Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, Hannah R. Gurman, historian and Clinical Associate Professor at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, joins us to discuss her Responsible Statecraft piece "‘Rambo’ rides again? Switching roles and purifying souls in Ukraine". Said piece deals with the return of counterinsurgency in the post-War on Terror/post-Iraq War context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. response to it. Hannah analyzes this using the popular action film Rambo III, which infamously saw Sylvester Stallone's iconic John Rambo joining Afghanistan freedom fighter (or... the mujahadeen?) fight the Soviet Union and save his friend Col. Sam Trautman by joining a secret CIA mission. Hannah argues that Rambo III is is a piece of pop culture that relevant in understanding how Americans processed the Vietnam War in the decades following its failure. She then uses this to examine how counterinsurgency has returned with none other than the neoconservative hawk Eliot Cohen, a co-founder of the Project for American Century, as a proponent thanks to the Ukraine crisis. All that and much more in this fascinating conversation! In the second segment of the show, Jacobin staff writer and Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden author Branko Marcetic joins me to discuss his article "We Have New Evidence of Saudi Involvement in 9/11, and Barely Anyone Cares". Branko covers how newly released FBI documents point towards some level of Saudi complicity in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. The prime figure that come up in the latest documents? Omar al-Bayoumi, a man who provided assistance to 9/11 hijackers in California and that is believed to have been associated with Saudi intelligence, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, whose close relationship with President George W. Bush led to him being nicknamed "Prince Bandar Bush". In this conversation we discuss the seemingly explosive revelations in these documents as well as the media blackout on coverage of the topic, crisis in Yemen, why despots can get away with violations of international law and the mocking of its allies in a world driven by oil and gas, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, the "Radical Lawyer" Stanley Cohen joins Parallax Views for a freewheeling conversation about his career as an attorney who has represented members of the Weather Underground, Hamas, and the Mohawk Warriors society. Additionally, Cohen gives his views on the Israel/Palestine conflict, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, imperialism and anti-imperialism, working with Lynne Stewart and the late ACLU board member William Kunstler, meeting and representing Hamas leader Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, rejecting antisemitic conspiracy, the charge that he is a "self-hating Jew", Cohen's view on Hamas, his criticism of liberal Zionism, the history of the Lohamei Herut Israel aka Lehi or the Stern Gang,, whether or not the tide is turning in regards to public opinion on Israel/Palestine, Palestinian identity, his Counterpunch article "Imperialism and the Struggle Against It Begins at Home", NATO, Vladimir Putin and Russia's domestic situation, the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation), the occupation of the Palestinian territories and how Palestinians feelings about the Russian invasion of Ukrainian, oppression in Putin's Russia, the Iraq War, comparative Whataboutism, international law, what leads Cohen to take up a case (especially political cases), and more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Jonathan M. Katz joins us to discuss his fascinating new book Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, The Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire. For the uninitiated, Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler is one of only a few men to receive a Medal of Honor twice for his service in the military. Later on in life he became a voice for disenfranchised veterans and a prominent antiwar figure who claimed that in his years prior he had served as a "gangster of capitalism". Butler wrote the famous antiwar short book War is a Racket to expound on the antiwar views that dominated the latter portion of his life. Katz discusses all of this as well as Butler's dark legacy in Haiti, the ways in which Butler couldn't be neatly categorized politically as anything other than a patriotic defender of troops and veterans (and how the Communist Party's Earl Browder summed that up), his contempt for the Italian fascist Mussolini, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and moral injury, the Business Plot, the Bonus Marches and Butler's support for them (vs. Gen. Patton), and zombies. Yes, zombies. How does that factor into the story. Well, you'll have to find out by listening to the conversation but the mention of Butler and his time in Haiti should give you a clue! In the second half of the program, journalist Liza Featherstone, author of such books as Diving Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation and False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton, joins us to discuss her Jacobin obituary of the recently passed diplomat Madeline Albright. Although Albright has been well-remembered in many obituaries since her passing on Mar 23, 2022, Featherstone took a more critical view of Albright and her career which included time as the 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations and 64th United States Secretary of State. Albright infamously said that sanctions against Iraq, which harmed many innocent Iraqi civilians (including children), was worth it in a 60 Minutes interview. She also held to a foreign policy that conflicted greatly with Colin Powell and his Powell Doctrine, instead believing that U.S. military might should not go to waste. We cover all of this as well as Albright's consulting group and its relation to the pandemic and vaccine apartheid, the hagiography around Albright since her passing, girl boss feminism and its discontents, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, long-time Palestinian-American human rights activist and attorney Huwaida Arraf joined me to discuss her political awakening, spending most of her adult life fighting for justice, and her run for Congress in Michigan's 10th Congressional District.  In 2001, Huwaida, her husband Adam Shapiro, Israeli activist Neta Golan, and Palestinian activist Ghassan Adoni founded the International Solidarity Movement that has sought to support the cause of Palestinian liberation. However, Huwaida says she isn't a single-issue candidate and has a broad list of priorities including making leaders accessible and accountable in an age where they've often become distant from their constituents. Armed with years of activism and experience as a practicing human rights attorney, hard-working mother, and energetic, community involved activist Huwaida believes she can represent the new 10th district of Michigan. She also explains how redistricting of the thumb region of Michigan a game-changer for her campaign may well be. Additionally, Huwaida talks about the need for visibility of Palestinian and Arab Americans in the U.S. today, the need for campaign finance reform, and the pivotal experience in her young life that began her political awakening. In the second segment of the show, Dr, Poua Alimagham, author of Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings, joins us to discuss the continued attempts to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran over the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Donald Trump had the U.S. renege on the deal during his Presidency. Talks meant to bring about a new deal have commenced in the post-Trump era, but some forces in the U.S., specifically within the GOP, hope to see such efforts scuttled claiming that it will weaken America. Meanwhile, talks have continued amidst Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the crisis it has wrought. Dr. Alimagham and I discuss all of this as well as the ways in which the discourse around Iran and Iranian-Americans has been tinged by racism over the years.

On this edition of Parallax Views, William Ramsey, host of the William Ramsey Investigates podcast, joins me to discuss his book Global Death: The Order of Nine Angles, Atomwaffen, and the Slaughter of the Innocents. In said book, Ramsey uncovers the extremist ideologies of David Myatt and the birth of the Satanic neo-nazi/neo-fascist underground group known as The Order of Nine Angles. Along the way he also deals with the sordid story of the neo-nazi terrorists known as the Atomowaffen Division. He details the interest of the Order of Nine Angles in Satanism and their belief in a "culling" of those deemed "Untermensch". Its a strange tale straight out of a horror movie and Ramsey unravels it with us on this edition of the show.

On this edition of Parallax Views, Peter S. Goodman, global economics correspondent for the New York Times, joins us to discuss his invaluable, informative new book Davos Man: How the Billionaires. "Davos Man", coined by the late political scientist and Clash of Civilizations author Samuel P. Huntington, refers to the ultra-wealthy attendees of Klaus Schwab's annual World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland. Peter has covered a number of these conferences and offers his insights on what drives "Davos Man", why "Davos Man" should be looked at from a conspiratorial lens, and more. We also discuss Donald Trump and Bill Clinton's relation to Davos and the billionaire class, Silicon Valley tech giant Marc Benioff, the multinational investment management corporation BlackRock and its CEO Larry Fink, the potentially false promise of shareholder capitalism, Milton Friedman and stakeholder maximization, immigration, labor exploitation, Jeff Bezos and the ideology of "Davos Man", Amazon labor organizer Chris Smalls, tax avoidance schemes, the Syrian refugee simulation at Davos, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, independent Libyan academic and award-winning journalist Mustafa Fetouri joins the show to discuss the political turmoil in Libya as well as the history of it and its context. Libya recently postponed its Parliamentary and Presidential elections, which was supposed to happen on December 24th, 2021. Among the candidates for the Presidency were General Khalifar, Fathi Bashagha, and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late, overthrown Muammar Gaddafi. Mustafa discusses all of these figures, the role foreign interventions have played in Libya's current predicament, the U.S. and NATO, Russia's Wagner Group, Turkey, corruption in Libya, polls indicating strong support for Saif Gaddafi, and much, much more. Then in the second segment of our show, independent journalist Andrew Corbley of the World At Large news outlet, joined me to discuss outcome of the South Korean Presidential election. Yoon Suk-yeol of the People's Power Party took the victory in a narrow and controversial election. Known for his hawkish tendencies towards North Korea, what does Suk-yeol's Presidential win mean for the Asia Pacific arms build-up? Corbley recently delved into that very question in his article "North Korea Hawk To Take Power in Seoul—Asia Pacific Set For Continuing Arms Buildup". We discuss his analysis in this conversation.

On this edition of Parallax Views, investigative journalist Greg Palast returns to the program to detail the deep history of Vladimir Putin's rise to power involving Russian oligarchs, Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, and former United States Secretary of Treasure Larry Summers among others. We also discuss how oil figures into the equation, how the U.S. cutting a deal with Venezuela could help deal a blow to Putin, Putin as the "Russian Pinochet", and U.S. "shock therapy" on Russia after the Cold War. In the second segment of the show, progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann returns to the program to discuss his latest book The Hidden History of Big Brother. We begin by delving into the "pre-history" of Orwellian surveillance and police state-style tactics used by the powerful in America from the days of slavery in the agrarian South to the reign of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI in the 20th century. From there we pivot to the question of Big Tech in relation to the modern surveillance and also discuss the Patriot Act, Josh Hawley's The Tyranny of Big Tech, Cambridge Analytica, and much, much more! In the third segment of the show we welcome George Demacopoulos, a Professor of Theology/Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University and the co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, to tell us about how the Russki Mir (Russian World) teaching that is some powerful members of the Russian Orthodox Church are using to justify Putin's war in Ukraine. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in particular has been a major embracer of the Russian World teaching. Others, however, including Prof. Demacopoulos, argue this teaching is heretical and have made their feelings on the matter known by signing "A DECLARATION ON THE “RUSSIAN WORLD” (RUSSKII MIR) TEACHING".

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our examination of the crisis in Ukraine after the country's invasion by Vladimir Putin's Russia. On this time we take a look at Cuba's reaction to these recent events with Dr. William LeoGrande of American Universty in Washington, D.C. LeoGrande recently penned a piece for the Quincy Institute's Responsible Statecraft publication entitled "Why Cuba has threaded the Russia needle for 60 years" that delves into the history of Cuba-Russia relation going back to the days of the Soviet Union, Cold War, and U.S. hostilities towards Fidel Castro. Dr. LeoGrande discusses Cuba's reactions to Russian interventions in Czechoslovakia in 1969 and Afghanistan in 1979 in addition to talking about Cuba's response to the invasion of Ukraine. Dr. LeoGrande and I also delve into such issues as Cuba's foreign policy, Fidel Castro's comments on the Soviet Union throughout the years, Barack Obama's attepts to normalize relations with Cuba, how Donald Trump and conservative Florida-based Cubans thwarted normalization of Cuba-U.S. relations, Boris Yeltsin and Cuba, the plight of smaller countries and especially those with a hostile relationship to the U.S., sanctions, Havana Syndrome, and more. In the second segment of the show, Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, author of Qatar and the Gulf Crisis and Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, joins me to discuss his Doha News article "What the Russian invasion of Ukraine means for small states". Dr. Ulrichsen discusses how states in the Persian Gulf have reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what it means for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain among others. He also explains how smaller gulf states may be paying careful attention to the conflict due to a.) memories of Saddam Hussein and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and b.) Putin's invocation of "ancient lands" and how it could be used in a new era of great power competition. In the third and final segment of the show, Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast joins to offer his take on the situation in Ukraine, U.S. foreign policy, NATO, the controversy over John Mearsheimer and the Realist School of International Relations theory, "the Left", and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, author and former Berlin correspondent for the BBC Martyn Bond joined me to discuss his fascinating and relevant biography of a the little known Austrian/Japanese aristocratic who may envisioned a unified Europe years before the formation of the EU. Hitler's Cosmopolitan Bastard: Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi and His Vision for Europe, tells the story of Count Kalergi, the man who founded the Pan-Europa movement, served as a large part of the inspiration for the anti-fascist leader Victor Laszlo in Casablanca, and was despised so much by his fellow Austrian Adolph Hitler that he was referred to as the "cosmopolitan bastard" in Mein Kampf. In this conversation we cover a number of aspects of Count Kalergi and his life and legacy including the lead-up to WWII, his personality fault, his views of Russia and the Soviet Union, his sometimes xenophobic Western-bias, his push for European parliament, his attraction to strong personalities like his wife the Jewish actress Ida Roland, his association with Freemasonry and pacifism, his belief that one could have a nationality identity and a European identity, the idea of "thinking in continents, not countries",  the relevance of Kalergi today in light of the Ukraine War and Brexit, and much, much more! Then, inn the second segment of the show, Briand Grodsky joins us to discuss his article for The Conversation entitled "Economic sanctions may deal fatal blow to Russia’s already-weak domestic opposition". Brian explains how economic sanctions against Russia could possibly strengthen Putin and irrevocably damage, or destroy, the opposition to him in Russia.