On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our deep dive into Afghanistan and the war waged by U.S. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20+ years. This time Prof. Muhammad Sahimi, an astute commentator on Iran, joins me to discuss his latest Antiwar.Com article "The Fake Image of ‘Democratic’ Afghanistan Made by the US Collapses With the Taliban Victory" . Why did the U.S. military adventure in Afghanistan fail and does the involvement of the U.S. involvement in the country actually stretch ...
Aug 23, 2021•55 min•Ep. 511
On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our "Reflections on Afghanistan" series. This time we speak with Princeton University international law scholar Richard A. Falk about the parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan and what it says about the nature of post-colonial wars. Specifically, Falk notes how even a superior military force seems primed to lose in an occupation against a "weaker" nation. We discuss this issue more in-depth as well as dealing with a number of other issues. Among...
Aug 22, 2021•50 min•Ep. 510
On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue are reflection on the U.S. war in Afghanistan and its closure. This time we're joined with retired CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professional for Sanity Ray McGovern joins us to discuss his articles "Hold the Generals Accountable This Time" (Antiwar.Com; 2021) and "Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President" (Common Dreams; 2009). Ray McGovern relate some stories that draw parallels between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War and als...
Aug 20, 2021•43 min•Ep. 509
On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our series exploring the past 20 years of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan. Dr. Stephen Zunes, founder of the Middle East Studies Program at USF, joins us to discuss his thoughts on the latest developments as well as to pushback on attacks on Biden's decision to withdrawal, especially from the right-wing. Additionally, Dr. Zunes and I spend a great deal of time discussing why he was against the invasion and bombing of Afghanistan by U.S. fo...
Aug 19, 2021•53 min•Ep. 507
On this edition of Parallax Views, protests against the Taliban in Jalalabad have been met with violent crackdowns. Hours before this development J.G. spoke with Patrick Cockburn, a long-time journalist at The Independent specializing in Middle East wars, about the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban. Given recent developments Patrick's thoughts, particularly his belief that the Taliban would engage in more violent crackdowns and had not moderated, seems pertinent and perhaps even ominous. I...
Aug 19, 2021•46 min•Ep. 508
On this edition of Parallax Views, we begin a series of conversations with different guests about the past 20 years of U.S. military adventurism and what comes next for both the U.S. and Afghanistan in the coming years now that the Taliban has retaken the country. First in our series is Doug Bandow, former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and a regular writer at Antiwar.Com, the Cato Institute, and The American Conservative. We discuss the lessons that could be learned from the U.S. ...
Aug 17, 2021•29 min•Ep. 506
On this edition of Parallax Views, the Ghani-led government in Afghanistan has collapsed and the Taliban has retaken the nation in light of the U.S. withdrawal. Joining us to unravel the latest developments in this monumental story that is at the very epicenter of foreign policy discussion today is Jason Ditz, news editor at Antiwar.Com. We'll discuss a number of issues including how seemingly everyone was blindsided by how fast the Ghani government collapsed and how quickly the Taliban complete...
Aug 17, 2021•53 min•Ep. 505
On this edition of Parallax Views, the Ghani-led government in Afghanistan has collapsed and the Taliban has retaken the nation in light of the U.S. withdrawal. Joining us to unravel the latest developments in this monumental story that is at the very epicenter of foreign policy discussion today is Jason Ditz, news editor at Antiwar.Com. We'll discuss a number of issues including how seemingly everyone was blindsided by how fast the Ghani government collapsed and how quickly the Taliban complete...
Aug 16, 2021•52 min•Ep. 504
On this edition of Parallax Views, a plot by a Michigan militia to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has gained much media attention in light of renewed concerns over domestic extremism, especially in light of the Jan 6th Capitol breach. The story of the kidnapping plot, however, has a thickening plot now as Buzzfeed reported in July 2021 of the FBI's involvement in this story vis-à-vis its informants. Branko Marcetic of Jacobin joins us on this edition of the show to discuss his article on the subje...
Aug 14, 2021•57 min•Ep. 503
On this edition of Parallax Views, it's another episode of the program about the Washington, D.C. foreign policy "Blob" and its discontents. Recently, the Quincy Institute, a trans-partisan coalition of conservatives, progressives, and libertarians calling for a more restraint-based foreign policy, has increasingly come under fire for its attempt to shake-up U.S. foreign policy discourse. Specifically, a new essay by political scientists John Ikenberry and Daniel Deudney has sought to critique w...
