The East is a Podcast

Sara Larijani is a PostDoc fellow in Political Geography at the University of Tehran. Her research is on British colonialism in Iran's oil frontiers. Taha Zeinali (@tahazeinalih) is a doctoral researcher in development studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His research focus is imperialist hybrid war, sanctions and sovereign development in Iran. They are both co-founders of the Center for Resistance, Sovereignty and Development Studies at the University of Tehran. Watch the video edition on The East Is a Podcast YouTube channel https://youtu.be/PKc1RPqnca8 Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast

**I did an episode with comrads Jay from MAKC and Kumars from Delete Ur Account last week and forgot to post it! The episode explores the concept "kayfabe" in governing American cultural and political life** In this episode Sina Rahmani from The East is a Podcast & Kumars Salehi from Delete Your Account will join us to talk about the wrestling term "kayfabe" which is about maintaining the illusions that staged storylines and pre-determined matches are authentic, and that wrestlers are actually the characters they portray. We'll talk about this idea in relation to how the US Empire projects itself globally, and particularly in light of massive setbacks being faced by Israel & the US in their war on Iran and the Arab-Iranian region.

Friend of the show Bikrum Gill is joined by Helyeh Doutaghi to discuss the resistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran against the US-Zionist war of aggression. The discussion focuses on the strategic objectives pursued by Iran in its resistance, and what the larger stakes are for the region and the world-system as a whole. It considers how Iran's resistance represents a historic advance for forces of anti-imperialism. Finally, the episode explores the basis of the specific social, historical, and theological bases of Iranian sovereignty. Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel https://youtu.be/PaY4Rfdyerw  Helyeh Doutaghi is scholar of international law and geopolitical economy. Her research explores the intersections of the Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL), encompassing postcolonial critiques of law, sanctions, and international political economy. Her research draws on the mechanisms, harms, and beneficiaries of the sanctions regime imposed on Iran, centering questions of value transfer and wealth drain. Additionally, she is interested in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), having written about its history, practice, and the production of knowledge (and ignorance), particularly in the context of the US military. She was expelled from Yale Law School and the LPE project for speaking up for Palestinian liberation last year. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Tehran, where she will focus on completing her manuscript on the Iranian sanctions regime and neoliberalism. Bikrum Gill is a scholar of international political economy and author of The Political Ecology of Colonial Capitalism: Race, Nature, and Accumulation, published by Manchester University Press. Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast

***I recorded an episode with some friends earlier this week but forgot to upload it until today! Apologies for the lateness** As the imperialist war rages on a group of us will gather to talks through the developments of the last few days to analyze and discuss. Adnan Husain from the Adnan Husain Show:    / @adnanhusainshow   Lara Sheehi from Psychic Militancy:    / @psychicmilitancy   Sina Rahmani from East is a Podcast:    / @theeastisapodcast   Watch the livestream edition on MAKC YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZh7WXn9ovY To support our platform please contribute to   / millennialsarekillingcapitalism    

***I did an episode with the lovely folks at Out of Left Field from the End of Sport podcast.  Nathan is one of my older friends and comrades, and their show has been going strong for several years   In this emergency episode of the End of Sport's Out of Left Field, Nathan, Derek, and Priyansh talk to ⁠The East is a Podcast'⁠s Sina Rahmani about the current situation in Iran, exploring the historical context, the role of imperialism, and the resilience of the Iranian state against foreign interference. We discuss the implications of the ongoing conflict across the world, the intersection of sports and politics, and the broader narrative surrounding the Islamic Republic's stance in the face of imperialist aggression.  Hosts: Derek Silva, Anna Posbergh, Priyansh, Johanna Mellis & Nathan Kalman-Lamb ________________________________________ Support & Follow The End of Sport Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/Theendofsport⁠⁠ (Support the show!) Bluesky: ⁠⁠@endofsportpod.bsky.social⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@endofsportpod⁠⁠ Twitter/X: ⁠⁠@EndofSportPod⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠The End of Sport⁠⁠ Listen, share, and support The End of Sport, a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, a community of over sixty leftist podcasts at ⁠⁠harbingermedianetwork.com⁠⁠. #sports #labor #capitalism #marxism

