Stephen Zunes Podcast

First published in The Progressive, June 23, 2026. Read by Greg Bates Many of the criticisms being leveled against the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran—namely, that it is not that great a deal—are accurate and worthy of attention. But under the disastrous set of circumstances resulting from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, it is probably the best deal that can be realist...

First published in Truthout, May 5, 2026 U.S. efforts to force an end to the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz by attempting to escort a few U.S.-flagged ships through the Iranian closure will not only fail to relieve the worsening global fuel crisis and disruption of supply chains, it risks a resumption of full-scale war. The Trump administration has rejected Iran’s suggestion for negotiating an...

First published in Truthout , April 17, 2026. Read by Greg Bates Unlike the invasion of Iraq, which received the support of a sizable minority of congressional Democrats, Donald Trump’s war on Iran has received near-universal criticism. Still, the party has focused primarily on process-style critiques — such as the legality of declaring the war under the Constitution and the war’s economic impact...

First published in The Progressive , April 10, 2026. Read by Greg Bates. t is difficult, as of this writing, to speculate as to whether a genuine ceasefire in the war with Iran will take hold, even temporarily. Under previous U.S. presidential administrations, it was easier to make predictions, even when foreign policy decisions were based on faulty assumptions, since there was at least some sense...

First published in The Progressive Magazine, April 3, 2026. Written by Stephen Zunes, Read by Greg Bates. Iran certainly cannot win a war in the face of the massive U.S. and Israeli onslaught. As recent weeks have shown, however, it can still prevent the United States from winning. In a new form of asymmetrical warfare, Iran has proven itself capable of wreaking havoc on the global economy to puni...

First published in Truthout , March 4, 2026. The ramifications of the escalating U.S.-Israeli war on Iran remain to be seen, but they will not be good. Indeed, as with the U.S.-led war on Iraq, the war on Iran could prove disastrous. It is important to understand, therefore, what would motivate the United States to launch such a reckless, illegal, and destructive action. Not surprisingly, most of...

By Daniel Falcone First published in Foreign Piolicy in Focus, January 28, 2026 In this interview, international relations scholar Stephen Zunes and Middle East historian Lawrence Davidson help to unpack the Iranian protests and explain their relevance within the context of U.S. and Israeli national interests. Daniel Falcone : Jeffrey St. Clair of CounterPunch, recently cited filmmaker Jafar Panah...

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First published in The Progressive, Janury 6, 2026. Read by Greg Bates. The U.S. attack on Venezuela resulted from having an incredibly corrupt and autocratic-minded President using his office to enrich himself and his supporters, deploying the country’s armed forces against his own citizens, abusing the justice system to punish political opponents, and manipulating the electoral process to try to...

First published in The Nation November 25, 2025 Transcript As US forces continue to engage in illegal attacks on boats in the Caribbean and with the growing threat of direct US military intervention in Venezuela, you might be wondering, “What happened to Trump’s promises to avoid foreign military entanglements?” In reality, Trump was never the anti-interventionist he claimed to be. When running fo...

First published in The Progressive , November 20, 2025. Also available on the Stephen Zunes Podcast. Transcript There is much to admire about U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who recently announced her plan to retire in 2027 after thirty-nine years in office, including her progressive domestic agenda, superb legislative skills, and groundbreaking role as the first female Congressional lead...

First published in The Nation , November 13, 2025. Read by Greg Bates. Also available as a podcast. Transcript On October 31, the United States successfully pushed a resolution ( UNSC 2797 ) through the United Nations Security Council largely endorsing a dubious “autonomy” proposal by Morocco which would recognize its takeover of the nation of Western Sahara. The kingdom, with US support, seized t...

First published in The Progressive , October 8, 2025. Read by Greg Bates. A text is available at the Stephen Zunes substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

First published in The Progressive , October 16, 2025. Read by Greg Bates. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

Also available as text on the Stephen Zunes Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

A text version is available at the Stephen Zunes Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

This is also available as a text on the Stephen Zunes Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

First published in New Lines Magazine , February 14, 2025. Text available on the Stephen Zunes Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

Originally published in The Progressive March 6, 2025. Read by Greg Bates This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

This audio version of an op-ed that was first published inthe Santa Cruz Sentinel can also be read by subscribing to the free Stephen Zunes substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

Originally published in The Progressive , April 11 2025. Read by Greg Bates On March 15, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz informed fellow Trump Administration officials through their now-infamous Signal chat that a U.S. missile attack had resulted in the collapse of an apartment building filled with Yemeni civilians. Vice President J.D. Vance replied, “Excellent.” This is a public episode....

First published in Middle East Policy , Volume. 4, Issue 4, October 1996 Note from Greg: This article, first published nearly 40 years ago, provides both the history of US aid to Israel and illuminates the essential continuities that have persisted and continue today. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes9...

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This is the audio to a post sent earlier this morning. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe

June 19, 2025. Read by Greg Bates. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephenzunes962006.substack.com/subscribe