Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist Patrick Hilsman, an editor at Turning Point Magazine, joins the show to discuss recent reports of leaked documents discovered after the overthrow of Assad in Syria that seem to reveal collaboration between the Assad regime and Israel. Although the documents have not been verified, the way the are written indicate they are either authentic or a carefully-crafted, elaborate hoax. Hilsman argues that if they are fake, and that is possible, they were written by someone incredibly well-researched. Hilsman will go into why there's some plausibility to the documents and how they relate to his reporting on the use of Israeli drones by Russia in, paradoxically, Syria itself. We'll go deep into the Israel-Russia relationship and how they have worked with each other over the years, especially in regard to weapons. In this regard Patrick recommends the book The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World. We'll also cover some odds and ends in both the Israel-Russia connections and how the relate to the leaked documents regarding Syria and Israel. Specifically, Patrick mention the Israel-Russia deconfliction line in relation to this story. The documents indicate that there were secret dealings between the Assad regime and Israel that were harmful to the Assad regime's ally Iran. Patrick will also discuss his time in Syria reporting on the first battle of Aleppo in 2012 and his experiences there. We'll also delve into the problems with overly conspiratorial ways of thinking when talking about international relations, the oversimplicity of "good guys vs. bad guys" when discussing nation-states and nation-state alliances, Israel's actions in Gaza, and much more. Guest Bio: Patrick Hilsman is a journalist and researcher who has covered the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. He has been published by The Intercept, The Daily Beast and has had recent film work featured on PBS. He was a researcher for the Al Jazeera Documentary “the search for Assad’s executioners”

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, a separate portion of the recent conversation between J.G. and Reason Magazine's Matthew Petti is presented. In the course of their most recent conversation, J.G. and Petti ended up talking about the recent flap of mysterious drone sightings that have occurred in New Jersey and seemingly spread to other states like Pennsylvania. These drone sighting and the sensationalistic response to them are akin to the UFO sightings of old, conjuring up a slew of conspiracy theories and, arguably, mass panic. Chief among those conspiracy theories is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is behind the drones. From Matthew's recent Reason Magazine piece entitled "No, an Iranian ‘mothership’ isn't attacking New Jersey with UFOs": Something weird is going on in New Jersey, and it's not just the swamp gas. Residents across the state have been calling in nighttime sightings of unidentified flying objects for the past month, including over military bases and President-elect Donald Trump's golf course. Neither local police nor the feds can explain what is going on—but Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R–N.J.) believes he has the answer. "Iran launched a mothership, probably about a month ago, that contains these drones. It's off the east coast of America," the congressman told Fox News on Wednesday, citing "sources who can't reveal who they are." Then he hedged his bets, saying that the "drones should be shot down, whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can't imagine, or whether it is Iran, and I think it very possibly could be." So, the conspiracy theories have already started. We'll talk about that, but we'll also have a more general discussion about drones, drone hobbyists, the legal issues around shooting down drones, and much more!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, Reason Magazine's Matthew Petti makes his long-awaited return to Parallax Views to discuss all things currently transpiring in the Middle East. We of course, look at Syria, but this episode also features more talk of Gaza and the continued bombardment of Gaza by Israel than the last few episodes that have dealt more exclusively with Israel/Palestine and Gaza. Matthew will offer his take on how the U.S. should approach the new regime in Syria and we'll delve into his thoughts on Jolani and HTS. Is Jolani truly reformed from his jihadist days? Time will tell, but Petti argues that his and HTS's history should not be whitewashed. We'll also discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran for a good portion of the conversation and the problems it has been facing, not the least of which is its weakening regionally by the overthrow of Assad in Syria. However, Matthew argues that the regime in Iran has been facing other problems as well and questions its adaptability in 2024 and beyond. Turkey will also come up in this conversation and we'll go pretty in-depth on a number of other topics as well. In particular, Matthew will expound on what he sees as the U.S.'s desire to replace the "Axis of Resistance" with an "Axis of Submission" (or Axis of Misery) that demands Arab populations and particularly Palestinians submit to U.S. and Israeli demands regardless of whether they are unfair to said populations. In this regard we'll discuss the Abraham Accords. We'll also discuss the Washington D.C. foreign policy blob and neoconservative triumphalism amongst other matters. At the end of the conversation Matthew will discuss some of his media criticism, specifically his latest Reason piece "CNN presented Syrian jailer Salama Mohammad Salama as a torture survivor".

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, the coverage and analysis of the situaiton unfolding in Syria continues, this time with George Meneshian, an Athens-based policy analyst specializing in the Caucasus and MENA. Meneshian bring his knowledge of the Caucasus and MENA to the table to explain what the downfal of Bashar al-Assad and his replacement of the Jolani-led HTS means for the regions. Meneshian offers a crash course in what needs to happen now for Syria to be stable, what the U.S. and European role should be in dealing with HTS, concerns about HTS and Jolani's Islamist and jihadist past, Turkey's regional ambitions, what the situation in Syria means for Armenia and Azerbaijan, what the downfall of Assad means for Palestinians, the events that were set in motino by the Hamas October 7th attack of 2023, Israel's actions in post-Assad Syria and occupation of the Golan Heights, Turkey and the Kurdish Question, Iran, and much, much more.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, in the first segment of the show James W. Carden, a contributing editor to The American Conservative and a former adviser to the U.S. State Department, returns to discuss his article "Iran: America’s Next War Of Choice", co-authored with Col. Douglas MacGregor, and "How the Neocons Won the Transition". We'll delve into what the overthrow of Assad means in relation to a weakened Iran. James believes we are closer than ever before to a potential conflict with Iran as Israel's Netanyahu and neoconservative ideologues in Washington D.C. are chomping at the bit for regime change in Iran. We'll also discuss the Israel-Turkey relationship and how that relationship may become more contentious over Syria, however Carden notes that, for the time being Turkey and Iran will cooperate with each other against their shared enemy of Iran. We'll also discuss a key player in Trump's transition team, Howard Lutnick, and how he seems to have his fingers all over Trump's rather neoconservative and foreign policy hawk appointments for the 2nd Trump administration. In the second segment of the show, international relations analyst Eldar Mamedov returns to discuss what the overthrow of Assad means for the Caucasus, with a particular focus on Armenia and Azerbaijan. With Iran's power now weakened in the region, Armenia has a lot to worry about from Azerbaijan, a country that says it wants "peace" with Armenia but only on its' own rather maximalist terms that are not going to be accepted by Armenia. We'll also discuss how the U.S. should respond to the new leadership in Syria, specifically the Islamist HTS led by Jolani, and what must be avoided to prevent instability in Syria. Moreover, Eldar and I will go over what Turkey's ambitions in Syria and the region are under the leadership of Erdogan.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 11-14-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, Tina Nguyen, author of The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (And How I Got Out) and the resident "MAGA Whisperer" at Puck News, joins the show to discuss elements of her book, specifically the MAGA media ecosystem (ie: Tucker Carlson, amongst others), as well as the think tank she believes deserve more attention than Project 2025: the America First Policy Institute. Given that Linda McMahon, a key player at AFPI, is heading up the Trump transition team I reached out to Tina to discuss her thoughts on AFPI and how it fits into Trump's plans for his 2nd term. Tina argues that the Heritage Foundation, which drafted Project 2025, is an older institution than Trumpism with a conservative agenda that has been around for decades prior to Trumpism. AFPI, on the other hand, is a new institution and one that is grounded less in a decades-spanning conservative agenda and more in loyalty or fealty to President-elect Donald J. Trump himself. She says that while Heritage Foundation/Project 2025 figures will have a role in the Trump administration, it will be loyalists from AFPI that will be doing the management of much of the administration on behalf of Trump. All of this analysis is based on Nguyen's own contact with the MAGA world. We discuss all that and much more in the conversation on this edition of Parallax Views!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-11-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, journalsit and lawyer Charlotte Dennet returns to the program to discuss her book Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil, which features a forward by her brother, the late American philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel C. Dennett. Previously, Charlotte, alongside Gerard Colby, co-wrote a book that has been mentioned previously on the program, Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil. Follow the Pipelines came about as a result of Dennett's search for answers about the death of her father, Daniel Dennett, who was the U.S.'s master spy in the Middle East. Dennett died in a plane crash that remains shrouded in mystery. This led Dennett to uncover the world of what she calls "The Great Game for Oil". We discuss the relationship between war and oil pipelines in this conversation. Although Charlotte and I have discussed Follow the Pipelines before, this conversation will focus more on Syria and the Great Game in light of the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. For your benefit, Charlotte has provided maps from her book that will aid in understanding the conversation:

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-11-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. reached out to a very interesting political analyst in his continued coverage of the situation in Syria with the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the ascendancy of the Islamist HTS led by Abu Muhammed al-Jolani. Graham E. Fuller specializes in long-range forecasting of geopolitics. In fact, Fuller is a former vice chair of the National Intelligence Council at CIA responsible for long-term forecasting. He also served as a CIA operations officer overseas for two decades, with much of his time being spent in the Middle East. He served as the CIA Station Chief in Kabul and is the author of such books as A World Without Islam (2010) and The Future of Political Islam (2003). He is a noted analyst on Islamist movements and continues to write extensively on issues pertaining to U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, and geopolitics. Graham joined me for a conversation about Assad's overthrow and what it means for various geopolitical players including the U.S. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the Gulf states. We ended up having a more broad discussion that led into many different areas including: - Explaining the phenomena that has come to be known as "Political Islam" sans the tabloid clickbait that has unfortunately something attended the non-academic literature on the topic - Graham's critique of John Mearsheimer's Realist school of thought in regards to international relations. Graham believes there is great value in Mearsheimer's analysis, but makes the case that Realism as a school of thought is too often mechanistic and deterministic in how it perceives the course of geopolitical trends - The U.S.'s endless "Search for Enemies" and the consequences that approach to foreign policy creates, in relation to, for example, the U.S.-China relationship - The question of HTS and its leader Abu Muhammed al-Jolani; how will the govern?; HTS's administration of Idlib; how al-Jolani is, in the immediate, approaching the West and Israel - Israel and Turkey's strikes in Syria; Turkey's geopolitical concerns over the Kurds in Syria; the far-right elements that have been unleashed in Israel, especially since the October 7th, 2023 attack and how that effects both Israel and the Middle East more broadly - And much, much more!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-11-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, Ambassador (ret.) Patrick Theros returns to discuss the coming 2nd administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump in relation to the U.S. economy, the overthrow of Assad and the situation in Syria, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israel/Palestine, and the future of Europe. At the beginning of the conversation Amb. Theros explains what he thinks cost the Democrats the 2024 election. He makes the case that the Democrats failed to appeal what voters were most concerned about and threw too much money at political consultants who weren't able to lead the Democrats to victory. In this regard, Theros criticizes the approach of wonks. He also argues that a number of culture war issues (ie: woke, trans issues, etc.) did not resonate during this election & the Democrats did not do enough to explain to voters why Biden's economic policies were a long-term good. We then moved onto discussing the Trump's stated economic policies, particularly his plans for mass deportations of illegal/undocumented immigrants & tariffs. Theros argues that these two specific policies are at cross-purposes with each other. He also discusses Trump's tax cut plans. From there we move onto international relations and foreign policy. Theros gives his take on the Syria situation (the overthrow of Assad by Syrian rebels) as well as Israel and Turkey, both U.S. allies, could come into conflict over based on what is currently been reported about Israeli strikes there. We will discuss the dynamics influencing both Turkey's Erdogan and Israel's Netanyahu and how this could lead to some real geopolitical tumult in the region. Theros also offer his take on the Russia/Ukraine conflict, and offers what he believes is Trump's plan for ending the conflict and bringing about negotiations. We discuss EU and NATO's eastward expansion and how the approach of EU/NATO eastward expansion played into Putin's hands. However, Theros argues that Putin's amassing of military forces along the border and eventual invasion of Ukraine changed the paradigm. As much as one can criticize how NATO and the EU approached dealing with Russia in the past, Theros argues Russia crossed a line with its actions involving Ukraine in a way that cannot be rationalized by the EU/NATO eastward expansion discourse. This leads us into a conversation about the future of Europe and increased defense spending in Europe. In the course of our conversation Theros will also offer his criticism of populist politicians and express his concerns about the potential of the Trump administration to try and politicize the military. In the second segment of the show, Antiwar.Com newswire reporter Dave DeCamp returns to discuss the latest developments in Syria. As with others who have spoken on the program in the past few days, DeCamp cautions that we are in murky territory with how events will unfold in Syria going forward. We discuss recent reporting on Ukraine's assisting the HTS Syrian Rebels, delve into HTS and its leader Abu Muhammed al-Jolani, the Islamist nature of HTS, the best-case scenario for Syria under HTS rule, the weakening of Iran due to these events, thoughts on Trump's hawkish picks for his administration, and much, much more!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-10-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, the Quincy Institute's Annelle Sheline returns to discuss overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria, U.S. foreign policy, and Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza. This is the first time Dr. Sheline has been back on the show since resigning from the State Department over the Biden administration's policies on Gaza. We'll discuss this uncertain moment in the Middle East where U.S. policy has gone wrong in the Middle East and beyond, Turkey, the U.S. and Israel's strikes in Syria; the Syrian rebel faction Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that has taken the Syrian capital of Damascus; Assad's dictatorship; U.S. double standards about international law in relation to Israel's action in Gaza; the possibility of continued conflict in Syria despite Assad's overthrow; the Kurds in northeastern Syria; concerns about Trump and Middle East policy under his administration; Iran and discourse around the "Axis of Resistance";  and much, much more.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, independent scholar and political commentator Wahid Azal, founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order, returns to discuss the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria by Syrian rebels groups, most notably the HTS led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. This conversation deal specifically with the geopolitical implications of Assad's fall & Azal's contention that this marks the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic of Iran and a death blow to the "Axis of Resistance" (Syria, Hezbollah, Iran). We'll also discuss concerns Azal has pertaining to the Syrian rebels and jihadism as well as looking at the role of Turkey in Syria and the broader Middle East. The Abraham Accords, Israel, Gaza, the Gulf monarchies, NATO and the U.S., Islamism, imperialism, and much more will also be covered in this conversation.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our coverage of Syria and the toppling of the Assad regime. Time the Quincy Institute's Steven N. Simon, who covered Syria on the NSC for Presidents Clinton and Obama, discusses the winners and losers in lieu of Assad's overthrow. The big winner according to Steven Simon? Israel. And the big losers? Russia and Iran. We'll also discuss the Syrian rebels who were pivotal in the events that have transpired, specifically the Islamist HTS led by Muhammad al-Joulani. Additionally, Steven will give his thoughts on both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump's response to this moment that Steven calls "a profound shift in the regional strategic order" for the Middle East. And, of course, we will be discussing such topics as Israel's deployment of troops in the Golan Heights, Erdogan's Turkey and the situation of the Kurds in northern Syria, and much, much more.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recording Date: 12-08-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria as the country's rebels have taken over the capital, Damascus. Assad has been President of Syria since 2000. His toppling at the hands of Syrian rebels, most notably Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, represents a historic moment both for Syria, which has been ravaged by a civil war since March 2011, and the wider Middle East. What does this mean for all the various players in the region such as Iran, Turkey, the U.S., Russia, the Kurds, Islamic State, and, perhaps most importantly, Syria itself? In order to answer some of these questions, journalist, scholar, and frequent Parallax Views guest James M. Dorsey returned to the program to unpack this historic moment. We'll discuss the potential scenarios for Syria's future, the question of HTS and its relationship to ultra-conservative Sunni Islam, jihadism, the winners and losers in this moment of Syria's history, the Syrian Civil War, Obama's record in Syria, U.S. President-elect Trump's comments that the U.S. should not get involved in Syria going forward, and much, much more!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recording Date: 12-07-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, the past week on Wednesday the French government effectively collapsed when a no-confidence vote at the National Assembly toppled Prime Minister Michael Barnier. Not since 1962 has a moment of akin to this one happened in the French political scene. Joining J.G. to unpack it all are journalist and friend of the show Marlon Ettinger as well as Olly Haynes, who alongside Marlon co-hosts the FLAP24 (French Legislative Assembly Podcast 2024; formerly FLEP24). We'll discuss a number of issues related to this historic moment including France's President Emmanuel Macron blaming a "coalition of the irresponsible" for the no-confidence vote (in other words, blaming the far-right and far-left), Barnier's austerity budget, the authoritarian streak and "Jupiterian" ethos of Macron, Marine Le Pen and the National Rally (formerly the National Front), the French left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the failures of Emmanuel Macron, challenging the narrative of Macron as a centrist liberal, and much, much more. Will also discuss Marlon's recent op-ed in the New York Times entitled "Marine Le Pen Is Holding France Hostage".

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recording Date: 11-25-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, author and investigative journalist Nina Burleigh returns to discuss a potpourri of topics related to upcoming 2nd Trump Presidency after the 2024 election defeat of Kamala Harris. Nina is currently a contributing editor and writer at The New Republic and has authored such books as Virus: Vaccinations, the CDC, and the Hijacking of America's Response to the Pandemic, Golden Handcuffs: The Secret History of Trump's Women, and, most recently, her first novel, Zero Visibility Possible. The conversation initially came about due to Nina's New Republic piece, "Trump 2.0: Here Comes the Night". We'll discuss what she expects out of Trump's second Presidency as well as some recent pieces from her Substack blog American Freakshow, which chronicles the carnival-esque grotesquerie and excess of the 21st century GOP. Additionally, Nina will preview her new novel, the aforementioned Zero Visibility Possible, which deals with the madness of America in an age of fake news, mass violence, disinformation, and the breakdown of consensus reality. In terms of Nina's American Freakshow blog we'll discuss her articles "Predators’ Ball", about the creeps who Trump have surrounded himself around (with a particular focus in this conversation on Trump's Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth), and "God and Guns in Pennsylvania", in which Nina goes over her experiences attending a Pennsylvania MAGA rally. Interestingly, said rally has ties to Rev. Sun Myung Moon and the Moonies and one of its key speakers was Sebastian Gorka, who is set to play a role in the Trump administration as counter-terrorism chief. In this regard we'll delve into the Moonie off-shot group AR-15 and look at Sebastian Gorka penchant for wearing symbols related to Hungarian fascism. All that and more on this edition of Parallax Views!

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Chip Gibbons Interview Recorded 11/25; Anatol Lieven Interview Recorded 11/26 On this edition of Parallax Views, in the first half of the program, Chip Gibbons, Policy Director of Defending Rights and Dissent, joins the program to discuss H.R. 9495 or the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act and its passage in the Congress' U.S. House of Representatives. The bill has been criticized on the grounds that it will trample on free speech, specifically in regard to pro-Palestinian protests. According to Defending Rights and Dissent, "This bill allows the Secretary of the Treasury to unilaterally strip tax-exempt status from nonprofits deemed 'terrorist supporting' without meaningful due process." Find out more about the bill and why Defending Rights and Dissent argues the bill is neo-McCarthyite in this segment of the program and the press release below: "Defending Rights & Dissent Condemns Passage of H.R. 9495 - Defending Rights & Dissent" In the second portion of the program, Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft returns to discuss U.S. foreign policy and the future of Europe, with a particular focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With a second Trump Presidency now inevitable, it seems increasingly likely that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will happen sooner rather than later, especially if Trump decides that the U.S. will not continue arming Ukraine. What would these negotiations look like? Will parts of Ukraine be annexed? Will the two countries' maximalist demands be whittled down during negotiations? What is the future of Europe and should Europe re-arm? All of these questions, as well as the issue of climate change as a national security threat will be covered. Additionally, Anatol and I will delve into the scare concerning Russia ICBMs from last week and what it says about the conflict and where it is at right now. EDIT: In the interlude before the Lieven interview I mention annexation of Gaza and the West Bank. I'm not arguing an official annexation has happened, although many would argue that de facto annexation has been happening. There are elements of Israel openly calling for annexation.