Middle East

Libyans Caught Between Warring Elites and Foreign Powers
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Libyans Caught Between Warring Elites and Foreign Powers

Anas El Gomati is the founder and director of the Libyan think tank, the Sadeq Institute. He discusses how so much of Libya’s history has been shaped by European colonial powers and other foreign states meddling in its affairs. On the flip side, E.U. developments and the rise of right-wing populism and racist anti-migrant sentiment cannot be disentangled from what transpires in Libya. In light of the ongoing fighting between rival government structures, how can the control of oil resources and state assets shift from elite strongmen to civilian bodies?

Modern Iran: National Identity as a Tool of Resistance or Coercion?

Modern Iran: National Identity as a Tool of Resistance or Coercion?

Historian, Assal Rad, explores identity formation in modern Iran, both under the Pahlavi dynasty as well as after the 1979 Revolution under the Islamic Republic. Her book “State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran” examines top-down and bottom-up manifestations of national identity as narrated by state structures and popular culture, respectively. Her fascinating analysis is based on a historical assessment of how modern state-building in Iran inculcated a sense of national belonging in the population, as well as on interviews with people in Tehran and examples taken from popular music and film. Can national identity play a positive role in liberation struggles?

Yemen: Biden’s Hypocrisy and Possible Peace?
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Yemen: Biden’s Hypocrisy and Possible Peace?

Shireen Al-Adeimi, Professor of Language and Literacy at Michigan State University, lays out the U.S., U.K., and Canada’s role in perpetuating the brutal Saudi-led blockade of Yemen. She exposes Biden’s continued military support of Saudi Arabia, despite the administration’s pledge to only send defensive support, and calls into question the misleading dichotomy of “offensive” vs. “defensive” military support. Is a peace deal more likely now that the Houthi and Saudi representatives have met in Sana’a?

U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson
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U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson

Col. Larry Wilkerson speaks about how the media’s portrayal of the U.S. invasion of Iraq barely encapsulates the damage wrought by the U.S.-led “coalition of the willing.” He also addresses recent developments in the Middle East, including Israel’s increasingly belligerent policy on Iran, how the Saudi-Iran deal might end the Saudi blockade of Yemen, and the military significance of Israel being moved from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command.

Censorship in Germany, Israeli Hacking & Saudi-Iran Peace Deal – Dr. Shir Hever

Censorship in Germany, Israeli Hacking & Saudi-Iran Peace Deal – Dr. Shir Hever

In this episode of The Source, Zain Raza speaks with independent journalist, author, and economist Dr. Shir Hever about how and why his lecture on child labor in Palestine was abruptly censored by the GEW (Education and Science Workers’ Union) in Germany. They also talk about a recent Forbidden Stories article detailing how Israeli companies played a key role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal and continue to provide hacking services that influence countries’ elections. They examine the China-brokered peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the international significance it has for Israel. To conclude the interview, they take a look at recent developments between Israel and Palestine, focusing on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform in Israel.

Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi
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Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi

Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, with China showing itself to be a neutral and effective negotiator in the region. Talia Baroncelli speaks to Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, on how this shift in Saudi-Iran relations affects Israel’s posture toward achieving normalization with Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the United States’ recent departure from its usual condemnation of Israeli drone strikes on Iran and its open support for Israeli belligerence signals a new dangerous policy that increases the likelihood of war with Iran.

Why the Media is Now Supporting Julian Assange? – Paul Jay pt 2/2
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Why the Media is Now Supporting Julian Assange? – Paul Jay pt 2/2

In part 2 of our conversation with award-winning documentary filmmaker and editor-in-chief of theAnalysis.news Paul Jay, we talk about the situation in Iran and why the U.S. is no longer seeking a nuclear agreement. We also talk about why the mainstream media is now coming out in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The interview was conducted by Zain Raza for acTVism Munich.

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