujairah port, but much of it passes through the Straits of Hormuz and is potentially blocked and/or stranded at sea.The Hormuz closure is a body blow to India's economy. What can and will India do about it? The Indian State has a habit of rising to the challenge only when there is a crisis, while vegetating otherwise. The 1991 economic crisis is a case in point; the sanctions following “The Buddha is smiling”, and the denial of cryogenic rocket engines and supercomputers are other examples where the nation rallied. So were covid vaccines. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.Turning a threat into an opportunityIf I were to be an optimist, I could say that the current crisis is actually an opportunity. In fact, a major opportunity. My reading of the Iran War is that it is President Trump's strategic tit-for-tat against China for denying him rare earths and cutting off soybean purchases. In return Trump decided to deny China access to oil by closing access to Venezuela and Iran. Whether this will work, or whether the G2 condominium (read ‘surrender') will prevail, is unclear.But that is, in a sense, background noise that needs to be managed. India needs to focus on its own issues, of which I see several as critical, and the solution in general is to become Atmanirbhar, self-reliant, and from that, to create an Anti-Fragile nation:* National security/defense* Food security* Energy security* Digital security/narrative control* Trade securityThe first three do not need an explanation: they are obvious. Internal and external security are pre-requisites for any successful society. If India's hard-won food security can be threatened by external threats, then there needs to be some deep introspection. Energy security means diversification, both of hydrocarbon sources, and of types of energy, including renewables, nuclear, biomass, coal-based, and so on.Malign narratives and digital sovereigntyNarrative control is something that the Indian State has failed at so far; it is laughably easy to create hate speech against Indians and India (as has been demonstrated freely by any number of players, starting from the MAGA crowd, to Audrey Truschke to a”Cockroach Janata Party” and some nitwit Norwegian journalist in just the last fortnight) and there are no consequences to the culprits. It's enough to make me pine for Lee Kuan Yew's aggressive legal battles against the media.It's one thing if it were only a problem with foreigners, but with the massive spread of social media, and in particular generativeAI, it is becoming a serious domestic issue. Since India is an avid consumer of social media, and because generativeAI is trained on things like Wikipedia, X, Whatsapp and Google content, biased and motivated material becomes ensconced as The Truth. I have written about narrative warfare and manufacturing consent.This used to be a one-way tsunami of (mis)-information by legacy media, but now there is also the opposite: the wholesale and free vacuuming-up of Indian data (whatever happened to “data is the new oil”?). The “Great Firewall of China” both kept out foreign BIg Tech applications and prevented their plundering Chinese data: is that the way to go?Manufactured narratives are intended for regime change: all the color revolutions today are hatched with massive bot-farms funded by some combination of Deep State, CCP, ISI, Qatar etc. (for example the alleged Gen-Z uprisings that rocked Nepal, drove Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh). Thus muzzling malign narratives, and ensuring data security, are imperative.Even Singapore is not immune: it had to block anti-India narratives that likely originated from Chinese sources.A particularly striking example of narrative warfare is the virtual hate speech inducted into Wikipedia by deeply prejudiced anonymous editors. Ashley Rindsberg, who exposed the mighty New York Times' biases in his book The Gray Lady Winked, provides many examples of this.Of note to Indians and Hindus is his recent substack titled “Wikipedia's India War” where he identifies just four editors as having created most of the content condemning the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in ‘Wikivoice', i.e. the allegedly neutral perspective of Wikipedia. They are, on the contrary, shown to be highly one-sided.As Rindsberg mentions, Wikipedia being central to generativeAI, the damage is baked into the world-view of all AI applications. Truly Orwellian. Says Rindsberg: “four… anonymous accounts can have an enormous impact on what millions of people believe to be the truth.” “Over four years (2021-2025), editors systematically erased HAF's identity as an American civil rights group, transforming its Wikipedia page into a heavily curated dossier of accusations.”Trade, and how the Spice Route was far superior to the Silk RoadFinally, something that is becoming increasingly important: ensuring freedom of trade. This is more than just freedom of navigation, although I find it instructive that Emperor Rajendra Chola sent a huge fleet 1,001 years ago simply to open up the Straits of Malacca. India can make an active attempt to regain primacy in Indian Ocean trade, the whole Pax indica idea.Here is another example of the power of narrative: we have been led to believe that the Silk Road to China was some major highway of commerce between ancient Rome and ancient China, but it was a term coined only in 1877 by the German Ferdinand von Richthofen. There was no highway. A large caravan might take six months, and with 500 camels traversing treacherous deserts and braving bandits, it might carry a maximum of 100 tons. That is puny.In comparison, on the Spice Route, a single stitched ship from Muziris could carry 400 tons of ivory, pepper, silk, tigers and elephants; and the historian Strabo around 1 CE talks about fleets of 250 ships going from Alexandria to India on a six-week monsoon-powered journey. That is 100,000 tons of merchandise. No wonder Pliny the Elder complained that Rome's treasuries were being emptied of gold by India.Simple question: where are hoards of ancient Roman coins found in Asia? Answer: not along the Silk Road. The hoards are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.Today, it is possible for India to aspire to port-led development of trade, especially with the major ports at Trivandrum (Vizhinjam), Maharashtra (Vadhavan), and Great Nicobar (Galathea Bay). The underlying ‘software' of India's millennia-old trade competency was a ‘multi-protocol switch' as I pointed out, and today's India Stack can replicate that. Then there is the need for a blue-water navy: muscle to provide security on the Hormuz to Malacca sea-lanes.So there is a vision. How can India get there? This is where policy matters, as I discussed with policy expert Anuj Gupta. Policy, especially industrial policy, has had a bad reputation in certain circles because it was deemed to violate the virginal purity of classical capitalism. However, in a recent U-turn, even the World Bank admitted that industrial policy may not be all that bad, after all: the success of Japan, the Asian Tigers, and China can't be ignored.That leads to the question of why policy in India has produced mediocre outcomes, what is different now, and where the best use of policy might be.Industrial Policy: What went wrong in the past?There are many problems here. To begin with, the Soviet model, which Nehruvians swore by, was, in hindsight, a dead end. Second, there is the problem of governance: post-Independence bureaucrats have awkwardly borne the legacy of imperial hauteur and the needs of a developing society. Third, until recently, the bare necessities (food, electricity, road access) were not available to many citizens, and GDP growth was not their priority.There is also the culture of jugaad: of clever ways in which you overcome constraints through frugal improvisation and seat-of-the-pants making-do. This is fine for one-off things (e.g. converting a tractor trailer into a makeshift transport vehicle because your truck broke down), but it does not make for efficient and replicable industrial products. As The Economic Times said recently, it is time to junk jugaad. Quality has to become ingrained in people's minds.The issue of governance is significant: the bureaucracy and the judiciary have both under-performed, politicians, as everywhere, have been venal. It is said that China's growth can be attributed to the fact that its babus are engineers, and therefore with engineering ruthlessness move in straight lines. The US' babus are lawyers, and India's are humanities graduates. Well, engineers are not very good at second-order effects (eg. China's lurch from one-child policy to demographic collapse), but a little bit of ruthlessness is probably good.What is going reasonably well?There are a few modest success stories: for example, in electronics manufacturing or assembly. The PLIs (and DLIs) have produced the desired effort, with clusters of excellence where global suppliers have also set up shop (as they did earlier for the automobile industry in, say, Sriperumpudur). The fact that a lot of iPhones in the US are now imported from India is laudable, even though it may be derided as “screwdriver jobs”. That's where one starts the move up the value chain.The current semiconductor policy is a big hope, especially after the landmark agreement by the Dutch firm ASML with Tata Electronics in Dholera, Gujarat. Given that ASML has a near-monopoly position in Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) this is a major boost to India's chip ambitions. My recent conversation with AMD CTO Suraj Rengarajan went into India's chances to realize its ambitions.A recent announcement from Trivandrum-based fabless startup NetraSemi (a recipient of DLI) of the commercial availability of its edge AI chips is a landmark.Next is the newly announced plan for energy security revolving around both coal gasification and intensive offshore exploration. These fall squarely into the Atmanirbhar category: India simply cannot afford to have its energy held hostage by distant nations. It also needs distinctly Indian innovation.The Samudra Manthan initiative is also showing some promise. At least one out of three deep-water wells in the Andaman Sea (SriVijaya Puram-3) are reported to be showing the availability of natural gas, although it will take 5-10 years for this to be commercially available.What should the future look like for India's Industrial Policies?This of course is the hard question. Here is my personal perspective, and I accept that reasonable people may disagree. I think three areas need to be focused on, and will pay large dividends.* Drones and swarming software* Social media and AI stack* Maritime Trade and Blue-Water NavyI admit that these are not the only worthwhile industrial policies. Another is for copper, which would reverse the catastrophic effects of the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukkudi, as the metal is an increasingly important component in electronics, data centers, etc., and far from being self-sufficient earlier, India now imports 50% of its needs. Another area of interest in quantum computing.There are also failures from which the right lessons need to be learned. The policy for EV batteries has apparently failed: according to Swarajya magazine, India has not been able to escape from near-total dependence on imported Chinese batteries.Drone swarmsI wrote recently that drones may well herald a step-change in warfare. For the moment, though, they are searching for their niche in offensive/defensive warfare. Drone hardware is already a well-trodden path with Chinese and other nations dominating it, although with IdeaForge, Paras, Garuda, IoTechworld Avigation etc., India is also making progress there. And India is indeed buying the hardware, $2 billion-worth, according to the Economic Times.But I believe the real game is in drone swarms. AI-based control software (similar to HiveMind) that would allow an entire swarm to act autonomously, just like a murmuration of starlings, would be the gold standard to aim for. Such a self-managing swarm would be virtually impossible to defend against, and I think India should put in place a PLI to support it, leveraging software capability in the country.Of course, drones are not just for military purposes, but also for commercial uses including things like logistics and agricultural use, such as precision delivery of fertilizer and pesticide to crops (as Garuda demonstrates). An Indian initiative that supports both drone hardware, and especially drone software, would be a potential winner.Digital Sovereignty: Social media and AI stackThere is a raging battle over which part of the AI stack India needs to invest in. As an old Unix hand, I believe the foundational model is not where the differentiation is. In analogy with Linux (the open-source Unix variant that was popularized by Linus Torvalds and an army of volunteers), there is little value in re-writing the operating system, but one can differentiate by building on top of it, or by judiciously choosing certain modules of it.Besides, the cost of building an entirely new foundational model would be astronomical and would consume the entire budget of IndiaAI Mission.Thus, my personal opinion is that the foundational model (especially when, it is believed, there are more or less open-source models available for free, e.g. Llama, DeepSeek) is not where India should expend its precious R&D resources, but on the layers of the stack above it. It is the data that matters, as Larry Ellison apparently suggests too.But there is the interesting counter-example of Sarvam AI which is producing its own sovereign model: multi-lingual and presumably otherwise tuned to Indian needs. The question is whether this can survive when hundreds of billions worth of capital investment are going to the US Big Tech companies and their Chinese rivals. The sad history of Koo, a Twitter rival, comes to mind. So does Arattai, a Whatsapp rival, whose popularity has waned. .A well-thought-through industrial policy on generativeAI is therefore essential. The status quo ante is unsustainable; given the fact that Sarvam has also found it difficult to raise funds in the US, it is worth pondering whether a China-style massive subsidy is the answer. And where should it go, into foundational models or into the layers of the stack above it? The answer is “both”, but with priority to the latter.Here is where I would prioritize investments, in order:* Vertical applications in specific domains: e.g. defense, healthcare, agriculture, governance (particularly in the judiciary and in ease of doing business in the bureaucracy)* Fine-tuning and customization: for the needs of the Indian context, e.g. multi-linguality under Bhashini* Compute infrastructure: GPUs, sovereign and protected indian datasets* Sovereign Small-Language Models such as Sarvam AIAs mentioned above, at the moment India's data is being sucked up for free by US Big Tech. In addition, there is the real danger that Indic Knowledge Systems will be mined and digested, as has happened to yoga, pranayama, etc., which have been given Western analogs and nomenclature, as in Pilates, ‘coherent breathing' etc.These two problems are connected, and both need to be tackled in parallel. Social media is being weaponized against India, and this is magnified by the legacy media in a positive feedback loop. Three examples: one was the rage against Adani based on the dubious research of Hindenburg, which then went under; the second is Bloomberg's reckless accusation about gold reserves being sold by the RBI, which they were forced to retract, but social media and Wikipedia will remember it; the third is the meteoric (media) rise of the Cockroach Janata Party.Trade using major ports, Digital Public Infrastructure and a blue water navyUsing trade for competitive advantage is an age-old tactic. The trade tiffs between the US and China are examples of this: we are witnessing war by other means. Many nations are getting into this act, and India does have some advantages, partly based on geography. Maritime trade is likely to continue to be the key, which makes naval chokepoints the big story, but not the only story to watch out for.The major aspects of maritime trade include infrastructure, the digital “multi-protocol switch”, and security. On the one hand, India is developing not only major container ports, and the road/rail links to get to them, and the industrial goods to ship out through them, but also a serious shipbuilding industry, which was one of India's historical strengths. Then it used to be stitched wooden ships (teak beams lashed together with coconut rope). Now it's modern steel ships.There are the big, efficient new ports, which can now turn ships around with Singapore-like efficiency; the proposed third aircraft carrier group which will make it possible to patrol the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the time; the Air-Independent Propulsion diesel submarines and nuclear submarines that can monitor (and if necessary, deny) narrow straits; the sale of supersonic Brahmos cruise missiles to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Cyprus) that create ship-denial zones: all this is muscle.And the final piece, the ‘software' for trade, the “multi-protocol switch”. This last is complicated. Its value is underestimated by many. But this is what enables friction-less transactions between various unrelated parties. The India Stack and the Digital Public Infrastructure can be utilized to provide such a facility. But it is complex enough to need significant study as to what is possible, and how to roll it out.Second-order effectsIn closing, it is worth considering some of what the (unintended) consequences of these proposals may be. Let us note that the G2 has no interest in allowing India to grow and make it a G3. They will do everything in their power to kneecap India, by all means possible.There is also a certain derision for India in some circles. Here is a generic western opinion on why China got rich, and India didn't. Well, the author doesn't consider the second-order effects of the wholesale destruction of Chinese civilization: that is a tradeoff Indians may not prefer for themselves. We all know how China's well-intentioned One Child Policy turned into demographic collapse within a few years. Besides, as The Economist asks, “China is innovative. Its economy is a mess. Which will win out?”This is why I think planning for these second-order effects is important. We tend to ignore them because they seem counterintuitive or unlikely, but Nassim Taleb has sensitized us to how low-probability Black Swan events can have grave consequences.As an example, attempting digital sovereignty may have unwelcome side-effects: Big Tech have the first-mover advantage and network effects and there are increasing returns to scale. They will surely make it hard for a new player to break in. Besides, the large investments in data centers and GCCs that they are making in India would make it very difficult for them to be ejected with a “Great Indian Firewall”.Even taxing their capture of Indian data will be complicated; not to mention that they have demonstrated that they can happily violate copyright laws with no consequence; therefore they will find ways to chew up and spit out Indian Knowledge Systems, and essentially re-colonize India. Digital colonialism is not a threat, it is a reality today, and it is a consequence of the relatively open Indian system.In addition, there is a malign group, the “barbarians within” as Arnold Toynbee once put it, who are ready to sacrifice Indian sovereignty for a pittance.Given all this, it will be very difficult to put in place serious measures to gain digital independence; and the narrative-peddling is likely to gain further momentum: just consider the caste allegations that have haunted BAPS in the US (despite the cases being dismissed by the US DoJ), the Cisco Systems case where, again, the case was dismissed, but the narrative continues, and the persistent efforts in various US states to turn caste into a weapon to bludgeon Indians.Another sensitive issue is that of the multi-protocol switch for trade. While from an Indian point of view, it eases trade and harks back to a Golden Age of Indic maritime commerce, but that will be viewed elsewhere very differently, for instance by the US as an attempt to de-dollarize. The US has jealousy guarded – with very good reasons that we will not go into here – the dollar's reserve currency status.We have also seen what happened to those who attempt to hurt the dollar's primacy: in 1985, the Plaza Accord devalued the dollar, and that was a body blow to Japan's economy, which has not recovered its mojo to this day. Later, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi both had ideas about replacing the petro-dollar with, respectively, the Euro and a new pan-African gold-backed currency. We know what happened to them.If the India Stack multi-protocol switch is perceived as an alternative to the US dollar, there may be grave consequences. Therefore, it should be conceived and deployed only as an adjunct to it and to the almighty SWIFT settlement system.ConclusionIndia is at a crossroads now. Even though the Hormuz closure is a serious problem, if it plays its cards right, adversity can be turned into opportunity across a variety of perspectives. The key is Atmanirbhar, self-reliance. If India can now implement a crash program of industrial policy, and at the same time overcome an ingrained Third-World tendency to cut corners, it can finally break free of the years of underperformance, what I called the Nehruvian Penalty in 2004.It is possible, but there are caveats: unforeseen consequences. Hic sunt dracones. Here be dragons. Be afraid. Be very afraid.3700 words, 7 June 2026This is episode 192 of the Shadow Warrior podcast. Here is a companion AI-generated slideshow. (Note that the borders of India are not necessarily depicted correctly here, because it is generated by an AI, notebookLM.google.com) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Wollen die EU-Kriegstreiber jetzt auch im Mittelmeer Krieg gegen Russland beginnen?Ein Kommentar von Rainer Rupp.Die EU-Außenbeauftragte Kaja Kallas, die das Treffen der EU-Verteidigungsminister auf Zypern vom 7. und 8. Juni leitete, hat zu dem Anlass mehrfach betont: Die EU-Marineoperation IRINI habe begonnen, unter „erneuerten Einsatzregeln“ Schiffe der sogenannten russischen Schattenflotte zu entern. Diese Ankündigung markiert eine deutliche Ausweitung der Mission und birgt erhebliche Eskalationsrisiken.IRINI wurde 2020 ins Leben gerufen. Sie ist die Nachfolgemission der EU-Operation „Sophia“ (griechisch für Weisheit) die von 2015 bis 2020 dauerte. IRINI ist das griechische Wort für „Frieden“ und gleichzeitig der Name der aktuellen EU-Marineoperation im Mittelmeer. Deren ursprüngliches Mandat war die Durchsetzung des UN-Waffenembargos gegen Libyen. In den letzten Monaten hat die EU jedoch angekündigt, selbstherrlich und ohne Zustimmung der Parlamente der Mitgliedsländer die Aufgabe von IRINI in eine gefährliche, kriegerische Operation umzumünzen, nämlich nicht-russisch beflaggte Schiffe, die russisches Öl transportieren, in internationalen Gewässern des Mittelmeers zu stoppen, aufzubringen, in EU-Häfen zu zwingen, um dort mit fadenscheinigen, illegalen Rechtfertigungen deren Ladung zu beschlagnahmen.All das soll unter Einsatz militärischer Mittel durch EU-Kriegsschiffe als Teil der IRINI-Operation geschehen. Diese erlaubt notfalls auch den Einsatz tödlicher Gewalt, um das gewünschte Ergebnis zu erzwingen. Um das vor der westlichen Öffentlichkeit zu rechtfertigen, werden die nicht-russisch beflaggten Schiffe, die russisches Öl transportieren, von westlichen Politikern und ihren untertänigsten Medien abfällig als „russische Schattenflotte“ bezeichnet. Das suggeriert in der westlichen Öffentlichkeit teils recht erfolgreich dunkle Machenschaften der bösen Russen und suggeriert zugleich eine tugendhafte Rechtfertigung des militärischen Vorgehens der EU gegen diese „Schattenflotte“ auf offener See. Nach internationalem Seerecht ist das jedoch nichts anderes als Piraterie. Aber die Kallas scheint das nicht zu stören die nach der Devise „Legal, illegal, Scheißegal“ operiert.Aber das ist schließlich nicht die einzige außenpolitische Problemzone, in der die EU-Außenpolitik unter Führung der einfach gestrickten - um nicht minderbemittelt zu sagen - Kaja Kallas leidet. Denn ihr Russenhass scheint die einzige, aber notwendige Qualifikation für ihren Job an der Spitze der EU-Diplomatie gewesen zu sein. Aber auch hier scheinen sich in jüngster Zeit Dinge in eine realistischere Richtung zu entwickeln; mehr dazu weiter unten. Zunächst zurück zu IRINI.Wie bereits erwähnt bestand das ursprüngliche IRINI-Mandat darin, das UN-Waffenembargo gegen Libyen durchzusetzen, das im Rahmen der Resolution 1970 des UN-Sicherheitsrats im Jahr 2011 beschlossen worden war. Ziel war es, Waffenlieferungen zu unterbinden und einen politischen Friedensprozess in Libyen zu unterstützen. Fünfzehn Jahre nach dem Sturz Muammar al-Gaddafis hat die Mission diesen Auftrag jedoch nicht erfüllt. Waffenlieferungen erfolgten weiterhin – vor allem aus der Luft –, ein ernsthafter Friedensprozess kam nie zustande. Stattdessen hat die Zerstörung Libyens, des sozial fortschrittlichsten Staates Afrikas durch den Wertewesten, zu einem „Mad Max“- ähnlichen Gebilde geführt, in dem auf öffentlichen Märkten Sklaven verkauft werden....https://apolut.net/brussel-jagt-russische-tanker-von-rainer-rupp/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In case you missed it, from November 2025: 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist and World's Fastest Man Ben Johnson talks about Charlie Francis, Dr Jamie Astaphan, Carl Lewis, Diego Maradona, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Al-Saadi, nearly joining the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and a complete breakdown of his blazing 9.79 second 100m Gold Medal winning run at the 1988 Seoul Olympics! For everything Ben Johnson, please visit https://ben979.com/ TORONTO LEGENDS is hosted by Andrew Applebaum at andrew.applebaum@gmail.com All episodes available at https://www.torontolegends.ca/episodes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rumble Video LinkWe have been given a great incentive to come together as a community. We see plainly that the only way to a rational and stable existence is through ourselves, and not by a system of elected officials hijacked by nefarious players. This is not a time to usher in a more uncertain change simply for change's sake. This should be more of a restoration. A restoration of what we were under the impression we had, of sanity, of common law (cause no harm), and true leadership that cares about the well-being of the People.WE Will Turn This Around. We are either staring at eminent death in the coming months, or a revival of the spiritual power of true mankind. I say True mankind, because I suspect we have been living among imposters, SIMS, a great many Hylics. It may sound cold, but I don't think every humanoid is of the Benevolent Creator, the source from which we came.Go to My site:https://SemperFryLLC.com and get the best hot sauce in the world, plus find quick access to the 90 Essential Nutrients.  Use Code: MEM10 from now 'til June 3rd for 10% OFF Creatine and Hot Sauce.Be a Producer:https://GivesendGo.com/BaalBustershttps://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustershttps://paypal.me/BaalBustersTo join the Patreon, use this link:https://www.patreon.com/c/KristosCastJoin Dr. Glidden's Membership site here:https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealth⁠Code: baalbusters for 25% OFFMake Dr. Glidden Your DoctorUse Code BB5 here for your 90 Essential Nutrients:https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/brand/azurewell/2326The Azure Whole Food Essential Nutrients are 1. Whole Food Multivitamin, 2. Alaskan Cod Liver Oil, 3. Fulvic-Humic Energy Blend, 4. IP6 Supreme. I also recommend adding the Core Copper.Use code BB5 for your discount.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

The story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rise and fall has been gripping France. There are allegations of a secret pact with a dictator and unexplained meetings between figures close to government and a known terrorist. And so much cash that party workers do not know what to do with it. The former French President was jailed last year for conspiring to fund his 2007 election campaign with money from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He is currently appealing his sentence - and he has some powerful supporters. Tristan Redman tells the story of how he became the first former French head of state to end up behind bars since Nazi collaborator, Philippe Pétain. Featuring investigative journalist, Fabrice Arfi from Mediapart; Daniele Klein whose brother was killed in the ‘French Lockerbie' and her niece Melanie who lost her father; Alain Minc, one of Nicolas Sarkozy's closest friends and advisers; the British writer and academic Andrew Hussey and Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, who was Sarkozy's finance minister.

Som i en hollywoodfilm brager Muammar Gaddafi og hans sidste loyale støtter ud i ørkenen, på flugt fra oprørerne, efter byen Sirte falder: Gaddafi-regimets sidste bastion. Men fra himlen vælter det snart ned med NATO-bomber. Og fra jorden regner det med kugler, ud over bilkonvojen. Det her er historien om en af verdenshistoriens mest forhadte mennesker. Og vi starter serien med hans vilde og voldsomme død. Fortæller: Nicholas Durup Thomsen. Manus og tilrettelæggelse: Nicholas Durup Thomsen & Anton Færch. Lyddesign: Anton Færch. Soundtrack: Anton Færch. Redaktør: Emil Rothcstein-Christensen. DR Redaktør: Anders Stegger. Produceret for P3 af MonoMono.

Toni Sant presents the 770th in a series of podcasts featuring music by performers in or from Malta. Artists featured in this podcast: PART 1Claire Tonna - A Woman I LoveDaryl Ebejer ft. David Cassar Torreggiani - Bħal ĦolmaSad Pancake - LacerationSterjoTipi - Il-BiduX-Vandals - Veil of ForgetfulnessCarlo Muscat - For the Walking WomanPART 2Lyndsay - Regent StreetDripht - Green DubNorm Rejection - PeltierThe Red Model - (what's in) Colonel Gaddafi's Suitcase?TroffaĦamra - Mifruda bil-ĦinMaryrose Mallia - Nazju tal-IbirbaTodamusica ft. Sandrina - FallingPART 3Featured album: Cowboys Don't Cry by Aidan >> Details about this podcast [in Maltese] See also: - MMI Podcast: YouTube playlist - MMI Podcast: Facebook Page - MMI Archive on Mixcloud | @tonisant on Twitter - M3P: Malta Music Memory Project - Mużika Mod Ieħor ma' Toni Sant on Facebook  (MP3)

Dr. A.Q. Khan is making millions selling nuclear secrets but when he decides to sell the nuclear bomb to Libya's renegade ruler Colonel Gaddafi, the CIA and MI6 realise they need to act against Pakistan's real-life Dr. Strangelove.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. - The Age of Extremophiles - Libya with Andrew - Gaddafi with Andrew - Zohran Mamdani's First 100 Days - Executive Disorder: White House Correspondents Shooting, Voting Rights Act You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Libya with Andrew Iran retaliation: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjrqqd8lw2wo Timeline of Libyan History: https://www.britannica.com/place/Libya/History Timeline of Libyan revolt: https://www.britannica.com/event/Libya-Revolt-of-2011 Behind the NTC: http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1062/2/who-drove-the-libyan-uprising Consequences and Motivations of Libya intervention: https://jacobin.com/2015/02/libya-intervention-nato-imperialism https://web.archive.org/web/20220517202837/https://merip.org/2011/11/was-the-libya-intervention-necessary/ https://jacobin.com/2021/03/nato-libya-war-uk-us-france-regime-change https://jacobin.com/2011/09/libya-and-the-left Rebel abuses: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14891913 Targeting of Black Libyans and Migrants: https://www.npr.org/2011/10/20/141549384/blacks-and-migrants-targets-of-attack-in-libya Displacement numbers in 2012: https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/4ec23100b.pdf Consequences of first civil war: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/24/libya-capital-under-islamist-control-tripoli-airport-seized-operation-dawn https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/2/16/libya-anniversary-the-situation-is-just-terrible An attempt at unification: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/17/libyan-politicians-sign-un-peace-deal-unify-rival-governments El Sharara oilfield situation: https://middle-east-online.com/node/708060 The status quo as of 2020: https://www.politico.eu/article/the-libyan-conflict-explained/ Another attempt at unification: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/15/libya-interim-government-sworn-in-replacing-rival-administration https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/21/libya-parliament-withdraws-confidence-from-unity-government https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/3/un-voices-concern-over-vote-on-new-libyan-prime-minister Morality police: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/fears-religious-freedom-libya-proposes-new-morality-police Slave auction: https://africasacountry.com/2017/11/the-slave-auction-in-libya Libya’s arms in regional instability: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-arms-un-idUSBRE93814Y20130409/ Natural disaster: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/09/year-rebuilding-libyas-flood-hit-derna-plagued-politics https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libya-floods-derna-turkish-firm-said-repaired-dam-did-it Gaddafi with Andrew https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muammar-al-Qaddafi https://www.britannica.com/place/Libya/ Libya: The History of Gaddafi's Pariah State By John Oakes Qaddafi and the Libyan revolution By David Blundy, Andrew Lycett https://africasacountry.com/2017/12/the-return-of-muammar-gaddafi https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2013/10/03/gaddafis-harem-book https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-16289543 https://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2016/02/17/what-happened-to-the-other-libyans https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329567625_A_Linguistic_Liberation_of_Gaddafi%27s_Libya_From_Near-Extinction_to_an_Imminent_Revitalization_of_Amazigh https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2018/10/13/tebu-cultural-awakening-we-may-not-be-arabs-but-we-are-libyan https://marxist.com/nature-of-gaddafi-regime.htm https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/business/23views.html Gaddafi’s relations with the West: https://libcom.org/article/lies-slaughter-capital-2011-nato-intervention-libya-part-two https://libcom.org/article/libyan-peoples-committees-should-be-foundation-new-life-not-just-interim-measure https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/05/us-torture-and-rendition-gaddafis-libya https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/09/09/secret-intelligence-documents-discovered-libya Zohran Mamdani's First 100 Days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZGdfQ-kPTI https://www.nyc.gov/content/100days/pages/ https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/news/004-26/mamdani-administration-stricter-enforcement-city-s-250-most-distressed-apartment https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/01/mamdani-administration-announces-historic--2-1-million-settlemen https://www.nyc.gov/content/tenantprotection/pages/pinnacle-tenants https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/01/mayor-mamdani-signs-eo-to-revitalize-mayor-s-office-to-protect-t https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-announces-historic--2-1m-court-judgment-against-br https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/02/mayor-mamdani--nycha-announce--38-4-million-investment-to-bring- https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/about/sustainability.page https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mamdani-administration-launches-new-program-to-deliver-affordabl https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-advances-new-york-city-s-first-free-child-care-pro https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/transcript--mayor-mamdani-announces-major-3-k-expansion--adding- https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/19/mamdani-budget-parks-libraries/ https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/10/homeless-deaths-cold-hearing-wasow-park/ https://citylimits.org/the-mayor-promises-a-new-approach-to-encampment-sweeps-homeless-advocates-dont-buy-it/ https://gothamist.com/news/can-columbus-ohio-teach-the-nypd-about-crowd-control-mamdani-wants-to-find-out https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/nyregion/mamdani-nypd-tisch-police.html https://gothamist.com/news/mayor-mamdani-signals-openness-to-nypd-gang-database-citing-reforms https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-appoints-renita-francois-as-deputy-mayor-for-commu https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mamdani-administration-secures-nearly--2m-in-restitution-for-800 https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/01/mayor-mamdani-announces--5-million-settlement--reinstatement-of- https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/04/mayor-mamdani-announces-la-marqueta-as-first-site-identified-for https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/04/mayor-mamdani--governor-hochul-announce-state-s-first-pied-a-ter Executive Disorder: White House Correspondents Shooting, Voting Rights Act https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28083136/allen.pdf https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/29/congress/section-702-passes-house-00899071 https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/atf-launches-new-era-reform https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey-threats-harm-president-trump https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/28/media/fcc-kimmel-disney-abc-trump-licenses https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/business/media/david-ellison-trump-cbs-news.html https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-announces-decision-ld-307-2026-04-24 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp846668401o https://www.ukmto.org/recent-incidents#fae0af84-bd4a-4a4d-86d0-cb7166ef4691 https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/lithium-eastern-states-could-replace-imports-a-century-or-more https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116474434041424846 https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/governor-sinaloa-and-nine-other-current-and-former-mexican-officials-charged-drug https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf https://www.npr.org/2026/04/30/nx-s1-5805050/supreme-court-voting-rights-congressional-black-caucus https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-allen-003804b7/ https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=cole+allen&contributor_zip=90501 https://x.com/MAGAVoice/status/2048180791356821988?s=20 https://www.timemachine.eu/study-on-quality-in-3d-digitisation-of-tangible-cultural-heritage/ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20150004067 https://x.com/infolibnews/status/2048222643237601457?s=20 https://x.com/aishahhasnie/status/2048274579043336397 https://x.com/TheRealJChubby/status/2048513664286924938?s=20 https://x.com/BonkDaCarnivore/status/2048220342678597688?s=20 https://ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/OPN/25-3141_complete_opn.pdf https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/17/2026-02994/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/c5d05c7ba737452f85f7b9ee4b2ea99a#data_s=id%3AdataSource_4-59220b9613c647f49771f495924d5772%3A973 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28051570-friends-of-the-ruidosa-church-v-secretary-markwayne-mullin-april-2026/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike and Vittorio's Guide to Parenting is a weekly podcast, where two London-based Irish comedians Mike Rice and Vittorio Angelone tackle the current issues facing parents from the unique perspective of not having any children, any interest in children, or mentioning children at all.Check out Peter's stuff here: https://www.instagram.com/peterflanagancomedy Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://surfshark.com/PARENTING⁠⁠⁠ or use code PARENTING at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!Sign up to the Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/parenting⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch Vittorio's Special: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/mfU3TyeEkZQ?si=7BMe5yGa_vVq-4Vh⁠⁠⁠Buy tickets for Vittorio's Tour here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.vittorioangelone.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Buy Tickets for Mike's Tour here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mikericecomedy.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Watch Mike's Special here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/aWgW4LBZHz8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Sign up for Mike's mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mikericecomedy.us21.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=bb23fc6659c6ccb17551262ef&id⁠⁠⁠ =c27f2130fa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up for Vittorio's mailing list: ⁠https://mailchi.mp/60fb9a4d4173/vittorioangeloneThanks for listening! Like, subscribe, drop a comment, all the good stuff.

The reporting outlines a series of controversial links between Prince Andrew and figures connected to Libya under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, raising questions about the nature and purpose of those relationships. According to the account, Andrew held multiple meetings with Gaddafi during his time as a UK trade envoy and was also connected to individuals tied to the Libyan regime, including a convicted gun smuggler who reportedly helped facilitate introductions and access. Jeffrey Epstein is also woven into this network, with claims that he sought to leverage Andrew's connections to arrange a meeting with Gaddafi, potentially tied to financial opportunities involving Libyan assets.The situation becomes more controversial when viewed in the broader context of Andrew's role and responsibilities at the time, as critics questioned why a British royal serving as a trade representative was engaging with such figures, both officially and through informal channels. The relationships, meetings, and alleged efforts to broker introductions contributed to concerns about judgment, oversight, and the blending of diplomatic roles with private or opaque dealings. Even where proposed meetings—such as the one involving Epstein and Gaddafi—may not have ultimately taken place, the communications and connections themselves have continued to draw scrutiny, reinforcing a pattern of associations that have fueled ongoing criticism of Andrew's international dealings and decision-making.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

STREAMING MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, FEATURING BILL ROGGIO AND JANATYN SAYEH, 4-20-26.  1688 PERSIA GULFThe Levant and Eurasia are currently gripped by what analysts describe as the "fog of peace," a state where a ceasefire is technically in place but characterized by profound distrust and a lack of transparency. While the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran originally centered on Iran's nuclear weapons program, the focus has shifted toward an intractable struggle over the Strait of Hormuz.The Strait has become a primary flashpoint of "open/closed" chaos, likened to a "Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd" hunting season metaphor. The US has established a naval blockade, recently using a destroyer's main gun to disable the engine room of an Iranian cargo ship that attempted to run the blockade. Iran counters this by creating confusion, such as firing on an Indian tanker that reportedly had clearance from the IRGC to pass, a tactic designed to make international shipping reconsider the route entirely.Diplomatically, the situation is stalled. Planned talks in Islamabad between US representatives and the Islamic Republicare not moving forward. This deadlock is exacerbated by a structural shift in Iranian leadership. Following the assassination of the Supreme Leader and other top officials, decision-making has fallen to a five-man council of dedicated revolutionaries. These individuals, often categorized as "hardliners" rather than "pragmatists," view compromise under pressure as a sign of weakness and are wary of suffering the same fate as Muammar Gaddafi. This new leadership is believed to be radical and intractable, with many members rising from the younger, hardcore ranks of the regime.Internally, the regime is employing brutal measures to maintain control. There are chilling reports that Iran has developed aerosol fentanyl — a chemical weapon capable of killing large populations — and may have experimentally used it against domestic protesters as early as 2022. The regime's fear of internal unrest is further evidenced by the deployment of checkpoints staffed by non-Iranian proxies to suppress a population demoralized by economic exasperation and a perceived lack of external backing. Precursors for these chemical experiments are reportedly provided by China.The geopolitical timeline appears to favor Tehran. Iranian leaders believe they can "run out the clock" on the Trumpadministration. The US faces significant domestic constraints, including low presidential poll numbers and the impending 2026 midterm elections, which could return the House of Representatives to Democratic control and trigger a return to the "age of impeachment." Additionally, Russia and China have strategic incentives to keep the Islamic Republic afloat, viewing the conflict as a test of whether their partner can withstand prolonged US and Israeli military pressure. Consequently, the "fog of peace" remains thick, with both sides acting on distrust rather than a genuine path toward a treaty.

The reporting outlines a series of controversial links between Prince Andrew and figures connected to Libya under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, raising questions about the nature and purpose of those relationships. According to the account, Andrew held multiple meetings with Gaddafi during his time as a UK trade envoy and was also connected to individuals tied to the Libyan regime, including a convicted gun smuggler who reportedly helped facilitate introductions and access. Jeffrey Epstein is also woven into this network, with claims that he sought to leverage Andrew's connections to arrange a meeting with Gaddafi, potentially tied to financial opportunities involving Libyan assets.The situation becomes more controversial when viewed in the broader context of Andrew's role and responsibilities at the time, as critics questioned why a British royal serving as a trade representative was engaging with such figures, both officially and through informal channels. The relationships, meetings, and alleged efforts to broker introductions contributed to concerns about judgment, oversight, and the blending of diplomatic roles with private or opaque dealings. Even where proposed meetings—such as the one involving Epstein and Gaddafi—may not have ultimately taken place, the communications and connections themselves have continued to draw scrutiny, reinforcing a pattern of associations that have fueled ongoing criticism of Andrew's international dealings and decision-making.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for April 14, 2026. We open with a big picture look at American energy dominance and why it matters right now more than ever. With 171 crude tankers heading to the Gulf of America — compared to roughly 110 in a typical month — we dig into how President Trump's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has flipped the entire global oil market on its head, why American producers are now positioned to be the world's energy lifeline, and what it means that Germany, Japan, South Korea, India, and the Philippines are all scrambling for a reliable supply that only the United States can provide right now. Then our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson join us to weigh in on the Trump AI meme controversy — the image depicting the president in a Jesus-like pose that sparked outrage from Christians and Democrats alike. We give our honest take, the Mamas give theirs, and we dig into the fascinating double standard of a left that spent decades removing God from schools, courthouses, and their own party platform suddenly discovering that blasphemy is a problem. We also get into Trump pattern recognition, why the Mamas say conservatives sometimes overreact just to prove they're not blindly loyal, and why the artist who created the image says it was never meant to depict Trump as Jesus at all. In our Digging Deep segment, we trace the Iran nuclear crisis all the way back to one decision — Hillary Clinton's push to bomb Libya in 2011. We explain why Muammar Gaddafi's decision to give up his nuclear program in 2003 is the only time in world history a brutal dictator peacefully surrendered nuclear weapons, why Clinton's decision to bomb him eight years later sent a message to every rogue regime on the planet that giving up nukes gets you killed, and why the Iranian mullahs have been drawing exactly that lesson ever since. It's a history lesson that explains everything happening in the Strait of Hormuz right now. We also celebrate some genuinely good economic news — the IRS reports that tax refunds are up more than 10% on average, driven by no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security. We revisit the DoorDash grandma who told President Trump that the no tax on tips provision saved her $11,000 this year, and we talk about what it means when policy actually reinforces the value that the harder you work, the further ahead you should get. For our Bright Spot, the NRA is partnering with a group called Locks and Loaded to bring firearms training specifically to Jewish communities across America — a response to the surge in anti-Semitism and attacks on Jewish institutions. We talk about why the Temple Israel in Michigan, which had just completed self-defense training, was able to stop a violent attack before anyone was harmed, and why being prepared is not political — it's essential. We also get into the stunning revelation from The Atlantic that it was the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement — not Joe Biden's judgment — that pushed Gretchen Whitmer out of consideration for vice president and put Kamala Harris on the ticket. And we close out with the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class — Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan. Yes, really. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2. WITNESS TO A REVOLUTION: HEIDI AUGUST IN LIBYA Guest Mundy: Guest Mundy recounts Heidi August's 1969 assignment to Libya, where she witnessed Muammar Gaddafi's coup firsthand,. Despite being a college graduate, August was hired as a clerk and only informed of secretarial roles. When the coup began, she was the first American official to identify it, while her male superiors remained unaware. Demonstrating remarkable composure, August drove through gunfire to "burn out" the station and destroy classified cables. This experience sparked her lifelong passion for intelligence work, even as agency rules then barred female clandestine officers from marriage or children,. (3)1956 Hungary

Party leaflet Despite continual imperialist attempts at sabotage and overthrow, the AES states continue to push forward with development, prioritising the needs of the masses. The Sahel states' partnerships with China and Russia have been proving that there is a path to development outside of imperialist dominion. China is helping AES nations to exploit their abundant mineral resources (the region has some of the largest gold, uranium, lithium and diamond reserves in the world) and to build infrastructure. Russia is helping them in the military fight to wipe out west-backed terrorism – a virulent plague that was facilitated by Nato's destruction of the anti-imperialist Libya of Colonel Gaddafi. Download this leaflet as a pdf: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3.cpgb-ml.org/Hands-off-the-Sahel-202603.pdf Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: https://thecommunists.org/education-programme/ Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/

In this episode of the BBC Radio 4 series, Archive on 4, our very own Tristan Redman tells the story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rise and fall.The former French President was jailed last year for conspiring to fund his 2007 election campaign with money from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He's currently appealing his sentence. And he has some powerful supporters.Using archive recordings and contemporary interviews with those who know Sarkozy well, Tristan Redman tells the story of how he became the first former French head of state to end up behind bars since Nazi collaborator, Philippe Pétain.Featuring investigative journalist, Fabrice Arfi from Mediapart; Daniele Klein whose brother was killed in the ‘French Lockerbie' and her niece Melanie who lost her father; Alain Minc, one of Nicolas Sarkozy's closest friends and advisers; the British writer and academic Andrew Hussey and Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, who was Sarkozy's finance minister.Presenter: Tristan RedmanProducer: Adele ArmstrongSound: Peregrine AndrewsEditor: Penny MurphyCredits: Mediapart, Euronews, France Télévisions, TF1 and France 2

How can it be ensured countries will face a better future after a large-scale military intervention? It's a question which applies to both politicians dealing with the war in Iran today, and for politicians dealing with the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi's killing in 2011.In this third and final part of this series, Ed Balls, George Osborne, and Sir John Sawers reflect on the fallout of the 42-year regime in Libya coming to an end. Who was responsible for post-war failures? Was there a case for putting boots on the ground? And what were the unexpected repercussions for geopolitics?They also discuss their immediate reactions to Gaddafi's death and the shocking way in which he was killed.Ed and George then press Sir John on what this all could mean for the ongoing situation in Iran, plus what he really thinks of how Keir Starmer has handled it.Thanks for listening. To listen to all three parts of Inside the Room: The Libya Conflict now, join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. You will also get early and ad-free access to our regular episodes of EMQs. For even more perks, including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:

Saif Gaddafi continued to act as a beacon for those struggling to restore Libya's sovereignty and independence long after his father was assassinated. Saif Gaddafi was widely respected in Libya during the time of the Jamahiriyan Republic that was presided over by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. His assassination, mourned by the Libyan masses, was greeted with glee by the imperialists, who were becoming worried at his potential to win any presidential election that might be held in the country. Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: https://thecommunists.org/education-programme/ Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/

What if the next election doesn't just change policy—but determines who goes to prison? Today's episode unpacks explosive claims about political retribution, international courts, and the growing rhetoric around prosecuting former President Donald Trump and his allies. From talk of trials at The Hague to debates over war crimes and U.S. sovereignty, this episode dives into the high-stakes political battlefield shaping 2028—and what it could mean for America's future. ⚡ SUMMARY Tara breaks down escalating political rhetoric suggesting that a Republican loss in 2028 could lead to widespread prosecutions of Donald Trump, his family, and former administration officials. The conversation highlights discussions around using international legal bodies like International Criminal Court to pursue war crimes charges—despite longstanding U.S. resistance to its jurisdiction. The episode also revisits past U.S. foreign policy decisions, including the 2011 Libya intervention under Barack Obama and the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, raising questions about consistency in how “war crimes” are defined and applied. At its core, the discussion centers on political escalation, legal boundaries, and the potential consequences of turning global institutions into domestic political weapons.

From battlefield strategy to political endgames—this episode covers it all. Tara dives into the explosive debate over targeting Iran's power grid, the terrifying reality of EMP threats against America, and a rising push to prosecute Donald Trump at International Criminal Court. Is this about national security—or political warfare? And what happens if the next election decides who faces prison? ⚡ SUMMARY This episode opens with a high-stakes military debate: should the U.S. target Iran's civilian energy infrastructure to destabilize the regime? Proponents argue that shutting down power could spark internal unrest and accelerate collapse, while critics warn of humanitarian fallout and global backlash. The conversation expands into long-standing fears of an EMP attack on the U.S. grid—warnings echoed by former intelligence officials—and the catastrophic consequences of losing national power infrastructure. From there, Tara explores the global economic angle, including tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and a potential Iran-China strategy to undermine the U.S. dollar through alternative energy trade systems. The second half shifts dramatically into domestic politics, focusing on claims that a future administration could pursue legal action against Donald Trump and former officials through international courts. The discussion raises questions about U.S. sovereignty, the legitimacy of global tribunals, and the escalating rhetoric surrounding political accountability. The episode closes by revisiting past foreign policy decisions, including U.S. involvement in Libya under Barack Obama and the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, drawing comparisons about how war crimes are defined—and who gets held accountable.

Planes are in the air and the military intervention in Libya has now begun. But how does the operation progress from here? And what actually happens in a war room?In the second part of this mini series, Ed Balls and George Osborne ask Sir John Sawers about how MI6 gathered intelligence to guide the path forwards. He tells the story of leaving William Hague "aghast" by securing a visa for the Libyan foreign minister, who he then flattered with dinner at one of the service's secure locations in return for crucial information… The pair also speak to former deputy national security adviser Hugh Powell about why David Cameron always felt that action was better than inaction, and hear from Cathy Ashton about why the fall of Tripoli was a moment of success for the PM and Nicolas Sarkozy.However, with Gaddafi still alive and the UN mandate not accounting for regime change, there was still reason to be apprehensive about the “huge challenge ahead”. Sawers and Powell discuss Gaddafi's skill of staying hidden, why MI6 doesn't actually have a “license to kill”, and their approaches to negotiations with the dictator in his final weeks – including asking Tony Blair for help.Thanks for listening. In our third episode we take you right behind the scenes of the day Gaddafi was killed, and ask who was responsible for the post-war failures… Can't wait? Subscribe now to get all three parts of Inside the Room: The Libya Conflict. You will also get access to our debrief episode The Inquiry, as well as early and ad-free access to our regular episodes of EMQs. For even more perks, including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:

As renewed violence erupts across the Middle East, governments have been forced into crisis mode... but when is the right time to intervene, how involved should you get and when, if ever, is it time for 'boots on the ground'?It's these dilemmas and more that are currently facing Keir Starmer and other world leaders, but it's not the first time a UK government has had to find answers for such big questions about international intervention. Fifteen years ago the civil unrest of the Arab Spring spread to Libya. The violent crackdowns against anti-government protestors that followed sparked seven months of NATO military intervention and led to the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, putting an end to his 42-year dictatorship.In this special mini series, Ed Balls and George Osborne are joined by former MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers to discuss the key decisions, missteps, and aftermath of the Libya crisis. We take you inside the war rooms and hear unique insights from John, George and two other officials who saw key decisions being made first-hand: former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Cathy Ashton, and deputy national security adviser to the coalition government, Hugh Powell. What can the wars of the past can teach us lessons for the wars of today?In part one, we look at how the UK government reacted to the escalating situation, why David Cameron and then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy pushed for military action, and the steps that led to the first bomb being dropped… and how it managed to surprise Britain.Thanks for listening. In our next episode we take you right behind the scenes of the military action and hear about all of the drama that ensued, including the moment Sir John Sawyers took an informant for a secret dinner… Can't wait? Subscribe now to get all three parts of Inside the Room: The Libya Conflict. You will also get access to our debrief episode The Inquiry, as well as early and ad-free access to our regular episodes of EMQs.

Fifteen years after the revolution that deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, our team reports from the eastern city of Benghazi. Although the security situation there is now relatively stable, reunification does not seem to be on the immediate agenda, with Libya still ruled by two different governments.

