Around The Empire

Dan and Joanne talk with Jim Kavanagh about the summit between American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and the anticipated attempt to strike a MidEast grand bargain.

Jim is editor and writer at The Polemicist. His work is also published at CounterPunch, Greanville Post and he's a frequent guest on the Loud and Clear radio show.

Follow Jim at @ThePolemicist_ . Find his work at polemicist.net.

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Recorded on July 12, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. Lindsey Graham interview laying out War Party strategy for Syria, Iran, Turkey (starts at 2:20)
2. Israeli, Saudi, and Emirati Officials Privately Pushed for Trump to Strike a "Grand Bargain" with Putin, Adam Entous, New Yorker
3. Netanyahu May Offer Putin: Remove Iran From Syria for Lifting of U.S. Sanctions on Russia, Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz
4. Middle East officials flocking to Moscow – is there a big deal to be made before Putin meets Trump?, RT
5. The Real "Deal of The Century" in The Middle East is The One Russia Struck With Israel Regarding Syria, Adam Garrie, Eurasia Future
6. The Warm War: Russiamania At The Boiling Point, Jim Kavanagh, The Polemicist

Dan and Joanne talk with writer and analyst Peter Lee (aka @chinahand) about the escalation between the United States and China. We also discuss the broader East Asian region including Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

Peter has decades of experience in East Asia both as a businessman and as a writer. He produces Newsbud's "China Watch" and is published at Asia Times, CounterPunch at his own blog, China Matters. Follow Peter at @chinahand.

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Recorded on July 6, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. China's retaliation to U.S. tariffs will hit American soybean farmers, automakers and oil producers -- and have the greatest effect on counties that voted for Trump, Wall Street Journal
2. Tariffs 'kick off 50-year trade war' with China, Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

Joanne talks with Elizabeth Lea Vos about the immunity deal for Wikileaks founder and editor Julian Assange -- a deal that was scuttled by James Comey via Sen. Mark Warner in the Spring of 2017. We also discuss the independent analysis on the transmission of documents published by Guccifer2.

Elizabeth is the Editor-In-Chief of @DisobedientNews. Follow her at @ElizabethLeaVos and find her work at disobedientmedia.com. She also is an organizer of monthly #Unity4J vigils which advocate for the restoration of Julian Assange's rights to communication with the outside world and ultimately for his release. The next vigil is scheduled for the weekend of July 7-8, 2018. Details at Unity4J.com and @Unity4J.

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Recorded on July 3, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. How Comey intervened to kill WikiLeaks' immunity deal, John Solomon, The Hill
2. Did Sen. Warner and Comey 'Collude' on Russia-gate?, Ray McGovern, ConsortiumNews

Dan and Joanne talk with Sharmine Narwani about the Southern Front -- US-backed rebels based in southern Syria -- and their affiliation with al Qaeda. We also discuss how the Syrian war is like an irregular world war and how it played a role in accelerating a global shift in power.

Sharmine is a commentator and analyst of Mideast geopolitics based in Beirut, speaking to us today from the United States. She is a former senior associate at St. Antony's College, Oxford University and has been published by a wide variety of publications, including the New York Times, the Guardian, Asia Times Online, al Akhbar English, Al Jazeera and RT.

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

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Recorded on June 28, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

Are al-Qaeda Affiliates Fighting Alongside U.S. Rebels in Syria's South?, Sharmine Narwani, The American Conservative

Dan and Joanne talk with Aaron Maté about Russiagate and the Mueller investigation. We discuss Aaron's recent article which argues that after a year of investigation there have been several guilty pleas, but none of them go "to the core of the special counsel's mandate," about collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

Aaron is a host/producer for The Real News and a contributor at The Nation magazine. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronjmate.

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Recorded on June 21, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

The Mueller Indictments Still Don't Add Up to Collusion, Aaron Maté, The Nation

Joanne talks with political analyst and Progressive Independent Garland Nixon about investigations and intelligence operations concerning the 2016 election. We also talk about the recently published Inspector General report on the Clinton email "MidYear Exam" investigation.

Garland is the co-host of the daily radio show "Fault Lines" and host of the weekly radio show "News Views With Garland Nixon". He is also has a background in law enforcement and investigations. Follow him @Garland Nixon.

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

Elijah Magnier returns to the show to talk about politics in post-ISIS Iraq, the results of the recent election, and the mission to select a new prime minister and cabinet. Elijah and Joanne also talk about the latest developments in Syria as the battle for the southwest Syria begins.

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. He recently left Iraq and is speaking to us today from Lebanon.

Follow Elijah at @ejmalrai and find his work at ejmagnier.com

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Recorded on May 31, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. Qassam Soleimani and Donald Trump Agree on Al-Abadi as Prime Minister Despite Ameri and Maliki's Discontent, Elijah Magnier
2. South Syria to Return Within the Control of Damascus: With or Without a Russian-Israeli Deal, Elijah Magnier
3. The Iraqi Elections: Implications For Regional Politics, Shireen Hunter, LobeLog

Joanne interviews Dr. Isa Blumi, an historian, an author and an Associate Professor at Stockholm University. His recent book Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World tells the story of the wars in Yemen but also "ultimately tells an even larger story of today's political economy of global capitalism, development, and the war on terror as disparate actors intersect in Arabia."

Dr. Blumi gives us a deeper understanding of the war in Yemen in a way that is compelling, fascinating, tragic, and largely untold in the western world. Yemen's people have a long history of resistance. The war in Yemen is an imperial war for resources and dominance and also a hidden war between Gulf state rivals. The latest escalation of the war has been fueled by Saudi Arabia's now urgent need for finance and resources.

Follow @IsaBlumi and find his latest book at UCPress.edu.

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

Find all of our work at our website aroundtheempire.com

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Recorded on May 10, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World, Isa Blumi, UC Press

A History of the Colonial War in Yemen and the US Involvement, KPFA

Dan and Joanne analyze the New York Times exposure of Operation Crossfire Hurricane and commentary by the authors. We examine the damning claims by pro-Trump media and we also talk about Daily Caller's revelation of the identity of the alleged FBI informant in the Trump campaign.

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Recorded on May 17, 2018. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation, Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Nicholas Fandos, New York Times
2. EXCLUSIVE: Cambridge Prof With CIA, MI6 Ties Met With Trump Adviser During Campaign, Beyond, Chuck Ross, Daily Caller

In this bonus episode (a bonus episode for patrons, 30 minute preview free to the public), Dan and Joanne talk about the growing conflict with Iran, the impact of Trump's withdrawal from the Iran deal and the severe escalation in the Syrian war that began just hours after that withdrawal.

We are independent media and we rely on your contributions.

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

Reference Links:

Time for Europe to Join the Resistance, Spiegel, by Klaus Brinkbäumer