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Around The Empire

Around the Empire podcast explores the massive apparatus of the American Empire. In-depth interviews, discussions. Hosted by Joanne Leon.
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Now displaying: December, 2018

Around the Empire podcast explores the massive apparatus of the American Empire. In-depth interviews, discussions. Hosted by Joanne Leon.

Dec 31, 2018

In this two-part series investigative journalist Mohamed Elmaazi joins us from London. Mohamed has been working on what is potentially one of the most explosive international scandals in recent years. Hacked documents have exposed a secretive “charity” think tank, the Institute for Statecraft, which is funded by the British Foreign Office, the US State Department, NATO, Facebook, a neoconservative foundation and others. Mohamed located their London office in a neo-gothic mansion, Two Temple Place, and later accompanied a British MP on an unwelcome visit. One of the Institute for Statecraft’s projects, The Integrity Initiative, possibly a front for military intelligence, is a covert propaganda network of politicians, journalists, academics, researchers and military officers engaged in smearing political leaders and interfering in the affairs of other allied governments.

Ep84 Temple of Covert Propaganda Part 2 feat Mohamed Elmaazi

Mohamed Elmaazi is a journalist with experience in human rights law, with degrees from American University in Cairo and SOAS. He contributes to Open Democracy, The Canary, the Grayzone and The Real News Network.  FOLLOW Mohamed on Twitter at @MElmaazi.

Institute of Statecraft

Two Temple Place

Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on December 22, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. Inside the Temple of Covert Propaganda: The Integrity Initiative and the UK’s Scandalous Information War, Gray Zone, Mohamed Elmaazi and Max Blumenthal
  2. Institute for Statecraft slams door in Labour MP’s face, The Canary, Mohamed Elmaazi
  3. Labour’s Chris Williamson warns of ‘British interference’ in Spain’s national security affairs, The Canary, Mohamed Elmaazi
  4. Briefing note on the Integrity Initiative, Paul McKeigue, David Miller, Jake Mason, Piers Robinson
  5. CyberGuerilla site, Nov 5 post, Nov 29 post

 

Dec 31, 2018

In this two-part series investigative journalist Mohamed Elmaazi joins us from London. Mohamed has been working on what is potentially one of the most explosive international scandals in recent years. Hacked documents have exposed a secretive “charity” think tank, the Institute for Statecraft, which is funded by the British Foreign Office, the US State Department, NATO, Facebook, a neoconservative foundation and others. Mohamed located their London office in a neo-gothic mansion, Two Temple Place, and later accompanied a British MP on an unwelcome visit. One of the Institute for Statecraft’s projects, The Integrity Initiative, possibly a front for military intelligence, is a covert propaganda network of politicians, journalists, academics, researchers and military officers engaged in smearing political leaders and interfering in the affairs of other allied governments.

Ep83 Temple Covert Propaganda Part 1 feat Mohamed ElmaaziMohamed Elmaazi is a journalist with experience in human rights law, with degrees from American University in Cairo and SOAS. He contributes to Open Democracy, The Canary, the Grayzone and The Real News Network.  FOLLOW Mohamed on Twitter at @MElmaazi.

Institute of Statecraft

Two Temple Place

Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on December 22, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. Inside the Temple of Covert Propaganda: The Integrity Initiative and the UK’s Scandalous Information War, Gray Zone, Mohamed Elmaazi and Max Blumenthal
  2. Institute for Statecraft slams door in Labour MP’s face, The Canary, Mohamed Elmaazi
  3. Labour’s Chris Williamson warns of ‘British interference’ in Spain’s national security affairs, The Canary, Mohamed Elmaazi
  4. Briefing note on the Integrity Initiative, Paul McKeigue, David Miller, Jake Mason, Piers Robinson
  5. CyberGuerilla site, Nov 5 post, Nov 29 post

 

Dec 20, 2018

Elijah Magnier returns to the show. He is currently in Beirut enroute to Damascus. We discuss Trump’s announcement of a rapid withdrawal from Syria, the prospect of a Turkish invasion of Kurdish and US-occupied areas in Syria, and the situation this creates for the Kurds, who, even if Trump reneges on his order, are now confronted with a crisis of confidence in long term American occupation. We also discuss Russia’s consequential change in the rules of engagement with Israel and Syria, and a possible Middle East summit.

Ep 82 Syria Withdrawal feat Elijah Magnier

Elijah is a veteran war correspondent, a terrorism/counterterrorism analyst specializing in the Europe and the Middle East, especially Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Libya. FOLLOW Elijah at @ejmalrai and find his work at ejmagnier.com. Support him by using the Paypal link at the bottom of every page on his website.


Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on December 20, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. NEW RULES OF ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SYRIA AND ISRAEL, AS RUSSIA CHANGES ITS POSITION, Elijah Magnier

 

Dec 18, 2018

A wide-ranging discussion with author and policy analyst Patrick Eddington about his service in the CIA during the Bush 41 and Bill Clinton eras, the Gulf War, Russiagate, the failure to change course at the end of the Cold War and about the unsustainability of and America’s incompatibility with empire.

Ep 81 Bush 41, Gulf War, State of the Empire feat Patrick Eddington

Patrick Eddington is a policy analyst in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute. He was an advisor to Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey and he’s an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies.  Eddington was a military imagery analyst at the CIA’s National Photographic Interpretation Center from 1988 to 1996 with assignments that included monitoring the breakup of the former Soviet Union and providing military assessments to policymakers on Iraqi and Iranian conventional forces.

Eddington resigned from the CIA in 1996 after working on a book titled (Gassed in the Gulf: The Inside Story of the Pentagon-CIA Cover-up of Gulf War Syndrome) and he also wrote a 2011 memoir titled Long Strange Journey about his years in the CIA. He has been published at many outlets and has opinion pieces at the CATO Institute, Just Security and other sites. Find his work and links to his articles and events at the CATO Institute and at his blog, PatrickEddington.com.  FOLLOW him on Twitter at @PGEddington.

Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on December 11, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.


Reference Links:

  1. Eddington’s Twitter thread on GHWB’s death
  2. George H.W. Bush’s Persian Gulf War: Victory, With Tragedy, Patrick Eddington
  3. Long Strange Journey: An Intelligence Memoir, Patrick Eddington
  4. Gassed in the Gulf: The Inside Story of the Pentagon-CIA Cover-up of Gulf War Syndrome, Patrick Eddington



Dec 11, 2018

Joanne Leon and investigative journalist and historian Gareth Porter discuss “The Permanent War Complex” and how it developed in stages to the point where we have defense and intelligence mega-contractors helping to drive perpetual wars around the globe. Eisenhower’s nightmare has now come true. We also talk about recent machinations in the case of Julian Assange and Wikileaks.

Ep80 Permanent War Complex feat Gareth Porter

Gareth Porter specializes in covering issues related to U.S. wars and interventions. He is the winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for Journalism who has covered U.S. policy toward Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Syria for Inter Press Service from 2004 to 2014, and his stories were widely republished on other news sites. Since then he has published stories and columns at Truthdig, American Conservative, Foreign Policy, Consortium News, Truthout, antiwar.com The Nation and Middle East Eye.

 He is the author of five books, including three books on Vietnam and the U.S. war in Indochina.  His latest book, Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, reveals the true story of the Iran nuclear issue that has been hidden and distorted by government propaganda and complete lack of media scrutiny. FOLLOW Gareth on Twitter at @GarethPorter.

 Around the Empire is independent media and you can support it at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or at aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on December 4, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.


Reference Links:

  1. U.K. and Ecuador Conspire to Deliver Julian Assange to U.S. Authorities, Gareth Porter
  2. America’s Permanent-War Complex, Gareth Porter
Dec 3, 2018

Friends of the show Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter join Joanne Leon for a special two-part series on the Khashoggi Affair, which symbolizes a much bigger geopolitical crisis and battle. Roundtable format, released in two separate episodes in the coming week for our listeners or available in advance, in full for patrons.

Ep 78 Khashoggi Affair (Part 2)

Kyle Anzalone is the host of the Foreign Policy Focus podcast and the editor-in-chief of ImmersionNews.com. He also writes the Daily News Roundup at Libertarian Institute.

Will Porter is a freelance journalist with a focus on US foreign policy and conflicts abroad. His work can be found at the Libertarian Institute, Antiwar.com and Consortium News

We are independent media and we rely on your contributions. Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire Donations: aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on November 23 and 24, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Fair Use Act Disclaimer. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Reference Links:

  1. FPF #274 - Trump Runs Cover for MbS guest Will Porter, Kyle Anzalone, Will Porter
  2. Khashoggi Was No Critic of Saudi Regime, Asad AbuKhalil, Consortium News
  3. Why Did CIA Turn Against Saudi Crown Prince MBS? It’s More Than Khashoggi, The Real News, Ben Norton, Professor Asad AbuKhalil
  4. Off the Hookah podcast 10/31/18: Episode #075: Crown Control (feat. Bruce Riedel)
  5. One-on-one with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, Fox Business, Maria Bartiromo, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
  6. Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Is the cold war heating up? - UpFront, Al Jazeera English, Mehdi Hasan, Jamal Khashoggi, Seyed Hossein Mousavian
  7. Saudi Prince Turki says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi, Al Jazeera
  8. Rand Paul on Face the Nation
  9. Lindsey Graham on Meet the Press
  10. Lindsey Graham on Hannity
  11. Tulsi Gabbard Twitter thread
  12. Here is a Saudi 'war game' scenario that demonstrates the peril of a post-Khashoggi period for the US and the Middle East, CNBC, Fred Kempe
  13. Exclusive: After Khashoggi murder, some Saudi royals turn against king’s favorite son, Reuters
  14. Keeping Bin Salman In Place Will Hurt Trump's Middle East Policies, Moon of Alabama

 

Dec 1, 2018

Friends of the show Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter join Joanne Leon for a special two-part series on the Khashoggi Affair, which symbolizes a much bigger geopolitical crisis and battle. Roundtable format, released in two separate episodes in the coming week for our listeners or available in advance, in full for patrons.

Ep 77 The Khashoggi Affair - Part 1

Kyle Anzalone is the host of the Foreign Policy Focus podcast and the editor-in-chief of ImmersionNews.com. He also writes the Daily News Roundup at Libertarian Institute.

Will Porter is a freelance journalist with a focus on US foreign policy and conflicts abroad. His work can be found at the Libertarian Institute, Antiwar.com and Consortium News

We are independent media and we rely on your contributions. Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire Donations: aroundtheempire.com.

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire. Follow Joanne Leon at @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Facebook.

Recorded on November 23 and 24, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Fair Use Act Disclaimer. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Reference Links:

  1. FPF #274 - Trump Runs Cover for MbS guest Will Porter, Kyle Anzalone, Will Porter
  2. Khashoggi Was No Critic of Saudi Regime, Asad AbuKhalil, Consortium News
  3. Why Did CIA Turn Against Saudi Crown Prince MBS? It’s More Than Khashoggi, The Real News, Ben Norton, Professor Asad AbuKhalil
  4. Off the Hookah podcast 10/31/18: Episode #075: Crown Control (feat. Bruce Riedel)
  5. One-on-one with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, Fox Business, Maria Bartiromo, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
  6. Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Is the cold war heating up? - UpFront, Al Jazeera English, Mehdi Hasan, Jamal Khashoggi, Seyed Hossein Mousavian
  7. Saudi Prince Turki says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi, Al Jazeera
  8. Rand Paul on Face the Nation
  9. Lindsey Graham on Meet the Press
  10. Lindsey Graham on Hannity
  11. Tulsi Gabbard Twitter thread
  12. Here is a Saudi 'war game' scenario that demonstrates the peril of a post-Khashoggi period for the US and the Middle East, CNBC, Fred Kempe
  13. Exclusive: After Khashoggi murder, some Saudi royals turn against king’s favorite son, Reuters
  14. Keeping Bin Salman In Place Will Hurt Trump's Middle East Policies, Moon of Alabama



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