Podcasts about syrian

In December 2024, the long and bloody stalemate in Syria broke down. In a transformation breathtaking for its suddenness and speed, President Bashar al-Assad, the beating heart of Arab authoritarianism, fled to Russia, his dungeons emptying as rebels overcame the Syrian army with scarcely a fight. Euphoria at the collapse of a government people never voted for was tempered by fear for the future. The victorious insurgents were supported by outside powers and had a track record of brutality comparable to Assad's in addition to religious fanaticism. Syrians—whose fragile, cosmopolitan mosaic has been repeatedly shattered by foreign-backed sectarians—faced rule by an avowedly Islamist regime that pledged to break with its past and show tolerance to all religious communities. In this illuminating and concise survey, Charles Glass shows how Assad's misrule, Sunni fundamentalism, and Western deceit combined to create and prolong the Syrian disaster, which since 2011 has claimed more than two hundred thousand lives and driven more than eight million people from their homes. Glass has reported extensively from the Middle East and travelled frequently in Syria for more than fifty years. Here he melds reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the broader crises of the region. In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his earlier Syria Burning, Glass brings the story to the present, showing how we got here and what a post-Assad settlement might bring. About the Author: Charles Glass was ABC News Chief Middle East Correspondent from 1983 to 1993. Since 1973, he has covered wars in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, The Tribes Triumphant, Money for Old Rope, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris, The Deserters, They Fought Alone and Soldiers Don't Go Mad: A Story of Brotherhood, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War. His website is www.charlesglass.net. About the Host: Stuti Roy is a recent graduate with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In December 2024, the long and bloody stalemate in Syria broke down. In a transformation breathtaking for its suddenness and speed, President Bashar al-Assad, the beating heart of Arab authoritarianism, fled to Russia, his dungeons emptying as rebels overcame the Syrian army with scarcely a fight. Euphoria at the collapse of a government people never voted for was tempered by fear for the future. The victorious insurgents were supported by outside powers and had a track record of brutality comparable to Assad's in addition to religious fanaticism. Syrians—whose fragile, cosmopolitan mosaic has been repeatedly shattered by foreign-backed sectarians—faced rule by an avowedly Islamist regime that pledged to break with its past and show tolerance to all religious communities. In this illuminating and concise survey, Charles Glass shows how Assad's misrule, Sunni fundamentalism, and Western deceit combined to create and prolong the Syrian disaster, which since 2011 has claimed more than two hundred thousand lives and driven more than eight million people from their homes. Glass has reported extensively from the Middle East and travelled frequently in Syria for more than fifty years. Here he melds reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the broader crises of the region. In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his earlier Syria Burning, Glass brings the story to the present, showing how we got here and what a post-Assad settlement might bring. About the Author: Charles Glass was ABC News Chief Middle East Correspondent from 1983 to 1993. Since 1973, he has covered wars in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, The Tribes Triumphant, Money for Old Rope, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris, The Deserters, They Fought Alone and Soldiers Don't Go Mad: A Story of Brotherhood, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War. His website is www.charlesglass.net. About the Host: Stuti Roy is a recent graduate with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on Israeli strikes on Southern Syria while clashes break out there between local factions.

In December 2024, the long and bloody stalemate in Syria broke down. In a transformation breathtaking for its suddenness and speed, President Bashar al-Assad, the beating heart of Arab authoritarianism, fled to Russia, his dungeons emptying as rebels overcame the Syrian army with scarcely a fight. Euphoria at the collapse of a government people never voted for was tempered by fear for the future. The victorious insurgents were supported by outside powers and had a track record of brutality comparable to Assad's in addition to religious fanaticism. Syrians—whose fragile, cosmopolitan mosaic has been repeatedly shattered by foreign-backed sectarians—faced rule by an avowedly Islamist regime that pledged to break with its past and show tolerance to all religious communities. In this illuminating and concise survey, Charles Glass shows how Assad's misrule, Sunni fundamentalism, and Western deceit combined to create and prolong the Syrian disaster, which since 2011 has claimed more than two hundred thousand lives and driven more than eight million people from their homes. Glass has reported extensively from the Middle East and travelled frequently in Syria for more than fifty years. Here he melds reportage, analysis, and history to provide an accessible overview of the origins and permutations defining the conflict, situating it clearly in the broader crises of the region. In this new and thoroughly revised edition of his earlier Syria Burning, Glass brings the story to the present, showing how we got here and what a post-Assad settlement might bring. About the Author: Charles Glass was ABC News Chief Middle East Correspondent from 1983 to 1993. Since 1973, he has covered wars in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, The Tribes Triumphant, Money for Old Rope, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris, The Deserters, They Fought Alone and Soldiers Don't Go Mad: A Story of Brotherhood, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War. His website is www.charlesglass.net. About the Host: Stuti Roy is a recent graduate with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

14 Jul 2025. What does it mean for trade and the wider economy? We get the thoughts of our economist, Ed Bell. Plus Investor Patrick Tsang joins us to talk Trump tariffs and UAE–China ties. Plus, we meet the founder of a new AI-powered restaurant opening soon in Downtown Dubai.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perhaps there has been no greater or more beautiful exhortation written than Saint Isaac the Syrian's homily on temptation. This may seem to be a rather bold statement, but Isaac's words draw us into the very heart of a reality that even many men and women of faith do not see; that is, we are engaged in a spiritual warfare against the Evil One. Evil is not an abstraction or a story meant to instill fear as a means of control. Isaac speaks of it from the perspective of experience and like the other desert fathers, he stands before us as a living and breathing icon, encouraging us to run the course with courage and fidelity. In the spiritual battle, there is no Sabbath day rest; in other words, we must be ever vigilant in regards to temptation that comes to us in many forms. The only one that we must be concerned about is the temptation to which we freely give ourselves over through neglect or laziness or our attachment to particular sins. Rather, we are to take heart from and acquire zeal in our soul against the devil through the example and the histories of those who proved “allies of the divine laws and commandments of the Spirit in fearful places, and amid most grievous tribulation.”  The one in essential thing that this requires of us is that we have in our mind God‘s providence, and always to remember that he is ever faithful, and will not abandon those who trust him. This is our hope - that God is ever present to us in the spiritual battle, strengthening us, and surrounding us with a host of angels and Saints. We have a God who is set upon our salvation and who provides everything that is needed in order that we might be raised even above the ranks of angels. Our Lord has humbled himself, taken our poor humanity and its poverty, embraced it in all of its fullness and weakness in order to raise us up to share in the fullness of the life of God.  Deification is the fruit of the spiritual battle and the promise of our loving Lord! --- Text of chat during the group: 00:03:18 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Page 138 paragraph number 33 00:12:58 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 138, first full paragraph 00:14:35 Janine: Happy birthday Fr. Charbel…60 is nothing…just wait til 70! You are still very young! 00:15:18 Bob Čihák, AZ: ..or 84... 00:19:24 Catherine Opie: Happy Birthday Fr. May your next circle around the sun be full of Gods graces and blessings

For review:1. Doha Hostage & Ceasefire Talks Stalled.2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “confident” he will be able to reach a deal to free hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in an interview with US media aired late Saturday.3. Russian President Putin Supports Zero Enrichment for Iran.4. A Syrian official and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later Saturday on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's current visit to Azerbaijan,.5. Ukrainian security agents have killed a group of Russian spies near Kyiv in another escalation of the secret war between the two countries.It follows the assassination of a top Ukrainian intelligence officer days earlier.6. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his full support for their war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, Pyongyang state media said Sunday.7. Japan Protests to Chinese Ambassador Concerning Unsafe Aircraft Incident over E. China Sea.8. A Philippine Coast Guard cutter intercepted a Chinese Navy spy ship within Manila's western exclusive economic zone over the weekend.

That was next-level spite.    “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.”  - Acts 9:13 (NKJV)

Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès interviews Brussels-based, Syrian-Polish designer Kinda Ghannoum. They discuss her journey into the field of design, through practical work following her graduation with a degree in architecture from the University of Damascus.Kinda shares her travails as a self-taught graphic designer and her passion for the Arabic script, lettering and typography. The conversation centers around issues of preservation of identity while saddling two nationalities, and of providing educational resources to design students in Syria and preserving Syrian design history, as well as what it means to be practicing in a diasporic context. A number of Kinda's remarkable projects are discussed starting with her seminal archival project, The Syrian Design Archive, that she set up with two friends – Sally Alassafen and Hala Al Afsaa – in 2020 during her postgraduate studies in Belgium. Kinda also discusses some of her other significant projects where cultural advocacy and collaboration was at the core.What transpires from this conversation is an image of a courageous and dedicated woman designer that breaks any stereotypes of women from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Kinda's work is featured in the book "Revealing Recording Reflecting: Graphic Women from Southwest Asia and North Africa" (Amsterdam: Khatt Books, 2024). FOLLOW & RATE KHATT CHRONICLES:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/khatt-chronicles-stories-on-design-from-the-arab-world/id1472975206» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ATH0MwO1tIlBvQfahSLrB» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014374489THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5mMJ782dhW6yvfq0E0_HhAABOUT AFIKRAafikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. To begin the program we discuss the current status of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip and then turn to two deadly incidents this week. In the first discussed event, we learn that Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed during an abduction attempt by terrorists who also attempted to snatch his body in the southern Gaza Strip. On Monday night, five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded by roadside bombs in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. The slain soldiers were named as: Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, from Haifa. We learn about this deadly attack and discuss the significance of both attacks -- regarding Hamas's continued battle-readiness and the IDF's vigilance. Turning to the north, on Tuesday, the IDF said it killed a “key Hamas terrorist” in a strike in Lebanon's Tripoli, naming him as Mehran Mustafa Bajur, a prominent Hamas commander. We learn about this strike, as well as ground operations inside southern Lebanon where troops raided several sites, destroying Hezbollah weapon depots and other infrastructure. Twice earlier in the week, the IDF carried out overnight raids in southern Syria, where forces captured a cell of operatives operating on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fabian weighs in on the power vacuum left in this part of Israel's border with the new Syrian regime. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Israeli soldier killed during attempted Hamas abduction in southern Gaza, IDF says 5 IDF soldiers killed, 14 injured by roadside bombs in northern Gaza IDF says it killed key Hamas figure in Lebanon, confirms death of Oct. 7 terrorist in Gaza Troops destroy Hezbollah arms in rare southern Lebanon ground raids, IDF says For 2nd time in days, IDF says troops arrested terror cell in Syria working for Iran Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: A July 4, 2025, handout photo of IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip. (IDF)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two long-serving Canadian diplomats — Don Campbell and Alex Bugailiskis — have been named to the Order of Canada. Campbell helped negotiate the first North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while Bugailiskis served as ambassador to countries including Syria, Cuba and Italy, and played a key role in the resettlement of Syrian refugees. They reflect on their decades of diplomatic service — and how Canada's role in the world has changed.

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, Threads and YouTube.

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After being abducted from his New York apartment building by plainclothes agents and locked away in an ICE jail in Louisiana for over 100 days, Mahmoud Khalil has been freed and reunited with his family. A federal judge ruled that Khalil's detention was unconstitutional and that he was neither a flight risk nor a threat to the public, and the Syrian-born Palestinian activist, husband, father, and former Columbia University graduate student was finally released on June 20, 2025. But the fight for Khalil's freedom is not over, and we have by no means seen the last of the Trump administration's authoritarian attacks on immigrants, universities, and the movement to stop Israel's US-backed genocide of Palestinians. In this exclusive interview, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Amy Greer, an associate attorney at Dratel & Lewis and a member of Mahmoud Khalil's legal team, about the epic legal battle to free Khalil.Guest:Amy Greer is an associate attorney at Dratel & Lewis, and a member of Mahmoud Khalil's legal team. Greer is a lawyer and archivist by training, and an advocate and storyteller by nature. As an attorney at Dratel & Lewis, she works on a variety of cases, including international extradition, RICO, terrorism, and drug trafficking. She previously served as an assistant public defender on a remote island in Alaska, defending people charged with misdemeanors, and as a research and writing attorney on capital habeas cases with clients who have been sentenced to death.Additional resources:Mahmoud Khalil arrest videoACLU Press Release (June 20, 2025): Mahmoud Khalil to be freed from detention, reunite with wife and son as case proceedsMaximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “‘A tremendous chilling effect': Columbia students describe dystopian reality on campus amid Trump attacks”Credits:Studio Production / Post-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

In this episode of The Daily Herold, Jon Herold grapples with the uproar over the DOJ's Epstein memo, which declared there was no incriminating client list or credible blackmail evidence. Jon plays fresh clips of Trump dismissing further Epstein questions as a distraction and Pam Bondi giving an unconvincing explanation for missing video footage and ambiguous records. He reflects on how influencers, not Trump himself, fueled expectations about “the list,” and why the lack of resolution feels like a deliberate demoralization tactic. Shifting gears, Jon covers Trump's flurry of tariff letters to 14 countries, new White House policies freezing federal hiring, and calls for the Fed's Jerome Powell to resign over interest rate mismanagement. Other highlights include ICE raids that triggered panic in Los Angeles, an Obama-appointed judge blocking Congress's Planned Parenthood defunding, and the State Department quietly removing a Syrian rebel group from the terror list. Jon wraps up by stressing that without real election reform, none of the policy victories will matter, urging listeners to stay focused on fixing the voting system before the midterms rather than getting lost in narrative psyops. 

Erin Patterson is found guilty in the mushroom murder trial, Texas floods kill 82, with dozens still missing, Trump sets an Aug. 1 tariffs deadline, Elon Musk launches a new political party, King Charles marks the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings, Iran deports nearly 450K Afghans, The US revokes its terrorist designation for the Syrian rebel group HTS, The FBI and DOJ conclude that Epstein had no 'client list' and committed suicide, Record college graduate unemployment is linked to AI, and a 3,500-year-old trading city is unearthed in Peru. Sources: www.verity.news

Come have a good laugh during our special comedy show. We bring you quips from a Zimbabwean comedian making a splash in the United States. Also, Syrian comedians tell jokes that were unthinkable under the former regime in their country. And, Venezuelans find humor in exile. Plus, an AI bot that beats phone scammers at their own game.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Kevork Almassian is an award-winning journalist, Syrian from Aleppo living in Germany, and host of Syriana Analysis, an independent political commentary channel. He shares his thoughts on the bombing in Iran, if Jolani will stay in power in Syria, Russia's mishaps, future of Israel in the region and much more. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE LIKE AND SHARE THIS PODCAST!!!    Watch Show Rumble- https://rumble.com/v6vq0an-not-allowing-china-access-to-natural-resources-in-syriairan-kevork-almassia.html YouTube- https://youtu.be/ZizUqxJM9ak   Follow Me X- https://x.com/CoffeeandaMike IG- https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandamike/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CoffeeandaMike/ YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@Coffeeandamike Rumble- https://rumble.com/search/all?q=coffee%20and%20a%20mike Substack- https://coffeeandamike.substack.com/ Apple Podcasts- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-and-a-mike/id1436799008 Gab- https://gab.com/CoffeeandaMike Locals- https://coffeeandamike.locals.com/ Website- www.coffeeandamike.com Email- info@coffeeandamike.com   Support My Work Venmo- https://www.venmo.com/u/coffeeandamike Paypal- https://www.paypal.com/biz/profile/Coffeeandamike Substack- https://coffeeandamike.substack.com/ Patreon- http://patreon.com/coffeeandamike Locals- https://coffeeandamike.locals.com/ Cash App- https://cash.app/$coffeeandamike Buy Me a Coffee- https://buymeacoffee.com/coffeeandamike Bitcoin- coffeeandamike@strike.me   Mail Check or Money Order- Coffee and a Mike LLC P.O. Box 25383 Scottsdale, AZ 85255-9998   Follow Kevork X-  https://x.com/KevorkAlmassian YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@SyrianaAnalysis Substack- https://kevorkalmassian.substack.com/   Sponsors Vaulted/Precious Metals- https://vaulted.blbvux.net/coffeeandamike McAlvany Precious Metals- https://mcalvany.com/coffeeandamike/ Independence Ark Natural Farming- https://www.independenceark.com/

For review:1.  Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were “premature.”2.   The IDF carried out an airstrike Thursday in the Lebanese village of Sil, near Beirut, targeting an operative for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the IDF, the target was involved in smuggling weapons and advancing terror plots, acting on behalf of the Quds Force, the IRGC's foreign arm.3.  Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog- the International Atomic Energy Agency.  Following a parliament vote on the matter last week, the bill was approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before it received a final ratification from the presidency. 4. Axios Report: US & Iran to Resume Nuclear Talks in Oslo. There is not yet a final date for the talks in the Norwegian capital. Neither Washington nor Tehran has publicly confirmed the meeting.5. Hostage & Ceasefire Efforts Between Israel and Hamas Advancing.6.  US President Trump said on Thursday that a phone call earlier in the day with Russian President Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. 7. Pentagon Reviews US Military Support to Foreign Countries.  The Trump administration is pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, following a review of military spending and American support to foreign countries, a senior White House official told CNN. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed off on the review, which the official noted had been underway for months. 8.  The House has passed President Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill,” sending the bill with $150 billion for defense to the President's desk ahead of his 04 July deadline. 

//The Wire//2300Z July 3, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: AX ATTACK STRIKES GERMANY. JUDGES CONTINUE TO HALT IMMIGRATION AND DEPORTATION POLICIES. RECONCILIATION BILL PASSES IN CONGRESS.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Germany: Dissent is mounting following a wave of assaults at public swimming pools throughout the nation. Following the assault of 8x children by Syrian immigrants last week, German authorities have implemented a nationwide media campaign to educate immigrants to the idea that it is not acceptable to assault children.Continuing the trend of violent attacks, an unidentified assailant conducted an ax attack on a train in Bavaria this morning. 4x people were wounded in the attack. The assailant has not been identified (as is standard policy) however locals who witnessed the attack state that attacker was Syrian, however this has not been confirmed yet.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Despite the recent ruling from the US Supreme Court regarding the judgements of lower courts, a federal judge (Judge Brian Cogan) has blocked the White House's efforts to remove the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) from roughly 500,000 Haitian migrants. Separately, a different judge (Judge Randolph Moss) ruled against President Trump's order to increase scrutiny on those seeking political asylum in the United States from Mexico.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In Congress, controversy continues regarding the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB). Following last-minute political deals, filibusters, and various political moves, the bill was passed in the House today and is expected to be on President Trump's desk for signature tomorrow. Considering this bill's long history, being introduced in the House, sent to the Senate where changes were made, and then sent back to the House, it will probably be some time before the true contents of the omnibus bill are examined closely. Most of the political pork added to the bill to pretend to appease voters in the House was immediately stripped by the Senate, and further changes were made once the bill landed back in the House.Analyst: S2A1Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground//END REPORT//

Knowledge of God comes through the experience of God. When faith remains an abstraction, an idea, it is destined to remain lifeless and loses its capacity to transform and heal. It is the Lord Himself - He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - who must teach us.  Outside this path, we will lack all understanding. What we are called to contemplate is not simply what we can see with our eyes, perceive through our senses or conceive through our intellect. It is the mind of God, the mind of Christ, that we are called to put on. Furthermore, what we are given to understand is not worldly realities but the very mysteries of the Kingdom and the nature of divine Love.  Such is true in our understanding of the presence of temptation and affliction in our lives. We are told to pray not to enter in the temptation and yet the path the Christ calls us to walk leads us directly into them. The temptations that we are not to give ourselves over to are the ones that come through our own negligence and attachment to the things of this world and the self. We are not to put ourselves to the test by exposing ourselves to things that enliven the passions. Yet, in the gospel we are called by Christ to enter into the tribulation and the trials that we experience in this world and to do so with patience and hope in Him. The temptation that we are to fear is the one that comes through the mind's self-esteem which opens us up to the demon of blasphemy and pride. It is then that we make ourselves judge of God and become blind to the poverty of our own sin.   The temptation, the trial we are called to enter into and embrace is the cross. With firm hope we are to take it up daily and in doing so God will reveal the truth to us. Isaac writes: “For without trials, God‘s Providence is not seen and you cannot obtain boldness before God, nor learn the wisdom of the spirit, nor can divine longing be established within you.” Knowledge of the cross, only comes through the experience of the cross, and our willingness to embrace it. This reality allows us to become bold in our hope and trust in the Lord‘s love. Unless we enter into hell, we will never know through experience that that we need not fear it – for Christ has already descended there. Our virtue, our strength is to be the virtue and strength of Christ. This comes only through living in Him and embodying that same love and hope that was made present on Calvary.   These mysteries even made Saint Isaac cry out: “O the subtlety of the path of the Thy teachings, O Lord!“  We must humbly allow Him to take us by the hand and guide us to the truth. --- Text of chat during the group:  00:09:50 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 136, last paragraph, last line, bottom of page 00:12:16 Bob Čihák, AZ: We started on p. 113 00:17:23 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 136, last paragraph, last line, bottom of page 00:19:22 Thomas: Where do I find the raise hand button 00:20:03 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Where do I find the ..." At the React button 00:20:54 Thomas: Replying to "Where do I find the …" Thanks 00:27:21 Anthony: We also need to be perceptive while simple so we don't let liars beguile us. 00:29:33 Myles Davidson: Replying to "We also need to be p..." Wise as serpents while innocent as doves 00:31:56 Thomas: Would it be imprudent or untrusting, or something like that to want to suffer more? 00:39:00 Ryan N: Father how does one endure when the pains of the cross become overwhelming 00:39:06 Ryan N: Or even less to a loss of faith 00:39:11 Ryan N: Lead* 01:02:44 Eleana: The father of lies with the daily illusion that freedom is instant gratification is in itself the battle that leads to sanctity. Where sin is abundant so is grace. 01:07:36 Ryan N: Father how do temptations of lusts differ from temptations of affliction 01:14:24 Anthony: That's the spirit of Enlightenment so-called. We are told by our government even, that doubt and blasphemy are freedom. 01:20:53 Jeffrey Ott: I was just there two weeks ago. It was hot then

How can the world learn about a terrible war? Liz Waid and Adam Navis tell about a film about real life in the Syrian civil war.http://spotlightenglish.comDownload our app for Android at http://bit.ly/spotlight-androidDownload our app for iOS at http://bit.ly/spotlight-appleFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/spotlightradioAre you learning English? Are you looking for a way to practice your English? Listen to Spotlight to learn about people and places all around the world. You can learn English words, and even practice English by writing a comment.Visit our website to hear programs in English: Website: http://spotlightenglish.com/

The dancer who managed to create a career in ballet despite being brought up in a Palestinian refugee camp after fleeing the Syrian war and against fierce opposition from his father.  

2513 - The Bearded Bible Brothers debut their brand-new television series with an unprecedented mission into tumultuous Syria. Following the footsteps of the Rabbi Saul, Joshua and Caleb journey to the Syrian capital to uncover the mystery of the Isaiah 17 oracle. Is destruction coming to Damascus soon or does God have different plans for the Syrian people today?

Today, Martha, Jess, Les, and Amy discuss a notable shift in U.S. foreign policy as the White House lifts most economic sanctions on Syria. For over a decade, those sanctions defined Syria's economy and global isolation, aimed squarely at weakening the Assad regime during the country's brutal civil war. But with Assad's fall late last year and a new interim government under Ahmed al-Shara now in power, the U.S. is signaling support for stabilization and reconstruction, while maintaining targeted restrictions on individuals linked to past atrocities and terrorism.Is this a genuine turning point for Syria—or a risky bet on fragile leadership? What message does this send to allies and adversaries about the durability of U.S. sanctions? And as reconstruction begins, who gains from Syria's reintegration—and who's left behind?Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.Check out the sources that helped shape our Fellows' discussions: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/30/trump-scraps-syria-sanctions-regime-00433633 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-interested-in-expanding-normalization-treaties-to-syria-lebanon-d583d184 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/world/middleeast/gulf-states-invest-syria-iran.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/14/syria-sanctions-caeser-act-sharaa/ Follow our experts on Twitter: @marthamillerdc@lestermunson @NotTVJessJones@amykmitchellLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/EX_q4NoqQeQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Russia's summer offensive is already faltering, despite intensified missile strikes across Ukraine. We'll explain why the Kremlin's ground campaign is losing momentum.   Israel and Syria are reportedly engaged in advanced talks to end decades of hostilities—a potential turning point in the Middle East.   But a new investigation raises serious questions about Syria's leadership. Reuters reports that current commanders may have orchestrated the massacre of 1,500 civilians during the country's brutal transition.   And in today's Back of the Brief—a peace deal signed in Washington aims to end years of conflict between Congo and Rwanda. We'll look at how the Trump team helped make it happen.   To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief TriTails Premium Beef: Celebrate with steak worth standing for. Get a free ribeye with the Freedom Box at https://Trybeef.com/PDB. Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Tuesday, July 1, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Adam McManus Chinese Communists give pastors 3 years in jail for leading church Three pastors from Linfen Covenant Home Church in Shanxi, China have been sentenced to 2-4 years of prison time for various charges related to their leading an unregistered church in the communist country. The church issued a statement, announcing that “We honor the service of Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang who suffered for righteousness, and we are willing to bear the cross with the Lord. We receive this verdict with a grateful and obedient heart.” Jesus offers this encouragement in Revelation 2:10 -- “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Brazilian homeschool mother facing $20,000 of fines Today, a Brazilian court will hear a case of a mom prosecuted for homeschooling her son.   Regiane Cichelero is facing fines of $20,000 and threats of losing custody of her child, for choosing home education on religious grounds.  Alliance Defending Freedom International has taken up the case.  Her legal counsel, Julio Pohl, pointed out that “No parent should fear state punishment for choosing to homeschool their child. Regiane made a lawful and conscientious decision to teach her son at home. We are hopeful that the court will affirm her rights and take an important step toward protecting parental rights in Brazil.”   Regiane continues to homeschool despite the risks involved. Pray for this case, which may serve as a precedent for the other 70,000 homeschooled children in Brazil.   Victory of Christian Colorado camp over transgender agenda Also, Alliance Defending Freedom has announced a favorable settlement for the Idrahaje Christian Camp in Bailey, Colorado. The camp was under threat of losing its license for refusing to submit to state requirements regarding the transgendering of bathrooms and living quarters. The name of the camp is taken from the phrase “I'd rather have Jesus more than anything!”  They use the first two letters of the first four words. The State of Colorado agreed not to take any enforcement action against Camp IdRaHaJe for violation of the gender identity requirements. The state has also clarified in a memo on its website that “churches, synagogues, mosques, or any other place that is principally used for religious purposes” are exempt from the transgendering requirements. Syria's own government helped massacre 1,500 Alawites Reuters has reported on its investigation of the Syrian massacre of 1,500 Alawites in March of this year. The perpetrators included units belonging to the new government based in Damascus. Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa of the Free Syrian Army and Al-Qaeda took over Syria in January of this year. The new government has also instituted a constitution stating that  “The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam. … Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation.” This constitutes a step up in Islamic rule over Syria. According to Open Doors, Syria is the 18th most dangerous country worldwide for Christians. Iraq allows Muslim men to “marry” 9-year-old girls The new Iraqi government is also following Islamic Sharia law closely. Earlier this year, Iraq's parliament voted to give Islamic courts more control in family law, and permit child marriages for girls as young as nine years of age.  Supreme Court allows parents to opt kids out & requires porn sites to verify age Here in America, the U.S. Supreme Court is allowing parents opt-out rights for their elementary-aged children from having to participate in homosexual-themed lessons. That comes by a vote of 6 to 3. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito emphasized that “What the parents seek here is not the right to micromanage the public school curriculum, but rather to have their children opt out of a particular educational requirement that burdens their well-established right ‘to direct ‘the religious upbringing' of their children'” under  the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.  Another 6-3 ruling, the High Court has also upheld a Texas Law requiring pornographic websites to verify users are over 18 years of age.  Only adults will be allowed into these sinful activities. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas concluded, ”The power to require age verification is within a State's authority to prevent children from accessing sexually explicit content.” But, in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” U.S. government buying its own bonds The U.S. government is buying back its own bonds. Barchart reports the largest buyback in history occurred earlier this month.  Under the direction of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the department bought $10 billion of its own bonds.  Federal Reserve on the ropes The Federal Reserve issued $150 billion of bonds in May, but only managed to sell half of them.   Also, the Fed has recorded its first two-year-in-a-row financial loss, totaling $192 billion in 2023 and 2024. This is the first time this has occurred in the Fed's 110-year history. Year to date,  the federal deficit  stands at $1.37 billion as of the end of May. That's 14% higher than last year at this time.  Dad jumps into ocean off Disney Cruise ship to save daughter Here's a story demonstrating a remarkable act of courage and love on the part of a dad. A young child fell off the fourth deck of a Disney cruiseliner on Sunday.   Her father took immediate action, dove in after her. . . and held her while treading water, until a rescue boat pulled them out of the ocean waters. An eyewitness explained what happened to WPLG News. EYEWITNESS: “They were playing shuffleboard that was on the fourth floor. The parents were playing, and then the little girl was climbing up on the railing and flew off.” One passenger said,  “The ship was moving quickly, so quickly, it's crazy how quickly the people became tiny dots in the sea, and then you lost sight of them.” Another passenger said, “I saw the mother crying and but when they rescued them, I think that's when the tears really started flowing.  I prayed to God to save them, and He did!” The Disney Dream was heading back from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale when the incident occurred. Worldview teens share their hearts 15-year-old Titus Beran in Omaha, Nebraska wrote me at Adam@TheWorldview.com. He said, “I love the verses included in the newscast! They really help me focus back on God's Word and bring every area of life, even politics and news, into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” And 16-year-old Leah Smith in Franklin, Kentucky wrote, “I have been subscribed to The Worldview in 5 Minutes for a little over a year. I don't watch the news on a regular basis, but have been continually blessed by the ministry of this website. It is so irregular to have such a concise, non-secular newscast that makes me aware of political news, needs of persecuted Christians, and even basic information that keeps me up to date on what is going on. “When I read your newscast transcript,  I am not only encouraged by stories of fellow believers, but I am also moved to pray for the issues in our world. God is truly using your Christian newscast to reach people with the truth. It has been a blessing in my life!” What Troy's three boys enjoy about The Worldview Troy in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas talked to his three sons -- Sovereign, age 12, Shalom, age 10, and Apollos, age 7 -- about The Worldview. They said, “I like to start my morning at breakfast listening to it.” “I like how I get to hear about people around the world who need Jesus.”  And “I like that I can hear the news which is filtered through a Biblical lens.” Troy added, “We praise the Lord for all of you and your diligent service to the Lord. It is so exciting to hear about donors from all over the world who are united to us in Christ. What an encouraging example to our younger generation. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” 42 Worldview listeners gave $12,534.95 to fund our annual budget And finally, toward our $123,500 goal by yesterday, June 30, to fully fund The Worldview's annual budget for our 6-member team, 42 listeners stepped up to the plate. Our thanks to Sovereign, age 12, Shalom, age 10, and Apollos, age 7, in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas who gave $4.50, Mamie in Tulsa, Oklahoma who gave $10 as well as Esther in Bolivar, Missouri, Henry in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Holly in San Antonio, Texas, Carol in Kingston, New York, Amy in Ennis, Texas, and Jensen, age 9, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada – each of whom gave $25. We appreciate Mark in Goodyear, Arizona who gave $30, Kayden, age 16, in Gepp, Arkansas who gave $40 as well as Kolt, age 13, in Gepp, Arkansas, Isaiah in Fruita, Colorado, Alexander in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Phillip in Alliance, Ohio, Sarah in Rolla, Missouri, and Constance in Los Alamos, California – each of whom gave $50. We are grateful to God for Joe and Sheryl in Westmoreland, Tennessee who gave $60, Michael in Torrance, California and Marty and Christa in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada – both of whom gave $75, as well as Craig in Moriarty, New Mexico, Gay in Victoria, Texas, George in Edinburgh, Indiana, Debbie in Wildwood, Missouri, Gregory in Lodi, California, Duane in Moriarty, New Mexico, Marcia in Holland, Michigan, and an anonymous donor in Atlanta, Georgia – each of whom gave $100. We were touched by the generosity of Rusty in Marshall, Illinois and Josiah in Hillsboro, Kansas – both of whom gave $200, Frances in Beacon, New York who gave $240.45, Wes in Eden Prairie, Minnesota  and LuShun in Newport News, Virginia – both of whom gave $250, Kirtis in Gepp, Arkansas who gave $300, as well as Ed in Wellsburg, Iowo and Michele in Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada – both of whom pledged $25/month for 12 months for a gift of $300 each. And we were moved by the sacrifice of Danielle in Brighton, Colorado who gave $450, Brad and Judy in West Chicago, Illinois who gave $500, Troy in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas who pledged $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600, John in Auburn, Washington who gave $1,000, Max in Macon, Georgia  who gave $1,200, an anonymous donor from Louisiana who gave $1,200, and Jeanne in Columbia, South Carolina who gave $4,000. Those 42 Worldview listeners gave a total of $12,534.95 Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please.  (Drum roll sound effect) $125,494.50!  (People clapping and cheering sound effect)   That means we exceeded our $123,500 goal to fund the 6-member Worldview newscast team by $1,994.50! On behalf of the entire Worldview newscast team -- including Kevin Swanson and Jonathan Clark who write the newscast transcript alongside myself, Emily Munday who helps research stories, Rebakah Swanson and Kayla White who add the music, select the image, and upload the audio to multiple platforms – thank you for sharing your treasure to ensure that we can deliver accurate news from a Biblical perspective for another fiscal year. 1 John 3:18 says, “Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.”  Those of you who were prompted by the Lord to give financially and to pray for this ministry, you showed your love in your deeds. For that, we humbly thank you.  And I assure you, we'll be vigilant stewards of every hard-earned penny which you've entrusted to us. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, July 1st, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

