Guest: Tom Luongo. We talk about the financial aspect of war and foreign policy, central bank wars between the Fed and the European Central Bank, the World Economic Forum and the Great Reset. In the bonus segment we talk about how the sanctions and trade disputes with China were condemned when Trump was in office but have been resurrected under Biden and it now seems that trade war with China is back in fashion.

Tom Luongo is an analyst, writer and a former research chemist. His specialty is markets analysis informed by geopolitics. He publishes a blog Gold Goats ‘n Guns, a podcast and a monthly investment letter. He contributes at Newsmax Media and is published by and does commentary for many other media outlets. 

FOLLOW Tom at @TFL1728. Find his work at Gold, Goats ‘n Guns, on Youtube, Odysee 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 July 16, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. Podcast Episode #75 – Davos and the Week That Changed Everything Part 1, Tom Luongo
2. Podcast Episode #76 – Davos, Ukraine and the Week That Changed the World Part II, Tom Luongo
3. Podcast Episode #77 – Davos, The Fed and the 5 Basis Points That Moved the World Part III, Tom Luongo
4. US issues sanctions, warns businesses of risks in China and Hong Kong as Beijing promises to 'respond strongly', CNN
5. Reuters: Britain carves out exemption for gold clearing banks from Basel III rule
6. Someone Is Buying Up Power Plants and Critical Infrastructure in 22 Countries. The Trail Leads to JPMorgan – a Bank Repeatedly Charged with Rigging Markets, Wall Street on Parade

Guest: Scott Horton. We talk about the war in Afghanistan, a landlocked country with rough terrain and the diverse groups of people who live there. We talk about the reasons why we lost that war and have to withdraw. We also discuss the news and footage from the withdrawal in progress and the reactions to the various factions who support and oppose that, and the dishonesty and hypocrisy that happen when people try to justify long wars and occupations like this one. In a bonus episode, we discuss the possibility for destabilization of the entire region around Afghanistan, the impact and involvement of China, Russia and Iran, and how things are likely to play out. 

Scott Horton is the author of the book Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan and his most recent book Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism. He’s the managing director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director at Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on KPFK and the host of the Scott Horton Show podcast. Scott has spent the past two decades giving voice to ardent anti-war and anti-interventionist activists, experts and reporters from across the spectrum and has done more than five thousand interviews. Find his work at LibertarianInstitute.org, antiwar.com, ScottHorton.org, and FOLLOW him on Twitter at @scotthortonshow. 

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 July 15, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

Book: Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism, Scott Horton

Book: Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan, Scott Horton

Guest: Dr. Neda Bolourchi. We talk about the recent election in Iran: a deep dive about the background, the people involved, the consolidation of power and the outlook for the future. In a bonus segment we talk about the US shifting priorities toward great power competition and what this means for policy and strategy with respect to Iran. 

Dr. Neda Bolourchi is an assistant professor and Associate Director of Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Her research travels include years in Iran, Syria, and Armenia, has peer reviewed work on religion, politics, legal systems, and the modern Middle East and She also has a J.D. in International Law and her legal work includes international and comparative analysis of human rights violations in the Middle East. 

Find Neda at LinkedIn and find her work on her Rutgers University Center for Middle Eastern Studies web page.

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 July 2, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. In Focus South Asia | Iran’s Presidential Elections | Episode 164 | Indus News
2. The who’s who of Iranian players behind the new president, Muhammad Sahimi
3.  "Seeing Red, Hearing the Revolution" (chapter by Neda Bolourchi) Losing Our Minds, Coming to Our Senses: Sensory Readings of Persian Literature and Culture by Leiden University Press 

As a holiday special for 4th of July, a researcher who is well known on Twitter and goes by the pseudonym Gumby4Christ and Joanne talk about his research on the Covid origins lab leak theory, the pandemic in general and how basic freedoms and rights in our society have been impacted by the response to all of it.

FOLLOW @gumby4christ on Twiitter. 

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 July 4, 2021. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins, Vanity F
2. RFK Jr The Defender podcast: Fauci's Smoking Gun with Dr. Meryl Nass
3. MediaRoots podcast: Libs Love Lab-Leak, Geopolitical Sting Op & the Wuhan Coincidence w/ gumby4christ
4. MediaRoots podcast: The Oswald Institute of Virology, COVID-19 Origins & US Military Biowarfare w/ gumby4christ
5. In-Depth Interview: Author Kris Newby and Prof. Mark Crispin Miller Talk About Chronic Lyme Disease, and Its Likely Origins, Peter B. Collins
6. Documents from gumby4christ FOIA request CDC FOIA: USAMRIID