Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

Interview Start Times: Trita Parsi - 02:22 Nadia Ahmad - 27:14 On this edition of Parallax Views, we have two interviews relating to U.S. foreign policy. First, up Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft co-founder and executive vice president Trita Parsi joins us to discuss how U.S. foreign policy needs a change. For Parsi, that means a shift towards a foreign policy of restraint that rejects militarism and economic warfare like sanctions. He argues that U.S. Grand Strategy is not worked out well for the U.S. as D.C.'s "Blob" adherents of the "Forever Wars" in the Middle East have claimed they would. The disaster of Afghanistan, he argues, is not a repudiation of restraint, but an argument for it. Additionally, Parsi also addresses claims that the Quincy Institute is "isolationist" and takes issue with the U.S. foreign policy Establishment's lack of referring to diplomacy before forms of warfare.   Then, Nadia Ahmad, a law professor at the Barry University School of Law, joins us to discuss her Common Dreams op-ed "The US Endgame in Afghanistan Was Mineral Extraction, Not Democracy". Also, Nadia chimes in on what can be done to help the Afghan people now and launches a criticism of those who ignore the question, "Should we have occupied Afghanistan in the first place?". We discuss the mining companies that Nadia argues the U.S. acted as security guards for in Afghanistan and the threat of sanctions against Afghanistan. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

Ret. Air Force Lt. Col Karen Kwiatkowski begins at 04:00 Ron Paul begins at 1:04:00 On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our "Reflections on Afghanistan" series with a double feature episode. First up, Ret. Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski joins us to offer an insider's perspective the Pentagon during the Bush years and to offer insights about the neoconservatives that got us into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We'll also delve into the latest developments in Afghanistan with Karen and why the occupation ended the way it did. Then, former Congressman Ron Paul, noted libertarian and host of The Ron Paul Liberty Report, joins us to talk about his conflicted feelings with regards to signing the 2001 AUMF (Authorization for the Use of Military Force) in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, his argument at the 2008 Republican Presidential debates with Rudy Giuliani over blowback's role in creating terrorism, his correct prediction in 2011 that if we did not leave at that time we'd be stuck in Afghanistan for another 10 years, the connection between the War on Terror and the assault on civil liberties, and much, much more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Eric S. Margolis joins us for the latest in our "Reflections on Afghanistan" series. Margolis, the author of American Raj Liberation Or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World and War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet, has years of experience covering Afghanistan with his reporting their going back to the 1980s. He discusses a number of issues including the corruption of the Ghani government and the opium drug trade in Afghanistan, the situation with "ISIS-K" or the Khorasan group and the Taliban, the complex multi-ethnic nature of Afghanistan (the Tajiks, Pashtuns, and Hazaras), why the U.S. lost Afghanistan, the "malefactors everywhere" in Afghanistan, the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, the mujahedeen, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, Eric's criticism of media coverage of Afghanistan, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we take a break from our "Reflections on Afghanistan" series and turn our attention to Iran. Dr. Pouya Alimagham, author of Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings, joins us to discuss the 2009 Green Uprisings, Islam, and Iran and its history more generally. At the beginning of our conversation deals alot with Dr. Pouya's own journey as an Iranian-American, the problem, of Islamophobia in the United States (we debunk fears of Sharia Law coming to the U.S.A., for example), and American misunderstandings and misperceptions about Islamic people and Iran. Later in the conversation we shift to the topic of the 2009 Green Uprisings against then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and understanding Iran politically. We discuss how the Green Uprisings went well beyond the political figure of Mir Hossein Mousavi. We also discuss the issue of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) aka the Iran nuclear deal, the continuity of foreign policy between Presidencies (ie: from Trump to Biden). protests within Iran, elections in Iran, and the issue of sanctions against Iran and how they impact the Iranian people. All that and more on this fascinating edition of Parallax Views.

On this edition of Parallax Views, it's a monster-sized edition of our "Reflections of Afghanistan" series with not one but two guests join us for a nearly two hour roundtable conversation asking about how we got to this moment, what the past 20 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan says about our society, and what our withdrawal portends for a future in which China's rise looms and climate change seems ready to change the world. Joining us is long-time friend of the show JP Sottile aka "The Newsvandal" and former marine and State Deparment official Matthew Hoh, who famously blew the whistle on the 2009 surge in Afghanistan. The conversation begins with Matthew describing his background in both the Iraq War and Afghanistan War and his opposition to the 2009 surge. From there we delve into a number of issues with JP commenting on the media coverage of Afghanistan and the complicity we may all share in what he calls "The Empire of Oil". The conversation branches out from there as we discuss everything from the late Michael Hastings (a friend of Matthew Hoh) to the defense contractors that benefitted from the war and the F-35 boondoggle on this mammoth edition of the program. NOTE: HAD TO USE A DIFFERENT MIC FOR THIS EPISODE. I DON'T THINK THE AUDIO QUALITY IS EFFECTED THAT MUCH ON MY END. AND IT'S LARGELY JUST ME MODERATING JP AND MATTHEW.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our deep dive into Afghanistan and the war waged by U.S. forces in Afghanistan over the past 20+ years. This time Prof. Muhammad Sahimi, an astute commentator on Iran, joins me to discuss his latest Antiwar.Com article "The Fake Image of ‘Democratic’ Afghanistan Made by the US Collapses With the Taliban Victory". Why did the U.S. military adventure in Afghanistan fail and does the involvement of the U.S. involvement in the country actually stretch back much farther in history than the immediate aftermath of 9/11? Prof. Sahimi discusses the birth of the Mujahadeen and the Taliban, the religious and diverse tribal nature of Afghanistan, what the withdrawal entails for Iran and the possibility that the withdrawal is part of a move against Iran by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the long history of issues between Iran and Afghanistan (including dispute over water distribution), the Persian-speaking populations in Afghanistan, Massoud and the Northern Alliance, the role of ultraconservative Sunni Hanafi Islam in Afghanistan, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our "Reflections on Afghanistan" series. This time we speak with Princeton University international law scholar Richard A. Falk about the parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan and what it says about the nature of post-colonial wars. Specifically, Falk notes how even a superior military force seems primed to lose in an occupation against a "weaker" nation. We discuss this issue more in-depth as well as dealing with a number of other issues. Among these are the criticisms of President Biden's exit strategy, the withdrawal itself, why Falk supports the withdrawal, the Pentagon Papers and intelligence agency lies, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue are reflection on the U.S. war in Afghanistan and its closure. This time we're joined with retired CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professional for Sanity Ray McGovern joins us to discuss his articles "Hold the Generals Accountable This Time" (Antiwar.Com; 2021) and "Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President" (Common Dreams; 2009). Ray McGovern relate some stories that draw parallels between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War and also explain the concept of the MICIMATT, or the Military Industrial Congressional Intelligence Media Academic Think Tank complex. He also offers thoughts on General Kenneth McKenzie, General Mark Milley,, General David Petraeus, General Stanley McChrystal, and what generals need to be held to account for what the U.S. military intervention into Afghanistan has wrought.  We also discuss Ray's concept of the Noah Principle, intelligence agencies and wars, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our series exploring the past 20 years of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan. Dr. Stephen Zunes, founder of the Middle East Studies Program at USF, joins us to discuss his thoughts on the latest developments as well as to pushback on attacks on Biden's decision to withdrawal, especially from the right-wing. Additionally, Dr. Zunes and I spend a great deal of time discussing why he was against the invasion and bombing of Afghanistan by U.S. forces even in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Zunes argued at the early onset of the plans for intervention that the actions taken by the Bush administration and later continued by Obama and the administrations that followed him were playing right into the hands of Osama Bin Laden. We also discuss the issue of women's rights, where Afghanistan will go from here under Taliban rule, why Zunes believes Biden took a brave stand in going forward with the withdrawal, the need for an investigation into the botching of the exit strategy, the problem of military vs. economic/infrastructure development in the Afghan mission, and much, much more.

On this edition of Parallax Views, protests against the Taliban in Jalalabad have been met with violent crackdowns. Hours before this development J.G. spoke with Patrick Cockburn, a long-time journalist at The Independent specializing in Middle East wars, about the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban. Given recent developments Patrick's thoughts, particularly his belief that the Taliban would engage in more violent crackdowns and had not moderated, seems pertinent and perhaps even ominous. In this conversation we discuss Patrick's experiences in Afghanistan, what intelligence agencies knew about concerning the state of Afghanistan and what it would look like after the U.S. withdrawal, the ethnic and community diversity within Afghanistan, what the U.S. withdrawal executed by President Biden means for America, what the withdrawal means for Russia, China, Iran, and other nations, what the U.S. got wrong about Afghanistan, how the Taliban managed to take power in the North, and much, much more.