An Indian chef who opened a patisserie in Jaipur and a Syrian chef with two pastry shops in the heart of Paris tell Datshiane Navanayagam about adding new layers to French classics.After training at le Cordon Bleu school in Paris Tejasvi Chandela returned to her hometown of Jaipur to open Dzurt, the first pastry shop in the city. She also teaches masterclasses at cookery schools around the world to show to what extent the techniques and flavours of Indian mithai are compatible with modern European-style pastry.Myriam Sabet has two pastry shops in Paris. Originally from Syria Myriam's first career was in finance but she changed direction to baking after the birth of her daughter. She founded Maison Aleph with her husband where she focuses on crunchy pastry which reminds her of the sweets of her youth. Myriam brings together classic French pastries with a twist, like crispy phyllo nests featuring pistachio and ice cream enriched with za'atar, honey, and apricot.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Myriam Sabet credit Jacques Gavard. (R) Tejasvi Chandela credit Bhuvan Gaur.)

In this episode, we head to the mountains of Northern Lebanon to meet Michelle and Claudine, neighbors, best friends, and the visionary founders of Heya Wines, a natural winery rooted in inclusion, heritage, and community. Heya Wines (meaning “She” in Arabic) is more than just a label, it's a movement. From championing gender equity and employing Syrian refugee women, working with indigenous grapes and fermenting with apples in response to Lebanon's energy crisis, every bottle tells a story of purpose and place. We dive into their hands-on winemaking approach, explore the beauty of high-altitude terroir, and taste their soulful wines, from Nour, a textured white blend of direct press Obeideh & White Grenache to Kanz, a red made with carbonic maceration and aged in amphora. We also hear about the challenges of making wine in a region grappling with instability, and how the power of community, resilience, and female solidarity fuels every step. This is a story of women rewriting what it means to make wine, not just in Lebanon, but everywhere. Whether you're curious about natural wine, socially conscious farming, or planning a trip to the Levant, this episode will inspire you to pour with intention. Episode Guide (Chapters) 1:23 - Founding Heya Wines: friendship, passion, and a mission for equity 5:15 - Facing gender bias and creating equal pay in Lebanon's wine industry 7:53 - Hiring and empowering Syrian refugee women 9:57 - The rainy harvest: a community effort that defines Heya's spirit 11:25 - Traditional Lebanese breakfast: manoushe, za'atar and labneh 13:38 - Heya's location: high-altitude terroir (1450m) near the Syrian border 14.07 - The region of Dimane, North Lebanon and it's terroir 17:27 - Creating Farha, a co-ferment of apples and indigenous Merwah grapes 18.03 - What does Merwah taste like? 18:40 -  Travel tips: Beirut → Batroun (45min) → Heya Wines (another 45min) 20.46 - What does Obeidah taste like, and how it compares to Merwah? 21:13 - Tasting Nour (white blend of Obeideh & Grenache) — made during the war Gnarly Vines - £30  29:06 - Tasting Kanz (red Grenache-Syrah): carbonic maceration in amphora Gnarly Vines - £28  29:34 - Kanz: “Treasure”: why it's their most playful and textural wine 30.44 - How ageing in amphora affects the wine 34:49 - Food pairings: platters with white & red meats, yogurt, vegetables 35:45 - Global feedback and building a growing Heya Wines community 39:02 - Labels featuring real harvest women - authentic and unfiltered 41:12 - What's next: expanding opportunities for women and working moms 42.17 - One message for listeners working in a vineyard, cellar or boardroom who can shape the future of wine  

Have you ever feared a serious diagnosis? Sickness can come with physical as well as social implications, and that was the case with leprosy in the ancient world—it was not only a death sentence, leprosy also led to exclusion and isolation. Naaman was a very highly respected commander of the Syrian army who had earned the applause of the world with his success, but he was also a repulsive leper. Unlike the world, God seeks out those who are sick to show them that He is real, and He sees their suffering. Those suffering from infirmity and isolation are always on God's A-list because, like Naaman, they have an opportunity to turn to the Great Physician in trust and have their lives completely changed. God invites the sick to His table to dine—and then He heals them. God values the sick. Do you? 

A vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of being Syrian in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria's most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country's war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria (Wesleyan UP, 2024) situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria's recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity reveal--and play with--the tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer's ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein's study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of being Syrian in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria's most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country's war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria (Wesleyan UP, 2024) situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria's recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity reveal--and play with--the tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer's ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein's study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

A vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of being Syrian in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria's most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country's war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria (Wesleyan UP, 2024) situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria's recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity reveal--and play with--the tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer's ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein's study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

A vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of being Syrian in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria's most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country's war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria (Wesleyan UP, 2024) situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria's recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity reveal--and play with--the tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer's ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein's study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

A vivid and intricate study of dance music traditions that reveals the many contradictions of being Syrian in the 21st century Dabke, one of Syria's most beloved dance music traditions, is at the center of the country's war and the social tensions that preceded conflict. Drawing on almost two decades of ethnographic, archival, and digital research, Shayna M. Silverstein shows how dabke dance music embodies the fraught dynamics of gender, class, ethnicity, and nationhood in an authoritarian state. Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria (Wesleyan UP, 2024) situates dabke politically, economically, and historically in a broader account of expressive culture in Syria's recent (and ongoing) turmoil. Silverstein shows how people imagine the Syrian nation through dabke, how the state has coopted it, how performances of masculinity reveal--and play with--the tensions and complexities of the broader social imaginary, how forces opposed to the state have used it resistively, and how migrants and refugees have reimagined it in their new homes in Europe and the United States. She offers deeply thoughtful reflections on the ethnographer's ethical and political dilemmas on fieldwork in an authoritarian state. Silverstein's study ultimately questions the limits of authoritarian power, considering the pleasure and play intrinsic to dabke circles as evidence for how performance cultures sustain social life and solidify group bonds while reproducing the societal divides endemic to Syrian authoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

As we listen to St. Isaac the Syrian in Homily Three his focus shifts from speaking of the necessary foundation to be laid in the spiritual life, purity of mind, to drawing us further to purity of heart. Purity of mind is established through the toils of the ascetic life, including vigils, fasting, prayer and meditation upon the scriptures, etc.  One's attraction to the life of virtue grows. However, Isaac warns us that as quickly as it is formed within us, it can be lost. A soul may allow into the mind a thought or image that once again stirs up the passions and what has been gained through much prayer and struggle is lost quickly. Purity of heart, however, is something that only emerges by the grace of God and His action in our lives. All that St. Isaac speaks of in the ascetic life continues. However, purity of heart, the purification of the “sense of senses” comes only by many afflictions, deprivations, separation from fellowship with the world, and deadness to all things. It is truly a dying to self and self will and abandoning oneself to God completely. This is the stumbling block for the majority of mankind, including many Christians. It is to embrace the Cross. One is no longer soiled by little things, nor dismayed by conflicts and struggles. What Isaac is suggesting here is that a soul begins to be fed on solid food indigestible to those who are weak. Such purity of heart comes through many afflictions and is acquired over a long period of time. One's focus becomes fixed upon the Beloved and he becomes the lens through which one views everything. Saint Isaac describes it as a state of limpid purity, of that natural innocence once lost.  To regain such a state is difficult living in a world surrounded by so many things that foster not knowledge of God but rather knowledge of many evil realities. There is only one path to this purity and that is simplicity – desiring the one thing necessary and shaping one's whole life around that reality. This is the immediate goal of the spiritual life as St. John Cassian teaches. We are to abandon what is small in order that we might find what is truly great. We are to spurn what is superfluous and without value in order to discover that “treasure hidden in the field”. We are to become dead to the world in order that we might not live unto death. Saint Isaac reminds us that martyrs are not only those who have accepted death for belief in Christ, but those who die for the sake of keeping his commandments. He does not varnish the gospel for us, but rather brings into clear view the necessity of loving Christ above all things, including our own lives. What the world needs is martyrs – those who bear witness to the very love of the kingdom. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:31 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:01:55 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Heart as explained by Philip Sherrard 00:02:16 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: One of the translators of the Philokalia 00:03:37 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 133, first paragraph on this page, 22nd paragraph from start of this homily 00:08:57 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:09:14 Adam Paige: The monastery in Egypt is working on a legal appeal at the moment https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1272520/sinai-monastery-working-out-legal-appeal/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email# 00:09:45 Adam Paige: Reacted to "The receptacle of gr…" with ❤️ 00:12:22 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:13:59 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: The receptacle of grace, the "place" of the presence of divine life, is where we encounter God and in union with God become integrated and transfigured beings. The art of the spiritual life is therefore to become conscious of the "treasure hidden in the heart" —to become conscious of the real but unapprehended presence of God in the heart; and this art is effectuated by inducing the intellect, freed from extraneous thoughts and images, to "descend" into the heart and so to become conscious of the divine presence hidden there. 00:14:02 Myles Davidson: I'm quite happy to pay for your content Fr 00:24:44 Jamie Hickman: The purification of the mind seems more possible on earth whereas the purification of the heart seems more likely to occur in purgatory