When Nato helped overthrow Gaddafi in 2011, there were hopes of a new beginning. More than a decade later, a former CIA asset runs the country – and Libya has become yet another lesson in the unintended consequences of foreign intervention By Anas El Gomati. Read by Mo Ayoub. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/iran-war-no-winners-oil-de-dollarisation-global-impact-13992276.htmlWar is hell, we all know, and it's bad for everybody, but there is – usually – a winner. After more than three weeks of the Iran war, I am beginning to believe that there are no winners here, only losers. The principals are overextending themselves, and will suffer as a consequence. Innocent or not-so-innocent bystanders are suffering significant collateral damage.Some are getting hurt more than others, so it's mostly a question of degree: but the bottom line is that this is war that is just not good for anybody. As usual, Henry Kissinger had a useful aphorism: “It's a pity both sides can't lose”, quoth he. (Hat tip to reader Sudarshan M). Well, Henry, both sides are losing this one, so take heart: your wish has come true.Someone made the analogy of going to Family Court with a dispute: there are no winners, as the father, mother, and the children, will all suffer, whatever the outcome. It is best in that situation to listen to a counselor and solve your problems amicably. Similarly, it would be good to find a neutral intermediary to help iron out a ceasefire in this war, too.In a way, this war is the classic idea of irresistible force meeting an immovable object, thus leading to a stalemate, as Walter Russel Mead suggested in the Wall Street Journal.First, the toll on the belligerents, in alphabetical order:* Iran. It is creditable that Iran has held out against the might of the US war machine for three weeks and more. My belief is that they can keep it up for a while longer, because they have been preparing for this eventuality for some decades, ever since the 1979 crisis in which they held Americans hostage for 444 days. They are taking, and will take, horrendous losses, but it will be difficult to completely overthrow the Islamist regime. Among other things, Iran is a large country, about half the size of peninsular India.* The US attack on Kharg Island's military targets (but not its oil terminals) has shown that Iran's oil exports could be in jeopardy, pushing global prices up.* Just like their proxy Hamas, it appears Iran has built extensive tunnel complexes, veritable underground labyrinths, where they are hiding all sorts of things, including fast patrol boats. Their military assets are doubtless ensconced in these tunnels which makes them hard to locate and possibly quite mobile.* Israel. Iran's consistent rhetoric that Israel doesn't deserve to exist leads to fears that Iran's nuclear arsenal (if and when built) will be primarily aimed at Israel. This, and troubles with Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas, have led to massive Israeli human intelligence penetration of Iran (as seen in the Stuxnet incident as well as the effective strikes on the Ayatollahs and Hamas, including the pager incident). But Israel is also believed to be taking heavy losses, which it can ill afford, although information has been tightly censored. There were apparently missile attacks near Israel's nuclear sites at Dimona as well.* The US. The original idea of a decapitation strike that would lead to a rapid regime change as the Iranian public rose up and anointed a new leadership (one more acceptable to the US), was questionable, as I pointed out fairly early. It appears that the CIA and US intelligence have just one playbook, which they used more or less successfully in Iraq, Libya, etc. But that was never going to work in Iran, and now the US is stuck with a tar-baby and may be quietly seeking de-escalation and an off-ramp.* Talk of a Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2500 American soldiers re-deployed from Japan means “boots on the ground” followed inevitably by that dreaded word, “body bags”. The troops will be meant to keep Hormuz open, or perhaps to capture Kharg Island. Whether they can achieve these is unclear right now.* However, overall it appears that the US' capacity to coerce other countries through economic means is declining, as suggested by the FT in “The era of US dominance in economic warfare is over” on March 17th.Now for the others in the firing line and in the periphery:* The GCC, consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. They have taken the brunt of the Iranian drone and missile attacks, and their oil and gas exports, and economies, are affected by the closure of the Straits of Hormuz. But more alarmingly, their food and water supplies may also be affected, and they are, being desert nations, highly dependent on imported items via the blockaded Hormuz, and critically dependent on their desalination plants. Keeping the Straits of Hormuz open may be critical for them. They have been with human casualties, infrastructure damage, and reputational damage as well. In particular, Dubai, which has been a magnet for high-net-worth individuals, is affected.* Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon was hit by Israeli fire, and Jordan by Iranian fire, although they are mostly bystanders. Israel has been responding to increased activity by Iranian proxy Hezbollah, and Iran has sent drones and missiles towards Jordan as part of general horizontal escalation.* Pakistan and Turkey. These are wild card nations in the conflict. So far they have not (yet) been affected badly, but they have to walk a tightrope. On the one hand, it is very likely that Pakistan has offered logistical and intelligence support to the US in its air attacks on Iran. On the other, as a fellow-Islamic nation, Iran has, under both the Shah and the mullahs, consistently supported Pakistan (especially against India).* Furthermore, if there is a ground assault on Iran, it will probably involve Balochis from Pakistan and Kurds from Turkey, both attempting to capture land in, respectively, the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, and the heavily Kurdish regions of Iran bordering Turkey.* Turkey, as a NATO member, is obligated to support the US, despite its Islamist leadership which is duty-bound to side with the fellow-Islamic Iranian regime. The traditional Sunni-Shia split, which has been exacerbated by Shia Iran attacking Sunni Gulf nations, sharpens the dilemma for both nations. (Meanwhile, Pakistanis slaughtered 400 Afghans by bombing a hospital, but they get a free pass from, e.g. the BBC.)* The United Nations. It has been rendered superfluous. Nobody even called for a Security Council meeting condemning the war. This is the latest in a long process wherein whatever the UN, or many other multilateral organizations do or say has become immaterial. The UN, hit by a budget crunch, might as well be shut down.* Europe and Britain. The EU and NATO have been noticeably absent in the discussions about the war. Of course, they are likely to be affected by the increase in hydrocarbon prices. In fact, their folly in shuttering their nuclear power plants in pursuit of vague ‘green' goals has put them at the mercy of Russian oil and gas. In particular, the virtual shutting out of Britain from the entire war is notable, considering that their Whitehall has long managed to treat the US Deep State as their vassals, ‘master-blaster' style.* Russia. Even though Russia has long been friendly with Iran, it has desisted from doing anything that could bring it into direct conflict with the US. Russia is probably supplying satellite and other reconnaissance data as well as spares for existing systems (such as the S-300 air defense batteries, Su-35 fighters) and possibly Iranian-designed Shahed drones as well. Interestingly enough, Russia may be the one possible winner in the war, considering its oil is now a coveted commodity, prices have soared, and there is less attention being paid to its Ukraine war. Europe, China and India are ever-more dependent on Russian oil, and the windfall profits may be sustainable. The US may even lift its sanctions and bring Russia back into the Western fold.* China. There are wins and losses for China, but in sum it may also be a bit of a winner.* The loss is in energy security: China has lost Venezuelan oil as well as access to Iranian oil, but they have overland pipelines from Russia, as well as access to Russian tankers at sea. Besides, they have a massive strategic petroleum reserve (1 billion barrels), so it should be manageable, for a while at least. Cuba, their reliable ally in the US' backyard, is now back to the wall with the US enforcing a blockade.* On the other hand, they have acquired a significant military edge: US munitions inventory has been getting depleted at a furious rate, so much so that if China were to attack Taiwan now, the US would be hard pressed to intervene. Even US THAAD (Theater High Altitude Air Defense) systems are being cannibalized: after four of their radars in the GCC were damaged, the US is forced to scavenge for them from their South Korean bases. Now comes news that China is massing both civilian ships and military aircraft near Taiwan, quite possibly a precursor to an actual invasion.* Unfortunately for China, their weapons systems don't seem to have performed very well in Iran, just as they didn't in Operation Sindoor. There are sarcastic posts on X, especially about their radar that looks like a big grille and is supposed to detect stealth aircraft, but didn't quite work.* China has also been on the horns of a dilemma, as it were: what would Xi do when Trump visits in April while in the midst of a war with one of China's principal allies? It would be “damned if you do, damned if you don't”. If China were to greet him warmly, it would send a negative message to Iran, as well as its other Belt and Road Initiative partners. If China were to treat Trump coldly, then trade wars will continue. Fortunately for Xi, Trump decided to delay his visit; perhaps he intends to continue the war well into April, or maybe he thought he'd be too much at physical risk. It's interesting to speculate on why Trump did this, but of course it may have been just whimsy.* India. This war is pretty much a disaster for India from every perspective. Being dependent on Persian Gulf oil and gas for everything from transportation to household cooking fuel to raw material for plastics to APIs for pharmaceuticals leaves India particularly exposed. There are other big vulnerabilities:* The $50 billion in remittances sent back yearly by 10 million Indians toiling away (often in very difficult circumstances) in that area, in addition to the personal hardships these migrants will face, including life and death situations.* Despite large increases in renewable energy, the major energy input, especially in transportation, continues to be imported oil and gas. Households have largely switched from wood-burning stoves to (admittedly much less polluting) bottled or piped gas. At the very time that electricity demand is peaking (e.g. AI data centers and railways), this disruption may have severe consequences.* The feedstock for agriculture is increasingly petroleum-based, and disruptions in fertilizer availability may cause production costs to skyrocket. Increased transportation costs will make vegetables and grains more expensive for those states (such as Kerala) that depend on internal transfers from producing states. In the short run, some agricultural commodity prices have collapsed as their primary markets in the Persian Gulf are inaccessible due to the Hormuz blockade. Basmati rice prices are down by Rs 5-10/kg according to LiveMint.* Trade through Chabahar Port (where India's $120 million investment is at risk) to Central Asia bypassing Pakistan, will likely grind to a halt* The dramatic increase in the price of oil (from around $60 per barrel to $100-$120, and threatening to go higher) is a huge ‘tax' on India, and a transfer of wealth out of India, which may reduce GDP growth by as much as 1-2%, and push inflation up to 4-5% (according to the Economic Times).* The ‘Goldilocks moment' of low inflation and high growth is possibly over.* The one positive for India will be the increasing importance of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which is basically the old Spice Route,, e.g. containers from Mundra and Vizhinjam to Dammam in Saudi Arabia or Jebel Ali in the UAE, then by rail to Haifa in Israel, and onwards to Piraeus in Greece by sea.* There is really no obvious benefit to India if the war continues, and therefore it is in India's interest to try to be an ‘honest broker' intermediary which has reasonably good relations with all the belligerents as well as the frontline GCC states. India could use its diplomatic goodwill to try to bring the war to a quick close, thus pursuing its own interests as well as something in the larger good of the global economy.There are a couple of other notable points in this war. One is from systems theory, and the other is from 18th century colonial British machinations in India; and finally a speculation about the future of the US economy and even the US nation.Distributed SystemsSystems theory suggests that distributed systems are far more resilient than centralized systems, because they may have redundant mechanisms that come into play when the primary mechanism is knocked out. Iran has anticipated decapitation strikes on its leadership, and the danger that signals intelligence from their foes may tap into all communications. Therefore, it appears they have created a system where 31 independent IRGC military commands have the autonomy to take local decisions without a go-ahead from a central authority.This means it will be relatively hard to quell all resistance, as some commands may fight on even if large parts of the country are conquered. It makes their actions also more unpredictable and potentially more dangerous.It is interesting to compare this to the sudden collapse of the Persian Sasanian Empire to invading Arab Muslim armies in the 7th century, when they were conquered in a space of no more than twenty years. Even though there were other factors like imperial exhaustion from constant wars and long supply chains for the Arab armies, the contrast with the Hindu resistance (of several hundred years in Sindh) suggests that the decentralized nature of the Hindu kingdoms played a significant role in their ability to fend off the Muslims for centuries.The Tipu SyndromeIn the late 18th century, imperial Brits pulled off a particularly clever ploy in southern India. Tipu Sultan, Muslim king of Mysore, invaded Malabar in a combination of religious jihad and economic loot. He was intent on both forced conversion and on the loot of Hindu temples in Malabar, which had grown rich from millennia of the trade in spices, especially black pepper. As Sanjeev Sanyal suggests, temples were banks and venture capitalists to trading guilds.Britain did conduct some desultory campaigns against Tipu, who was allied with the French, but did not accomplish much. In the end it was the desperate breaching of a natural dam on the Periyar by Travancore forces in 1790 that forced Tipu to retreat, as his artillery, munitions and supplies were flooded and swept away. Of course, then the British charged the entire cost of the 3rd Anglo-Mysore War to ‘ally' Travancore, bankrupting it.Next, the British attacked Tipu's headquarters, Srirangapatnam, killed him, and took all the loot. In other words, Tipu did all the dirty work in collecting the booty from the temples, and the British got it all in one stroke. And looked good, at least in their own propaganda, for killing a tyrant.A very similar thing happened in 1973. Arab oil states quadrupled oil prices (from $3/barrel to $12), imposing a massive strain on hapless developing countries such as India, leading to severe distress. Under the 1974 US-Saudi agreement, oil sales were to be only denominated in US dollars, thus leading to the ‘petrodollar' accumulation with OPEC. They recycled this money via buying US Treasury bonds, and especially via buying US arms, to the delight of the Military-Industrial Complex.Thus the net effect of the 1973 oil crisis was a large transfer of wealth from the developing countries to OPEC. The US economy did not suffer greatly (despite long lines at gas stations) and in fact US deficits were funded by petrodollars for the last several decades. This is why any move to de-dollarize oil sales is strongly resisted by the US.Summary: Oil and the petrodollarAt the end of the day, American wars always seem to go back to simple ideas: control of oil, and the prevention of de-dollarization. It makes sense: why not use economic and military heft in pursuit of the national interest? Those who go against this learn a big lesson, to their discomfiture: Saddam Hussein in Iraq wanted to trade oil in Euros, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya wanted to create a new pan-African currency in which to trade oil, Nicolas Maduro was trading in yuan and stablecoin, Ayatollah Ali Khameini has been selling in yuan mostly, and not at all in dollars. That meant they all had a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads.Putin and Xi are undesirables too, but then they have nuclear arsenals, which everybody has to respect.The dollar has been hegemonistic ever since Bretton Woods. Even allies learn to respect American sensitivity over the currency. The Japanese economy, once growing at a blistering pace, was ruined after the Plaza Accord of 1984, which set the yen-dollar exchange rate artificially high. Japan lost its mojo and is yet to recover, forty years later.Tailpiece: The end of many eras?Balaji Srinivasan, formerly a Silicon Valley VC, a thought leader and a supporter of ‘Network States' and crypto, posted this intriguing tweet on March 17th. I don't necessarily agree with his framework of (US) ups and downs (see diagram) or his assertions: he surely paints a grim picture for the US, including de-dollarization. He openly wonders if the US itself will survive in its present form.The AI-generated podcast courtesy notebookLM.google.com is at 3000 words, 18 March 2026 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Sam and Dylan are back to break down: Comment of the Week, Dylan's K-pop Demon Hunters confession, Trump asking NATO to join another bombing campaign and NATO basically telling him to kick rocks, the current Middle East escalation and whether Bibi Netanyahu is actually dead or being propped up for prophecy optics, conspiracy theories around Israel, Lebanon, and who's actually getting hit, the USS Tripoli deployment and what it means for boots on the ground, draft paranoia, the idea that world leaders are being kept alive or replaced for narrative control, CIA smear playbooks labeling foreign leaders as gay to destabilize regimes, Saddam, Gaddafi and propaganda tactics, media contradictions around sexuality as both virtue signal and attack vector, currency vs social currency and how elites distract the public while consolidating power. Then the guys go DEEP on Gnosticism, the Nag Hammadi texts, secret teachings of Jesus, and whether reality is more of an energy system than traditional religion admits, plus hunting down ancient Bibles, buying 1500s Latin texts on Etsy, and trying to decode what's actually been hidden from history.   Grab Tickets to Sam's Live Shows Here: https://samtripoli.com/events/   Batavia, IL: 3/26-3/28 Raleigh, NC: 4/3 Atlanta, GA: 4/4 Hamilton, Canada:  4/16 Toronto, Canada: 4/17 Dallas, TX: 4/24 Fort Worth, TX: 4/25 Austin, TX: 5/22 (Live Taping Of Sam Tripoli's Comedy Special) Albuquerque, NM: 6/12-6/13 Austin, TX: 6/18 Lawerence, KS: 9/17-9/19 Tulsa, OK: 10/9-10/10 Austin, TX: Dec 11th-13th   Buy Our Merch or Sam Will Fight You: https://conspiracy-social-club-aka-deep-waters.myshopify.com/   Check out Dylan's instagram - @dylanpetewrenn   Check out Deep Waters Instagram: @akadeepwaters   Check out Bad Tv podcast: https://bit.ly/3RYuTG0   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:   BLUECHEW GOLD Go to BlueChew.com and enter code "DEEP" for 10% off your first order.

Surprise! Jeffrey Epstein had predictable taste in music. But the Son of Sam? Gaddafi? John Wayne Gacy? We get into what the worst people in the world listened to along with your voicemails, texts, dms, emails and more. For more great Disgraceland stories, check out our archive, including episodes like these: Hank Williams Talking Heads Black Sabbath See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surprise! Jeffrey Epstein had predictable taste in music. But the Son of Sam? Gaddafi? John Wayne Gacy? We get into what the worst people in the world listened to along with your voicemails, texts, dms, emails and more. For more great Disgraceland stories, check out our archive, including episodes like these: Hank Williams Talking Heads Black Sabbath 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

In this episode of The Chris Abraham Show, Chris revisits an argument he first made more than two decades ago—an argument about American foreign policy, intervention, and the strange persistence of what John Quincy Adams once warned against: going abroad in search of monsters to destroy.The conversation begins with the latest escalation in the Middle East. Following a massive U.S. and Israeli strike campaign against Iran that targeted military infrastructure and senior leadership, the region once again finds itself at the edge of a wider war. Markets convulse, shipping lanes tighten, and the familiar arguments begin circulating: nuclear threats, rogue regimes, regional stability, and the hope that removing a dangerous government might somehow produce a safer political order.Chris has heard this argument before.In February of 2005, in the shadow of the Iraq invasion and the still-unfolding war in Afghanistan, he wrote a piece responding to a major debate inside American foreign policy circles. On one side were thinkers arguing that spreading democracy abroad would ultimately make the world safer. On the other were critics warning that intervention itself often creates the enemies it claims to fight.That debate never really ended. It simply moved from one country to another.In this episode Chris revisits that earlier essay and asks a simple but uncomfortable question: why do so many efforts to reshape other societies collapse once the outside power leaves?To explain the pattern, he introduces a metaphor that runs through the entire discussion: the pot on the stove.As long as heat is applied—troops, money, advisors, sanctions, intelligence networks, and political pressure—political systems can appear stable. But the moment the flame is reduced, societies tend to revert to their own deeper structures. The boiling stops. The underlying equilibrium returns.Afghanistan becomes the clearest example. Over two centuries three powerful empires—the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States—entered Afghanistan believing they could impose order or reshape the country's political system. Each eventually left, and each time the country returned to the same underlying networks of tribal, regional, and factional power.The labels changed—from mujahideen to Taliban—but the structure remained.The episode also explores what Chris calls the “strongman paradox.” In several Middle Eastern and North African states, authoritarian rulers like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and Bashar al-Assad held together fragile political systems through centralized control. When those regimes collapsed or were removed, the countries did not automatically transform into liberal democracies. In many cases they fractured into militias, rival governments, and competing factions.This leads to a deeper philosophical question about sovereignty and political development. Can democracy be exported the way a country exports technology or institutions? Or do stable political systems emerge slowly from a society's own culture, history, and internal balance of power?Chris argues that modern American foreign policy often treats political systems as if they were installable software—something that can be dropped into a society once the “wrong” leadership has been removed. History repeatedly suggests that the reality is more complicated.The episode also includes a personal confession. Chris explains why he voted for Donald Trump three times—not because of personality or party loyalty, but because of one specific promise: no new foreign wars. That promise, he argues, represented a rare break from the bipartisan consensus that has dominated American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War.Whether that promise still holds is part of the broader question.

Send a textPower can change a map overnight, but people live with the aftermath for generations. We take a hard look at four decades of American choices in the Middle East—across Iraq, Libya, Egypt, and Iran—and ask whether our interventions, sold as moral necessities, actually produced stability or planted chaos. Rather than re-litigate talking points, we practice moral accounting: if you topple a government, you own the aftermath. That means measuring foreseeable harms, funding reconstruction with the same urgency as strikes, and refusing to baptize strategy as righteousness.We revisit Iraq's missing WMDs and the vacuum that fueled ISIS, then move to Libya's humanitarian rationale that gave way to militias and trafficking. Egypt reveals the limits of slogan democracy when institutions are frail and external pressure lacks a long-term plan. With Iran, we challenge reflexes shaped by sanctions, threats, and alliance gravity, and we ask the unasked: what does regime collapse actually look like in a nation of over 90 million people, and who stabilizes the day after? Throughout, we draw a line through a leader-centric instinct—Saddam must go, Gaddafi must go, Mubarak must go—that treats nations like Lego sets, ignoring how entire structures shift when the top piece is yanked.Clean intervention is a myth. Every bomb has a blast radius; every sanction hits civilians first. Moral consistency demands that if children are sacred, they are sacred everywhere, not only within our borders. So we press for strategic clarity—precise objectives, limited aims, and real plans for second- and third-order effects—and for honesty about interests like oil, trade routes, and deterrence without cloaking them in moral absolutes. History doesn't remember intentions; it remembers outcomes, and outcomes have names. If we're serious about ethics and security, we must weigh power like judges, not fans.If this conversation challenges how you think about foreign policy, share it with a friend, subscribe for more independent analysis, and leave a review with the one question you believe leaders must answer before using force. Support the show

*AL-Islam Gaddafi auwawa Libya *Vikwazo vimewekwa na Marekani dhidi ya watu wanaodaiwa kuchochea vita Sudan

The U.S. shoots down an Iranian drone flying near an American aircraft carrier, Thousands march in Venezuela to protest the capture of Maduro and his wife, The son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is assassinated, Ryan Routh is sentenced to life for his 2024 attempt on Trump's life, The Washington Post cuts 30% of its staff, The Epstein files surface an alleged Bill Gates-linked pandemic planning for profit scheme, Health Canada closes public access to vaccine injury records for 15 years, Spain moves to ban social media for children under 16, NASA postpones its Artemis II crewed lunar mission, and RentAHuman.ai allows AI to hire humans to complete real-world tasks. Sources: Verity.News

(1.28.2026-2.4.2026) Like father. Tune in.#applepodcasts⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#spotifypodcasts⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#youtube #amazon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#patreon⁠⁠patreon.com/isaiahnews

Our correspondent Orla Guerin travels alongside Colombia's Jungle Commandos - an elite police force - as they seek to eradicate cocaine production in the Colombian Amazon and Andes. The defence minister told the BBC that they destroy cocaine factories "every forty minutes". Meanwhile in Washington, following months of tension, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro met President Trump for the first time to discuss efforts to combat drug trafficking and increase trade.Also: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, is shot dead. Could Russia be readmitted to international football tournaments by Fifa? As Spain plans to legalise half a million undocumented migrants, we hear from a charity helping them. Why the people of Florida have been collecting frozen iguanas and British comedian John Bishop's real life story which inspired a Hollywood film - Is This Thing On? The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

After trading insults on social media, President Trump and Colombia's President Petro meet for the first time today, at the White House in Washington. We also report from Colombia, where our correspondent has been out with the anti-narcotics police, known as the Jungle Commandos.Also in the programme: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of Libya's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is reported to have been killed at his home in Zintan - we hear from a journalist who met him; as Sudan's army claims to have re-taken another besieged city, Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council describes a “forgotten horrific conflict” and a “starvation crisis beyond belief”; plus the Australian scientist who helped invent the cochlear implant which now allows hundreds of thousands to hear – and who has just won a prize for his lifetime's work.(IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro meet at the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2026 / CREDIT: Colombia Presidency/Handout via REUTERS)

Your daily news in under three minutes. 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! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

In this episode, Thomas talks to distinguished BBC journalist Paul Kenyon about his new podcast series Two Nottingham Lads. Paul recalls highlights from his remarkable career, which has taken him from Iran to Libya to Ukraine to Stockport —as he watched, in real time, America lose its grip on the international order. Paul talks about: How two Nottingham lads ended up on opposite sides of the Ukraine War The time he was detained by Iranian secret police Watching anti-Gaddafi tribesmen ride into Benghazi on horseback Accompanying unarmed Ukrainian guards as they marched uphill toward Russian troops Getting to know the notorious ISIS brides in the Midlands Being the only BBC journalist in Liverpool who witnessed the outbreak of the riots there in summer 2004 Listen to Two Nottingham Lads here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ntm9  Follow Paul on X: https://x.com/paulkenyonTV  And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulkenyontv/ Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm  Find us on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Go to https://ground.news/elephants to think for yourself and get the full picture. Subscribe through my link for 40% off unlimited access to Ground News.► "Was Gaddafi the evil dictator as he was portrayed by the West? Or killed because he was a threat to their power in Africa. There's a new look at him these days."  — Ken► Notes: https://shorturl.at/QVjbG► Rogan / Russell Crowe video:     • Joe Rogan Experience #2406 - Russell Crowe  ► Free Newsletter: https://kenlacorte.substack.com► X:  https://x.com/KenLaCorte  ► Editing team: collab@rafayatrakib.com, IG: @rafayatdhk ► A/B Testing:  I use both YouTube's A/B testing, as well as Thumbnail Test: https://thumbnailtest.com/?via=ken-la... ► Teleprompter app: https://joeallenpro.com► Thumbnails edited in Canva:  https://www.canva.com► Business Inquiries:  business@ElephantsInRooms.comNOTE

