Going back home always reminds me why I started this project. It's a constant reminder how everything is so absurd and terrifying and intense and how we're all pretty much losing our minds. I talk about my recent trip to Lebanon, share updates and talk about future episodes/video essays that i'm working on. -- -- -- Liked this episode? Become a member of the patreon: Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryTip me in my tip jar: https://ko-fi.com/aymanmak#beirut #psychology #podcast

The sectarian violence in Sweida, Southern Syria has genuinely been keeping me up at night. The images, stories, and potentials for further violence is just really hard to process. There's also a lot of confusion as to what exactly is happening, how did this start, and how does it end.

In this episode I try to provide some overview of the situation, but mostly talk about my thoughts and feelings watching this unfold and seeing all the discourse online, and denounce in as strong of terms as possible the violent sectarianism of it all. Syrian Druze communities are under great threat at the moment, and its really scary. As I say in the episode, there have been attacks as Bedouin community and security forces at the hands of Druze militias, but that does not, in anyway justify massacres of Druze civilians and of the sectarian hate being spewed at them online.

For a decent chronological breakdown of how this started I recommend this short video by Charles Lister:

https://x.com/Charles_Lister/status/1945976275606089749

There's also this very informative episode of a podcast recorded in March with two activists from Sweida (very helpful for background info for whats happening now):

https://www.patreon.com/posts/stir-2-unrest-in-128972762

For the full list of social media pages and accounts to follow please check the description in my youtube video (all the links look super clunky here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K2nnauhj9M&ab_channel=PoliticallyDepressed

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Or become a monthly member @ patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

I've never slept well. But of course the political catastrophes around all of us make it even harder. I talk about my issues with sleep, what I've been doing/not doing, and ask you how you've been dealing sleep and sleeplessness.

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Become a member of the FTP Patreon: patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

I'm making a few changes and wanted to keep you all up to date. Hope to see you all on my Youtube Channel.

Note: This is not announcing the end of this podcast. It's more of an expansion, but in a slightly different direction.

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_d8-WfM5gyULH5zL0_e89A

Love and solidarity,

Ayman

I left twitter last year, soon after Musk took it over. It's no longer a safe place to be. So I moved to Bluesky, which has its own set of problems, but nowhere near as problematic as twitter. But on saving grace is the few brilliant accounts I've encountered while there. In this episode I talk to the person behind one such account, Emissary of Night. A queer lefty Arab intellectual in predominantly English speaking spaces, we definitely had a lot to talk about. So over an hour and a bit we talk about a lot: Edward Said, the role of the intellectual in Palestinian liberation, Bluesky, Twitter, Tankies, Liberals, the War on Terror, being an Arab watching American media. It's a lot and it was great. I hope you enjoy listening half as much as I enjoyed having the conversation.

Note: This was recorded on June 7.

You can follow Leila on Bluesky @diplomatofnight.com‬

Leila also just started a new blog: https://to-our-land.ghost.io/

To give me a tip: ko-fi.com/aymanmak

Become a member of the FTP Patreon: patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

#palestine #bluesky #podcast

In this episode, I talk with Peggy, someone whose wisdom and approach I've found really nourishing in this time of depleting catastrophe. I just like talking to her and she always comes up with really interesting insights. We initially met in the Palestine watch party, which I hosted, and many of the things she said in those discussions are still with me. We talk about a wide-range of topics and so its hard to sum up. If there's anything that's said that sparks your interest, let me know in the comments and I'll definitely respond. You can follow Peggy on Instagram: @halmonipower@lei4palestinePeggy also has a blog at https://stillinsirsasana.blogspot.com/

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The Israeli blockade on Gaza will kill 14,000 babies in 48 hours if it is not lifted. This was announced today by the UN. It has been 79 days since the total blockade was placed on Gaza, after Israel unilaterally ended the ceasefire agreement they signed with Hamas. It is impossible to deny what is being painfully and maliciously enacted on a daily basis: a genocide, mass extermination and annihilation. Two million Palestinians in Gaza are being starved and bombed. This has to stop. I don't know how, but it has to.

Donate to support community kitchens in Gaza: https://chuffed.org/project/allchildrenareourchildren

Elon Musk is one of the most dangerous men alive today. But he didn't come out of nowhere. In this episode I talk about one thing that he's done, that I think most people don't even know he did. To me, it's amongst the worst of it all.

Note: When I list some of the wort things he's done, I forget to mention his creation and involvement in DOGE, which I know is a pretty huge thing to miss, but alas.

Also, this was recorded on Tuesday May 13 (3 days ago). Since then the podcast 'Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution' has released a new episode!

Check out the first two episodes here.

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I've been a bit absent from this podcast the last couple of weeks. I share why - which amounts to some pretty good, interesting news. One thing I forgot to mention in the episode is that I've also been arranging a few interviews for this podcast by really really cool people, so stay tuned for that. Anyway, I guess the crunch is over, so I'll go back to releasing episodes on the weekly.

Film Club: https://www.patreon.com/posts/lebanon-wars-126557915

New Video Essay: https://youtu.be/W1pKLk-E6J0

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This is a special announcement episode broadcast on all FTP channels.

We at FTP are hosting a series of weekly film screenings and discussions on the Lebanese wars starting this Sunday April 20.

In this short episode, Elia and Ayman go through the list of films they selected, what you can expect from the screenings, and how you can participate.

To sign up and join the watch parties head over to ⁠our Patreon⁠ where you'll find ⁠this post with the invitation link⁠.

Invites are immediately available to all Patreon members. If you don't want to become a member, you can buy the link with a one-time purchase.

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All the films (except the last) are already publicly available on ⁠this playlist⁠ on our Youtube Channel.

The films we'll watch are:

⁠A Feeling Greater than Love⁠ (2017) dir. Mary Jirmanus Saba

- A feature-length documentary about the class struggle and labour movements in the lead up to the outbreak of the war in 1975.

⁠Lebanon's War⁠ - Part 3: Explosion (2001)

- A 42 minute episode of a documentary series by Al-Jazeera on the Lebanon Wars that covers in great depth the 1975 outbreak of the civil war with incredible, rare interviews.

⁠Beirut, My City⁠ (1983) dir. Jocelyne Saab

- A 38 minute film by a legendary Lebanese filmmaker filmed in Beirut amidst the Israeli siege that serves as a timeless intimate meditation on a city tortured by war and occupation.

⁠Souha, Surviving Hell⁠ (2001) dir. Randa Chahal Sabagh

- A 57 minute documentary following communist resistance fighter South Bechara as she returns to the south of Lebanon after its liberation from Israeli occupation in 2000.

⁠Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow⁠ (2017) dir. Fadz

- A short film that serves as a brilliant, illuminating, and humorous retrospective on the war by the post-war generation.

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Hope to see you at the film screenings! ⁠Here again is the link to sign up. ⁠