Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, this episode is a double feature featuring two experts on U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, and the Israel/Palestine conflict: Geoffrey Aronson and Paul R. Pillar, both of whom have recent articles in Responsible Statecraft that should be of interest to anyone following the Gaza War. Geoffrey Aronson, the former director for Foundation for Middle East Peace and the editor of the bimonthly Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories until June 2014 discusses his piece "The Ghost of Ariel Sharon Hovers Over the Gaza Strip" about how Gaza faces what he calls a "The Future is the Past, The Past is the Future" scenario when the current war ends. He takes us back to the policies of Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel in the early 2000's, and offers a grim picture of what Gaza will look like going forward, but also the failure of policies by both Israel and the United States. In the second segment of the show, Paul R. Pillar, an academic and 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency as well as a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies of Georgetown University and a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, joins the show to discuss his articles "Is Gaza on track for permanent war?" and "With world's focus on Gaza, West Bank conflict brews". We'll discuss those articles as well as U.S. foreign policy, the October 7th Hamas attack, U.S. foreign policy, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, James W. Carden, former adviser to the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission at the U.S. Department of State, returns to the program to discuss his articles "The Coming War in the Caucasus" (The American Conservative), "Israel's Other War: Ethnic Cleansing in the South Caucasus" (Antiwar.com), and "Kurt Campbell: The Lobbyist As Diplomat". Fears are mounting that the Aliyev regime, with the ever-present hand of Erdogan's Turkey, could soon target southern Armenia only months after the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. We'll also discuss Israel's role in arming Azerbaijan and the potential geopolitical reasons Israel has for doing so. Moreover, we'll discuss U.S.-Armenia relations, the Azeri lobby and it's influence in Washington, D.C., the resignation of Josh Paul from the State Department over the current Biden policy on the Gaza War, how elements of the so-called dissident wing of the American conservative movement's realism and restraint community have betrayed the plight of Armenian Christians, trauma-specialist Dr. Gabor Mate on Gaza, foreign policy fixture Kurt Campbell and his ties to shadow lobbying efforts, and more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Dr. Andreas Krieg, an associate professor in the School of Security Studies at King's College, London and author of Subversion: The Strategic Weaponization of Narratives, joins the show to discuss Israel's strategic culture and its failing. He argues that Israel has responded to the Oct. 7th Hamas attack with strategic ambiguity and is fighting the current war in an outmoded fashion. We also discuss his experience attending a workshop on Hasbara, the nature of Israeli information warfare and synthetic disinformation, the question of whether Hamas can be defeated and the issue of blowback, the IDF's entering the Hamas underground tunnels and the problems that poses for the IDF, how the underground tunnels Hamas is using are likely going to undermine Israeli technological advantage (ie: the issue of low-tech warfare), Israel setting itself up for a long war, the Palestinian insurgency movement and Hamas as an idea, the goal of "eradicating Hamas", the Biden administration, the need for a political solution to the Israel/Palestine and how avoiding it is against Israel's security interests, ceasefire, claims that videos of Palestinian suffering are a fake "Pallywood" production, and much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, a double feature on Israel/Palestine, the Israel-Hamas War, the bombardment of Gaza, the Oct. 7th attack, and related subjects. First up, Israeli hostage negotiator and peace activist Gershon Baskin joins us to discuss his experiences negotiating with Hamas, his harsh criticisms of both Hamas and the Israeli government (especially under Benjamin Netanyahu), what he refers to as the "New Form of Apartheid" in Israel, what it will take to get the hostages back and why that course of action will not be taken, his hopes for a future peace that will allow Palestinians and Israelis to both be offered dignity and a sharing of the land, his recent communications with Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad, and more! In the second half of the program (timestamp: 44:18), Jason Pack, author of Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder and co-host of the Disorder podcast with Alexandra Hall Hall, joins us to discuss his Foreign Policy piece entitled "Qatar Is the Key to Middle East Peace". Jason argues that a condominium of Arab states led by Qatar are the way forward for stabilizing a postwar Gaza. Qatar, he makes the case, must help take a lead in the administration of a postwar Gaza that will eventually deal with the issue of Palestinian sovereignty. We will also talk about the "global enduring disorder" paradigm for understanding international relations and events.