As the Russia-Ukraine war opens a new phase in the Donbas, scholar Richard Sakwa on the absence of diplomacy; the Western media's veneration of Zelensky; the European Union's self-implosion over the war; and the crackdown on dissent in both Ukraine and Russia. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War." Support Pushback: ht...
Apr 21, 2022•43 min
As the Russia-Ukraine war enters a new phase, former Swiss intelligence officer, senior United Nations official, and NATO advisor Jacques Baud analyzes the conflict and argues that the US and its allies are exploiting Ukraine in a longstanding campaign to bleed its Russian neighbor. Guest: Jacques Baud. Former intelligence officer with the Swiss Strategic Intelligence Service who has served in a number of senior security and advisory positions at NATO, the United Nations, and with the Swiss mili...
Apr 12, 2022•40 min
Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate speak live with ex-UN weapons inspector and military expert Scott Ritter about the Russia-Ukraine war. Ritter provides a detailed analysis of the battlefield that stands in stark contrast to the rose-colored perspective of most Western analysts, and offers his perspective on the political follies that drove the conflict. Guest: Scott Ritter. Former UN Weapons Inspector and Marine Corps Intelligence O...
Mar 23, 2022•2 hr 43 min
Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Chas Freeman, a retired senior US diplomat, analyzes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US role, and the geopolitical fallout. "Everything we are doing, rather than accelerate an end to the fighting and some compromise, seems to be aimed at prolonging the fighting," Freeman says. Guest: Chas Freeman. Veteran U.S. diplomat and public servant who has served in many senior positions, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Sec...
Mar 22, 2022•53 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Former senior advisor the Secretary of Defense Col. Doug Macgregor joins Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté for a live discussion of the Russia-Ukraine war and his time in the Trump administration when an Afghan withdrawal was sabotaged and conflict with Iran and Syria continued. Guest: Douglas Macgregor, retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor.
Mar 15, 2022•2 hr 16 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As the wife of key Russiagate figure George Papadopoulos, attorney Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos had a front-row seat to the Trump-Russia saga. Mangiante discusses the role of Russiagate in sabotaging diplomacy with Russia and fueling the post-2014 proxy war in Ukraine, as well her new documentary film, "Ukraine: The Everlasting Present." Guest: Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos. Attorney and former EU legal advisor. Join Aaron on Callin...
Mar 13, 2022•35 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Russia has accused the US of waging 'economic war' as it faces crippling sanctions, the seizure of its foreign reserves, and an exodus of Western corporations. Ben Aris of bne IntelliNews discusses the economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inside Russia and around the world. Guest: Ben Aris. Founder and editor of bne IntelliNews. www.bne.eu
Mar 11, 2022•40 min
After eight years of civil war in the Donbas triggered by the US-backed, far-right-led Maidan coup and fueled by US weapons, Ukraine is now under a catastrophic Russian assault. Scholar Nicolai Petro on the tragedy of Ukraine. Guest: Nicolai Petro. Professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island, editor of "Ukraine in Crisis," and the author of the forthcoming "The Tragedy of Ukraine." He is also a member of the board of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord.
Mar 10, 2022•47 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate After weeks of US claims that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Vladimir Putin instead recognized the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. The decision has triggered a new round of US-led sanctions while bringing attention to rebel-held areas, where, according to UN figures on the Donbas war, 80% of civilian casualties have occurred since 2018. Professor Richard Sakwa analyzes the factors behind Putin's move, and its...
Feb 23, 2022•43 min
Aaron Maté and Max Blumenthal speak with Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitri Polyanskiy, on escalated tensions on the Russian-Ukraine border, US accusations of an imminent Russian invasion, and the context missing from a US media that refuses to interview Russian officials. Guest: Dmitri Polyanskiy. Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations.
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a 2020 candidate, Joe Biden vowed to "end the sale" of weapons to Saudi Arabia "murdering children" and other "innocent people" in Yemen. As president, Biden has continued US support for the Saudi-led war and pushed through new weapons sales. Last week, at least 90 Yemenis were killed in a Saudi attack using a Raytheon-made bomb. Shireen Al-Adeimi discusses Biden's Yemen betrayal and how Congressional opposition to the Saudi-led w...
Jan 31, 2022•24 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US is pouring more weapons into Ukraine amid bellicose threats against Russia and the US-backed Saudi war on Yemen continues to massacre civilians. But not everyone sees a downside: “I fully expect we’re going to see some benefit from it,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said this week of these and other flashpoints. Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and author of “The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American W...
Jan 28, 2022•52 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US and UK are ramping up threats to Russia over Ukraine by sending more weapons, vowing more sanctions, and lodging evidence-free claims of a Russian plot to install a pro-Kremlin leader. But comments by Germany's navy chief that Russia "deserves respect" -- leading to his resignation -- underscore that not everyone is on board with Washington and London's war fever. Scholar and author Richard Sakwa discusses the latest in the Uk...
Jan 24, 2022•45 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate After defeating the US and its allies' decade-long dirty war, Syria is finding ways to rebuild under US military occupation and crippling sanctions/economic warfare. Author Tim Anderson discusses Syria's post-war recovery under sanctions and occupation; routine Israeli bombings and Russia's failure to stop them; Syria joining China's Belt and Road Initiative; and, in the wake of recent New York Times exposes on deadly US airstrikes t...
Jan 21, 2022•44 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Douglas Macgregor, a retired US Army Colonel and former Pentagon senior advisor, analyzes the US-Russia standoff in Ukraine; the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Trump's failure to act on 2016 campaign anti-interventionist rhetoric, only to surround himself with neocons; and the ongoing, overlooked US military occupation of Syria after the decade-long CIA dirty war. "The Military Industrial Congressional Complex," Mac...