Saint Isaac the Syrian asks the question that has been put forward for centuries - “how are we to pray?”  In fact, our Lord himself was asked by his disciples to teach them how to pray as John the Baptizer taught his disciples. Within a few beautiful paragraphs Isaac opens up for us not only what we are to pray for but why. What Isaac would have us understand is that our prayer should be a reflection both of who God is and what he is revealed already in regard to his desires for us and a reflection of who we are and our understanding of our dignity and destiny in Christ. It is as if God says to us, “I became man in order that you might become God. If you did not desire to become God, you would do me wrong“. We are to refrain from asking for the things of this world not because it is wrong to do so in a moralistic or legalistic understanding of things. Rather, we are to ask for what is heavenly. At times our focus upon and anxiety about the things in this world makes our vision myopic. We lose sight of the presence of God and the life and the love that he has promised us. Isaac tells us that when our petitions to God are in accord with His glory then our honor is magnified before Him and He rejoices over us. Similarly, Isaac tells us, the angels and archangels are astonished and exalt whenever they behold one who has been made from the earth asking for what is heavenly – one who is been made from the dust asking for what endures to eternity. Therefore, Isaac, echoing the Scriptures tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all else will be given to us. We need only be humble and patient - trusting above all in the providence of God and not rush onwards to great measures before the appropriate time. “For anything”, Isaac tells us, “that is quickly obtained is also easily lost, whereas everything found with toil is also kept with careful watching.“ That which is precious comes only after striving to give our hearts to God and then we must hold onto it with great watchfulness.  What is most essential, however, is that we thirst for Jesus and that He would make us drunk with His love. Do not let your eyes focus on the delights of this world, but rather trust that God desires to give you his peace and the invincible joy of the kingdom. Simply put, “the man who desires the greatest things does not concern himself with a lesser“ --- Text of chat during the group: 00:05:47 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 135, first full paragraph on this page 00:14:39 Myles Davidson: Top of pg. 135 “Do not become foolish…” 00:26:38 Anthony: This reminds me of a quote by Henri Nouwen, that our biggest affliction is a feeling of self hatred. You shared this on Facebook. 00:30:00 Rick Visser: Is it fair to say that Therese L. was disposed to a love that went beyond the sensual-- the felt--and was disposed to a pure love that transcended the feelings? 00:32:28 Joshua Sander: Isaac's mention of us leaving "our dunghill" for the things of Heaven also reminds me of C. S. Lewis, who writes, "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." 00:33:53 Anna: So the desert fathers and mothers didn't have psychological tools and neurological tools to overcome things like anger, anxiety, fear and so on... did they overcome such things through only ascetic life and prayer? 00:35:58 Gwen's iPhone: It was Leo XIII allowed her to enter Carmel at a young age. 00:46:28 Rick Visser: What are vain repetitions in prayer? 00:46:35 Anthony: When we pray, should we be very specific,  or say only, "Lord have mercy as you know how"? 01:02:05 Rick Visser: Does this mean I must give up my herb garden and pray, give up the lesser things for the greatest things? 01:02:13 Eleana: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi 01:10:01 Anthony: A Man For All Seasons,  the counsel Thomas More gives to the scholar 01:10:25 Anna: My daughter is asking... Were the desert fathers living in the desert and if so how did they find their food? 01:14:12 Myles Davidson: Desert Christians by William Harmless is a great book about how they lived 01:14:25 Catherine Opie: There are places in the desert where springs come up and monasteries are built on those places 01:15:36 Maureen Cunningham: Thank You Blessing 01:15:39 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you☺️ 01:15:47 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you!! 01:15:54 Catherine Opie: Thank you God bless 01:16:03 David: Thank you father and may God bless you and your mother

Our penultimate episode of season 5 is here, continuing our journey across Syria to bring you the voices of the revolution and civil war, from all perspectives.  In the series so far, we've given you the perspectives of a Kurd from Aleppo and Afrin, we've parachuted you into the siege of Southern Damascus, we've shown you what life was like in Raqqa under ISIS - and now, we bring you another fascinating view of the civil war - that of the Druze from Suwayda, a small city in southern Syria. And it's all told through the story of our guest this week, Nour Salam. Nour is herself a Druze, and also a human rights and women's rights activist whose family are originally from Suwayda, where she has been living since fleeing there in 2013. Through the war she worked as a field coordinator for Syrian civil society groups, and she is also a member of the Syrian Women's Political Movement and many Suwayda-based initiatives supporting women's rights. In this episode, Nour shares her unique perspective as a Druze woman from Suwayda, discussing her identity, the history of the Druze community, and the impact of the Syrian civil war on her life and activism. She reflects on her family's experiences under the Assad regime, and her involvement in the revolution, highlighting the complexities of Druze identity and their relationship with other communities in Syria. Thomas and Nour later explore the arrival of ISIS in Suwayda, and the subsequent rise of factional conflicts from local militias formed to protect against ISIS, who are still controversially playing their part in the ongoing instability of the region, alongside Israel, today. New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luke Moon of Generation Zion and The Philos Project updates us on the shaky ceasefire between Iran and Israel, plus talks about what it means to bless the people of Israel...and what it doesn't mean.  Mission Network News' Ruth Kramer talks about the weekend attack and bombing of a Syrian church and the situation in Syria with terror groups leading up to it.  She also talks about what Iranian Christians are thinking in light of the conflict between Iran's islamic leaders and Israel.  Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here

