Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

The Geopolitical Implications of the Assad Regime's Fall in Syria w/ Wahid Azal

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On this edition of Parallax Views, independent scholar and political commentator Wahid Azal, founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order, returns to discuss the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria by Syrian rebels groups, most notably the HTS led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. This conversation deal specifically with the geopolitical implications of Assad's fall & Azal's contention that this marks the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic of Iran and a death blow to the "Axis of Resistance" (Syria, Hezbollah, Iran). We'll also discuss concerns Azal has pertaining to the Syrian rebels and jihadism as well as looking at the role of Turkey in Syria and the broader Middle East. The Abraham Accords, Israel, Gaza, the Gulf monarchies, NATO and the U.S., Islamism, imperialism, and much more will also be covered in this conversation.

"A Profound Shift in the Regional Strategic Order": Syria & Assad's Overthrow w/ Steven Simon

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On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our coverage of Syria and the toppling of the Assad regime. Time the Quincy Institute's Steven N. Simon, who covered Syria on the NSC for Presidents Clinton and Obama, discusses the winners and losers in lieu of Assad's overthrow. The big winner according to Steven Simon? Israel. And the big losers? Russia and Iran. We'll also discuss the Syrian rebels who were pivotal in the events that have transpired, specifically the Islamist HTS led by Muhammad al-Joulani. Additionally, Steven will give his thoughts on both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump's response to this moment that Steven calls "a profound shift in the regional strategic order" for the Middle East. And, of course, we will be discussing such topics as Israel's deployment of troops in the Golan Heights, Erdogan's Turkey and the situation of the Kurds in northern Syria, and much, much more.

Assad Toppled by Syrian Rebels in a Tectonic Shift for the Middle East w/ James Dorsey

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Recording Date: 12-08-24

On this edition of Parallax Views, Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria as the country's rebels have taken over the capital, Damascus. Assad has been President of Syria since 2000. His toppling at the hands of Syrian rebels, most notably Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, represents a historic moment both for Syria, which has been ravaged by a civil war since March 2011, and the wider Middle East. What does this mean for all the various players in the region such as Iran, Turkey, the U.S., Russia, the Kurds, Islamic State, and, perhaps most importantly, Syria itself? In order to answer some of these questions, journalist, scholar, and frequent Parallax Views guest James M. Dorsey returned to the program to unpack this historic moment. We'll discuss the potential scenarios for Syria's future, the question of HTS and its relationship to ultra-conservative Sunni Islam, jihadism, the winners and losers in this moment of Syria's history, the Syrian Civil War, Obama's record in Syria, U.S. President-elect Trump's comments that the U.S. should not get involved in Syria going forward, and much, much more!

Emmanuel Macron & the French Government's Collapse w/ Marlon Ettinger & Olly Haynes

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Recording Date: 12-07-24

On this edition of Parallax Views, the past week on Wednesday the French government effectively collapsed when a no-confidence vote at the National Assembly toppled Prime Minister Michael Barnier. Not since 1962 has a moment of akin to this one happened in the French political scene. Joining J.G. to unpack it all are journalist and friend of the show Marlon Ettinger as well as Olly Haynes, who alongside Marlon co-hosts the FLAP24 (French Legislative Assembly Podcast 2024; formerly FLEP24).

We'll discuss a number of issues related to this historic moment including France's President Emmanuel Macron blaming a "coalition of the irresponsible" for the no-confidence vote (in other words, blaming the far-right and far-left), Barnier's austerity budget, the authoritarian streak and "Jupiterian" ethos of Macron, Marine Le Pen and the National Rally (formerly the National Front), the French left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the failures of Emmanuel Macron, challenging the narrative of Macron as a centrist liberal, and much, much more. Will also discuss Marlon's recent op-ed in the New York Times entitled "Marine Le Pen Is Holding France Hostage".

Nina Burleigh on Trump 2.0, the GOP's American Freakshow, & Her Novel Zero Visibility Possible

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Recording Date: 11-25-24

On this edition of Parallax Views, author and investigative journalist Nina Burleigh returns to discuss a potpourri of topics related to upcoming 2nd Trump Presidency after the 2024 election defeat of Kamala Harris. Nina is currently a contributing editor and writer at The New Republic and has authored such books as Virus: Vaccinations, the CDC, and the Hijacking of America's Response to the Pandemic, Golden Handcuffs: The Secret History of Trump's Women, and, most recently, her first novel, Zero Visibility Possible. The conversation initially came about due to Nina's New Republic piece, "Trump 2.0: Here Comes the Night". We'll discuss what she expects out of Trump's second Presidency as well as some recent pieces from her Substack blog American Freakshow, which chronicles the carnival-esque grotesquerie and excess of the 21st century GOP. Additionally, Nina will preview her new novel, the aforementioned Zero Visibility Possible, which deals with the madness of America in an age of fake news, mass violence, disinformation, and the breakdown of consensus reality.

In terms of Nina's American Freakshow blog we'll discuss her articles "Predators’ Ball", about the creeps who Trump have surrounded himself around (with a particular focus in this conversation on Trump's Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth), and "God and Guns in Pennsylvania", in which Nina goes over her experiences attending a Pennsylvania MAGA rally. Interestingly, said rally has ties to Rev. Sun Myung Moon and the Moonies and one of its key speakers was Sebastian Gorka, who is set to play a role in the Trump administration as counter-terrorism chief. In this regard we'll delve into the Moonie off-shot group AR-15 and look at Sebastian Gorka penchant for wearing symbols related to Hungarian fascism. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

US House Passes Act That Jeopardizes Free Speech w/ Chip Gibbons/U.S. Foreign Policy and Europe w/ Anataol Lieven

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Chip Gibbons Interview Recorded 11/25; Anatol Lieven Interview Recorded 11/26

On this edition of Parallax Views, in the first half of the program, Chip Gibbons, Policy Director of Defending Rights and Dissent, joins the program to discuss H.R. 9495 or the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act and its passage in the Congress' U.S. House of Representatives. The bill has been criticized on the grounds that it will trample on free speech, specifically in regard to pro-Palestinian protests. According to Defending Rights and Dissent, "This bill allows the Secretary of the Treasury to unilaterally strip tax-exempt status from nonprofits deemed 'terrorist supporting' without meaningful due process." Find out more about the bill and why Defending Rights and Dissent argues the bill is neo-McCarthyite in this segment of the program and the press release below:
"Defending Rights & Dissent Condemns Passage of H.R. 9495 - Defending Rights & Dissent"

In the second portion of the program, Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft returns to discuss U.S. foreign policy and the future of Europe, with a particular focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With a second Trump Presidency now inevitable, it seems increasingly likely that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will happen sooner rather than later, especially if Trump decides that the U.S. will not continue arming Ukraine. What would these negotiations look like? Will parts of Ukraine be annexed? Will the two countries' maximalist demands be whittled down during negotiations? What is the future of Europe and should Europe re-arm? All of these questions, as well as the issue of climate change as a national security threat will be covered. Additionally, Anatol and I will delve into the scare concerning Russia ICBMs from last week and what it says about the conflict and where it is at right now.

EDIT: In the interlude before the Lieven interview I mention annexation of Gaza and the West Bank. I'm not arguing an official annexation has happened, although many would argue that de facto annexation has been happening. There are elements of Israel openly calling for annexation.

A Scandalous ODNI Snafu Reveals Gov't Abuse of FOIA Exemptions + Trump, Civil Liberties, & Mass Deportation Plans Past & Present w/ Patrick Eddington

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On this edition of Parallax Views, former CIA analyst and Cato Institute fellow Patrick G. Eddington, who specializes in issues related to homeland security and civil liberties, returns to the program to discuss a scandalous snafu on the part of the Office of National Intelligence in relation to questions of PRC espionage (specifically the issue of whether or not the PRC has made recruiting Chinese Americans for spying activities) that illustrates a massive government abuse of Freedom of Information Act Exemptions. The whole story was detailed in Patrick's Antiwar.Com article "PRC Espionage: Are Chinese Americans Their Top Recruitment Targets?".

In the second part of our conversation we delve into what a second Trump term will potentially mean for civil liberties in the United States and have a in-depth discussion about Trump's mass deportations plans for undocumented migrant/illegal immigrants. Back in August, Patrick wrote a piece for The Bulwark entitled "Trump Could Do a Mass Deportation. We’ve Done It Before.". We delve into the history of mass deportation plans than have been done in the past with a focus on Eisenhower as well as the crackdowns on German Americans during World War I. We'll also mention issues related to the internment camps of WWII and how they not only targeted Japanese American, but also German- and Italian Americans. Patrick will help us delve into the Alien Enemy Act which has been cited by Trump and his advisers already. Additionally, Patrick will comment on Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's criticisms of Trump wanting to use the U.S. military for mass deportations.

Also discussed in the course of this conversation is neo-McCarthyism and the China Initiative of the first Trump Presidency, threats to civil liberties in a second Trump term, the expansion of Presidential/Executive Branch powers over the years and its consequences, the January 6th insurrection/riots, and much, much more.

A British Perspective on the 2024 Election w/ Ralph Leonard

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On this edition of Parallax Views (recorded 11-11-24), self-described conservative Marxist Ralph Leonard joins the show to discuss the 2024 U.S. Presidential election and his article "Old-school Leftism is going extinct in the Democratic Party" about the passing of the Bernie Sanders moment and why he believes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad won't generate the same energy as Sanders' did in 2016 or 2020.

Much of the conversation will focus in on how President-elect Donald Trump managed to obtain the votes of a multiracial coalition that included black and latino men as well as white men and women. We'll delve into the nationalism underpinning Trump's coalition and how it is not explicitly ethno-nationalism but rather civic nationalist in a way that made a multiracial coalition possible for MAGA. We'll discuss the discourse Trump crafted around the border and Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric. Leonard also notes how horrible he finds Trump's deportation rhetoric but delves into why many voters opted for it. We'll also discuss the 2024 as the first "post-woke" election for the Democratic Party. That is to say that Kamala Harris did not run on a "woke" platform and actually ran away from it. We'll also discuss foreign policy, Israel/Palestine, Trump as a carny barker, the "Is Trump a Fascist?" debate, JD Vance, and more.

Additionally, we will delve into Ralph's views on Marx and Marxism, what people don't understand about Marxism, Marxism as an emancipatory project, and how both the Democratic and Republican Parties in the U.S. are creatures of the ruling class (or capital) rather than the working classes. All that and much more.

Trump, U.S. Foreign Policy, & Middle East Chaos w/ Jon Hoffman + What Realism & Restraint Conservatives Want Out of Trump's Foreign Policy w/ Curt Mills

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On this edition of Parallax Views it's a double feature delving into the question of Donald Trump and U.S. foreign policy as we head into the 2nd Trump Presidency. In the first segment, the Cato Institute's Jon Hoffman return to discuss his Responsible Statecraft article "Trump now faces 'out of control' conflict in the Middle East". We'll delve into the problems that Hoffman argues at the heart of the bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy and why a change of direction is needed, especially in regard to Israel/Palestine. We'll discuss Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Hezbollah continued stiff resistance to Israel despite the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, the return of Hamas in areas of Gaza that Israel has claimed to have cleared of its influence, Israel's stated objective of total elimination of Hamas and why some argue this objective is not achievable, the situation in the West Bank, the need for a new political equilibrium to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict and achieve peace, Iran and Israel's tit-for-tat exchanges with each other and the possibility of further dangerous escalation, the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia and what it may mean for the second Trump administration's foreign policy agenda, Trump's hawkish nominations (Mike Waltz, Pete Hegseth, etc.), reckless in both Israel and the U.S.'s policies in the Middle East, the Biden administration's approach to Israel and Gaza, the crisis of humanitarian aid being in relation to Gaza, U.S. arms to Israel, J.D. Vance's comments that American and Israeli interests do not always align (especially in relation to Iran), the role of policy inertia in how the U.S. approaches the Middle East, Jon's argument for U.S. disentanglement and de-prioritization of the Middle East, and more!

In the second segment of the show (starts around 36:16), Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, joins the show to discuss what realism and restraint minded conservatives want out of the 2nd Trump administration's foreign policy agenda. In the beginning of the conversation will discuss the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy and how the realist viewpoint fell out of favor after the Cold War. In particular Curt will talk about the period of the Reagan years to the neoconservatives of the George W. Bush administration. We'll also discuss what realism & restraint in U.S. foreign policy thought entails and how the realist and restraint movement is a broad tent that's encompasses elements from both the right and the left.

Then Curt talks about "mixed bag" of Trump's nominations for his cabinet if you come from a realist and restraint viewpoint. He'll also talk about how there's been a shift, at least in tone, towards realism and restraint in Trumpian circles since the President-elect's first term in office and go over how realism and restraint conservatives are feeling about Trump's cabinet nominations thus far like Mike Waltz, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Matt Gaetz. Curt speaks about how, in his view, Hegseth could represent a break from business-as-usual in the Pentagon despite his hawkish views. He also discusses what realist and restraint proponents hope for with regards to U.S. involvement in Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Palestine in the second Trump administration. We'll then delve into the idea of Trump as the heir to Richard Nixon and discuss the "madman theory" of U.S. foreign policy (and Curt will provide some International Relations 101 in the process that illustrates the differences between liberal internationalists and realists). How realist and restraint conservatives have differences in how they view how the U.S. should deal with Ukraine/Russia vs. how the U.S. should deal with either Israel/Palestine, Iran, China. All that and much more in a conversation that will hopefully illustrate what a good portion of "America First" and MAGA conservatives want out of Trump's foreign policy.

The Failure of Centrist Democrats, Trump's Shock-&-Awe Strategy, Mafia Governance, & the Mirage of MAGA's Antiwar Posture w/ Jeet Heer

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On this edition of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michae, journalist and political commentator Jeet Heer of The Nation returns for a deep dive into the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the failings of centrist Democrats, and the implications of a potential second Trump administration.

Key topics discussed include:

• Bernie Sanders' Warning: Jeet Heer echoes Bernie Sanders’ critique that Democrats have abandoned the working-class vote. The conversation explores how the party’s failure to promote antitrust actions, like those spearheaded by Lina Khan, and Kamala Harris’s outreach to billionaires such as Mark Cuban, have alienated voters.
• Trump’s Anti-System Appeal: Heer analyzes Donald Trump’s resonance with anti-system politics in contrast to Democrats’ status-quo messaging, which he argues doomed Harris's campaign. We also discuss the Harris campaign going after the votes of moderate Republicans and cozying up to Liz Cheney (and getting an endorsement from Dick Cheney).
• Shock-and-Awe Nominations: The discussion examines Trump’s picks for key positions—Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, Tulsi Gabbard as DNI, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, and RFK Jr. at HHS—and their potential to destabilize the political landscape. Jeet also gives his view on the strategy undergirding Trump's picks
• Mafia Governance and NATO: Jeet predicts that a second Trump term would involve a governance style favoring loyalists, with significant repercussions for NATO and European allies.
• Freedom of Speech Under Siege: Heer warns that free speech could be the first casualty of a second Trump term, with centrists potentially supporting crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protesters.
• The MAGA Antiwar Mirage: Trump’s antiwar rhetoric is dissected as a façade, with Heer pointing out hawkish tendencies toward Mexico and Ukraine within MAGA ranks.

The episode opens with a reflection on Antonio Gramsci’s famous quote about living in "a time of monsters," setting the tone for a discussion on the political chaos of the present moment. Jeet also provides a historical perspective, linking Trumpism to the conspiratorial tendencies of the 20th-century Old Right and groups like the John Birch Society.

This thought-provoking conversation unpacks the stakes of 2024, from systemic political failures to the looming threats of authoritarianism and international instability under a second Trump administration.