***Help support Mohammed and his siblings. They are having a difficult time with their living expences and donations have completely dropped off***    Tankie Group Therapy is back! Lara, Jay, Mikey, Adnan, Nora and Sina got together to discuss the ZioAmerican imperialist aggression on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Note: This episode was recorded a few hours before the announcement of the martyrdom of Imam Ali Khamenei  Watch the livestream edition on the East is a Podcast YouTube edition https://youtube.com/live/wKEJ2N2hGA0 Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast  

**Note: This episode contains a lot of discussion of screenshares. Unfortunately, we didn't do the best job describing every graph for audio listeners, so watch the video edition if you are interested in seeing the graphs cited and the slides prepared by the guest.*** Filmmaker Dror Dayan returns to the show to provide us with an overview of the Zionist media machine in Occupied Palestine. You can follow him on Twitter https://x.com/DrorDayan Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel https://youtu.be/5fkp6GdlgcE Consider supporting the show https://www.patreon.com/east_podcast

***This conversation with Mujamma stretched slightly over two hours and covered a lot of terrain. Part 2 is now available to patrons, as will the video edition of the entire episode. If a few of you sign up for the Patreon, I will unlock it in a couple of weeks on the free feed.***  The first half of a two-part episode with academic and translator Mujamma Haraket about the historical trajectory of actors, social forces, and ideologies that propelled the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (HAMAS) from its early history to today. Support Mujamma's fantastic work on SubStack https://substack.com/@mujammaharaket Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel https://youtu.be/529Uh9WoapU Consider supporting the show https://www.patreon.com/east_podcast

**Producer's note:  The folks at Popular Front asked me to moderate this discusssion of Gabriel Rockhill's latest book on the history of the Frankfurt School. Make sure to check out Popular Front!**   --- We're thrilled to host author and philosopher Gabriel Rockhill on his book tour in Toronto. One of the key intellectuals of our movement today, his latest work explores ideas that are essential to understanding the challenges and necessities in building a socialist movement—especially for those of us living in the West. Starting with a talk from the author, followed by a discussion with a guest panel and an audience Q&A – this will be an important evening to explore the past, present, and future of socialist thought, and the principles we need to uphold in order to succeed (which the ruling class desperately wants us to abandon). Featuring an exciting guest panel, including: Sina Rahmani (co-host) Sardana Nikolaeva Justin Podur Zeyad El-Nabolsy Special thanks to our partners in co-organizing this event: Qiao Collective (@qiaocollective) Critical Theory Workshop (@criticaltheoryworkshop) Monthly Review (@monthlyreview) East is a Podcast (@eastpodcast) And to our additional media partners: Anti-Empire Project (@jpodur) Journal of International Solidarity (@journalofintlsolidarity) --- ABOUT THE BOOK: "Rockhill's book elucidates how the intellectual world war on the socialist alternative has sought to promote a "compatible left" intelligentsia while misrepresenting, maligning, and trying to destroy the revolutionary left. […] The volume concludes by bringing to the fore the guiding methodological framework: a thoroughly anticolonial and anti-imperialist Marxism dedicated to building socialism in the real world." More info at Monthly Review Press: https://monthlyreview.org/9781685901349/ Canada: Available at most online book sellers, including University of Toronto Bookstore: https://utpdistribution.com/9781685901349/who-paid-the-pipers-of-western-marxism/

**Note: As I explain in the introduction to this video, this is a very special episode that consists of two halves featuring three Palestinians in Gaza sharing their stories. It has become more than evident that our racist ruling class and their media warriors are simply refusing to allow anything that humanizes Palestinians in the slightest into the mainstream. It falls to us to help break the narrative blockade on Palestinians and their liberation struggle. I hope to do more of this content in the future, so if you know people in Gaza who want to make their own episodes in this format, reach out to me, and we can work with Lina to get it translated into English and posted. Maybe if we have enough episodes, we can spin it off into its own channel** A very special episode featuring my friends Mohammed and Mahmoud, who both share their stories of the early days of the genocide and some of their memories of the last two years. Please consider donating to their campaigns Mohammed's campaign https://chuffed.org/project/120676-mohammed-from-gaza Mahmoud's campaign https://chuffed.org/project/141277-help-mahmoud-and-his-family-survive-and-stand-again In the second half of the episode, long-time friend of the podcast Migdalia Arcila-Valenzuela interviews Lina Jehad, an Arabic teacher and translator based in Gaza, about her work and struggles during the genocide. Hire Lina for Arabic lessons or translation work https://www.instagram.com/lina_jehad1212/ Donate directly to Lina and her family https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=UWTKZ5F2P4XTS

***Note: Navid's internet has been very unreliable for weeks now, so when I managed to get hold of him with a stable VPN, we decided to hurriedly record. In haste, both of us managed to mangle our respective recordings. I have been forced to resort to--please forgive me, cruel podcast gods---AI audio enhancer tools to see if it could be improved, which it mostly did but there are some funny spots on my side.*** Navid Zarrinal, host of the Colony Archive, and one of the oldest friends of The East is a Podcast, described what he witnessed during the last few weeks in Tehran. Support Navid on Patreon Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast  

Tankie Group Therapy is back after a long, long hiatus!  Lara Sheehi from Psychic Militancy hosts this special, extra-super-duper-sized edition featuring all your TGT faves: Justin Podur, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Alex Avina, Joe Emersberger, Sina Rahmani, Arama Rata, Jared Ware, Adnan Husain, Asa Winstanley, and more!  Watch the livestream edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast

***RIP Michael Parenti*** Michael Parenti speaks at the University of Colorado, Boulder: "US interventionism, the 3rd world, and the USSR" April 15, 1986 Source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP8CzlFhc14 Check out the Anti-Imperialist Archive  for more great archival mixes Join us for a live edition of Tankie Group Therapy Sunday @ 3:30 https://www.youtube.com/live/rX2hbS3eKqg    

**Note: When stuff in Iran goes down, my natural inclination is to avoid doing content and stay above the fray, at least until the media hysteria dies down.  Not the best way to run a media project, I know, but I just have a hard time with all the breathless coverage--BREAKING!!!--and don't really want to feed it. Even then, I am still Iranian, and if people ask me to record during these times, my cultural programming compels me to accept the invitation.    This episode of Peacemongers with Mehmet and Erik was recorded as I was travelling for work recently and at the end of a busy, emotional day.  The scale of what had just transpired in Iran was becoming clear to me that morning in between working on the footage I had recorded the day earlier, itself an intense and emotional experience for entirely different, non-Iran-related reasons.  All of this is to say that by the time I recorded with these guys that afternoon, I was feeling pretty loopy. You can kinda hear it at the beginning of the episode when I had the giggles and infected everyone else with them!  I have no idea how I come off in this episode (too lazy to check it too, sorry), and I was reluctant to even post to this feed!! In my memory, I was exceptionally wandering in my rants.  Maybe I'm wrong and it's the same Sini as usual. IDK.**  ---------------------- "Listen to the Iranians" they kept saying. Well, we give you Sina Rahmani, the indomitable host of @eastpodcast and producer of countless other anti imperialist shows. We talk about the events in Iran which have been one-sidedly and sensationally presented in the west. In the background the Empire and the Ethno-state have their fingers dirty. So why is Iran such an important target for the Empire and what does it mean to be sovereign? We discuss some of the contents of the imperial toolbox and factors leading up to the protests. Economic pressure with sanctions and currency manipulation, smuggling of Starlink units and weapons to foment violent riots and the media machinery. We discuss the Shah and his son, the clown-prince in exile, Iranian diaspora, support for Palestine and what the destruction of the Iranian state would mean to people in the area. While the battle may be over the war might just have begun. The peoples and states in the crosshairs of a dying empire will keep being demonised. If they resist they are authoritarian, if they open up they'll be vulnerable. What the future holds and what the way forward to avoid a devastating war is unknown. Early in the episode Sina reads a testimony from his friend Navid Zarinnal, who is living in Teheran. He hosts a podcast on imperialism called The Colony Archive, which we highly recommend. Please note that we had some technical difficulties in the beginning, that led to a lot of chaos and laughter. Big thanks to Sina for being such a joyful human being even in these difficult times. The genocide in Gaza continues. We urge you to support the Palestinians in these very dire times by donating: - via @thesameerproject - via @lifeline4gaza

I have been on the road and unable to do a proper episode on what's happening on Iran, so I decided to post this quick spot I did with The Freedom Side from BT News. You can watch the full episode on their YouTube channel If you can't wait until I am able to record a full episode on Iran (I will try to do one tomorrow night or Saturday morning), my comrade Nick and I recently did an episode of our paywalled show, Pod Kapital, and we discussed a little bit about what has been happening but that is already three days ago and out of date!  Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast

***I have been working with Lara Sheehi on her new show.  Make sure you subscribe to her video and audio feeds to listen to the rest of this episode**** Ghassan Abu Sittah: Clinic as site of resistance   In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah to discuss the centrality of the clinic in the genocidal violence perpetrated by the Zionist settler state in Gaza, his concept of the biosphere of genocide, and importantly, the site of the clinic as central to resistance, refusal, and liberation. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a British-Palestinian Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon. He completed his medical education at University of Glasgow in the U.K and his postgraduate residency training in London. In April of 2024 he was awarded and Honorary Doctorate from the American University of Beirut, where is currently Professor of Conflict Medicine. His work was featured by numerous newspapers and media outlets notably La Monde, The Independent, Telegraph, BBC and CNN. Follow us on IG: @psychicmilitancypod & TikTok: @psychic.militancy Consider becoming a Patron to support the show! https://www.patreon.com/psychicmilitancy

[NOTE: This is the first portion of the latest episode of The Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective podcast.  Lots of great content has already been released on both audio and video feeds and more to come, so please make sure you subscribe to both!]  Hosted by AISC co-founder Nina Farnia, this episode features two distinguished guests and friends of AISC, Venezuela's former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ron and University of Tehran professor Mohammad Marandi. We initially filmed a 2025 anti-imperialist roundup on December 30, 2025, but just a few days later the US invaded Venezuela and abducted President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flires. We brought our guests back after the abduction to discuss the invasion, the abduction, and the future of the Bolivarian Revolution in the face of US imperialism. Both episodes are included here. Watch the video edition on our YouTube channel  Follow AISC  X (@penandmachete)  Instagram (@penandmachete) Visit our website to join the newsletter and find our blog, The Pen is My Machete. Donations to the producer of this show, Sina Rahmani, are welcome at www.patreon.com/east_podcast

Producer's note:  Apologies for the long absence from the show. As I explain in the first few minutes of this episode, I have been busy launching some new shows in addition to this special episode, currently only available on the YouTube channel.  More great content for the main feed and bonus feed coming soon! Max Ajl returns to the show to reflect on some of the wider historical contexts that laid the groundwork for the calamity that was 2025.  This was recorded 2 days before the flagrant kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast

The Struggle Session is back for November on Sunday Nov 23rd at 3pmET! This monthly livestream panel program is not convening to make you feel better--the unvarnished analysis and fierce self-criticism may make you feel a bit worse! But, it will inform and, hopefully, spur you to taking action. As Marx said, the point isn't just to understand the world but to change it. This is an activist panel for a much needed Struggle Session: Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of Within our Lifetime; Sina Rahmani, host of East is a Podcast and impressario/producer of the online tankie left; Henry Hakamaki, editor at ISKRA Books and co-host of Guerrilla History podcast; and Mehmet Ali Arslan, musician, activist, and co-host of Fredshetsarna podcast in Swedish and English.  Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of the key developments and issues for the anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-genocide left. We'll talk about directions of the Palestine solidarity movement and Gaza resistance in light of the ceasefire/UN occupation force resolution that Russia and China didn't veto, Mamdani on the Left and MAGA civil war on the Right, Jolani at the White House and Kremlin, imperial wars on Venezuela, Lebanon, Iran brewing and much more. Post your questions, suggested topics, and comments. Note there are now two livestream formats: landscape and portrait depending on which fits best on your screen. So do choose the alternative if it doesn't show up properly on your mobile device or computer monitor/screen. You can get priority for your questions/suggestions/comments by posting on patreon.com/adnanhusain. Support the show on Patreon if you can (and get early access to episodes)!  www.patreon.com/adnanhusain  Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share!  Also available as audio podcast on all major platforms:  https://adnanhusainshow.libsyn.com X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Aman Ullah Tariq is a Pakistani analyst and is one of the hosts of EON. Check out his episode of The Colony Archive Watch the video edition on The East is a Podcast YouTube channel Consider supporting the show www.patreon.com/east_podcast