This week we talk about OPEC, the Seven Sisters, and the price of oil.We also discuss fracking, Israel and Iran's ongoing conflict, and energy exports.Recommended Book: Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud WoolfTranscriptThe global oil market changed substantially in the early 2000s as a pair of innovations—horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—helped the plateauing US oil and gas market boom, unlocking a bunch of shale oil and gas deposits that were previously either entirely un-utilizable, or too expensive to exploit.This same revolution changed markets elsewhere, too, including places like Western Canada, which also has large shale oil and gas deposits, but the US, and especially the southern US, and even more especially the Permian Basin in Texas, has seen simply staggering boosts to output since those twin-innovations were initially deployed on scale.This has changed all sorts of dynamics, both locally, where these technologies and approaches have been used to tap ever-more fossil fuel sources, and globally, as previous power dynamics related to such resources have been rewired.Case in point, in the second half of the 20th century, OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which is a predominantly Middle Eastern oil cartel that was founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela in 1960, was a dominant force in geopolitics, as they collaboratively set global oil prices, and thus, were able to pull the strings connected to elections, war, and economic outcomes in nations around the world.If oil prices suddenly spiked, that could cause an incumbent leader in a country a hemisphere away to lose their next election, and if anyone threatened one of their number, they could conceivably hold back resources from that country until they cooled down.Before OPEC formed and established their position of primacy in global energy exports, the so-called Seven Sisters corporations, which consisted of a bunch of US and European companies that had basically stepped in and took control of global oil rights in the early 20th century, including oil rights across the Middle East, were the loci of power in this space, controlling about 85% of the world's petroleum reserves as of the early 1970s.That same decade, though, a slew of governments that hosted Seven Sisters facilities and reserves nationalized these assets, which in practice made all these reserves and the means of exploiting them the government's property, and in most cases they were then reestablished under new, government-controlled companies, like Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia and the National Iranian Oil Company in Iran.In 1973 and 1979, two events in the Middle East—the Yom Kippur War, during which pretty much all of Israel's neighbors launched a surprise attack against Israel, and the Iranian Revolution, when the then-leader of Iran, the Shah, who was liberalizing the country while also being incredibly corrupt, was overthrown by the current government, the militantly Islamist Islamic Republic of Iran—those two events led to significant oil export interruptions that triggered oil shortages globally, because of how dominant this cartel had become.This shortage triggered untold havoc in many nations, especially those that were growing rapidly in the post-WWII, mid-Cold War world, because growth typically requires a whole lot of energy for all the manufacturing, building, traveling around, and for basic, business and individual consumption: keeping the lights on, cooking, and so on.This led to a period of stagflation, and in fact the coining of the term, stagflation, but it also led to a period of heightened efficiency, because nations had to learn how to achieve growth and stability without using so much energy, and it led to a period of all these coming-out-of-stagflation and economic depression nations trying to figure out how to avoid having this happen again.So while OPEC and other oil-rich nations were enjoying a period of relative prosperity, due in part to those elevated energy prices—after the initial downsides of those conflicts and revolutions had calmed, anyway—other parts of the world were making new and more diversified deals, and were looking in their own backyards to try to find more reliable suppliers of energy products.Parts of the US were already major oil producers, if not at the same scale as these Middle Eastern giants in the latter portion of the 20th century, and many non-OPEC producers in the US, alongside those in Norway and Mexico, enjoyed a brief influx of revenue because of those higher oil prices, but they, like those OPEC nations, suffered a downswing when prices stabilized; and during that price collapse, OPEC's influence waned.So in the 1980s, onward, the previous paradigm of higher oil prices led to a surge in production globally, everyone trying to take advantage of those high prices to invest in more development and production assets, and that led to a glut of supply that lowered prices, causing a lot of these newly tapped wells to go under, a lot of cheating by OPEC members, and all of the more established players to make far less per barrel of oil than was previously possible.By 1986, oil prices had dropped by nearly half from their 1970s peak, and though prices spiked again in 1990 in response to Iraq's invasion of fellow OPEC-member Kuwait, that spike only last about nine months, and it was a lot less dramatic than those earlier, 70s-era spikes; though it was still enough to trigger a recession in the US and several other countries, and helped pave the way for investment in those technologies and infrastructure that would eventually lead to the US's shale-oil and gas revolution.What I'd like to talk about today is the precariousness of the global oil and gas market right now, at a moment of significantly heightened tensions, and a renewed shooting conflict, in the Middle East.—As of the day I'm recording this, the Islamic Republic of Iran is still governing Iran, and that's an important point to make as while Israel's official justification for launching a recent series of attacks against Iran's military and nuclear production infrastructure is that they don't want Iran to make a nuclear weapon, it also seems a whole lot like they might be aiming to instigate regime change, as well.Israel and Iran's conflict with each other is long-simmering, and this is arguably just the most recent and extreme salvo in a conflict dating back to at least 2024, but maybe earlier than that, too, all the way back to the late-70s or early 80s, if you string all the previous conflicts together into one deconstructed mega-conflict. If you want to know more about that, listen to last week's episode, where I got deeper into the specifics of their mutual dislike.Today, though, I'd like to focus on an issue that is foundational to pretty much every other geopolitical and economic happening, pretty much always, and that's energy. And more specifically, the availability, accessibility, and price of energy resources like oil and gas.We've reached a point, globally, where about 40% of all electricity is generated by renewables, like solar panels, wind turbines, and hydropower-generating dams.That's a big deal, and while the majority of that supply is coming from China, and while it falls short of where we need to be to avoid the worst-case consequences of human-amplified climate change, that growth is really incredible, and it's beginning to change the nature of some of our conflicts and concerns; many of the current economic issues between the US and China, these days are focused on rare earths, for instance, which are required for things like batteries and other renewables infrastructure.That said, oil and gas still enable the modern economy, and that's true almost everywhere, even today. And while the US changed the nature of the global oil and gas industries by heavily investing in both, and then rewired the global energy market by convincing many of its allies to switch to US-generated oil and gas, rather than relying on supplies from Russia, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine a few years ago, a whole lot of these resources still come from at-times quite belligerent regimes, and many of these regimes are located in the Middle East, and belong to OPEC.Iran is one such belligerent regime.As of 2025, Iran is the 9th largest producer of oil in the world, and it holds 24% of the Middle East's and about 12% of the world's proven oil reserves—that's the total volume of oil underground that could be pumped at some point. It's got the world's 3rd largest proven crude oil reserves and it exports about 2 million barrels of crude and refined oil every day. It also has the world's second-largest proven natural gas reserves.Iran isn't as reliant on oil and gas exports as some of its neighbors, but it still pulled in about $53 billion in net oil exports each year as of 2023; which is a lot less than what it could be making, as international sanctions have made it difficult for Iran to fully exploit its reserves. But that's still a huge chunk of its total income.This is important to note because Israel's recent series of attacks on Iran, in addition to taking out a lot of their military leaders, weapons manufacturing facilities, and nuclear research facilities, have also targeted Iran's oil and gas production and export capacity, including large gas plants, fuel depots, and oil refineries, some located close to Tehran in the northern part of the country, and some down on its southwestern coast, where a huge portion of Iran's gas is processed.In light of these attacks, Iran's leaders have said they may close the Strait of Hormuz, though which most of their exports pass—and the Strait of Hormuz is the only marine entryway into the Persian Gulf; nearly 20% of all globally consumed oil passes through this 90-mile-wide stretch of water before reaching international markets; it's a pretty vital waterway that Iran partially controls because its passes by its southern coast.Fuel prices already ticked up by about 9% following Israel's initial strikes into Iran this past week, and there's speculation that prices could surge still-higher, especially following US President Trump's decision to strike several Iran nuclear facilities, coming to Israel's aide, as Israel doesn't possess the ‘bunker-buster' bombs necessary to penetrate deep enough into the earth to damage or destroy many of these facilities.As of Monday this week, oil markets are relatively undisrupted, and if any export flows were to be upset, it would probably just be Iran's, and that would mostly hurt China, which is Iran's prime oil customer, as most of the rest of the world won't deal with them due to export sanctions.That said, there's a possibility that Iran will decide to respond to the US coming to Israel's aid not by striking US assets directly, which could pull the US deeper into the conflict, but instead by disrupting global oil and gas prices, which could lead to knock-on effects that would be bad for the US economy, and the US's relationships with other nations.The straightest path to doing this would be to block the Strait of Hormuz, and they could do this by positioning ships and rocket launchers to strike anything passing through it, while also heavily mining the passage itself, and they've apparently got plenty of mines ready to do just that, should they choose that path.This approach has been described by analysts as the strategic equivalent of a suicide bombing, as blocking the Strait would disrupt global oil and gas markets, hurting mostly Asia, as China, India, South Korea, Japan, and other Asian destinations consume something like 80% of the oil that passes through it, but that would still likely raise energy prices globally, which can have a lot of knock-on effects, as we saw during those energy crises I mentioned in the intro.It would hurt Iran itself more than anyone, though, as almost all of their energy products pass through this passage before hitting global markets, and such a move could help outside entities, including the US, justify further involvement in the conflict, where they otherwise might choose to sit it out and let Israel settle its own scores.Such energy market disruption could potentially benefit Russia, which has an energy resource-reliant economy that suffers when oil and gas prices are low, but flourishes when they're high. The Russian government probably isn't thrilled with Israel's renewed attacks on one of its allies, but based on its lack of response to Syria's collapse—the former Syrian government also being an ally of Russia—it's possible they can't or won't do much to directly help Iran right now, but they probably wouldn't complain if they were suddenly able to charge a lot more per barrel of oil, and if customers like China and India were suddenly a lot more reliant on the resources they're producing.Of course, such a move could also enrich US energy companies, though potentially at the expense of the American citizen, and thus at the expense of the Trump administration. Higher fuel prices tend to lead to heightened inflation, and more inflation tends to keep interest rates high, which in turn slows the economy. A lot of numbers could go in the opposite direction from what the Trump administration would like to see, in other words, and that could result in a truly bad outcome for Republicans in 2026, during congressional elections that are already expected to be difficult for the incumbent party.Even beyond the likely staggering human costs of this renewed conflict in the Middle East, then, there are quite a few world-scale concerns at play here, many of which at least touch on, and some of which are nearly completely reliant on, what happens to Iran's oil and gas production assets, and to what degree they decide to use these assets, and the channels through which they pass, in a theoretical asymmetric counterstrike against those who are menacing them.Show Noteshttps://archive.is/20250616111212/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/an-overview-irans-energy-industry-infrastructure-2025-02-04/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/15/which-iranian-oil-and-gas-fields-has-israel-hit-and-why-do-they-matterhttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/17/mapping-irans-oil-and-gas-sites-and-those-attacked-by-israelhttps://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/6/13/oil-markets-are-spooked-as-iran-israel-tensions-escalatehttps://archive.is/20250620143813/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-20/eu-abandons-proposal-to-lower-price-cap-on-russian-oil-to-45https://apnews.com/article/russia-economy-recession-ukraine-conflict-9d105fd1ac8c28908839b01f7d300ebdhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/business/us-iran-oil.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9r4q99g4ohttps://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/04/clean-energy-electricity-nature-and-climate-stories-this-week/https://archive.is/20250622121310/https://www.ft.com/content/67430fac-2d47-4b3b-9928-920ec640638ahttps://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Oil-Markets-Brace-for-Impact-After-US-Attacks-Iran-Facilities.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/business/energy-environment/iran-oil-gas-markets.htmlhttps://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65504&utm_medium=PressOpshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/business/stocks-us-iran-bombing.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Oilhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracking_in_Canadahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracking_in_the_United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_in_the_United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_gas_in_the_United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolutionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s_energy_crisishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_oil_price_shockhttps://www.strausscenter.org/energy-and-security-project/the-u-s-shale-revolution/https://archive.is/20250416153337/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-crude-oil-output-peak-by-2027-eia-projects-2025-04-15/https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/030415/how-does-price-oil-affect-stock-market.asp This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Top headlines for Tuesday, June 24, 2025In this episode, we explore the coordinated U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that have sparked widespread reaction, focusing on the support from congressional Republicans and President Trump. Shifting to a deeply personal account, we discuss serious allegations involving a crew member from the Christian band Newsboys and the troubling implications within the faith community. Additionally, we shine a light on proposed legislation in Ohio that seeks to ban all abortions, classifying them as homicide, and the implications for women's rights and state law. Finally, we explore the findings from Lifeway Research revealing that nearly half of Evangelical pastors in the U.S. maintain second jobs, uncovering the reasons behind this growing trend of bivocational ministry. 00:12 Israel-Iran war: GOP backs Trump as US hits Iranian nuclear sites01:15 Michael Tait accused of watching rape during Newsboys tour02:03 ISIS killed at least 25 in Syrian church attack, injured dozens02:53 Presidential religious liberty commission convenes first meeting03:44 Ohio pro-life group opposes bill to criminalize abortion04:36 Nearly half of US Evangelical pastors are bivocational: study05:34 Natalie Grant helps launch Museum of Christian & Gospel MusicSubscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsIsrael-Iran war: GOP backs Trump as US hits Iranian nuclear sites | PoliticsMichael Tait accused of watching rape during Newsboys tour | EntertainmentISIS killed at least 25 in Syrian church attack, injured dozens | WorldPresidential religious liberty commission convenes first meeting | PoliticsOhio pro-life group opposes bill to criminalize abortion | U.S.Nearly half of US Evangelical pastors are bivocational: study | Church & MinistriesNatalie Grant helps launch Museum of Christian & Gospel Music | Entertainment

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Monday, June 23, 2025.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

One of the most difficult tests in life is when a person achieves something through effort, wisdom, and strength—and is then told not to attribute the success to himself, but to Hashem. Most people feel proud of their accomplishments, their clever strategies, or their brilliant ideas. But the pasuk reminds us כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל , and the Targum explains, that even our ideas—every single thought that passes through our minds—are gifts from Hashem. It's natural to feel proud after a major achievement, but it is up to each of us to pause and recognize that it was all from Hashem. So often, we fail to see the broader picture—how Hashem orchestrated every detail in advance, setting the stage for us to succeed in a way that appears seamless and "strategic." Recently, the world has witnessed Israel's remarkable military achievements, particularly in the face of Iranian threats. From eliminating key leaders and scientists to achieving aerial dominance, the successes have been astonishing. Add to that America's undetected, precision strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, and one could easily fall into the trap of thinking it's all the result of human intelligence and power. But here, too, we must remember: " לא בחיל ולא בכח כי אם ברוחי אמר ה׳ " —victory does not come through strength or power, but through the spirit of Hashem. All wars are fought and won by Hashem— and only by Hashem . For decades, Israel has known about Iran's nuclear ambitions, yet was unable to act, as Iran lies over a thousand miles away. The logistics of such an operation seemed impossible. Israeli fighter jets could not pass through Jordan, Syria, or Iraq without being shot down. The southern route through Saudi Arabia was blocked, and the northern route through Turkey was a non-starter. But then Hashem changed everything. In December 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, ending his family's 50-year regime. Hashem opened the Syrian skies. Jordan didn't just permit the use of its airspace—it actively helped shoot down Iranian missiles during the April attack, when Iran launched 300 ballistic missiles toward Israel. Iraq no longer has the capabilities to shoot down planes. Every obstacle was removed—by Hashem. Iran had feared this moment. For years, they armed Hezbollah and Hamas so that if Israel ever struck, they could retaliate from multiple fronts. But over the past year, Hashem gave Israel the strength and intelligence to neutralize the missile capabilities of both Hezbollah and Hamas. And when the moment came to strike Iran, there was no one left to respond. We should be proud of Israel's accomplishments—with the clear understanding that they are Hashem's accomplishments . America's support? Also orchestrated by Hashem, as it says: " לב מלכים ביד ה׳ " —the hearts of kings and leaders are in the hands of Hashem. Hashem can eliminate our enemies without a single soldier taking action. We saw this just a year ago, when the president of Iran and other officials were killed in a helicopter crash—without any military involvement. We saw it when a Turkish legislator who was publicly condemning Israel suddenly collapsed and died of a heart attack. " ה׳ איש מלחמה " —Hashem is a Man of War. He fights—and wins—our battles. The current operation has been referred to as " כִּלְבִיא יָקוּם " , and the Chatam Sofer once explained the word כִּלְבִיא spells out the passuk : כִּ י לֹ א בְ כֹחַ יִ גְבַּר אִ ישׁ - it is not by human strength that wars are won, but through Hashem alone. May Hashem continue to protect His people and bring the final geulah with Mashiach speedily in our days. Amen.