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs' UN correspondent Ian Williams, author of UNtold: The Real Story of the United Nations in Peace and War, joins the program to discuss the longstanding bad blood between the UN and Israel going back to the assassination of UN official Count Bernadotte by the militant Zionist paramilitary group Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang) in 1948. We discuss this in light of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres making statements that drew the ire of Israel and pro-Israel voices as well as Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilda Erdan wearing a yellow star to the UN, claiming there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and saying the UN is aligned with Hamas. We'll also discuss longstanding issues between the State Department and Israel, AIPAC and pro-Israel lobbying efforts, Christian evangelical support for Israel and how that support is driven by apocalyptic religious views, 20th century Zionist paramilitary groups and terrorism, and more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist James Bamford, known for his groundbreaking investigations into the NSA (The Puzzle Palace) and the Iraq War (A Pretext for War), returns to the program to discuss his recent The Nation piece entitled "Why Israel Slept" about the October 7th Israel intelligence failure and the Israel covert operation Project Butterfly back by the late billionaire Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson and involving a now defunct Israeli private intelligence firm known as Psy-Group. Psy-Group, for the uninitiated, was also a target of Robert Mueller in the Russiagate investigation. We'll also be going over some of the issues Bamford addressed in his latest book SpyFail: Foreign Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence. Bamford explains how Project Butterfly used Israeli resources, which could've been used for security in Israel (ie: along the Gaza border), for a cover operation aimed at de-legitimizing pro-Palestinian voices in the United States. Bamford also discusses AIPAC, the Iraq War and neoconservatives, the FBI officials who've voiced frustrations with pro-Israel lobbying groups, the intelligence failure of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and author of six well-received books on Arab politics, joins the show to discuss his grim analysis of postwar possibilities as covered in his Carnegie Endowment for International Peace piece "There Might Be No Day After in Gaza". We'll also discuss the concept of the one-state reality in Israel/Palestine and why it is different than talking about the one-state solution. Moreover Nathan will explain the situation in the West Bank and the settler violence happening there. Prof. Brown argues that the postwar possibilities for Gaza are dim, and he disagrees with a number of the commentators arguing that the United Nations (UN), Israel, or a multilateral coalition of Arab states including Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar will administer Gaza after the war is over. What he predicts is that Gaza will be turned into a "supercamp" run by camp committee and gangs with periodic attacks by Hamas and raids by Israel.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. James M. Dorsey of The Turbulent World w/ James M. Dorsey blog returns to discuss the latest development in the Gaza War and the recent joint Arab League-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) summit that brought together Arab and Muslim world leaders like Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, and others together in an emergency meeting about the Israeli assault on Gaza. We'll also discuss the rage in the Arab/Muslim world over the bombing of Gaza and what it could mean for autocrats in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's invocation of Amalek during the Gaza War, the rehabilitation of Assad in the Arab world, perceived U.S. double standards in the Middle East, the censure of Rashida Tlaib, French President Emmanuel Macron's call for the bombing of Gaza to end, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the outspoken and often controversial journalist Eric Margolis, who has long covered issues related to the Middle East, South Asia, and Islam, joins the show to discuss his views on the Israel/Palestine situation, the bombing of Gaza, the implications for the U.S. and the Arab world, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our series on Israel/Palestine, the fallout from the October 7th Hamas attack, and the Israeli bombing of Gaza with Ariel Gold, Executive Director of the Fellowship for Reconciliation. Ariel joins the show to discuss her article "Who’s Drinking Netanyahu’s Genocidal Amalek Kool-Aid?". She explains what's troubling abut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's invocation of the biblical story of Amalek and what it entails. We also discuss the Christian Zionism, the Kahanist movement in Israel a far-right Israeli political figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir, the debate over if the current bombing campaign in Gaza constitutes a form of genocide or attempted genocide, and much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ralph Leonard, a contributor to publications like UnHerd, Sublation Magazine, and Aero Magazine, joins the show to discuss a potpourri of topics related to Israel/Palestine including the uses and abuses of antisemitism, Hamas and the misunderstanding of Frantz Fanon, the Nakba (or Catastrophe) of 1948), the Likud Party and Ze'ev Jabotinsky's Revisionist Zionism, Jabotinsky's Iron Wall essay, what Jabotinsky admits about the grievances of Palestinians that his modern day heirs in the Likud Party don't, Avraham Stern and the Haavara Agreement, the Israeli New Historian Benny Morris and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, clashing nationalisms in the Israel/Palestine issue, his UnHerd article "Hamas apologists have misunderstood Frantz Fanon", Zionist paramilitary groups like the Stern Gang & Lehi and Irgun, Jabotinsky Vs. the mainstream left-wing Zionists, the spectrum of Zionist thought historically and the triumph of Revisionist Zionism, Ralph's tweet that "The recent political conflict within Israel has basically been a struggle between the state of Judea & the state of Israel", the "eradicate Hamas" rhetoric used by the Israeli government, the ethics of violence and the debate around armed conflict, Israel's kibbutzim, comparisons between Israel/Palestine & Algeria and Israel/Palestine & Liberia, revenge bombing in Gaza, blowback, the cold realistic strategic view on Israel's Gaza operation, the Palestinians won't be willingly driven into the Sinai and the belief that trying that would lead to stability is foolish, the one-state dystopia vs. the one-state utopia, the fragmentation of Palestinian politics, and more,

On this edition of Parallax Views, political blogger Ettingermentum joins the show to discuss his piece "The President Who Stood Up To Israel and Won". We discuss President George HW Bush's rocky relationship with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of the Likud Party, the young Benjamin Netanyahu, Bush-era Secretary of State James Baker, AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Commitee), Bush's "New World Order" and the Middle East, how Bush responded to pro-Israel lobbying that painted him as anti-Israel, why Ettingermentum disagrees with the idea that AIPAC cost Bush re-election, Yitzhak Rabin, unconditional support for Israel vs conditional support, Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Israeli far-right, Obama's relationship with Netanyahu, the Camp David 2000 Summit and Clinton official Robert Malley's account of why it fell apart (he claims it wasn't all on Arafat), the October 7th Hamas attack and the Tet Offensive, Netanyahu vs. Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Right's attacks on Israeli intelligence Shin Bet, Israel's unsustainable status quo, claiming they've "gone woke", Benny Gantz, and the real lesson of Bush's checkmating of AIPAC and Shamir. Clarification for James Baker's controversial comments: Did James Baker Really Say ‘F*** the Jews’? New Book Clarifies U.S. Diplomat’s Infamous Quote - U.S. News - Haaretz.com (archive.ph)

On this edition of Parallax Views, the coverage of the Gaza War and Israel/Palestine continues in this double feature. First up, Prof. Juan Cole, well-known commentator on the Middle East and South Asia from the Informed Comment blog, gives his commentary on conditions in Gaza, anti-Palestinian racism in America, the Palestinian identity, double standards, whether it is actually possible to eradicate Hamas, Netanyahu's "Annihilate Amalek" rhetoric, and why the cycle of violence will continue short of a Palestinian state being recognized. In the second segment Shireen Hunter, affiliate fellow at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, joins us to discuss some of the points made in her insightful (some would say prophetic) May 2022 Responsible Statecraft piece "Unresolved Palestinian issue remains a major source of Mideast tension". We will also discuss the need for a peace to be brought about PRIMARILY by a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis as opposed to Israelis and other Arab States, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, the "Axis of Resistance", the cost of occupation, the Al-Aqsa mosque and the role of religion in the current iteration of the Israel/Palestine issue, the need to look at the Israel/Palestine issue as one about land/territory rather than metaphysics, the Palestinian identity, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Chris Gelardi of New York Focus, the nonprofit publication that asks the questions "Who Runs New York?", joins us to discuss the investigation he co-wrote with Julia Rock entitled "New York’s Ties to Israel Bring the Gaza War Home". Chris and I delve into the network of nonprofits, major companies, and wealthy individuals in New York who are aiding the illegal settlements in the West Bank. Moreover, we delve into NY political figures like Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Rep. Ritchie Torres and their relationships to Israel and lobbies like AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. Other issues discussed include the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) pro-Palestine protests, the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction) movement and free speech, lack of media coverage in New York about these issues, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft's Eli Clifton returns to discuss his latest piece of reporting, co-published by The Gurdian and Responsible Statecraft, entitled "Wall Street eyes big profits from Israel-Hamas war". We'll also discuss the issue of monopoly capitalism as it relates to the weapons/defense industry, Morgan Stanley and TD Bank, shareholders and the problem with stakeholder capitalism or so-called "ethical capitalism", how the current war in Gaza could have domestic consequences politically at home (especially for Joe Biden's re-election chances), the possibilities of the Israel-Hamas War turning into a broader regional conflict, Hezbollah commander Nasrallah's speech last Friday, and more!

On this edition of Parallax views, Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski (Ret.) returns to discuss Israel/Palestine, the bombing of Gaza, U.S. foreign policy, the U.S.-Israel special relationship, blowback and terrorism, the self-perpetuating nature of government power, and her experiences in the Pentagon that led her to blow the whistle on the corruption of military intelligence and creation of a disinformation apparatus by ideological actors in the Office of Special Plans (OFS) in the early years of the George W. Bush administration leading up to the Iraq War.

On this edition of Parallax views, journalist Ali Rizk joins us from Beirut, Lebanon to discuss the speech given by Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah this past Friday and his Responsible Statecraft article "Why Hezbollah doesn't want a full-scale war. Yet.". We'll be discussing Hezbollah involvement in the Israel/Hamas War or Gaza War so far as well as the relationship between Hezbollah and Iran (and why Rizk think calling Hezbollah and Iranian proxy is an oversimplification), Hezbollah's relationship with the Houthis in Yemen and Iraqi Shia militias, past tensions between Hamas and Hezbollah (ie: Syria), Hezbollah's redlines, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's change in rhetoric since the most recent visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and whether this means the war is wrapping up, how sectarians are brought together by the Palestine/Palestinian issue, and more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Ambassador Chas Freeman, a retired diplomat with a stories career and a visiting scholar at the Watson Institute for International Relations and Public Affairs, returns to discuss the bombing of Gaza by Israel in retaliation for the October 7th Hamas attack. We also discuss his critique of the U.S.-Israel special relationship, which he argues is harmful towards to both the interests of the United States and Israel. In the final portion of the conversation Amb. Freeman discusses how pro-Israel lobby elements, namely the Zionist Organization of America, applied a pressure campaign against his being the chair of the National Intelligence Council in the Obama administration. Amb. Freeman's full bio (courtesy the Watson Institute): Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. is a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, ambassador to Saudi Arabia (during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Chargé d'affaires at both Bangkok and Beijing. He began his diplomatic career in India but specialized in Chinese affairs. (He was the principal American interpreter during President Nixon's visit to Beijing in 1972.) Ambassador Freeman is a much sought-after public speaker (see http://chasfreeman.net) and the author of several well-received books on statecraft and diplomacy. His most recent book, "America's Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East" was published in May 2016. "Interesting Times: China, America, and the Shifting Balance of Prestige," appeared in March 2013. "America’s Misadventures in the Middle East" came out in 2010, as did the most recent revision of "The Diplomat’s Dictionary," the companion volume to "Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy." He was the editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on "diplomacy." Freeman is a former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, ambassador to Saudi Arabia, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, chargé d’affaires a.i. at Bangkok and Beijing, acting U.S. commissioner for refugee affairs and director of program coordination and development at the U.S. Information Agency. He was the principal American interpreter during the late President Nixon’s 1972 opening of U.S. relations with China. Chas Freeman studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Taiwan and earned an A.B. magna cum laude from Yale University as well as a J.D. from the Harvard Law School. He chairs Projects International, Inc., a Washington-based firm that for more than three decades has helped its American and foreign clients create ventures across borders, facilitating their establishment of new businesses through the design, negotiation, capitalization, and implementation of greenfield investments, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, franchises, one-off transactions, sales and agencies in other countries.

On this edition of Parallax Views, former CIA and State Department analyst Melvin A. Goodman, known for his book Whistleblower at the CIA: An Insider's Account of the Politics of Intelligence, returns to the program to discuss a number of issues related to the Middle East, Israel/Palestine, and U.S. foreign policy. We begin the conversation by discussing the nature and potential causes for the Israeli intelligence failure of October 7th, 2023, the day that the Hamas attack occurred. From there we delve into a number of different topics including Goodman's trip to Israel in the 1970s, state terror, Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, the two-state and one-state solutions, how Republicans deal with Israel as compared to Democrats, Biden's approach to Israel/Palestine, the USS Liberty incident, the bombing/siege of Gaza, pro-Israel lobbying efforts, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Chief of Staff under Colin Powell during the Bush administration, returns to the show to discuss his thoughts and commentary on the latest Middle East news with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and Israel's bombing of Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack of October 7th. We'll be discussing the Biden admin's dealing with the Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden's "bearhug strategy", the far-right nature of the Netanyahu government and figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, neoconservatism and Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, the Likud Party, the one-state and two-state solutions, the siege/bombing of Gaza, and, much, much more. This was recorded shortly after Biden called for a "humanitarian pause" to the war.

On this edition of Parallax Views, our coverage of Israel/Palestine and the bombing of Gaza by Israel in retaliation for the October 7th Hamas attack. Investigative journalist and attorney Charlotte Dennett, the daughter of American master spy Daniel Dennet and author of Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil (as well as the co-author, with her husband Gerard Colby, of the classic Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil), joins the show to discuss the recent turmoil in the Middle East, specifically in Gaza and Israel, in relation to what has been called "The Great Game for Oil". We discuss oil pipelines, her father Daniel Dennett and Saudi Arabia, oil war history dating back to WWI and WWII, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, the city of Haifa, geopolitics, the Iraq War, and much, much more. You may find looking at the cover of Charlotte's book as well as the map in this episode description useful while listening to this episode.

On this edition of Parallax Views, a short but hopefully informative conversation with Emmaia Gemma, author of the 2019 Boston Review article "The Anti-Defamation League Is Not What It Seems" and an upcoming book on the history of the ADL. Among the topics discussed in this history is the ADL's track record on Civil Rights and its policing of black Civil Rights groups for being "too radical", the ADL spy Roy Bollock, the ADL's history of targeting Arab-Americans dating back to the 1950's, the ADL using "dual loyalty" accusations against Arab Americans, Director of the ADL Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL vetting social media like Youtube and Facebook, and more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, investigative journalist Ali Winston, co-author of The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland, returns to discuss recent news about the NYPD using surveillance drones against pro-Palestinian protesters (See: "NYPD used drones for arrests in pro-Palestine protests in NYC" - The New York Post). Additionally, Ali and I will discuss the state of New York's connections, through various non-profits and LLCs, to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian West Bank. We also discuss the wider problems of NY police corruption dating back to the days of Frank Serpico, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, the possibility of the current Levant War (Israel-Hamas War, Gaza War, etc.) turning into a dangerous regional war, Peter Thiel's Palantir, Chinese surveillance technology being used in the U.S., how the War on Terror came home (ie: the surveillance state), and much, much more. Article referenced in this conversation: "The New Brothels: How Shady Landlords Play a Key Role in the Sex Trade" - New York Times, 11/14/18 "The Prostitution Empire and the Former N.Y.P.D. Detective, Always One Step Ahead of the Law" - New York Times, 9/21/18 "New York Police Say They Will Deploy 14 Drones" - New York Times, 12/4/18 "N.Y.P.D. Will Use Drones to Monitor Labor Day Celebrations" - New York Times, 9/1/23 "New York’s Ties to Israel Bring the Gaza War Home" - New York Focus, 10/19/23 "NYPD used drones for arrests in pro-Palestine protests in NYC" - New York Post, 10/28/23

On this spooky season edition of Parallax Views, Chris Alexander of Full Moon Presents Delirium Magazine returns to discuss his new TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD homage movie SCREAM OF THE BLIND DEAD, the Euro-horror of Jess Franco and Jean Rollin, and his two new Headpress books ART! TRASH! TERROR!: ADVENTURES IN STRANGE CINEMA and CORMAN/POE: INTERVIEWS AND ESSAYS EXPLORING THE MAKING OF ROGER CORMAN'S EDGAR ALLEN POE FILMS 1960-1964. We also discuss new horror movie fare like the "revenge-o-matic" SAW X and the Australian demonic possession movie TALK TO ME. At the end we try to figure out a movie that slipped my tongue, I found out after the show that I was thinking of was Full Moon's THE PRIMEVALS. We talk the making of the Roger Corman Edgar Allen Poe movies, the use of Freudian image in Corman's Poe films, THE HAUNTED PALACE, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, THE HOUSE OF USHER, THE TOMB OF LIGEIA, the Corman/Poe horror-comedy THE RAVEN, the impetus behind casting Vincent Price in the Poe films, Roger Corman's dabbling in the counterculture and his LSD trip (as well as his counterculture movies like THE TRIP, BLOODY MAMA, and GA-S-S-S-S -OR- IT BECAME NECESSARY TO DESTROY THE WORLD IN ORDER TO SAVE IT), Corman's early years at American International Pictures (AIP) and how his relationship with AIP evolved over time (and where it fell apart), Roger Corman's wife Julie Corman and her contributions to the Corman movie machine, the Vatican's attempts to censor Corman's THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, legendary faneditor LastSurvivor joins the show to discuss the horror movie fan edits he's made over the years and the art of the horror edit. Some of LastSurvivor's fanedits include: THE NIGHT OF SAMHAIN - An ambitious fanedit that combines HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH and HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS into one movie in a very unique way! HALLOWEEN: THE NIGHT OF THE BOOGEYMAN - An attempt to edit John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN II into one movie, BUT with around a 90 minute running time common for many movies and slasher films of the 80s. JAW II: THE AMITY HORROR - An edit that attempts to bring out the more slasher-esque elements of JAWS II; the shark is a lot like Jason Voorhees in JAWS II with the setting being the ocean rather than the woods JAWS III: MONSTER - An ambitious edit of JAW III that amps up the B-movie disaster movie element of JAWS III and, amazingly, adds in a new monster to fight Jaws in the finale: Jaws vs. Octopus! FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: JASON'S LEGACY - An edit of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V that, through color regrading and trimming of scenes, brings the movie more in line with Joseph Zito's much beloved entry in the cult franchise, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER. HALLOWEEN 5: THE SHAPE OF RAGE and HALLOWEEN HOMECOMING - Two fanfix fanedits that attempt to address the problems of HALLOWEEN 5: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS and HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION to make both movies a better viewing experience for fans of the Michael Myers saga! We also discuss the wild JAWS: THE SHARKSPLOITATION edit that faneditor TheManBehindTheMask did (it's literally a grindhouse version of Jaws with an insane twist at the end), David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy, editing Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN II, the character of Tina in Halloween 5, color regrading and color correction in fanedits, the opening credits of HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS, Halloween's Thorn trilogy and similarties with the Druid cult storyline in HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH, the role of pacing in edits, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, it's spooky season and we're getting into the Halloween spirit! Cecil Laird of the Youtube channel The Horror Show joins the show to tell us about his fan film, DYLAN'S NEW NIGHTMARE. A sequel to the surprisingly innovative 1994 meta-horror NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET entry WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, DYLAN'S NEW NIGHTMARE isn't your average fan film. In addition to being made with a rather professional crew and having a slick, pro look, the movie also features a starring turn from Miko Hughes aka Heather Langenkamp's son Dylan in WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE (and also horror royalty due to his childhood turn as the killer toddler Gage in Mary Lambert's adaptation of Stephen King's PET SEMATARY). It tells the story of Dylan's trauma and struggles 30 years after being haunted by The Entity that took the form of horror icon Freddy Krueger in WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE. Dylan is trying to make a career in acting, but The Entity is returning in the form of Freddy Krueger slowly but surely to haunt him. Cecil and I discuss DYLAN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, the possibility of a sequel, our favorite NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies, and much, much more! Watch DYLAN'S NEW NIGHTMARE here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JPiePa5dc

On this edition of Parallax Views, in 2016 a little regional horror movie called The Barn became and underground hit. Set on Halloween, the movie told the story of a group of teenage pranksters and their encounter with a trio of local legend monsters known as The Boogeyman, Hollow Jack, and the Candy Corn Scarecrow. Featuring guest starring roles from horror icons Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons) and Ari Lehman (the first Jason from Friday the 13th), the movie evoked the nostalgia of the old Goosebumps TV series and direct-to-video horror movies you would see in mom 'n' pop video stores in the halcyon days of the early/mid 1990's. Director Justin M. Seaman ended up getting a sequel off the ground that was released in 2022 called The Barn Part II that amped up the gore quotient and featured guest appearances by Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the Hellraiser movie franchise), TV horror host Joe Bob Briggs, Diana Prince (Darcy the Mail Girl from The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs), Troma's Lloyd Kaufman, and returning performances from "Scream Queen" Linnea Quigley and "First Jason" Ari Lehman. Together, these two movie make for the perfect Halloween double feature this spooky season and Parallax Views is joined by director Justin Seaman and cinematographer Zane Hershberger to discuss this spook-tacular double feature! THE BARN duology has it all: chainsaws, blood, zombies, curses, 90s nostalgia, creepy monsters, practical special effects, Halloween season atmosphere, and much, much more! You can watch THE BARN and THE BARN PART II via a trial subscription to Screambox

On this edition of Parallax Views, Richard Silverstein of Tikun Olam, a blog featuring breaking news the Israeli national security state, returns for a Parallax Views exclusive: Richard relays how an Israeli Security source has told him that the Israeli Security Cabinet has given orders to assassinate not only Hamas leaders like Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar but also their families. We'll also discuss the geostrategic implications of the unfolding Levant War and what it means for Israel/Palestine, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Qatar, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Richard discusses the U.S.-China rivalry moving into the Middle East theater (and the way it brings to mind the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union), the possibility of broader regional war breaking out in the Middle East, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. James L. Gelvin, noted scholar of Middle East history at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and author of The Israel-Palestine Conflict: A History, joins the show to discuss the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack and Israel's retaliatory bombing of Gaza, but also the broader history of the Israel/Palestine issue/situation/question/conflict. The conversation begins with Prof. Gelvin's analysis of the Israel/Palestine issue and its origins which he argues is about clashing nationalisms rather than religious war or a dispute going back to biblical times. From there he gives his insights into conditions on the ground in Gaza, the question of whether or not U.S. foreign polciy has "kicked the can down the road" on pursuing a diplomatic political solution to Israel/Palestine, the one-state solution vs. the two-state solution, the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the Oslo Accords, the legitimacy of national identities and their mythologies, the increasingly common argument that the PLO's Yasser Arafat is responsible for the current crisis for "walking away" from a "generous offer" at the 2000 Camp David Summit, the motivations of Hamas, Israel-Saudi normalization, the criticisms right-wing figures like David Horowitz have made of Gelvin's scholarship and his response to those criticisms, Obama and the Asia pivot, the West Bank and Israeli settlements, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, WhoWhatWhy's William Dowell, a former TIME Magazine correspondent in Cairo who has also covered such pivotal events as the Vietnam War, the Iranian Revolution, Operation Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and the Civil War in Beirut, join us to discuss his articles "Hiding in the Rubble of Israel and Palestine: Opportunity" and "Biden’s Visit May Have Kept Gaza From Boiling Over". He will also discuss his experiences as a journalist who has interacted with such figures as Yasser Arafat. Moreover, William and I discuss the figure of Hamas military leader Mohammed Masri aka Mohammed Deif, William's analysis of Biden's diplomatic moves in response to the October 7th attack in Israeli and Israel's bombing of Gaza, Hamas as having set "a trap" for Israel that could lead to an Israeli quagmire in Gaza, the possibility of divisions/fissures within Hamas (particularly between its military wing and its political wing), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's right-wing government, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Steve Simon, Professor of Practice in Middle East Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies of the University of Washington,National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism in the Clinton White House and for the Middle East and North Africa in the Obama White House, and author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East, joins the show to discuss his Foreign Affairs article "What Comes After Hamas?". We discuss what he sees as being at stake in the current situation in Gaza, the possible "eternal dystopia" facing Gaza, what eradication of means, the role the United Nations could play in a post-Hamas Gaza, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Israel/Palestine coverage continues as Israeli Twitter/X user Tamara (@tamars) joins the show for a 3 hour episode providing her perspective from within Israel on political turmoil within Israel, the West Bank settlements, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Benjamin Netanyahu, the bombing of Gaza, Hamas, the October 7th attack, repression of Israeli-Palestinians or Israeli-Arabs, the debate over the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital explosion, the Israeli bombing of a Palestinian church, the relationship between Hamas and the Israeli government (specifically the work visa programs for Gazan), ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel and the harassment of ultra-Orthodox left-wing Israeli Israel Frey, settler violence, and much, much, much

On this edition of Parallax Views, Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University, joins Parallax Views to discuss the Israel-Hamas War, U.S. foreign policy failures in regards to Israel/Palestine, and his latest Foreign Policy column "Israel Could Win This Gaza Battle and Lose the War". We also discuss the two-state solution vs. one-state reality (see: Ian S. Lustick's Paradigm Lost: From Two-State Solution to One-State Reality), misconceptions about Walt's book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (co-authored with John J. Mearsheimer), "kicking the can down the road" on the Israel/Palestine Question and its consequences, what the late international relations scholar (and one of Walt's mentors) Kenneth Waltz's would make of currents events involving Israel/Palestine, the Hamas attack of October 7th, Benjamin Netanyahu, the grievances of Palestinians and the reasons for their desire for a Palestinian state, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, in the first portion of the program I speak with Palestinian-American lawyer and activist Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, to discuss the bombing of Gaza, the October 7th attack, and more. In the second half of the program Jeff Halper of the Israeli Commitee Against House Demolitions and the One Democratic State campaign joins the show to offer his thoughts and commentary on Israel/Palestine.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Fathi Nimer of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, joins us from Ramallah to discuss his perspective on the events unfolding in the Middle East, Israel/Palestine, Gaza, the Hamas attack, prospects for a solution, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Zachary Foster of Palestine Nexus joins the show to discuss recent news of the Netanyahu government's crackdown on Israeli dissidents as well as the history of Hamas and how Netanyahu's divide-and-conquer strategy in relations to the Palestinians has arguably led to what those in foreign policy circles call "blowback". We also discuss the plight of Palestinians not only in Gaza, which many describe as an open-air prison, but also the occupied West Bank. Links: Likud Minister Formulates Emergency Regulations to Imprison Citizens Who 'Harm National Morale': Communications Minister Karhi is promoting regulations that would allow him to direct police to arrest civilians, remove them from their homes, or seize their property if he believes they have spread information that could harm national morale or served as the basis for enemy propaganda - Haaretz - October 15th, 2023 For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it’s blown up in our faces The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from - The Times of Israel - October 8th, 2023

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. Ian S. Lustick of the University of Pennsylvania and author of Paradigm Lost: From Two-State Solution to One-State Reality joins the show to discuss his Foreign Policy op-ed "Vengeance is Not a Policy". We discuss Gaza as a prison, the need for historical context in discussing unfolding events, the intelligence/military/operational failure of preventing the Oct. 7th attacks, the dangers of irrationality in responding to unfolding events (and the comparisons being made to 9/11 and the chilling effect on speech and dialogue that happened in America during the War on Terror), the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and why events like that need to be discussed in relation to events unfolding today, Benjamin Netanyahu, the West Bank, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our coverage of the horrific events unfolding in Israel/Palestine, the comparisons being made between 9/11 and October 7th (and the comparisons to the events that aren't being discussed), the theory of blowback and the thesis of the Adam Curtis documentary THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES as it relates to the unfolding events, Netanyahu's propping up of Hamas in the years leading up to the attack in an effort to divide Palestinians, the siege of Gaza, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Union University's Christopher W. Jones joins me to discuss the potential calculus of Hamas in their brutal attack over the weekend. Christopher brings his knowledge as specialist in ancient history and ISIS/ISIL aka Islamic State (which he has written about) to this conversation. In the later portion of the discussion we discuss what Christopher calls the "Strategy of Atrocities" as used in warfare as well as the comparisons being made between the tactics of Islamic State and Hamas. In the earlier part of the conversation we discuss calculus of Hamas, normalization of relationships between Arab states and Israel and the role that may have played in motivating the attack, Hezbollah, the Second Intifada, the trained professional military of Hamas, Turkey, Qatar, demographics and the role it could play in this war, and much, much more.

Parallax Views continues coverage of the Hamas attack, Israel's retaliation in Gaza, and events unfolding in the Middle East. This time Mitchell Plitnick of ReThinking Foreign Policy joins the program.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jewish-American journalist Abe Silberstein joins the show to offer his commentary on the events unfolding in the Middle East. This is part of an ongoing series with different guests and was recorded on Monday.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof Stephen Zunes, noted Middle East scholar and politics professor at the University of San Francisco, returns to discuss the latest events unfolding in Israel/Palestine with a focus on the Hamas attack and the Israeli response. Prof. Zunes will also offer a history lesson about how Hamas originally gained power and political prominence in the Middle East. This will include an examination of U.S. foreign policy under George W. Bush. We'll also be discussing a number of other issues such as Iran, the ideology of Hamas, the Israeli far-right, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Prof. James M. Dorsey of the Turbulent World of MidEast Soccer blog returns to discuss the latest news on Israel/Palestine, specifically the deadly attack on Hamas and what it pertains for the future of Middle East geopolitics. The attack has been described as "Israel's 9/11" and incurred civilian causalities. Among the issues tackled in this conversation: - Hamas' motivations for the attack - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morrocco, Egypt, and what this means for Middle East relations and the shattering of many notions about geopolitics in the Middle East - Israel cutting off access to water, electricity, and food - Hezbollah in Lebanon - Netanyahu's government focus on the West Bank; failure to prevent attack and intelligence and operational failure - Possibility of escalation into a conflict with Iran - U.S. decision to send an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean - Israeli far-right ultranationalist movements led by figures like Religious Zionist Party's Bezalel Smotrich and Otzma Yehudit's Itamar Ben-Gvir - Netanyahu's coalition government and the polarization of the Jewish community over the current Israeli government - Effect of Hamas attack: hardening of anti-Palestinian sentiments in Israel while also calling into question the efficacy of Israeli security forces in the public sentiment - Relationship between Hamas and Iran; it hasn't always been a comfortable relationship re: Syria - Hamas was preparing in the open for a moment like this; the explosion between Hamas and Israel should not be surprising, but breaking through the fence into Israel should be; Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri's comments about "total war" over the summer - Question of Saudi recognition of Israel and whether these unfolding events will kill that - Erdogan's Turkey and whether it will try to take a role/position as mediators - Arab social media backlash against Hamas' way of conducting the attack; Turkish support of Israel on social media and the reasons for it - Palestine Authority's Mahmoud Abbas and potential succession struggle - Possible future negotiation between Hamas and Israel? - Difference between Hamas and Fatah - Hamas' miscalculation on two fronts - U.S.-Israel relationship rift prior to the attacks; Biden administration - Israeli blockade of Gaza and occupation of the West Bank - Occupation cannot be sustained indefinitely - Biggest risk going forward for Palestinians and Israelis - The strange points-of-commonality between Hamas and Israeli ultranationalists - Netanyahu's warning telling Gazans to leave areas that Israel is targeting; misconceptions about that warning; density of Gaza's population and importance of that fact - Israeli and Palestinian trauma - What will it take to end the conflict? - Question of failure of the international community in regards to Israel/Palestine - How will China react to this? - WWIII? - James article on the subject of this episode: "The Middle East may never be the same"

On this edition of Parallax Views, Jonathan Marshall, author of the book Dark Quadrant: Organized Crime, Big Business, and the Corruption of American Democracy, returns to discuss his recent Lobster Magazine piece "The Watergate break-ins and the Howard Hughes connection" as well as, briefly in the latter portion of the program, his scholarly article in the Journal of Cold War Studies entitled "U.S. Cold War Policy and the Italian Far-Right: The Nixon Administration, Republican Party Operatives, and the Borghese Coup Plot of 1970". Over the years many have pondered the question of "Why" when it comes to the Watergate break-in. What was the motivation, the end goal of breaking into the Democratic National Committee? It's no doubt an important question to ask. What brought down the Nixon administration, however, was the cover-up rather than the crime. So, in many ways, the question has remained unanswered or only speculated. Jonathan Marshall offers his assessment in this conversation in which we delve into what could be called the "Secret History" of Watergate. For Marshall, the motivations for Watergate, can be tied into issues related to money-in-politics, blackmail, and, believe it or not, the figure of the notoriously reclusive 20th century business tycoon Howard Hughes. Marshall takes us through the history of the Howard Hughes empire's attempt to gain political favor, including with regards to his relationship with Richard Nixon over the years. Additionally, Hughes had ties to Larry O'Brien, the then chair of the Democratic National Commitee. It's a story that will lead us down rabbit holes of political subterfuge involving publishers, reporters, political organizers, and other social power players as well as the CIA, Watergate plumber G. Gordon Liddy, and many other. It also, Jonathan argues, has relevance to today. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Matt McManus, a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan and the author of The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism, joins the show to discuss his new book The Political Right and Equality: Turning Back the Tide of Egalitarian Modernity. Matt gives a sweeping history of the political right that tries to grapple, from a left social democratic perspective, with conservative thought since the French Revolution. In doing so Matt gets beyond the talking heads on FOX News or flamboyant characters like Alex Jones and Jordan Peterson, instead focusing on the most serious intellectual elements of the political right and how the left should/can respond to those elements. Moreover, Matt discusses the most reactionary segments of the political right in this conversation and their beliefs. Among the topics discussed in this conversation: - Aristotle and the Aristotelian universe in the political right; order and hierarchy in the thinking of the political right; modernity and the radical break from antiquity - Conservatism's relationship with liberals; conservative discomfort with liberalism - English conservative philosopher Roger Scruton's unpacking of liberalism; Roger Scruton and "The Unthinking Man"; agency and critical thinking as an entitlement of the higher orders of society (within the thought of the political right); - Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, the sublime quality of the "Sun King", and monarchy - The thought of uber-reactionary Joseph de Maistre and his response to the events of the French Revolution - F.A. Hegel as conservative? and right-wing Hegelianism - Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky and his turn from Christian socialism to conservatism, his critique of socialism and liberalism in books like Demons, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky Contra Leo Tolstoy - Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Dostoyevsky's critique of scientifically-oriented material ontologies and utilitarianism; psychological reactions to ontological materialism - Utopianism vs. Anti-utopianism, hierarchy and social order/organization, and strawman arguments - The political right in the 20th century and particularly after WWII - The far-right and the transition to fascism from its antecedents on the right; anti-democratic thought amongst elements of the political right; blood and soil ideology - Nietzsche and the political right - Edifying myths, charismatic cults of personality, and fascism; brief discussion about Mussolini - Right-wing anti-capitalism; right-wing rejections of economistic worldviews - Noblesse oblige and the political right; an exploration of the emergent postliberal right - The New American Right of the 1950s; the three-legged stool of American conservatism: muscular anti-New Deal free market capitalism, anticommunist foreign policy hawks, and social conservatives (specifically white evangelical Christian social conservatives); American right-wing opposition to Civil Rights; the breaking down of the three-legged stool after the end of the Cold War and fall of the Soviet Union - The new formation of the American political right: National Conservatism, Postliberalism, and the Eugenicons or Nietzschean Right - The Peter Thiel/Curtis Yarvin segment of the 21st century American Right and Richard Hanania; Hayek's anti-conservatism, the political right, and neoliberalism; Ayn Rand - Ideological diversity of the 21st century right-wing - Patrick Deneen, Sohrab Ahmari, Michael Lind, and postliberal oppositions to figures like Bronze Age Pervert and white nationalist/eugenicist segments of the right - The possibility of a multiracial political right? - The thought of Russian philosopher/geopolitical thinker Aleksandr Dugin and the far-right

On this edition of Parallax Views, Alfred de Zayas, a law professor at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and the UN Independent Expert on International Order from 2012-18, returns to the program to discuss the current worrying situation of Nagorno-Karabakh from an international law and human rights perspective. In the course of this conversation de Zayas offers sweeping history of why Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh fear aggression by Azerbaijan enough to flee. We delve into the history of Turkish and Azeri persecution of Armenians going back to the 1915 genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as well as the Istanbul Pogrom of September 6-7 1955. Additionally, Alfred de Zayas talk about Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine and what he argues is the hypocrisy of the international community on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Mark Movsesian, Director of the Center for Law and Religion at St. John's University, joins us to discuss his Compact Magazine article "The Second Armenian Genocide". The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has come to a close with Azerbaijan taking control, thus leaving many Armenians to flee the region in what many are calling an ethnic cleansing. Mark argues that these events unfolded due to 21st century Great Power competition and that Armenians are the ones that are paying for it. In relation to this we discuss Russia, Turkey, Israel, and the U.S. in relation to Nagorno-Karabakh. We also delve into why U.S. foreign policy has had so little interest in the plight of Armenians despite claiming to being in favor of human rights and R2P (Responsibility to Protect Doctrine), how this incident and the U.S. response reveals American foreign policy hypocrisy, the belief that Armenia is a puppet of Russia, Russia's issues with Armenia and the end of their peacekeeping efforts in the region, the Armenian genocide of 1915, Azeri lobbying efforts guiding the narrative about Nagorno-Karabakh in the West, the response (or lack of response) to Nagorno-Karabakh by American Christians and secular Leftists, Armenia as the oldest Christian civilizations in the world and the role religion plays in the conflict, Turkey's Erdogan, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Mike Rothschild, a journalist specializing in the topic of right-wing conspiracy culture, joins us to discuss his new book Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories. A follow-up of sorts to his previous book The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, Jewish Space Lasers delves into the history of virulently antisemitic conspiracy theories concerning the wealthy Rothschild banking family and the popularity of those theories within the American right-wing and it's media ecosystem. How did the Rothschilds become public enemy No. 1 of the fringe right in America? How does the Rothschild conspiracy theory feed into conspiracy theories about George Soros and Black Rock's Larry Fink? And how has the Rothchild conspiracy theory crept from the dark corners of the fringe right into, in many ways, the mainstream of U.S. conservatism? Hopefully this conversation will help answer all of those questions and more! And no, Mike is not related to the famed financial family. In the course of our conversation we'll discuss the history of Rothschild conspiracy theories going back to the era of Napolean and Waterloo, the lucrative grift of antisemitic conspiracy theory peddling, the John Birch Society and Gary Allen's None Dare Call It Conspiracy, the modernist poet Ezra Pound and how his protege Eustace Mullins created an antisemitic narrative around the formation of the Federal Reserve (and how well-known figures like Glenn Beck have picked up on this particular conspiracy theory), the Mormon conspiracy theorist Cleon Skousen and his influence on the American right-wing, David Icke's reptilian conspiracy theories and the New Age/Wellness connection to antisemitic conspiracism, Marjorie Taylor Green's conspiracy theory about the Rothschilds and weather modification, Bill Cooper's UFO conspiracy tome Behold a Pale Horse and the strange hoax known as Quiet Weapons for Silent Wars: An Introductory Programming Manual which claimed to be a top secret document, the Rothschilds and Zionism, Cold War anti-communism and antisemitism, the 1930s movie House of Rothschild starring horror icon Boris Karloff and Hollywood's WWII-era reluctance to alienate Nazi Germany, Nazi propaganda films like The Eternal Jew and Die Rothschilds (aka The Rothschilds' Shares in Waterloo), how antisemitic conspiracy theories distract from truly addressing issues like wealth inequality, the role American evangelist and 700 Club host Pat Robertson had in promulgating Rothschild conspiracy theories, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Noah Kulwin joins us to discuss the fourth season of his and Brendan James's highly lauded podcast series Blowback. In previous seasons Noah and Brendan have covered the Iraq War, the Cuban Revolution, and the Korean War. For season four they're tackling the mammoth topic of Afghanistan from the era of the Cold War to the U.S.'s invasion of the country after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks and eventual withdrawal 20 years later. In the course of our conversation will discuss the covert intelligence network known as the Safari Club and the scandalous Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), Afghan warlords, the mujahedeen and D.C. foreign policy heavyweight Zbigniew Brezinski, Rambo III, the metaphor of the ouroboros (snake eats its own tail) in Blowback Season 4, the influence of Hideo Kojima's acclaimed video game series Metal Gear Solid on Blowback season 4, Clinton/Bush-era Counterterrorism Czard Richard Clarke's curious comments about 9/11, Peter Dale Scott's The Road to 9/11, conspiracy theories and parapolitics, Steve Coll's Ghost Wars, sources used for Blowback season 4, the deep state, torture programs, al Qaeda, jihadism and intel agencies, Seymour Hersh, the double agent Ali Mohammad, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, joins the show to discuss his new book Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times. Samuel examines and dissects the beliefs of Cold War intellectuals like Karl Popper, Judith Shklar, Gertrude Himmelfarb, Lionel Trilling, Isaiah Berlin, and Hannah Arendt to argue that liberals of the Cold War in many ways ended up undermining the progressive and Enlightenment principles of the liberal tradition in their attempts to combat communism. In doing so, he makes the case, they helped paved the way not only for modern equivalents/heirs of the Cold War liberalism like Anne Applebaum, Timothy Garton Ash, Paul Berman, Michael Ignatieff, Tony Judt, and Leon Wieseltierm, but also the reigning power of the current neoliberal order and the withering of the welfare state. A note that this conversation is talking about liberals and liberalism in a very academic sense rather than it's colloquial usage. Among the topics discussed are Judith Shklar's After Utopia (and why Shklar is a guiding force throughout Liberalism Against Itself), Sigmun Freud and the politics of self-regulations, decolonization and paternalisitic racism in the Cold War era, Jonathan Chait's scathing review of Liberalism Against Itself and Samuel's response to it (excluive, thus far, to this show), Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed and Samuel's critique of the burgeoning postliberal right, thoughts on Sohrab Ahmari's Tyranny Inc., Karl Popper of The Open Society and Its Enemies fame and the problem his critique of historicism, the Mont Pelerin Society and neoliberalism, F.A. Hayek, Gertrude Himmelfarb and the Christian thinker Lord Acton, the Cold War liberals' critique of romanticism and Samuel's response to it, the Soviet Union and the idea of Progress and who lays claim to it, the concept of emancipation and the French Revolution, and much, much more!