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views, former CIA analyst and Cato Institute fellow Patrick G. Eddington, who specializes in issues related to homeland security and civil liberties, returns to the program to discuss a scandalous snafu on the part of the Office of National Intelligence in relation to questions of PRC espionage (specifically the issue of whether or not the PRC has made recruiting Chinese Americans for spying activities) that illustrates a massive government abuse of Freedom of Information Act Exemptions. The whole story was detailed in Patrick's Antiwar.Com article "PRC Espionage: Are Chinese Americans Their Top Recruitment Targets?". In the second part of our conversation we delve into what a second Trump term will potentially mean for civil liberties in the United States and have a in-depth discussion about Trump's mass deportations plans for undocumented migrant/illegal immigrants. Back in August, Patrick wrote a piece for The Bulwark entitled "Trump Could Do a Mass Deportation. We’ve Done It Before.". We delve into the history of mass deportation plans than have been done in the past with a focus on Eisenhower as well as the crackdowns on German Americans during World War I. We'll also mention issues related to the internment camps of WWII and how they not only targeted Japanese American, but also German- and Italian Americans. Patrick will help us delve into the Alien Enemy Act which has been cited by Trump and his advisers already. Additionally, Patrick will comment on Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's criticisms of Trump wanting to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Also discussed in the course of this conversation is neo-McCarthyism and the China Initiative of the first Trump Presidency, threats to civil liberties in a second Trump term, the expansion of Presidential/Executive Branch powers over the years and its consequences, the January 6th insurrection/riots, and much, much more.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views (recorded 11-11-24), self-described conservative Marxist Ralph Leonard joins the show to discuss the 2024 U.S. Presidential election and his article "Old-school Leftism is going extinct in the Democratic Party" about the passing of the Bernie Sanders moment and why he believes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad won't generate the same energy as Sanders' did in 2016 or 2020. Much of the conversation will focus in on how President-elect Donald Trump managed to obtain the votes of a multiracial coalition that included black and latino men as well as white men and women. We'll delve into the nationalism underpinning Trump's coalition and how it is not explicitly ethno-nationalism but rather civic nationalist in a way that made a multiracial coalition possible for MAGA. We'll discuss the discourse Trump crafted around the border and Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric. Leonard also notes how horrible he finds Trump's deportation rhetoric but delves into why many voters opted for it. We'll also discuss the 2024 as the first "post-woke" election for the Democratic Party. That is to say that Kamala Harris did not run on a "woke" platform and actually ran away from it. We'll also discuss foreign policy, Israel/Palestine, Trump as a carny barker, the "Is Trump a Fascist?" debate, JD Vance, and more. Additionally, we will delve into Ralph's views on Marx and Marxism, what people don't understand about Marxism, Marxism as an emancipatory project, and how both the Democratic and Republican Parties in the U.S. are creatures of the ruling class (or capital) rather than the working classes. All that and much more.

