#796: What The World Gets Wrong About Iran & the Middle East | Prof. Syed Farid Alatas

Prof. Syed Farid Alatas, an NUS sociologist, decolonisation scholar, and a man with family currently living under the Iran-Israel war, explains why the Middle East conflict is really about colonial power, US hegemony, and what Singapore's silence reveals about our own captive minds that have been “colonized”.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗱'𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸:

• Prof Syed Farid on Facebook
• Prof Syed Farid on LinkedIn
• Books by Prof Syed Farid

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴

• Terence: A Scientist's View of War
• Haresh: Why Singapore Built A 150m-Deep Oil Cave
• Farid: Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀!
We’re looking for people to join our team! Click on the links below to find out more about the roles. If you’re interested, send your CV & cover letter to [email protected]! 

• Creative Producer
• Folklory Growth Hacking Internship

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 – "𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝘁”
Get a roundup of our One Shiok Things & first dibs on our latest launches delivered straight to your inbox!
Subscribe Here

(00:50) On this episode...
(0:02:12) Intro
(0:03:25) The War Hits Home: Prof Farid's Personal Connection To Iran
(0:07:19) Prof Farid's Background In Sociology
(0:09:26) What Is Neo-Colonialism?
(0:11:29) Decolonizing Our Minds
(0:13:05) What Is A Eurocentric Education?
(0:17:17) Is Colonialism Only A European Problem?
(0:19:23) Was Imperial Domination Always Inevitable?
(0:22:00) Trump And The Return Of Colonial Language
(0:25:04) How October 7 Changed American Minds
(0:30:25) Critiquing All Sides: US, Israel, Gulf States, And Iran
(0:35:18) Why Regime Change In Iran Won't Work
(0:38:42) Understanding Iranian Society And Its Contradictions
(0:41:28) Iranians United Against Foreign Aggression
(0:43:50) Why Isn't The Muslim World Rallying Behind Iran?
(0:46:17) The Most Worrying Thing: Regional Disunity
(0:47:52) What Would A Better Middle East Look Like?
(0:49:03) The "Wipe Off The Map" Myth Debunked
(0:53:15) Is Peace Realistic? The Shifting Global Opinion On Israel
(0:56:13) Christian Zionism And The End Times Narrative
(1:00:16) Could This Become World War 3?
(1:02:34) How The Iran War Affects Singapore
(1:08:40) Singapore's Reluctance To Have Hard Conversations
(1:11:10) Southeast Asia Navigating US vs China
(1:13:53) De-dollarization As A Form Of Decolonization
(1:14:53) Can Singapore Afford To Decolonize?
(1:17:55) Ibn Khaldun: Governments Are Always Unjust
(1:22:53) Is Singapore Too Dependent On Government?
(1:25:19) One Shiok Thing
(1:31:03) Post-Interview Reflection

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲!
Reddit | Telegram

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀
TikTok | Instagram | Facebook

𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 @𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘦
𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘬