Going Underground Hosted by Afshin Rattansi

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s Minister of Business, Mineral Resources & Energy. She discusses the US’ betrayal of Greenland following Donald Trump’s plans to annex Greenland, her policies on banning uranium mining and natural resource extraction, Greenland’s membership of NATO and the accusation that it makes Greenland a target for Russia and China, her view of China as a competitor rather than a potential partner, whether Greenlanders see Trump’s annexation plan as leverage against Denmark to gain full independence, the lower rates of poverty rates in Denmark compared to Greenland and the lack of sovereignty over US bases, Trump’s offer of $100,000 to every Greenlander in exchange for annexation, Denmark’s arming of Israel for the genocide in Gaza, whether the US’ threats over Greenland signal the beginning of the end of NATO, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to CMSGT. Dennis Fritz, Former Advisor to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Richard Myers. He discusses the Trump Administration’s crackdown against anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota and how it’s a training ground for repression against the American population, Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and what the motivations are behind his threats, the looming threat of a US-led regime change war against Iran, the US’ failed use of unrest in Iran to bring down the Iranian government which makes war more likely, whether Saudi Arabia and the UAE can dissuade Trump from attacking Iran while the Israel lobby and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are persuading Trump into going to war, whether China will imminently move to reintegrate Taiwan by force, and much more.

Tuomas Malinen, Associate Professor of Economics and CEO of GnS Economics, offers economic and geopolitical forecasts. He explores why Trump may fail to secure Ukraine peace, how US neocon priorities aim to prevent a China-Russia-Europe alliance, rising militarization in Finland and NATO tensions, European banking and euro fragility, and heightened Middle East dangers including threats to the Strait of Hormuz.

Tariq Ali, writer, filmmaker and long-time New Left Review editor, reflects on imperialism and geopolitics. He dissects Davos as a fading elite symbol. He discusses alleged US moves against Venezuela, oil-linked deals, and regional shifts. He also tackles Trump’s Greenland interest, the Ukraine war dynamics and far-right risks, plus protests and repression across Europe and Iran.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Prof. John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago for our final episode of the year and season. He discusses Donald Trump’s foreign policy failures of 2025, the 12-day Israeli war on Iran, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and how his former defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz attacked him for exposing the Israel lobby, the threat the Israel lobby poses to freedom of speech in the United States, the damage the Gaza genocide has done to Israel’s image abroad, whether a second US-Israel war on Iran is likely, Donald Trump’s growing disdain for Europe and the likely reduction of the US military presence in Europe, the European strategy of trying to prolong the proxy war on Russia through Ukraine, the likely conclusion of the Ukraine proxy war being a frozen conflict, the fate of the global nuclear arms control infrastructure, and much more.

NewsPolitics On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Philip Pilkington, Senior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and Author of ‘The Collapse of Global Liberalism’. He discusses how the Ukraine proxy war has completely upended the Western economic and geostrategic calculus, the failure of the West’s logic in military procurement as proven in Ukraine and the Israel-Iran war, the collapse and dysfunction in Western European cities, the failure of markets and capitalism to solve the West’s problems, the origins of liberal capitalism and the evolution of imperialism, the rediscovery of civilisational roots among the non-Western powers, the dark future Europe faces as it sits in the chaos of the collapse of liberalism.

Prof. Richard B. Spence, Professor Emeritus of History specializing in intelligence and secret societies, dives deep into the hidden worlds of elite power. He defines secret societies and reveals the intriguing origins of the Bohemian Grove, where influential figures network. The discussion covers the Bilderberg Group's secretive political vetting and the Trilateral Commission's foreign policy maneuvers. Spence also explores the dark legacy of Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting how he used leverage against the elite, the looming risks for political leaders like Trump, and the cultural memes of power.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Max Blumenthal, Editor in Chief of The Grayzone. He discusses the Trump Administrations’ fabrications of left-wing terror plots to justify further repression, the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia and how Israel is exploiting it for furthering its aims of cracking down on anti-Zionist activism and pursuing a second war on Iran, how Israel’s campaign to portray itself as the global voice of Judaism has fuelled anti-Semitism as the Gaza genocide continues, the Epstein Files scandal and its damage to Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and the neocon wing trapping Donald Trump in escalation in Venezuela and Syria, President Nicolas Maduro strategy of defying the US media and Trump Administration, why Russia and China are not taking more action to stop the looming US regime change war on Venezuela, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou. He discusses why the CIA is involved in drug trafficking and the purposes it serves, how the CIA works with Hollywood and the media to ensure the CIA is portrayed in a positive light, the mass control of the media by just 5 corporations and its effects on the American people, why there is no Gaza Peace Deal or even peace in the Middle East with Israel continuing its region-wide warfare, why US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee needs to be urgently fired, the CIA’s program of torture which he exposed and the outsourcing of torture and abuse, the fact that the CIA does not spy on Israel and everything the US does in Israel having to be approved by Mossad, the lack of arrests or indictments of any deep state officials under Donald Trump such as John Brennan, the looming war on Venezuela and the war in the Republican Party between neoconservatives and America First Republicans, the US’ warped view of Latin America which leads to continuous foreign policy failures, Venezuela’s military still being on the side of President Nicolas Maduro and the obstacles this poses, the CIA’s bases in Ukraine and whether there is a risk of escalation as Russia advances, why we may never see a full release of the Epstein Files, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Carlos Ron, Former Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister for North America. He discusses the mood in Venezuela as the threat of regime change attack from the US looms over the country, the new type of warfare being used against Venezuela by Washington, the lies being told by the Trump Administration and the media about Nicolas Maduro being the head of a narco-trafficking cartel, the exclusion of Venezuela from BRICS reportedly by Brazil’s President Lula Da Silva, the right-wing governments of Latin America being sustained by the US’ financing and repression, the prevailing strength of the Bolivarian Revolution and unification of the country behind defiance of Donald Trump’s threats, the treatment of Venezuelan migrants by the Trump Administration and the possible refugee wave that would come from a US attack on Venezuela, the brave history of resistance in Latin America and why the US will be surprised by the level of resistance shown by Venezuela, CIA Asset Maria Corina Machado’s close ties and links to Israel in contrast to the Bolivarian Revolution’s solidarity with Palestine, Corina Machado’s history of sabotaging Venezuela and representing the system of exclusion that impoverished most Venezuelans, and much more.