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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: May, 2021

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

May 28, 2021

Ep 223 Gaza and the Resistance, Another Ceasefire feat Sharmine

Guest: Sharmine Narwani. We talk about Gaza, the Resistance and the differences between attacks on Gaza in past years and what is happening now, who really needs a ceasefire the most and why a ceasefire with no real change does not really help the Palestinians. We talk about reactions from other countries in the region to the latest attack on Gaza and Sharmine provides an update on the current situation in Lebanon which has fallen out of the news of late but is still in crisis and still deals with foreign interference. Lastly we talked about a new media project that Sharmine will be launching soon. In a bonus question, we talk about the evolution of the map of Palestine and Israel since World War II and how that map might change going forward -- essentially the future of Israel and Palestine. 

FOLLOW Sharmine @snarwani and find her work at her website mideastshuffle.com

Around the Empire aroundtheempire.com is listener supported, independent media.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on Rokfin rokfin.com/aroundtheempire, Patreon patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Paypal paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod, YouTube youtube.com/aroundtheempire, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart, Google Podcasts

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  

Recorded on May 18, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. When Fighting Erupts Between Israel and Hamas, the Question of War Crimes, New York Times 
  2. Human Rights Watch: A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
  3. (2014) Another ceasefire in Gaza? No, thank you, Sharmine Narwani

 

May 19, 2021

Ep 222 Election Integrity: Arizona Audit feat Craig (Pasta) Jardula

Guest: Craig (Pasta) Jardula. Hosts: Joanne Leon and Kelley Lane. We talk about the latest developments in the election integrity arena surrounding the 2020 election, especially the Arizona audit. There have been a lot of claims about audits in various states but the term “audit” means a lot of different things in American elections (as in some “audits” are really not audits). However, the audit that is happening in the state of Arizona right now is a real audit, which is important for a lot of reasons that we discuss in this episode. Around the Empire’s main focus is not electoral politics or any politics in particular. But politics are at the center of all wars and foreign policy and the presidential elections in the United States are at the center of most wars and foreign policy in today’s world. 

Craig (aka Pasta) Jardula is a host on the Convo Couch show, an independent media show focused on politics, rooted in progressivism and one that strives to stand up for the little guy against the machine. They’ve done extensive work with candidates and investigation of elections and election systems. 

FOLLOW Pasta on Twitter at @yopasta and @theconvocouch, and find their show on YouTube, Rokfin and other platforms. 

Around the Empire aroundtheempire.com is listener supported, independent media.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on Rokfin rokfin.com/aroundtheempire, Patreon patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Paypal paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod, YouTube youtube.com/aroundtheempire, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart, Google Podcasts

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  

Recorded on May 8, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. Video Clip: Craig Jardula interview Ken Bennett (Twitter)
  2. Justice Dept. Letter on Arizona Audit
  3. Democrats Lied About the Georgia Senate Bill, The Truth About The Election Integrity Act, Fiorella Isabel
  4. Convo Couch Live Inside Arizona Audit 5/5/21
  5. Convo Couch LIVE: Maricopa Audit @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5/5/21
  6. Convo Couch LIVE Outside Coliseum Interviews with Brandon Slayton & John Brakey #ArizonaAudit #AZAuditPool 5/6/21
  7. Convo Couch Mark Finchem discusses Arizona Audit and Election Integrity 5/8/21
  8. Convo Couch LIVE AZ State Senator Sony Borrelli joins The Convo Couch to talk #AZAudit #Arizona #AZAuditPool
  9. Convo Couch What’s Really Happening At The Maricopa County Audit? (Rokfin)



May 10, 2021

Ep 221 Franco-American Imperial Projects feat Danny Sjursen

Guest: Danny Sjursen. We talk about reasons for the 2011 regime change in Libya, the complex power struggle and foreign intervention that has ensued ever since and the importance of that story in understanding everything else in the Sahel areas of Africa and the broader region. We also discuss the 21st century American-enabled version of the French and British empires, European influence in African countries and how military operations in Africa are largely hidden from the citizens of the NATO countries who are driving them. 

In a recent article, Sjursen wrote about the impact:

Conflicts are catalyzed, authoritarianism accelerated, human rights go to hell-in-a-hand-basket, and the cycle runs on repeat like a skipping (non-) strategy record. Generally, at least in Franco-America’s African adventures, it’s all done so secretly, sleazily, and – because hidden from the pesky public’s peepers – almost silently. Only sometimes the most wretched walking evidences of criminal complicity have a nasty habit of dying on us, and, for a moment the conspirators stand exposed. That’s when the linguistic-apologia indecency starts.

In a bonus question we talk about NATO, how its priorities are set and how its mini-empires are sustained. 

Major Danny Sjursen, USA (ret.) is prolific writer and speaker and a leading expert voice among veterans. He is a Director of the Eisenhower Media Network, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, contributing editor at Antiwar.com, the co-host of the Fortress on a Hill podcast and the author of two books:  Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, his new book Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War

FOLLOW @SkepticalVet, SUBSCRIBE to the Fortress on a Hill podcast and buy his book Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War published by Heyday.

Around the Empire aroundtheempire.com is listener supported, independent media.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on Rokfin rokfin.com/aroundtheempire, Patreon patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Paypal paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod, YouTube youtube.com/aroundtheempire, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart, Google Podcasts

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  

Recorded on April 29, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. Our ‘Dear Friend’ Deby Is Dead – Yea, About That…, Danny Sjursen
  2. Deby’s Death, Chad’s Crisis, and the Ghosts of Libyan Fiascoes Past, Danny Sjursen
  3. New Hillary Emails Reveal Propaganda, Executions, Coveting Libyan Oil and Gold, Brad Hoff (2016)
  4. State Department FOIA Archives, Clinton email December release

 

May 7, 2021

Ep 220 Russia’s Sphere of Influence feat Kovalik

Guest: Dan Kovalik. We talk about his op-ed “The West’s sole prerogative is that Russia has no right to self-defense... even when the threat is right on its border”

Daniel Kovalik teaches International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and is author of the book: No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using “Humanitarian” Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests.

FOLLOW @danielmkovalik and find his book at Skyhorse Publishing.

Around the Empire aroundtheempire.com is listener supported, independent media.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on Rokfin rokfin.com/aroundtheempire, Patreon patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Paypal paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod, YouTube youtube.com/aroundtheempire, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart, Google Podcasts

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  

Recorded on April 27, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. The West’s sole prerogative is that Russia has no right to self-defense... even when the threat is right on its border, Dan Kovalik

 

May 1, 2021

Ep 219 Support the Tropes feat Alan MacLeod

Guest: Alan MacLeod. We discuss his article “Support the Tropes: How media language encourages the left to support wars, coups and intervention” and how how media is used as an instrument to manufacture consent for regime change and various acts of war, especially targeting left-leaning audiences. In a bonus segment we talk about Alan’s research on Bellingcat and his article How Bellingcat Launders National Security State Talking Points into the Press

Dr. Alan MacLeod is an academic, an author and a journalist who does work on media analysis and politics with a focus on social media, Latin American politics and propaganda. He writes for MintPress News and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and he has written two recent books, Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent.

FOLLOW Alan on Twitter at @AlanRMacLeod. Find his work at MintPress News and look for his books Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent.

Around the Empire aroundtheempire.com is listener supported, independent media.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on Rokfin rokfin.com/aroundtheempire, Patreon patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Paypal paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod, YouTube youtube.com/aroundtheempire, Spotify, iTunes, iHeart, Google Podcasts

FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon.  

Recorded on April 26, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

  1. Support the Tropes: How media language encourages the left to support wars, coups and intervention, Alan MacLeod, FAIR
  2. Humanitarian Imperialism: How corporate media sell regime change, Intervention and war to progressive audiences, Alan MacLeod, FAIR
  3. How Bellingcat Launders National Security State Talking Points into the Press, Alan MacLeod, MintPress News

 

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