Dave Buehring of Lionshare helps us look at Abraham in the Bible to get insights on how to be a good father, both of our children and those we are mentoring and shepherding.  Carmen spends some time looking at the US attack on Iranian nuclear weapons sites and how we live in smaller, internconnected world.  Was the attack on a Syrian church a response?    Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here  

Monday, 23 June 2025   The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Matthew 11:5   “Blind – they up-look, and lame – they walk, lepers – they are cleansed, and deaf – they hear, dead – they are roused, and poor – they are evangelized” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told John's disciples to report what they heard and saw. Now, He gives a description of some of those things beginning with, “Blind – they up-look.” This is a new word, anablepó, coming from ana, up, and blepó, to look at, behold, see, etc. Thus, it literally says up-look, but with the intent of the blind seeing once again.   This was something prophesied in the Hebrew writings, such as –   “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened.” Isaiah 35:5   Verses such as this indicate that there would be a time when the blind would see. Jesus is attributing this to His ministry without explicitly saying it. He merely asks John's disciples to report what they see. He next says, “and lame – they walk.”   This was also an anticipated event –   “Then the lame shall leap like a deer.” Isaiah 35:6   Isaiah excitedly pronounced more than just walking, but jumping like a deer. The disciples might not have seen that, but they would have witnessed them at least walking after being lame. Jesus continues with, “lepers – they are cleansed.”   This is not a specific prophecy, but it is something that was accomplished in 1 Kings with the healing of Naaman the Syrian. The healing was at the word of the prophet Elisha. As Jesus was accomplishing this same healing by His own power, it is an implicit reference to the power of the Lord working through Him. Next, He says, “and deaf – they hear.”   This is found in the second half of Isaiah 35:5 – “And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”   Jesus states these things as a matter of fact. They had heard of them or personally seen them. The confirmation of Jesus fulfilling the role of the Messiah is clearly being explained to them. Understanding this, He continues with, “dead – they are roused.”   As with the leprous, this is not explicitly prophesied (except in the resurrection) as something the Messiah would do. However, like the example with Naaman, both Elijah and Elisha restored the dead to life.   In both cases, the prophets prayed to the Lord for restoration, and it came to pass. In Jesus' case, He healed under His own power and authority, demonstrating that He is the anticipated Messiah. Lastly, Jesus notes, “and poor – they are evangelized.”   This includes another new word, euaggelizó. It is a verb indicating to announce the good news and thus evangelize. This was referred to in Isaiah 61:1 –   “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” Isaiah 61:1   Due to the words about preaching the good tidings, which come from the same verse as proclaiming liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison for the bound, Jesus is surely hinting at the fact that ending John's imprisonment is not beyond His ability to change.   As such, John will have to grasp this and accept that God's will for him is being worked out through his imprisonment. This is the point of Jesus' carefully stated words. John's disciples would return and report what they heard and saw. John would then have to understand that another was not coming. If his imprisonment continued, it was for a purpose that he was not privy to.   Life application: John did not understand his situation and asked for clarity as to whether Jesus was the right person to deliver him from it or not. It doesn't seem that he even clued into the fact that maybe his imprisonment was meant to be, and even meant to continue.   Therefore, his words were essentially, “Hey, I'm in prison and the doors aren't opening up. When will this end?” Jesus responded with His capabilities, revealing that He was doing exactly what the Messiah was expected to do, even if not all of it for all people everywhere.   The lesson is just as valid for us today as it was for John. God can heal the lame. He can bring sight to the blind. He can cure maladies and diseases. The question from us should never be, “God, are you limited in Your care for me?” Such is not the case.   If you have something in your life that isn't right, it isn't that God is uncaring about it. Rather, it may be there to serve a purpose you never thought of. He may be molding you as He molded Paul in his affliction. He may be using you to get a scientist to invent something that could cure you along with millions of others with a similar affliction.   Whatever the reason, God allows trials in our lives. We should never question His goodness for us, even if we don't understand why such things have taken place. Let us continue to hold fast to the promises which are sure to come to pass when we are brought to Him forever at Jesus' coming. Until then, just keep on praising God that we have been delivered because of the shed blood of Jesus, our Lord.   Lord God, the trials we face often seem unbearable, but Jesus certainly went through worse. We will be carried through our trials, and we will be in Your presence forever because of what He has done. Until then, give us the ability to keep praising You, even through our troubles, trials, and afflictions. Amen.