Jan 05, 2022•37 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate New reports explore how the OPCW suppressed findings that undermined US-led allegations of a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. Dr. Piers Robinson and Aaron Maté discuss the latest revelations on how the OPCW censored science. Senior OPCW officials doctored the original report; erased the conclusions of expert toxicologists who ruled out chlorine gas as the cause of death; and thwarted the key investigate area of ...
Dec 14, 2021•45 min
At the Vienna talks on restoring the Iran nuclear deal, the US and EU are accusing Iran of refusing to compromise. Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor advising the Iran delegation in Vienna, says that the compromise was the nuclear deal itself, and the problem is the US refusal to abide by its own commitments and lift the sanctions that target Iranian civilians. Guest: Mohammad Marandi. Professor at the University of Tehran and adviser to the Iran delegation at talks on restoring ...
Dec 08, 2021•46 min
Russia is seeking a legally binding pledge that NATO will stop expanding east, including to Ukraine. If the US refuses, is war next? Scholar and author Richard Sakwa analyzes the growing Russia-Ukraine conflict and how Russiagate fueled it. Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands" and his latest, "Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www...
Dec 05, 2021•52 min
Brian Jackson, a keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer, put out a string of legendary albums with his music partner Gil Scott-Heron, in the 1970s. Jackson discusses the duo's prolific, influential run and some of their most famous songs, including "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", "The Bottle", and "Winter in America." He also talks about current projects, including a new album on the label Jazz is Dead. Guest: Brian Jackson. Keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and pro...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min
One year ago this month, a conflict broke out in Ethiopia when the TPLF -- the country's former ruling party -- attacked government forces in what it claimed was a preemptive strike. Thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused the US of backing the TPLF to overthrow his government. Hermela Aregawi, an Ethiopian-American journalist of Tigrayan descent, argues that Western media has distorted the Ethiopian war in support of sanctions...
Nov 18, 2021•36 min
Igor Danchenko, the main source for the Clinton-campaign funded Steele dossier, has been indicted for lying to the FBI. The indictment's revelations are humiliating for the influential political, media, and intelligence voices who promoted Steele as credible, and raise new questions about the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia probe. Veteran journalist Barry Meier, author of "Spooked", and Aaron Maté discuss. Guest: Barry Meier. A veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His latest book is "S...
Nov 15, 2021•42 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate In his new documentary "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación), filmmaker Juan Carlos Dávila goes inside Puerto Rico's social movements as they resist crippling Washington-imposed austerity and provide life-saving mutual aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Guest: Juan Carlos Dávila. Journalist and documentary filmmaker whose new documentary is "Drills of Liberation" (Simulacros de liberación). https://twitter.com/juanc...
Nov 12, 2021•37 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a CIA analyst, David McCloskey covered Syria from 2008 to 2014. He draws on his experience for his new spy thriller, "Damascus Station," set during the early years of the Syrian war. David McCloskey joins Aaron Maté to discuss "Damascus Station"; the early years of the Syrian war; the role of foreign powers including the US; the US decision to support the insurgency despite knowing that Al Qaeda and other Salafi jihadist groups we...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate As a top investigator on the House Intelligence Committee, Kash Patel helped uncover the Clinton campaign's funding of the Steele dossier and the FBI's extensive and deceptive reliance on it. Patel joins Aaron Maté to discuss Steele's new attempt to defend his discredited work via a softball interview with ABC News. Patel also addresses the key role of newly indicted Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann in hiring and overseeing another he...
Oct 28, 2021•43 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate On the eve of the 2020 presidential election U.S. media outlets and social media platforms censored reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop, based on the evidence-free claim that the story was "Russian disinformation." In his new book "The Bidens: Inside the First Family’s 50-Year Rise to Power," Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger authenticates multiple emails from that laptop as part of a deep look at the Biden family and...
Oct 17, 2021•35 min
In his new book "Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War," scholar Samuel Moyn argues that post-9/11 efforts to reform the conduct of US military operations have ultimately sanitized and prolonged the underlying illegal warfare. Moyn discusses the Obama administration's key role in sanitizing warfare and how it undermined the US anti-war movement. He also addresses criticism of how the legendary human rights attorney Michael Ratner factors into his book's arguments. Gues...
Oct 15, 2021•44 min
Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Glenn Greenwald weighs in on a series of new embarrassments for the Russiagate disinformation campaign targeting the US public: Hunter Biden's laptop confirmed; Hillary Clinton's lawyer indicted; and 'Havana syndrome' debunked. Plus, the CIA's war on Julian Assange. Guest: Glenn Greenwald. Independent journalist who writes at https://greenwald.substack.com/.
Oct 03, 2021•50 min
As the Biden administration continues to seek the extradition of Julian Assange, new details have emerged about the Trump administration's secret war against Assange and his organization, Wikileaks. Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News discusses his team's explosive reporting on the CIA plot to surveil, kidnap, and even kill Assange -- all overseen by Michael Pompeo. Isikoff and Aaron Maté also debate Russia's role in the Assange controversy, particularly the allegation that Russia stole Democratic Par...
Sep 30, 2021•41 min
After being toppled in the war's early months, the Taliban managed to defeat the US military and return to power 20 years later. Author and scholar Antonio Giustozzi on how the Taliban beat the world's most powerful army and what the future holds under its rule. Guest: Antonio Giustozzi. Senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and visiting professor at King’s College London. His books include "The Islamic State in Khorasan" and "The Taliban at War." Support Pushback at Patr...
Sep 12, 2021•42 min
Released 50 years ago, Marvin Gaye's album "What's Going On" remains just as relevant today. David Ritz, author of "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye" and friend/collaborator of the late singer, on the lasting power of Gaye's 1971 timeless anti-war masterpiece. Guest: David Ritz. Author and songwriter whose many books include "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye." Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr
