Use of militias and regional proxies for repression

Start with the headlines and everything looks simple: a “crown prince” trending on social feeds, viral clips of pre-revolution Tehran, and bold claims that one more round of pressure will tip the balance. Look closer and the picture changes. We unpack Iran’s internal stalemate and Syria’s shifting lines with a clear eye on what’s driving events: sanctions that harden the regime’s patronage networks, diaspora psyops that mistake nostalgia for strategy, and the vanishing space for any liberal or left alternative that might organize hope into power.

We walk through how Iran’s formal elections and parliament sit under real veto points from the Supreme Leader and security services, why the reformist track keeps collapsing, and how dollarization and elite access to cheap currency rig the economic playing field. That material strain feeds youth despair, anti-religious backlash, and polarizing street slogans the regime can exploit. Outside the borders, expected lifelines don’t arrive. Russia and China prefer stability at low cost. The “axis of resistance” has limits and its own priorities. Israel and Turkey maneuver in Syria while the SDF faces pressure to retreat from Arab-majority areas. Once again, Kurdish politics become the lever many states pull to consolidate authority.

We also scrutinize the information environment: Saudi-backed outlets, AI-washed propaganda, and English-language punditry that often substitutes for real reporting under an intense blackout. When verification fails, certainty thrives—and that’s a gift to hardliners. Instead of romantic solutions or regime-change fantasies, we outline realistic levers that protect lives and keep political possibilities open: unions and professional associations setting bright lines, targeted pressure that hits elite rents rather than civilians, and media practices that prioritize verification over virality. It’s not flashy. It’s the kind of strategy that sustains pluralism after the hashtags fade.

If you value sober analysis without cheerleading, hit follow, share this episode with a friend who loves geopolitics, and leave a review with the one question you want answered next. Your questions shape where we take this conversation.

Send us a text

Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian