Turbulence

In the second installment of our Political Economy of Genocide series, we are joined by Tim Barker to discuss the role of the defense industry in the US economy, how the trade in weapons shapes foreign policy, and whether the war on Iran is following a capitalist logic. Texts mentioned: Merchants of Death by H.C. Engelbrecht & F.C. Hanighen; How To Ensure Israel Has the Weapons it Needs ; The Insi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We continue our coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran with a discussion of the strategic landscape, Trump’s address to the nation, and whether the US is about to do something extremely stupid. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is enti...

Laleh Khalili joins us to discuss the mechanics, strategy, and economics of Iran’s wartime closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Laleh Khalili is a professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and the author or editor of seven books, including Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration (Cambridge 2007), Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabia...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com Darryl Li joins us to discuss his work deconstructing the concept of the “foreign fighter” and how ideology shapes our perception of who is fighting for what on battlefields from Palestine, to Afghanistan, to Syria, and beyond. Darryl Li is an anthropologist and legal scholar thinking mostly about questions of...

We continue our coverage of what’s been called the “The Ramadan War” with a discussion of the strategic landscape, the supposed ceasefire negotiations, Iran’s development of the “Hormuz weapon,” and the prospects of a US ground invasion. This is a special public release of our News of the Week series, which is usually available exclusively to paid subscribers. We’re committed to independence and w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We continue our coverage of the Iran war with a discussion of shifting US and Israeli strategies, attacks on energy infrastructure, the assassination of Ali Larijani, and Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Please consider donating to support families displaced from southern Lebanon here , here , here , and...

Darryl Li joins us to assess the post-October 7 conjuncture, the US-Israel relationship, and the new regional order emerging out of the Iran war. This is the first part of a two part conversation. Part 2, where we discuss Darryl’s work deconstructing the concept of the “foreign fighter,” will be available as an exclusive for paid subscribers on April 3. Texts mentioned: Arghiri Emmanuel, White-Set...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We continue our coverage of the Iran war with a discussion of the new Supreme Leader, Iranian and American strategic narratives, the Axis of Resistance, and the war’s global economic fallout. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entire...

Helen Yaffe joins us to discuss the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on Cuba, the country’s history of medical internationalism, and Che Guevara’s developmentalist socialism. Helen Yaffe is a Professor of Latin American Political Economy at the University of Glasgow, specialising on Cuba. Since 1995, she has spent time living and researching in Cuba. She is the author of Che Guevara: The...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the rapidly expanding scope, duration, and intensity of the Iran war. Please consider donating to support families displaced from southern Lebanon here , here , here , and here . We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely...

We discuss the US and Israel’s war of aggression on Iran that has dragged the entire region into chaos. This is a special public release of our News of the Week series, which is usually available exclusively to paid subscribers. 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, paid subscribers...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the killing of “El Mencho” in Jalisco, an attempted gusano infiltration of Cuba, a looming war with Iran, SCOTUS knocking down Trump’s tariffs, cases against the Prairieland 19 in Texas and Pal Action in the UK, and Snowgazi in New York City. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or...

In the first installment of our Political Economy of Genocide series, we are joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in war, Silicon Valley’s relationship with Israel, and ongoing resistance within the industry. Texts mentioned: The Eye of the Master by Matteo Pasquinelli Edward Ongweso Jr. is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Most of his work centers ar...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the legal troubles of the British royal family, the inaugural Board of Peace summit, a new military base in Gaza, AOC and Marco Rubio’s performances at the Munich Security Conference, and the US military buildup around Iran. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from i...

Stuart Schrader joins us to discuss the Cold War origins of modern policing, the ongoing ICE and CBP deployments, and Zohran Mamdani’s attempts to reform the NYPD. Stuart Schrader is an associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, where he is the founding director of the Chloe Center for the Critical Study of Racism, Immigration, and Colonialism. He is the author of Blue Power: How...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the blockade of Cuba, the US-Iran negotiations, an anti-immigration plebiscite in Switzerland, ICE’s prospective mass detention centers, and CBP shooting down a party balloon with a laser in El Paso. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means T...

Andreas Krieg joins us to discuss the United Arab Emirates’ regional rivalry with Saudi Arabia, its cultivation of an ‘Axis of Secessionists,’ and what its network-centric geopolitical approach portends for the future of the world system. Texts mentioned: A Thousand Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Dr. Andreas Krieg is an associate professor at the School of Security Studies at King’...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the US-Iran negotiations in Muscat, the end of nuclear non-proliferation, the assassination of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in Libya, oil deals in Syria, and what the Epstein files have revealed about our ruling class. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions....

Abby Martin of Empire Files joins us to discuss the devastating environmental impacts of US militarism, the murder-suicide pact embraced by our ruling class, and Israel’s ecocide in Gaza. Check out Abby’s new film, Earth’s Greatest Enemy , which is on tour now. Abby’s art is available here . Abby Martin is an investigative journalist, filmmaker, and activist whose work focuses on U.S. militarism,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com In part two of our conversation with Jake Romm, we discuss October 7th and its aftermath, and how counter-systemic movements such as Hamas and Ansarallah have attempted to redeem the emancipatory promise of international law. We also discuss Jake’s work with the Hind Rajab Foundation, an organization committed...

Jake Romm joins us to discuss the construction of the liberal international order, the latent imperialism of just war theory, and the legal infrastructure of the war on terror. This is part one of a two part conversation. Part two—in which we cover October 7th, the collapse of the liberal international order, and Jake’s work with the Hind Rajab Foundation—will be released for paid subscribers on J...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the state of the world order as seen from Davos, Ahmed al-Sharaa’s campaign against the Kurds in Syria, the growing possibility of a US military attack on Iran, and the unveiling of Jared Kushner’s Gaza reconstruction plan. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from in...

Abdaljawad Omar joins us to discuss life under occupation in the West Bank, Israel’s strategy of permanence through crisis, and what Palestinian resistance represents from the perspective of world revolution. Works discussed: Israel Seeks Redemption in the Gaza Ruins ; The Grammar of Resistance: Rethinking Palestine Beyond Pity and Fear ; The Anxiety of Liberation . Abdaljawad Omar is a Palestinia...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.com We discuss the Tony Dokoupil Century of Humiliation, NATO’s troop buildup in Greenland, anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, the criminal investigation into Jerome Powell, and the latest developments in Gaza. We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbul...

José Luis Granados Ceja joins us to discuss the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the US’s long war on the Bolivarian Revolution, and what to expect next from the Trump administration in Latin America. José Luis Granados Ceja is a journalist and political analyst based in Mexico City. He previously worked as a staff writer for teleSUR and currently covers Latin America for Drop Sit...