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views it's a double feature delving into the question of Donald Trump and U.S. foreign policy as we head into the 2nd Trump Presidency. In the first segment, the Cato Institute's Jon Hoffman return to discuss his Responsible Statecraft article "Trump now faces 'out of control' conflict in the Middle East". We'll delve into the problems that Hoffman argues at the heart of the bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy and why a change of direction is needed, especially in regard to Israel/Palestine. We'll discuss Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Hezbollah continued stiff resistance to Israel despite the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, the return of Hamas in areas of Gaza that Israel has claimed to have cleared of its influence, Israel's stated objective of total elimination of Hamas and why some argue this objective is not achievable, the situation in the West Bank, the need for a new political equilibrium to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict and achieve peace, Iran and Israel's tit-for-tat exchanges with each other and the possibility of further dangerous escalation, the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia and what it may mean for the second Trump administration's foreign policy agenda, Trump's hawkish nominations (Mike Waltz, Pete Hegseth, etc.), reckless in both Israel and the U.S.'s policies in the Middle East, the Biden administration's approach to Israel and Gaza, the crisis of humanitarian aid being in relation to Gaza, U.S. arms to Israel, J.D. Vance's comments that American and Israeli interests do not always align (especially in relation to Iran), the role of policy inertia in how the U.S. approaches the Middle East, Jon's argument for U.S. disentanglement and de-prioritization of the Middle East, and more! In the second segment of the show (starts around 36:16), Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, joins the show to discuss what realism and restraint minded conservatives want out of the 2nd Trump administration's foreign policy agenda. In the beginning of the conversation will discuss the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy and how the realist viewpoint fell out of favor after the Cold War. In particular Curt will talk about the period of the Reagan years to the neoconservatives of the George W. Bush administration. We'll also discuss what realism & restraint in U.S. foreign policy thought entails and how the realist and restraint movement is a broad tent that's encompasses elements from both the right and the left. Then Curt talks about "mixed bag" of Trump's nominations for his cabinet if you come from a realist and restraint viewpoint. He'll also talk about how there's been a shift, at least in tone, towards realism and restraint in Trumpian circles since the President-elect's first term in office and go over how realism and restraint conservatives are feeling about Trump's cabinet nominations thus far like Mike Waltz, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Matt Gaetz. Curt speaks about how, in his view, Hegseth could represent a break from business-as-usual in the Pentagon despite his hawkish views. He also discusses what realist and restraint proponents hope for with regards to U.S. involvement in Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Palestine in the second Trump administration. We'll then delve into the idea of Trump as the heir to Richard Nixon and discuss the "madman theory" of U.S. foreign policy (and Curt will provide some International Relations 101 in the process that illustrates the differences between liberal internationalists and realists). How realist and restraint conservatives have differences in how they view how the U.S. should deal with Ukraine/Russia vs. how the U.S. should deal with either Israel/Palestine, Iran, China. All that and much more in a conversation that will hopefully illustrate what a good portion of "America First" and MAGA conservatives want out of Trump's foreign policy.

                                             You're Listening to Parallax Views                                             https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/                                                 Support the Show on Patreon:                                         https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews On this edition of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michae, journalist and political commentator Jeet Heer of The Nation returns for a deep dive into the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the failings of centrist Democrats, and the implications of a potential second Trump administration. Key topics discussed include: Bernie Sanders' Warning: Jeet Heer echoes Bernie Sanders’ critique that Democrats have abandoned the working-class vote. The conversation explores how the party’s failure to promote antitrust actions, like those spearheaded by Lina Khan, and Kamala Harris’s outreach to billionaires such as Mark Cuban, have alienated voters. Trump’s Anti-System Appeal: Heer analyzes Donald Trump’s resonance with anti-system politics in contrast to Democrats’ status-quo messaging, which he argues doomed Harris's campaign. We also discuss the Harris campaign going after the votes of moderate Republicans and cozying up to Liz Cheney (and getting an endorsement from Dick Cheney). Shock-and-Awe Nominations: The discussion examines Trump’s picks for key positions—Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, Tulsi Gabbard as DNI, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, and RFK Jr. at HHS—and their potential to destabilize the political landscape. Jeet also gives his view on the strategy undergirding Trump's picks Mafia Governance and NATO: Jeet predicts that a second Trump term would involve a governance style favoring loyalists, with significant repercussions for NATO and European allies. Freedom of Speech Under Siege: Heer warns that free speech could be the first casualty of a second Trump term, with centrists potentially supporting crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protesters. The MAGA Antiwar Mirage: Trump’s antiwar rhetoric is dissected as a façade, with Heer pointing out hawkish tendencies toward Mexico and Ukraine within MAGA ranks. The episode opens with a reflection on Antonio Gramsci’s famous quote about living in "a time of monsters," setting the tone for a discussion on the political chaos of the present moment. Jeet also provides a historical perspective, linking Trumpism to the conspiratorial tendencies of the 20th-century Old Right and groups like the John Birch Society. This thought-provoking conversation unpacks the stakes of 2024, from systemic political failures to the looming threats of authoritarianism and international instability under a second Trump administration.