Darrell Castle discusses the raid in Venezuela, the capture or arrest of Nichalas Maduro and his wife and whether it was beneficial to anyone. TRUMP'S VERSION OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 9th day of January in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be discussing the raid in Venezuela and the capture or arrest as the DOJ calls it of Nichalas Maduro and his wife and their criminal prosecution by US Federal authorities in the federal district court of New York. Did it benefit anyone, was it right or wrong, was it legal or illegal. Yes, folks 2026 has barely started and it has already been quite a year. Was the capture of Maduro an indication by the administration that one year of his term is complete and now the gloves come off. I certainly think that was one of the many intentions of the raid, but not the most significant by any means. What then was the real intent or reason for the raid. The truthful answer to that question is, I don't know and neither does anyone else. We look at it and we see the results short term but what was in his mind only he knows for sure. Let's look first at the legality of the raid. In my opinion it was clearly legal if US law is the judge. The 1973 War Powers Resolution allows the president to deploy military forces; however, he chooses without prior approval of congress if he decides its in the national security interest of the United States. Its's more than a little hypocritical for any Democrat with a microphone to scream illegal because they could always repeal the War Powers Act but they don't/ Why not, because they use it too, and they want it available. When Hillary Clinton rejoiced at the death of Muammar Gaddafi who was killed in a US bombing attack while apparently asleep in his bed, was that illegal. What about when George Bush sent American forces into Iraq and eventually hanged Saddam Hussein, was that illegal. In fact, Trump should be thanked by Maduro and his supporters in congress because he could have sent a cruise missile through his window but instead he arrested him. The DOJ insists this was a law enforcement action whereby a wanted fugitive was arrested in a foreign country. So, the question is, what do you mean by illegal. Clearly it does not violate US law so perhaps you mean it violates your sense of consciousness or morality. Well, most of what the US government does violates my sense of morality but that is not the judge.  I guess the argument then is that it violates international law. My answer is that international law is a nebulous concept that doesn't even exist anymore. International law was invented at Nuremburg as a way to justify dealing with Nazi war criminals when there was little real evidence of the crimes with which they were charged. In other words, it began and ended at Nuremburg. OK then, did anything good come out of the raid. Yes, lots of things, starting with the way the raid was conducted. This was perhaps the greatest and most successful special forces raid in history. Conducted in a foreign capital with very few known casualties. As I said he could have just put a warhead on Maduro's forehead but he didn't so in that sense the rule of law is intact. To carry that thought forward, the President has this very elite force the best of the best and he is committed to using them to accomplish his foreign policy rather than mobilizing vast armies with coalition partners at a cost of hundreds of billions. Everyone around the world took notice and the countries you would expect voiced their disapproval, but at the same time they know he is not bluffing and when he warns that he will act it is prudent to pay attention. It was a demonstration of what the US military can do especially when you consider that Venezuela supposedly had the latest version of Russian and Chinese anti-air defense system. It was Trump's version of, we are still here and we are still the best so pay attention. The other benefit that it is hard to argue against is that Maduro is a very bad man and Venezuela will be better off without him. There was an election in 2024 which was won by Edmundo Gonzalez but Maduro used his military to hold on to the most addictive thing in the world, power. He was so bad as a leader that 20% of the Venezuelan population left the country. I personally know many Venezuelan people some of whom live here in America and some in Venezuela and they are happy he is gone. The pro Maduro crowds of young white liberals marching through the streets of New York are really anti-Trump not pro Maduro. I guess one can justify supporting a vicious dictator if it means hurting Trump. The crowds of Venezuelan people rejoicing in the streets of Caracas are far more important than those in New York. Sometimes I think the people in such demonstrations have lost touch with reality. Certainly, they have lost touch with the needs of ordinary people if they ever had touch with them. It reminds me of when Trump sent the National Guard into the most crime ridden cities to help slow violent crime. Washington DC was the first but my city of Memphis was also included. The people in New York marching against the deployment were probably the same as the pro Maduro crowd but in the streets it was different. I talked to many people in my law office who live out there with reality and that reality is constant fear of violent crime. People told me in no uncertain terms that they were glad to see the Guard on the streets and they felt safer walking or going shopping. The people of the cities worry about whether their kids will be killed in a drive by, and so they are glad for protection. So, Maduro was a very bad man who caused many to leave their country and many more were starving. Yes, he was a leader who lived in palatial luxury while his people starved. Venezuela has one of the largest deposits of petroleum in the world but the people have no gas. We learned after Maduro's capture that the infrastructure of pumping and getting oil to market was in such a poor state that it could take ten years to fully bring it up to speed. Venezuela has all this wealth under its soil and under its ocean but no one cared enough for the people to exploit it for their benefit. Will the American oil companies that are competing for Venezuelan oil use it for the people's benefit. Well, that is a good question but I believe that while trump is president they will. Right now, Venezuela is left in a highly volatile and uncertain phase of its history. Who will lead after Maduro. Delci Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president is in charge as I record this. She talked tough but only for a moment and then she saw the light and started saying something like I will be glad to cooperate with the Americans and I am just glad to be here. That is of course another point and that is that he did leave her in power and let natural progression take its course. Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said that she would like to see Gomzalez given power because he won the election in 2024 but Trump seems committed to let the laws of succession take their course. So, the next several months are very uncertain and many questions remain. Will Roddriguez accommodate US pressure and demands, defy them, or perhaps some hard line socialist from Maduro's old party, The United Socialist Party of Venezuela, will try to seize power. One thing should be obvious though and that is that the US military will be used if it becomes necessary so the leaders of that country obviously know that. So, the President is reimposing the Monroe Doctrine to protect US interests in this hemisphere. When President Monroe announced his doctrine in 1823 or 24 it was to be a two-way street. To the European colonists he said stay out of our hemisphere and we will stay out of yours. Spain had colonies so it was primarily directed at them and it eventually took the Spanish-American War to get Spain out of the Caribbean. It would be hard to argue that the US has stayed out of European affairs since the US has fought two World Wars and currently has bases and troops all over Europe. In addition, the US has China surrounded by bases and carrier battle groups so two-way street, no not yet. Perhaps it indicates a return to the old Monroe doctrine whereby the US watches its own back yard and lets others do the same. I for one would be happy if that were the policy. In regard to that thought Trump has repeatedly referred to the Venezuelan oil deposits as “our oil. “Is he bringing a Machiavellian concept of might makes right to the table with that expression. No, he is referring to the contracts US companies had with the Venezuelan government before Hugo Chavez took power in 1998. One of Chavez's first acts was to nationalize the oil industry thus stealing all the oil, at least from an American point of view. So, Trump is referring back to the pre-Chavez days and saying by contract that oil is ours and you should thank me instead of criticizing me for enforcing contracts and the rule of law. None of that had anything to do with Nicholas Maduro of course since it happened long before he took power. Chavez named Maduro as his successor from his death bed in 2010. Venezuela is supposed to have free elections but if you know the history of that region you know that often free elections are in name only. You've probably noticed that I have spent very little time on the topic of drug interdiction. That's because the whole concept is ridiculous and had very little to do with US military action. Slowing the flow of narcotics into the US was at best a side benefit but it made for good theater. Interestingly, Bibi Netanyahu made his fifth visit to the Trump White House just before this happened. Bibi has been complaining for some time that Venezuela was allowing Iran to train its terrorists there and he wanted something done about it. So, was it an Israeli operation? I don't know since knowing is virtually impossible but I will wager it didn't hurt. Finally, folks, from all this talk you might get the impression that I am in favor of this attack but no I'm afraid not. America first to me means that we have enough problems at home to last all of our lifetimes and I think the American people are about sick of Foreign policy. Rather than empire building or the imperialism of Pax Americana our concerns are or should be here at home. I reject these grandiose schemes in favor of home and family the way it should be. Let us raise our children in peace and prosperity and keep the price of ground beef modest. At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

A new week means new questions! Hope you have fun with these!What surname did the British Royal Family adopt in 1917?Which cable channel began as a spinoff from Nickelodeon's Nick at Night programming?Miss Baker and Miss Able were both pioneers in 1959, leading them to their inclusion at the Smithsonian Institute. Who are Miss Baker and Miss Able?Which cable channel began as a spinoff from Nickelodeon's Nick at Night programming?What is the chemical symbol for the element tin?By what name were Mesopotamian structures believed to be dwelling places for the gods known?Muammar Gaddafi was the leader of what country?The 'City of Temples' built in Cambodia listed as one of the modern Wonders of the World is best enjoyed while eating this red juicy fruit encased in a green variegated rind.What sub genre of rap was originally a pejorative used to describe a vocal style characterized by unclear or incoherent enunciation?What term did Rene Descartes coin to describe roots of a polynomial, distinguishing them from "imaginary" numbers?Who was king of England during the Gunpowder Plot, which took place on November 5, 1605?What two word term denoted a couple exclusively dating each other in the 1950s?Which 1981 arcade classic has the player dodging cars and moving across logs in a river?What are the names of Marge's sisters on The Simpsons?In what city does Rossini's barber named Figaro live?What is the plural for Mongoose?MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames, Ambush by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media:Patreon – patreon.com/quizbang – Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website – quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook – @quizbangpodcast – we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram – Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter – @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it. Come for the trivia – stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi – ko-fi.com/quizbangpod – Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!

Today we have a real rags to riches story as we talk about someone who went from a nobody, to king of a place nobody cares about. Muammar Gaddafi is kind of a confusing dude as a dictator, because he did some stuff that'll make you go, "Oh, that's really cool. More places should have that policy." Then immediately follows it up with some heinous shit. He just never really picks a lane. Plenty of crazy though, he plants himself firmly in that lane for sure. So there's plenty of fun in this episode. Enjoy!

A new year brings new beginnings in the Central African Republic. President Bokassa attempts to modernise. But at the same time, the mass incarcerations and torture ramp up and corruption takes hold. And then things get really strange… An imposter infiltrates Bokassa's homelife. A bizarre public competition is launched to marry off the president's daughters. And the leader takes a significant trip to Colonel Gaddafi's Libya… A Noiser podcast production. Narrated by Paul McGann. Featuring Louisa Lombard, Richard Moncrieff, Gino Vlavonou. This is Part 2 of 3. Written by John Bartlett | Produced by Ed Baranski and Edward White | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Fact check by Heléna Lewis | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design & audio editing by Jacob Booth | Assembly editing by Dorry Macaulay, Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cian Ryan-Morgan | Recording engineer: Joseph McGann. You can listen to the final episode of the Bokassa story straight away, without waiting and without ads, by joining Noiser+. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed or go to noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From August to December 2016, then Marine Special Operations Officer Ivan Ingraham lived on an assault ship off the coast of Sirte, a city in northern Libya that lies between Tripoli and Benghazi. It was the hometown of Muammar Gaddafi, who invested in Sirte before dying there during Libya's first civil war. In the midst of a second civil war, ISIS had filled a power vacuum and overrun the city, sending its civilians fleeing. At the request of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord, the United States provided support. Ivan led a five-man special operations team attached to a Marine Expeditionary Unit to help push ISIS out. The mission was known as Operation Odyssey Lightning. Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ For more information about the International Spy Museum, visit:  https://www.spymuseum.org/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic,  you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org. This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. This episode was produced by Flora Warshaw and the team at Goat Rodeo. At the International Spy Museum, Mike Mincey and Memphis Vaughan III are our video editors. Emily Rens is our graphic designer. Joshua Troemel runs our SPY social media. Amanda Ohlke is our Director of Adult Education and Mira Cohen is the Vice President of Programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘We are pushing very hard to end this and preserve the future of Sudan'Waihiga Mwaura speaks to Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's Foreign Minister, during the G20 summit that took place at the end of November in South Africa.Dr. Abdelatty took up the post last year, following a long diplomatic career across Europe, North America and Asia. He's tasked with representing Egypt and the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has been in power since 2014 following a military coup the previous year.Egypt is currently facing a number of issues including an economic crisis at home and political instability along its borders.Libya, to the west, is still dealing with the fallout from the collapse of the Gaddafi regime nearly 15 years later. And On Egypt's eastern border, much of Gaza lies in ruins. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has estimated that over 1.5 million Sudanese people have sought safety in Egypt as a brutal civil war rages across the border to the south.The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Waihiga Mwaura Producer: Ben Cooper Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Badr Abdelatty Credit: AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.” (Matthew 2:7 NLT) We can prepare our hearts for Christmas not just by reading God’s Word, but also by reflecting on it. We can celebrate the fact that Jesus’ coming fulfilled prophecies that had been announced centuries earlier. We can lean into the trustworthiness of its promises. We can anticipate the coming glory of God’s kingdom. If King Herod had reflected more on God’s Word, his story would have had a much different ending. Instead, he’s known today as the man who tried to stop the first Christmas. His efforts resulted in a spectacular failure and fall. With all his wealth and power, he came to complete ruin. Historical writings tell us that in the final year of his life, his body was infected with disease. Ironically, Herod pretended to be a worshipper. He said to the wise men, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” (Matthew 2:8 NLT). Yet Herod was a false worshipper. There are people like him today. They say they believe in God, but they live a life that contradicts what the Scriptures teach. Herod wanted to be the king of his own life, but he really was a slave. He ended up being not the King of the Jews but the king of fools. Herod ended up on the ash heap of history like dictators before and after him, reminding us that those who live wicked lives eventually will reap what they sow. Adolf Hitler went into his bunker and shot himself as his nation crumbled around him. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole and was eventually executed by his own people. Muammar Gaddafi was hunted down by his own people, beaten, and shot to death. All those who blaspheme God, fight with God, or try to stop the work of God eventually will fail. Yet God’s Word and His plan ultimately will prevail. Philippians 2:9–10 says, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (NLT). The glorification of Jesus is as inevitable as His birth. God gives us a choice. We can humble ourselves, submit to Christ, and enjoy His blessings. James endorsed this option. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor” (James 4:10 NLT). So did Peter. “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:6 NLT). Or we can be humbled. One day, everyone—every man, every woman, every believer, and every nonbeliever—will bow before Jesus Christ. It’s inevitable. Reflection question: How can you elevate Christ in the way you live, the choices you make, and the things you prioritize? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we take a closer look at Ireland's Civil War. We'll talk about the IRA's dark tactics, Bloody Friday, Gaddafi's involvement, growing up during the IRA era, the Nutting Squad, and other interesting topics... Welcome to camp!

2. Heidi August Witnesses the Gaddafi Coup and CIA Restrictions on Marriage Liza Mundy Book: The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA The story moves to Heidi August, a college graduate and political science major hired by the CIA in 1969 as a GS-3 or GS-4 clerk-secretary. On her first posting in Tripoli, Libya, she displayed the necessary characteristic of a spy—the willingness to go out when hearing something dangerous. Heidi was the first American officer to recognize that Muammar Gaddafi was fomenting a coup, catching the male leadership of the station completely flatfooted. She, along with a friend, drove through gunfire to successfully "burn out" the station (opening safes and destroying classified files) using techniques learned only from a training video. Despite this bravery and competence, she remained a clerk. The agency culture at the time (before EEOC laws) explicitly required women serving overseas in a clandestine capacity not to marry or have children; they would be forced to resign if they did.