Turbulence

Aziz Rana joins us to discuss the Trump doctrine of foreign policy, the evolution of US hegemony since WW2, how the concept of freedom has animated American political thought and identity, and the challenge of political subjectivity. Works mentioned: T he Two Faces of American Freedom , The Constitutional Bind , Workshop on Internationalism and Relations with Liberation Struggles Around the World...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss Iran’s pummeling of US bases in Jordan, the rollout of “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon, Ansarallah’s blockade of Saudi oil transits in the Red Sea, the US-Saudi nuclear agreement, and the status of Venezuela’s oil revenues. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from...

Hakim Adi joins us to discuss the Black radicals who shaped the Comintern, the Black Belt Thesis and the national question, Pan-Africanism through decolonization, and whether the Alliance of Sahel States is a path to African sovereignty. Works mentioned: Pan-Africanism and Communism , Black Bolshevik , Africa Must Unite Prof. Hakim Adi is currently a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Department of Int...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the latest cycle of escalation between the US and Iran, the reopening of the Yemen front, ICE murders in Maine and Texas, the Trump administration’s latest attempts to crack down on the left, and Marco Rubio’s crusade against the ICC. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take mo...

Matthew Petti joins us to discuss the crack-up within the Republican Party’s base over Gaza, Netanyahu’s plan to wind down US military aid, and what the US’s performance in the Iran War portends for the future of great power conflict. Check out Matthew’s latest piece, published on Drop Site, here . You can read some of the other pieces mentioned in the interview here and here . Matthew Petti is an...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the unravelling of the US-Iran MOU, the dissolution of Hamas’s civilian governing body in Gaza, Turkiye’s status in NATO, Rahm Emanuel’s Tel Aviv speech, and Mamdani’s persecution of the NYC Italian community. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. Th...

Nasser Elamine joins us to discuss the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah’s military reemergence, the unity of fronts strategy, and how regional states are responding to the rapidly shifting global order. Works mentioned: Interim Contours , Hezbollah’s Gamble . Nasser Elamine is a senior editor at Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a pan-Arab daily based in London, and a writer/researcher fo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We are joined by Noah and Brendan to discuss the evolution of US foreign policy since World War II, the extent to which Trump marks a decline in American power, and lessons they have learned across six seasons of Blowback. Works mentioned: The Yankee and Cowboy War ; The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000. Our Anti...

Noah Kulwin and Brendan James of Blowback join us to discuss their new mini-series on the history of the US-Israel relationship, how the Cold War turned into the War on Terror, and the current moment of tension over the Iran war. Blowback’s first-ever mini-series, No Daylight , is available now for Blowback subscribers. This is part one of a two-part conversation with Noah and Brendan. In part two...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the passing of our dear friend Alan, a deconfliction mechanism in Lebanon, Israeli troop deployments to Somaliland, the victories of DSA-backed candidates in New York, the repression of anti-ICE protestors in Texas, and Séamus breaks his silence on Ice Cream Truck-Gate. We’re committed to independen...

Torkil Lauesen joins us to discuss the political economy of imperialism and trade, Arghiri Emmanuel’s theory of unequal exchange, political action in the imperial core, his years in prison, and the current geopolitical moment of hegemonic transition. Works mentioned: Unequal Exchange: Past, Present, and Future ; Unequal Exchange . Torkil Lauesen is a communist writer. In 1969 he joined a Maoist ca...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com In this special extended bonus episode, we go point by point through the Memorandum of Understanding to end the Iran War. We also survey some of the most charming reactions from US and Israel officials and media figures. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. Th...

Gerald Horne joins us to discuss writing history from below, whether the legacy of 1776 can be redeemed, settler colonialism as an analytic frame, the US’s Suez moment in Iran, and the challenges of contemporary left electoralism. Works mentioned: The Counter-Revolution of 1776 ; The Capital of Slavery ; The Counter-Revolution of 1836 ; Armed Struggle? ; Abolition Democracy ; Banquo’s Ghost ; Comp...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the return of war to the Persian Gulf, negotiations over an MOU, “dark transits” through Hormuz, a proposed Syrian invasion of Lebanon, Graham Platner’s whole deal, and what the trainwreck at CBS News says about the US-Israel relationship. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or ta...

Lara Sheehi joins us to discuss the legacy of Franz Fanon, what psychoanalysis can offer liberation struggles, Zionism as the denial of Palestinian interiority, and the psychic dimensions of occupation and resistance. Please consider donating to the Lebanon Emergency Relief Fund, here: Tanseqeye Shaabeye Lebanon . Works mentioned: Black Skin, White Masks , Wretched of the Earth , Psychoanalysis Un...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the latest flare-up in the Strait of Hormuz, China’s impact on the global oil market, the new “ceasefire” in Lebanon, the disarmament of militant groups in Iraq, a new plan to militarily integrate the US and Israel, and America’s 250th birthday. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads...

Adam Johnson joins us to discuss his work documenting how the mainstream media supported the Gaza genocide by sanitizing Israeli war crimes, obscuring the US’s role, and systematically dehumanizing Palestinians. Works mentioned: Why Did the Heavens Not Darken? , How to Sell a Genocide . Adam Johnson is co-host of the Citations Needed podcast and author of How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Compli...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss Netanyahu’s non-strategy in Gaza and Lebanon, the draft memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, Trump’s last-ditch Abraham Accords push, and what’s going on with JD Vance. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is en...

José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth of Soberanía join us to discuss a potential US military assault on Cuba, updates from Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico, and the prospects for left internationalism in Latin America. Check out José Luis and Kurt’s podcast, Soberanía. Works mentioned: Despite Trump’s Oil Blockade, the Quiet Resistance of Daily Life Continues in Cuba ; Hond...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the scandalous reporting about a former Iranian president, the perils of situation monitoring, international outrage at Itamar Ben-Gvir, and what Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s fragrant encounter with Donald Trump means for the future of greater Israel. We’re committed to independence and will never run a...

Aamer joins us to discuss the repressive crackdowns in Bahrain amidst the Iran war, the popular uprising in 2011, the history of leftist and Islamist movements in the country, and the shifting geopolitics of the Gulf. Works mentioned: The View from Bahrain , Shouting in the Dark Aamer is a writer and researcher whose work focuses on the Gulf. He looks at the Gulf states’ roles in broader geopoliti...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss Trump’s visit to Beijing, negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz, the budding UAE-Israel alliance, and advancements in Hezbollah’s drone warfare. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded. For $5 a month,...

Salman Abu Sitta joins us to discuss his memories of the Nakba, a practical program for the return of Palestinian refugees, Zionist continuities with the Nazis, and the meaning of intergenerational resistance. Texts mentioned: Mapping My Return , The Atlas of Palestine (1917-1966) , I could have been one of those who broke through the siege on October 7 , Point of No Return . Dr. Salman Abu Sitta...

Navid Zarrinnal joins us from Tehran to discuss the popular mobilizations in support of the war effort, national resilience in the face of economic siege, the prospects of diplomacy with the West, and Iranian support for the Axis of Resistance. Navid Zarrinnal holds a Ph. D. from Columbia University’s Department of Middle East Studies, and has taught in the Global South for the past three years. H...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss Trump’s most recent “plan” for the Iran war, the price of oil, the UAE leaving OPEC, Haredi anti-draft riots in Israel, and the latest updates from Gaza. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded. For $5...