A preview of Blowback 's new mini-series: No Daylight . A three-part study of the turbulent times in the U.S.-Israel relationship, you can receive exclusive access to it by signing up here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Cold War ends. Apartheid falls. But Savimbi's war continues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The fate of southern Africa is decided at Cuito Cuanavale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Reagan Doctrine puts Angola in the crosshairs as aid to UNITA is uncorked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Reagan arrives, emboldening South Africa and Savimbi. The MPLA hangs on. Cuba recommits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carter goes Cold Warrior. Savimbi visits Washington. Angola loses a founding father. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The MPLA and Jimmy Carter struggle to find their footing. Jonas Savimbi licks his wounds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
South Africa invades. Cuba intervenes. Angola becomes independent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What lies ahead for Blowback in 2026? A mini-series on Israel and America, a comic book, our seventh season and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Delving into Cuba's early revolutionary foreign policy, this episode chronicles Portugal's violent struggle to retain its Angolan colony against burgeoning nationalist movements like the MPLA and FNLA. It highlights the devastating impact of the "Year of Africa" on Angola, the US's strategic support for Portugal despite atrocities, and the shifting alliances with Cold War powers like the Soviet Union and China. The narrative also uncovers the internal conflicts, corruption, and betrayals within the liberation groups, culminating in South Africa's growing involvement and the MPLA's precarious position on the eve of a major turning point.
The episode traces Portugal's long and brutal colonization of Angola, highlighting its shift from slave trade to a system of forced labor and resource extraction, particularly diamonds and coffee. It examines how Dr. Antonio Salazar's authoritarian Estado Novo cemented this exploitation and introduced white settlers, mirroring South Africa's apartheid. Against this backdrop, early Angolan nationalist movements like the FNLA and MPLA emerged, each seeking independence with varied international support amidst the escalating Cold War.
An introduction to and overview of our sixth season: the story of Angola, Cuba, and apartheid South Africa's Cold War showdown. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
New episodes drop September 22. This season, Cuba sends an army to defend newly independent Angola from the combined forces of apartheid South Africa, the CIA, and one of the most infamous warlords of Africa. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Wounded but not destroyed, Cambodia staggers into the 21st century. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vietnam ends Democratic Kampuchea and the US backs the Khmer Rouge. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Khmer Rouge horrors spiral toward conflict with an ex-comrade: Vietnam. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cambodia slips into darkness, as the Khmer Rouge seize the country. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The short-lived reign of the Khmer Republic; the end of Nixon. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One Cambodian coup, two US invasions and an unlikely American friend: China. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nixon and Kissinger put Cambodia on the menu. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sihanouk struggles to keep Cambodia out of LBJ's war in Vietnam. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Indochina rises up, the French Empire ends, the Cold War begins. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A prelude and a primer to this season's story: the tragedy of Cambodia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode explores America's final withdrawal from Afghanistan, beginning with Donald Trump's push for a peace deal with the Taliban and its eventual execution under Joe Biden. It delves into the internal power struggles within the Taliban, the controversial exclusion of the Afghan government from negotiations, and the resulting humanitarian crisis. The episode also reflects on the long-term legacies of foreign intervention, including the devastating human cost, the opium trade, and the ironic continuation of complex alliances, drawing parallels to historical patterns of US foreign policy in the region and beyond.
This episode delves into the Obama administration's approach to the war in Afghanistan, revealing how promises of a "good war" were undermined by deception, corruption, and a lack of clear strategy. It highlights the escalation of troops, the controversial counter-insurgency plan, and the pervasive corruption within the Afghan government, exacerbated by American aid. The narrative also critically examines the raid on Osama bin Laden, presenting alternative theories about Pakistan's involvement and the broader geopolitical machinations at play.
Following the initial invasion, the U.S. subverted its own nation-building efforts by empowering a network of hated warlords and criminals, often on the CIA payroll, who profited immensely from a resurgent opium trade. This chaotic period, marked by human rights abuses in secret prisons and a profound lack of development, saw a brave activist challenge the corrupt new government. Meanwhile, U.S. allies like Pakistan secretly aided the Taliban, laying the groundwork for further destabilization despite claims of victory.
This episode details the Bush administration's initial response to 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, covering diplomatic efforts to build a coalition and domestic legislative changes like the Patriot Act. It exposes controversial tactics, including CIA covert operations and the installation of Hamid Karzai, while highlighting the significant human cost and the elusive hunt for Osama bin Laden. The discussion also touches on war crimes and the broader implications for the U.S. national security state.
The episode traces the expansion of Al-Qaeda's network from Afghanistan to Bosnia, the Philippines, and Algeria, highlighting US intelligence failures and political inaction despite clear warnings about Osama bin Laden. It meticulously documents how 9/11 hijackers Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi entered the US and received Saudi support, despite FBI alerts being suppressed. The narrative culminates in the 9/11 attacks, the Pentagon strike, and President Bush's declaration of a global war on terror, including a severe ultimatum to Pakistan.
The warlord years, and the rise of the Taliban. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode details the US-backed Operation Cyclone in Afghanistan, highlighting how the US and its allies actively worked to prolong the Soviet-Afghan War despite Soviet efforts to withdraw. It explores the geopolitical strategies, the role of figures like Bill Casey and Charlie Wilson, the use of advanced weaponry like Stinger missiles, and the unforeseen consequences including the rise of drug trafficking, Pakistan's nuclear ambitions, and the emergence of groups like al-Qaeda. The narrative concludes with the complex Soviet withdrawal and the immediate aftermath, setting the stage for Afghanistan's descent into warlordism.