At an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Antonio Guterres warned that fighting needed to stop and negotiations should resume. Also: 20 people are dead after a suicide bombing in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites. The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, said that diplomacy and dialogue must prevail to prevent the Middle East from falling into a cycle of retaliation. We'll hear from a former security official in President Trump's first administration and assess the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear operation caused by the US attacks.Also in the programme: We speak to the wife of the Belarusian dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski who has been released after five years in prison; and Syrian rescue workers say at least fifteen people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a church in the capital Damascus.(Picture: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses delegates during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. Israel has experience in attempting to stop a nuclear weapons program. Twice before striking Iran on June 13, 2025, Israel attempted to thwart two neighboring nations' nascent nuclear programs. This week on the Friday Focus, we’re talking about the covert surprise 1981 Operation Opera in Iraq and the 2007 Israeli airstrike on Syria, called Operation Outside the Box or Operation Orchard. Berman fills us in on the back story of both, and weighs in on how successful they were — of course, with an eye to the current Israel-Iran war and Israel’s goal to stop Iran from reaching a nuclear bomb. We learn how Operation Opera, also known as Operation Babylon, took place under prime minister Menachem Begin on June 7, 1981, at 16:00 when 14 fighter jets departed from Etzion (Efrat) Airport in Israel. At approximately 17:30, they struck and destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, and within about 90 seconds of bombing, they successfully completed their mission. Berman speaks about the resultant "Begin Doctrine," which, since 1981, guides Israel in how it reacts to imminent threats of weapons of mass destruction. We then turn to the second preemptive strike that Israel carried out to stop the bomb in 2007, under prime minister Ehud Olmert. Ten Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-15 fighter jets, along with F-16 fighters and electronic-warfare aircraft, bombed a Syrian radar site and took over Syrian air defenses, feeding them a false picture of empty skies. We discuss the overriding themes of both operations and compare them with what is currently happening in the Israel-Iran war. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch. IMAGE: The IDF pilots who participated in the Operation Opera bombing of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981. (Israel Defense Force archive)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talk about tit-for-tat warfare, conflict off-ramps, and Israel's renewed attacks on Iran's nuclear program.We also discuss the Iron Dome, the Iran-Iraq War, and regime change.Recommended Book: How Much is Enough? by Robert and Edward SkidelskyTranscriptIn late-October of 2024, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against targets in Iran and Syria. These strikes were code-named Operation Days of Repentance, and it marked the largest such attack on Iran by Israel since the 1980s, during the height of the Iran-Iraq War.Operation Days of Repentance was ostensibly a response to Iran's attack on Israel earlier than same month, that attack code-named Operation True Promise II, which involved the launch of around 200 ballistic missiles against Israeli targets. Operation True Promise II was itself a response to Israel's assassination of the leader of Hamas, the leader of Hezbollah, and the Deputy of Operations for Iran's Revolutionary Guard.If you feel like there might be a tit-for-tat pattern here, you're right. Iran and Israel have been at each other's throats since 1979, following the Islamic Revolution when Iran cut off all diplomatic relations with Israel; some backchannel relations continued between the two countries, even through part of the Iran-Iraq War, when Israel often supported Iran in that conflict, but things got tense in the early 1980s when Iran, partnering with the Syrian government, started backing Hezbollah and their effort to boot Israel out of Southern Lebanon, while also partnering with Islamist militants in Iraq and Yemen, including the Houthis, and at times Hamas in Gaza, as well.Most of these attacks have, until recently, been fairly restrained, all things considered. There's long been bravado by politicians on both sides of the mostly cold war-ish conflict, but they've generally told the other side what they would be hitting, and signaled just how far they would be going, telling them the extent of the damage they would cause, and why, which provides the other side ample opportunity to step off the escalatory ladder; everyone has the chance to posture for their constituents and then step back, finding an off-ramp and claiming victory in that specific scuffle.That back-and-forth in late-2024 largely stuck to that larger pattern, and both sides stuck with what typically works for them, in terms of doing damage: Israel flew more than 100 aircraft to just beyond or just inside Iran's borders and struck a bunch of military targets, like air defense batteries and missile production facilities, while Iran launched a few hundred far less-accurate missiles at broad portions of Israel—a type of attack that could conceivably result in a lot of civilian casualties, not just damage to military targets, which would typically be a no-no if you're trying to keep the tit-for-tat strikes regulated and avoid escalation, but because Israel has a fairly effective anti-missile system called the Iron Dome, Iran could be fairly confident that just hurling a large number of missiles in their general direction would be okay, as most of those missiles would be shot down by the Iron Dome, the rest by Israel's allies in the region, and the few that made it through or struck unoccupied land in the general vicinity would make their point.While this conflict has been fairly stable for decades, though, the tenor and tone seems to have changed substantially in 2025, and a recent wave of attacks by Israel is generally being seen as the culmination of several other efforts, and possibly an attempt by the Israeli government to change the nature of this conflict, perhaps permanently.And that's what I'd like to talk about today; Operation Rising Lion, and the implications of Israel's seeming expansion and evolution of their approach to dealing with Iran.—In mid-June of 2025, Israel's military launched early morning strikes against more than a dozen targets across Iran, most of the targets either fundamental to Iran's nuclear program or its military.The strikes were very targeted, and some were assassinations of top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, like the Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, along with their families, including twenty children, who were presumably collateral damage. Some came from beyond Iran's borders, some were conducted by assets smuggled into Iran earlier: car bombs and drones, things like that.More attacks followed that initial wave, which resulted in the collapse of nuclear sites and airport structures, along with several residential buildings in the country's capitol, Tehran.This attack was ostensibly meant to hobble Iran's nuclear program, which the Iranian government has long claimed is for purely peaceful, energy-generation purposes, but which independent watchdog organizations, and pretty much every other non-Iranian-allied government says is probably dual-purpose, allowing Iran to produce nuclear energy, but also nuclear weapons.There was a deal on the books for a while that had Iran getting some benefits in exchange for allowing international regulators to monitor its nuclear program, but that deal, considered imperfect by many, but also relatively effective compared to having no deal at all, went away under the first Trump administration, and the nuclear program has apparently been chugging along since then with relative success; claims that Iran is just weeks from having enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon have been common for years, now, but they apparently now have enough nuclear weapons-grade materials to make several bombs, and Israel in particular is quite keen to keep them from building such a weapon, as Iran's leaders, over the years, have said they'd like to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth, and nuclear weapons would be a relatively quick and easy way to make that happen.Of course, even without using such a weapon, simply having one or more is a sort of insurance policy against conventionally armed enemies. It ups the stakes in every type of conflict, and allows the nuclear-armed belligerent to persistently raise the specter of nuclear war if anyone threatens them, which is truly terrifying because of how many nuclear-related failsafes are in place around the world: one launch or detonation potentially becoming many, all at once, because of Dr. Strangelove-like automated systems that many militaries have readied, just in case.So the possibility that Iran might be on the brink of actually, really, truly this time making a nuclear weapon is part of the impetus for this new strike by Israel.But this is also probably a continuation of the larger effort to dismantle Iran's influence across the region by the current Israeli government, which, following the sneak attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, has been trying to undermine Iran's proxies, which again, include quite a few militant organizations, the most powerful of which, in recent years, have been the trio of Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, right on Israel's border.Israel's invasion of Gaza, which has led to an absolutely catastrophic humanitarian situation for Gazan civilians, but has also led to the near-total collapse of Hamas as a functioning militant organization in the Strip, could be construed as a successful mission, if you ignore all those civilians casualties and fatalities, and the near-leveling of a good portion of the Strip.Israel was also able to take out a significant portion of Hezbollah's leadership via conventional aerial attacks and ground-assaults, and a bizarrely effective asymmetric attack using bombs installed in the pagers used by the organization, and it's been able to significantly decrease the Houthis' ability to menace ships passing through the Red Sea, using their own military, but also through their relationship with the US, which has significant naval assets in the area.Iran has long projected power in the region through its relationship with these proxies, providing them training and weapons and money in exchange for their flanking of Israel. That flanking was meant to keep Israel perpetually off-balance with the knowledge that if they ever do anything too serious, beyond the bounds of the controllable tit-for-tat, Cold War-style conflict in which they were engaged with Iran, they could suffer significant damage at home, from the north via Lebanon, from their southwestern flank via Gaza, or from a little ways to the south and via their coast from Yemen.Those proxies now largely hobbled, though, Israel found itself suddenly freed-up to do something more significant, and this attack is being seen by analysts as the initial stages of what might be a more substantial, perhaps permanent solution to the Iran problem. Rather than being a show of force or a tit-for-tat play, these might be the beginning days of an assault that's meant to enact not just a dismantling of Iran's nuclear program, but full-on regime change in Iran.And regime change means exactly what it sounds like: Iran's government is Islamist, meaning that it wants to enforce a fairly brutal, repressive version of Islam globally, and it already does so against its people. There have periodically been successful protests against these measures by Iranian citizens, especially by severely repressed women and minority groups in the country, including folks of different religions and LGBTQ identifying folks, among others, almost always these protests, and any other attempts to attain more rights and equality for people who aren't strictly Islamist men, generally result in violence, the black-bagging of protest leaders, extrajudicial killings and lifetime imprisonment and torture; a whole lot of really authoritarian, generally just villain-scale behavior by the Iranian government against anyone who steps out of line.So the Iranian government is pretty monstrous by most modern, democratic standards, and the Israeli government's seeming desire to crush it—to cry false on the regime's projection of strength, and create the circumstances for revolution, if that is indeed what they're doing—could be construed as a fairly noble goal.It perhaps serves the purposes of Israel, as again, Iran has said, over and over, that they want to destroy Israel and would totally do so, given the chance. But it arguably also serves the purpose of democratic-leaning people, and perhaps even more so folks who are suffering under the current Iranian regime, and maybe even other, similar regimes in the region. Which again, in terms of spreading democracy and human rights, sounds pretty good to some ears.That said, Israel is killing a lot of Iranian civilians alongside military targets, and its efforts in Gaza have led to accusations that it's committing genocide in the region. Israeli leaders have themselves been accused of anti-democratic actions, basically doubling-down on the nation's furthest-right, most militant, and most authoritarian and theocratic impulses, which makes any claims of moral superiority a little tricky for them to make, at this point.There's a chance, of course, that all this speculation and analysis ends up being completely off-base, and Israel is really, truly just trying to hobble Iran a bit, taking out some of their missile launchers and missile- and drone-manufacturing capacity, while also pushing back their acquisition of nuclear weapons by some meaningful amount of time; that amount of time currently unknown, as initial reports, at least, indicate that many of the attacks on Iran's most vital nuclear research and development facilities were perhaps not as effective as Israel had hoped. There's a chance that if enough overall damage is done, Iran's government will enthusiastically return to the negotiating table and perhaps be convinced to set their nuclear program aside willingly, but at the moment both Iran and Israel seem committed to hurting each other, physically.On that note, so far, as of the day I'm recording this, Iran has launched around 100 missiles, killed a few dozen Israelis, and injured more than 500 of the same. The Iranian government has said Israel's strikes have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,200; though a human rights group says the death toll in Iran could be quite a bit higher than official government numbers, with more than 400 people killed, around half of them civilians, so far.It's been nearly a week of this, and it looks likely that these strikes will continue for at least another few days, though many analysts are now saying they expect this to go one for at least a few weeks, if indeed Israel is trying to knock out some of Iran's more hardened nuclear program-related targets; several of which are buried deep down in the ground, thus requiring bunker-buster-style missiles to reach and destroy, and Israel doesn't have such weapons in their arsenal.Neutralizing those targets would therefore mean either getting those kinds of weapons from the US or other allies, taking them out via some other means, which would probably take more time and entail more risk, or doing enough damage quickly than Iran's government is forced to the negotiation table.And if that ends up being the case, if Israel is really just gunning for the nuclear program and nothing else, this could be remembered as a significant strike, but one that mostly maintains the current status quo; same Iranian leadership, same perpetual conflict between these two nations, but Israel boasting even more of an upper-hand than before, with less to worry about in terms of serious damage from Iran or its proxies for the next several years, minimum.It does seem like a good moment to undertake regime change in Iran, though, as doing so could help Israel polish up its reputation, at least a little, following the reputational drubbing it has taken because of its actions in Gaza. I doubt people who have really turned on Israel would be convinced, as doing away with an abusive, extremist regime, while doing abusive, extremist regime stuff yourself the homefront, probably won't be an argument that convinces many Palestinian liberation-oriented people; there's a chance some of those people will even take up the cause of Iranian civilians, which is true to a point, as many Iranian civilians are suffering and will continue to suffer under Israel's attacks—though of course that leaves out the part about them also suffering, for much longer, under their current government.That said, taking Iran out of the geopolitical equation would serve a lot of international interests, including those of the US—which has long hated Iran—and Ukraine, the latter of which because Russia has allied itself with the Iranian government, and buys a lot of drones, among other weapons, from Iran. That regime falling could make life more difficult for Russia, at least in the short term, and it would mean another ally lost in the region, following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in late-2024.There's a chance that these same geopolitical variables could pull other players into this conflict, though: Russia could help Iran, for instance, directly or indirectly, by sending supplies, taking out Israeli missiles and drones, maybe, while the US could help Israel (more directly, that is, as it's apparently already helping them by shooting down some of Iran's counterstrike projectiles) by providing bunker-buster weapons, or striking vital military targets from a distance.Such an escalation, on either side, would probably be pretty bad for everyone except possibly Iran, though Israel has said it wants the US to join in on its side, as that would likely result in a much quicker victory and far fewer casualties on its side.The US government is pretty keen to keep out of foreign conflicts right now, though, at least directly, and Russia is pretty bogged down by its invasion of Ukraine; there's a chance other regional powers, even smaller ones, could act as proxies for these larger, outside forces—the Saudis taking the opportunity to score some damage on their long-time rival, Iran, for instance, by helping out Israel—but any such acts would expand the scope of the conflict, and it's seldom politically expedient to do anything that might require your people make any kind of sacrifice, so most everyone will probably stay out of this as long as they can, unless there are serious benefits to doing so.Show Noteshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2025_Israeli_strikes_on_Iranhttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/13/israel-iran-regime-attack-goal-column-00405153https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/real-threat-iran-tehran-most-dangerous-option-responding-israelhttps://www.twz.com/news-features/could-iran-carry-out-its-threat-to-shut-the-strait-of-hormuzhttps://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-857713https://kyivindependent.com/israel-asks-us-to-join-strikes-on-irans-nuclear-sites-officials-told-axios/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-15-2025/https://www.twz.com/air/israel-escalates-to-attacking-iranian-energy-targets-after-ballistic-missiles-hit-tel-avivhttps://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-strikes-news-06-14-25https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-confirms-irgc-air-force-chief-top-echelon-killed-in-israeli-strike/https://time.com/7294186/israel-warns-tehran-will-burn-deadly-strikes-traded-nuclear-program/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/14/world/israel-iran-newshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/opinion/israel-iran-strikes.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/drones-smuggled-israel-iran-ukraine-russia.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/15/world/iran-israel-nuclearhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/world/middleeast/iran-military-leaders-killed.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/world/europe/israel-iron-dome-defense.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/israel-iran-missile-attack.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/iran-israel-energy-facility-strikes-tehran.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-strikes-news-06-15-25https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/was-israel-s-strike-on-iran-a-good-idea--four-questions-to-askhttps://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-missile-attacks-nuclear-news-06-16-2025-c98074e62ce5afd4c3f6d33edaffa069https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/world/middleeast/iran-israel-war-off-ramp.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2024_Iranian_strikes_on_Israelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2024_Israeli_strikes_on_Iranhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_Resistancehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Lebanon_electronic_device_attacks This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Israel says it's "outraged" by sanctions imposed by the UK and four other countries on ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for "inciting violence." Also: Assad's Syrian prison enforcers, and recording the sounds of glaciers.