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In this episode, Antony Loewenstein discusses the real reasons behind the US and Israel’s strike on Iran, drawing on his firsthand reporting inside Iran and years of journalism across the Middle East. He unpacks the wider geopolitical agenda driving the conflict, Australia’s role in backing it, and why mainstream narratives fail to explain what’s truly at stake.

Produced by Lena Helou and Lem Zakharia

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In this episode, Antony Loewenstein speaks with Latin America expert Dr. Rodrigo Acuña about the dramatic US kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 and what it reveals about the future of American power in the region.

They unpack the long history behind the crisis, including how Venezuela has been portrayed in Western media, the legacy of Hugo Chávez, and why successive US administrations have targeted governments that challenge American dominance in Latin America. Rodrigo draws on decades of research and on-the-ground experience to explain how Venezuela became a flashpoint for debates around sovereignty, oil, and global power.

The conversation explores the immediate fallout of Maduro’s removal, including sweeping concessions over Venezuela’s oil sector and what Rodrigo describes as an “occupation without troops.” They also examine contested elections, media narratives, and the broader implications of a revived Monroe Doctrine under Trump, signalling a more aggressive approach to US influence across the Western Hemisphere.

The episode widens out to look at the region more broadly, including the rise and fall of Latin America’s “pink tide,” the erosion of regional alliances, and the growing pressure on Cuba as US sanctions intensify. Ultimately, it’s a deep dive into the geopolitics of regime change, media framing, and the ongoing struggle over sovereignty in Latin America.

Produced by: Lena Helou and Lem Zakharia

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In this episode, Antony Loewenstein examines the global surge of far-right populism and its obsessive focus on immigration and Islam across Australia, the US, the UK and Europe. Using recent comments by Pauline Hanson as a starting point, he explores how anti-Muslim rhetoric has been normalised in mainstream media and politics, and why similar language would be unthinkable if directed at other groups. The episode unpacks the deeper forces driving this shift, economic insecurity, media failure, and political opportunism, while challenging the myth that far-right figures represent “ordinary people.” Antony also traces the historical roots of these narratives, from the War on Terror to Australia’s offshore detention regime, and how Western immigration policies have influenced global approaches to borders and refugees. Ultimately, he argues that the current debate is not a calm discussion about immigration, but a broader ideological battle over multiculturalism, colonial legacy, and the kind of societies Western nations want to become.

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

This week on the Antony Lowenstein Podcast, we examine the controversial Australian visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog: Why he came, how the visit was framed, and why it triggered protests across the country.

Publicly positioned as a gesture of solidarity following the Bondi massacre, Herzog’s trip quickly became a flashpoint in Australia’s already tense debate around Israel, Palestine, and media narratives. Antony unpacks Herzog’s political record and public statements, the way he is portrayed in Western media, and the broader context of Israel’s war in Gaza. He also examines how the visit was covered by Australian outlets, whose voices were amplified or ignored, and why tens of thousands of Australians took to the streets in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra.

The episode explores allegations surrounding Herzog’s rhetoric, the political calculations behind the visit, and the Australian government’s response, including questions around protest rights, policing, and the language of “social cohesion.” More broadly, this conversation looks at how diaspora communities are positioned in public discourse, and what this moment reveals about power, protest, and dissent in modern Australia.

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

For years, Jeffrey Epstein has been framed primarily as a lone sexual predator embedded in elite social circles. While his crimes against underage girls are real, horrific, and central to his story, this episode examines a dimension of the Epstein case that much of the mainstream media has avoided: his deep and sustained ties to Israel, Israeli intelligence, and the global surveillance and defence industry.

In this episode, investigative journalist Antony Loewenstein explores newly released documents, leaked correspondence, and long-ignored reporting that suggest Epstein operated as a key intermediary for Israeli political, intelligence, and corporate interests over decades. Drawing on reporting from Drop Site News, court documents, and historical context, the episode interrogates how Epstein accumulated immense power, wealth, and access and why his role appears to have been protected even after his criminal behaviour was widely known in elite circles.

Produced by: Antony Loewenstein, Lem Zakharia and Lena Helou

Overlay sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory

https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Lucia-Osborne-Crowley-The-Lasting-Harm-9781761066566

https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/ry4ridpvyg

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kP4Vka4WUgc

https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israel/archive?sort=new

https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/the-palestine-laboratory

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/modi-epstein-files-steve-bannon-india-trump-bjp

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-aided-alan-dershowitz-mearsheimer-walt-israel-lobby

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/04/jeffrey-epstein-files-noam-chomsky

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00634274.pdf

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In this episode, Antony traces how the post-9/11 “War on Terror” helped shape today’s political and media climate including the normalization of anti-Palestinian racism across many Western elite circles. He revisits the early messaging of “tolerance” from George W. Bush alongside the reality of Afghanistan, torture, rendition, and Guantánamo Bay, and connects that legacy to contemporary narratives about Israel/Palestine, media accountability, and the ongoing denial of Palestinian identity and history.

Antony also reflects on what it means to speak as a Jewish critic of Israeli policy, the kinds of abuse and accusations that follow, and the ongoing attempt to frame resistance as “terror” while state violence is legitimized. He argues that neoconservative thinking never truly disappeared, and that while public support for Palestinians has risen, elite media and political institutions continue to enable dehumanization and avoid accountability.

Overlay sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/14/iraq-war-9-11-george-bush-post-truth

https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Paul-McGeough-In-Baghdad-9781741142198

https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/costs/human

https://mondoweiss.net/2020/05/atlantic-editor-who-promoted-erroneous-conspiracy-to-gin-up-iraq-war-bewails-arab-propensity-to-conspiracy-thinking/

https://www.booktopia.com.au/pity-the-nation-robert-fisk/book/9780192801302.html?srsltid=AfmBOooeWLPuhXSG0bgSte6u8F3tIoEDPsTO_XpDhi9xuBpKHD8eyNQN

https://search.wikileaks.org/plusd/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/15/afghanistan-should-leave-its-copper-in-the-ground-to-avoid-further-strife

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This week, Antony Loewenstein speaks with Randa Abdel-Fattah; Palestinian Australian writer, academic, and former lawyer, and author most recently of “Discipline”.

They reflect on knowing each other for over two decades, before turning to Randa’s visits to Palestine in 2000 and 2010 with her father, including returning to his village Burqa, and what dispossession looks like when it fractures people from land, memory, and ancestry.

The conversation moves to the present: how Randa thinks about “after Zionism,” why she rejects future-tense ideas of “coexistence,” and what it means to practise solidarity now, including with anti-Zionist Jewish communities.

They discuss how Palestinians process ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank, the psychological toll of constant exposure, and why refusing to “switch off” has become a discipline in itself.

Antony and Randa also examine Australia’s media and cultural institutions including the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices, the use of “risk management” as censorship, and what the Adelaide Writers’ Week controversy revealed about power, narrative control, and whose speech is treated as dangerous.

The episode closes with a wider discussion about the rise of the far right in Australia, the positioning of far-right parties as “pro-Israel,” and why Randa believes building independent institutions and alternative platforms is no longer optional.

Overlay sources:

https://meanjin.com.au/latest/inaudible/

https://mondoweiss.net/2026/01/paraglides-cultural-safety-and-decolonization-randa-abdel-fattah-on-her-ban-from-adelaide-writers-week-and-the-silencing-of-palestinians/

https://tickets.bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au/Events/AFTER-ZIONISM

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In this episode, Antony Loewenstein speaks with Grace Tame; survivor, advocate, columnist, and former Australian of the Year, about the accelerating crisis of child sexual abuse in the age of artificial intelligence

As AI tools become cheaper, faster, and more accessible, Grace explains how child sex offenders are once again early adopters, using generative AI, chatbots, encrypted platforms, and gaming environments to produce abuse material, automate grooming, evade detection, and normalise harm.

This is not a new problem, but technology has radically lowered the barrier to entry, while governments and platforms continue to respond with hand-wringing instead of accountability.

Grace also speaks candidly about her own experiences engaging with tech platforms, governments, and regulators and why meaningful reform continues to be resisted.

This episode is confronting, essential listening for anyone working in media, technology, policy, or child protection and for anyone who wants to understand how power protects abuse in plain sight.

Overlay sources:

https://www.kake.com/home/kansas-man-who-used-ai-to-create-child-porn-sentenced-to-25-years/article_dc17ae50-e3fd-476e-9f07-905ce45e7eab.html

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/roblox-ceo-predators

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-25/grace-tame-criticised-for-cold-interaction-with-prime-minister/100781262

https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/news/worlds-largest-child-sexual-abuse-perpetration-prevalence-study-recommends-significant-investment-early-intervention-measures

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In the first episode of 2026, Antony Loewenstein unpacks the political aftershocks of the Bondi attack and the fight now raging over how it’s being used.
From the push for a Royal Commission to the weaponisation of antisemitism claims, to the shrinking space for Palestinian and Muslim voices in Australia’s cultural institutions, this is a clear-eyed look at how fear becomes policy and how dissent gets managed. Antony also breaks down the Adelaide Writers’ Week fallout and why Gaza has been pushed off the front page when it matters most.

Overlay sources:

https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/iran-exposes-israel-double-standards-20260112-p5ntbv

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/13/i-cannot-be-party-to-silencing-writers-which-is-why-i-am-resigning-as-director-of-adelaide-writers-week-ntwnfb

https://overland.org.au/2026/01/universities-and-the-arts-after-bondi-from-definitions-to-ambient-antisemitism/

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jan/13/adelaide-writers-week-cancelled-as-board-apologises-to-randa-abdel-fattah-for-how-decision-was-represented-ntwnfb

If you value independent journalism, support this show: https://bit.ly/4rqn9wF

In this episode independent journalist Antony Loewenstein joins Jan Fran to discuss the Bondi terror attacks and the timid media response to proposals that curb civil liberties. 

Jan Fran and Antony move carefully through the tension between allowing victims time to greive and challenging political agendas that seek to curb anti-genocide protest, shrink public discourse, and mute criticism of Israel.

Antony talks through what he believes is driving the rise in antisemitism, and why parts of the Jewish diaspora feel increasingly alienated from the pro-Israel lobby’s line.

He also lays out why the crowd keeps speaking and keeps moving, even when the powerful wish the masses would go silent.

• Need a last minute gift? Tickets to Jan and Antoinette's live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought here.

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for Jan and Antoinette's podcast.