Aug 12, 2021•39 min•Ep. 502
On this edition of Parallax Views, can any valuable lessons be gleaned from examining both the accomplishments and failings of radical activist leaders fighting for Civil Rights, an end to the Vietnam War, and economic justice in the 1960s? In their new book By the Light of Burning Dreams: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Second American Revolution the brother and sister duo of David and Margaret Talbot make the case, through the profiling of a number of radical political activists in the 60s, ...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 500
NOTE: PODBEAN WAS ORIGINALLY ONLY PLAYING THE 1ST 20 MINUTES OF THIS INTERVIEW. THIS WAS FIXED APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 42 MINUTES AFTER PUBLICATION. THE GLITCH HAS BEEN FIXED AND THE FULL INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE. THE FULL EPISODE WITH INTRO AND OUTRO GOES ABOUT 68 MINUTES. On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist and documentarian Abby Martin joins us to discuss her work exposing the Empire, from her hit shows like the Empire Files and Breaking the Set to her recent appearance on the Joe Ro...
Aug 07, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 499
On this edition of Parallax Views, are we witnessing the decline of U.S. primacy geopolitically? Our guest on this edition of the program, Harvard University's Dr. Stephen Walt, author of The Hell of Good Intetions: America's Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy , says that that's the case. He joins us to unravel what's been called the D.C. foreign policy blob, give an assessment of the Trump administration and its aftermath, and discuss his latest op-ed in Foreign Policy magazin...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 498
On this edition of Parallax Views, Friday, August 6th and 9th, 2021 will mark the 76th anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Joining us to discuss the bombing from a critical perspective is Prof. Peter Kuznick, co-author with Oliver Stone of the hit documentary series (and its companion book) The Untold History of the United States . Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, makes t...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 496
On this edition of Parallax Views, Trump loyalist Tom Barrack was recently arrested on explosive charges of acting as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Whether you're still Trump-obsessed or flat-pout Trump fatigued, or you (in many ways rightfully) think we should move on with Biden, this story may prove more important than anyone realizes. And it may cast a different light on Russiagate and the Mueller investigation that puts the mainlight spotlight on Trump the UAE. But, as ...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 495
On this edition of Parallax Views, the mighty Ken Silverstein, chief journalist and editor at Washington Babylon, the website devoted to "Shocking True Stories and Political Sleaze" in stately Capitol Hill, returns to expose a gaggle of grifters in the political arena. We begin by discussing the perennial GOP dirty trickster himself Roger Stone, the man with a tacky Richard Nixon tattoo on his back, and how Trump loyalists like him manipulated the rabble when it came to the events ion January 6t...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 494
On this edition of Parallax Views, former Washington Post journalist Jefferson Morley took on the Central Intelligence Agency in federal court for a daunting 16 years. Morley struggles related to the release of files around the JFK assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, an enigmatic figure known as George Joannides, and the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. He details all this in his new book Morley V CIA: My Unfinished JFK Investigation . But this isn't simply a book about the JFK assassination. It's no...
Jul 28, 2021•59 min•Ep. 493
On this edition of Parallax Views, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale is about to face sentencing under the Espionage Act. Since the recording of this episode Daniel has been sentenced to 45 months in prison. Hale blew the whistle on U.S. drone program under conscientious grounds. Now he faces 9 years or more imprison for his leaks. Joining us to tell the story of Daniel Hale and the United States federal Government's actions against him is journliast Kevin Gosztola, who previously joined the progr...
Jul 27, 2021•43 min•Ep. 492
On this edition of Parallax Views, the private Israeli firm NSO Group has been making headlines over the past week due it its sale of a surveillance technology known as Pegasus. A form of spyware, Pegasus has made its ways into the hands of elements in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. It appears to have been used to target not only the fiancé of the assassinated Jamal Kashoggi, but also dissident journalists in Mexico who ran afoul of corrupt official and drug cartels. What to make sense of th...
Jul 26, 2021•56 min•Ep. 491
On this edition of Parallax Views, tech billionaire Peter Thiel, known for his libertarian and conservative political leanings, infamously backed Donald Trump's successful 2016 Presidential bid. Although Trump may be out of office, Thiel hasn't given up on using his immense wealth to back political candidates presenting themselves as "populists" in the Trumpian mold. For example, he has contributed to the Senate campaign of Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance in Ohio. He's also contributed $10 mil...
Jul 24, 2021•42 min•Ep. 490
On this edition of Parallax Views, the Vermont-based ice cream company Ben and Jerry's has recently caused a bit of an uproar over its decision to stop selling its product in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This has cause current Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu to speak out. Additionally politicians in the U.S., from Oklahoma to Texas, are calling for the banning of Ben and Jerry's. It may seem like a frivolous issue, but re...
Jul 23, 2021•38 min•Ep. 489
On this edition of Parallax Views, controversial Fox News personality Tucker Carlson caused an uproar recently when he alleged that he has been spied on by the NSA (National Security Agency). Pointing aside one's opinions of either Carlson or his allegations, Parallax Views wanted to delve into the issue of domestic surveillance program and how the could potentially be abused in way that could target activists of the left and right. Are there ways in which the real issue of domestic extremism ca...
Jul 22, 2021•40 min•Ep. 488
On this edition of Parallax Views, the recent protests in Cuba were, in some regards, boosted by hip hop artists like rapper Yotuel Romero of the Cuban hip hop group Orishnas. Journalist Alan MacLeod, in a recent article for Mint Press News entitled "The Bay of Tweets: Documents Point to US Hand in Cuba Protests", details how taxpayer dollars have been allocated to musicians, specifically hip hop artists, that are seen as potentially useful in stoking unrest and protest against the Cuban governm...
Jul 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 487
On this edition of Parallax Views, yes, that's right it's the Cuba episode. Protests in Cuba have been taking the news media by the storm the past week. Some are arguing that U.S. foreign policy, particularly the embargo on Cuba, led to material conditions (ie: medical shortages) which, they say, played a role in sparking the unrest. Others, such as the Mayor of Miami, Florida, Francis X. Suarez, are calling for critical support of the protesters in Cuba. The aforementioned Mayor Suarez even wen...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 486
On this edition of Parallax Views, last month the Director of National Intelligence dropped a highly-anticipated and much covered in the media report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) or, as it's more commonly known, the phenomena of UFO sightings. The report didn't, it turns out, offer any revelations about little green men. Or maybe that's part of the cover-up? Joining us to unpack the report, as well as to examine some of the troubling aspects of the UFO subculture, is Jack Brewer, the m...
Jul 18, 2021•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 484
On this edition of Parallax Views, the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated on July 7th. Details are still emerging, but it appears that the culprits were Colombian. The plot thickens as it also appears these Colombians were the hired guns of a private security firm based in Miami, Florida. Said firm is apparently connected to Venezuela and a Venezuelan expat. The Colombians seem to be implying that they were patsies. These details raise the specter of a phenomena that has become ...
Jul 15, 2021•34 min•Ep. 485
On this edition of Parallax Views, the President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Andrew Bacevich joins Parallax Views for an in-depth discussion on the history of the D.C. "Blob", U.S. foreign policy, and his thoughtful new book After the Apocalypse: America's Role in a World Transformed . 2020 was a year full of tumult from the COVID-19 pandemic to the protests against racial injustice in the aftermath of George Flloyd's death. And then, there is the increasingly concerning i...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 480
On this edition of Parallax Views, a new podcast on iHeart Radio is making waves by revisiting, in light of last summer's Black Lives Matter protests in response to the death of George Floyd, the Ferguson uprisings of 2014 and the strange death of a young man in their series After the Uprising . Those uprisings came about after the death of Michael Brown and caused renewed discussion about policy brutality and racism. They were also followed by a series of strange deaths, most notably that of 24...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 483
On this edition of Parallax Views, most American citizens imagine tax havens as all being located in the U.S. But what if some of America's most wealthy, the ultrarich, had what amounted to a tax haven right here in the U.S. of A? ProPublica and its crack team of reporters may have just blown the lid off that very possibility in their explosive investigation "Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank" . On...
Jul 05, 2021•26 min•Ep. 482
On this edition of Parallax Views, we celebrate the 4th of July by having critical meta-discussion about American history and how it is constructed with the one and only William Hogeland, popular historian and author of such books as Autumn of the Black Snake , Declaration , Founding Finance , and The Whiskey Rebellion . In the course of our conversation we discuss his new blog Hogeland's Bad History on Substack and take a deep dive into problems related to how everyday American citizens and ser...
Jul 03, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 481
