For episode 213, I talk about the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, how we got here, and what this means for both Iran and Lebanon. Also: Israel's ideological opposition to the concept of accountability, Israel's decreasing popularity in the US, the Ayatollah's brutal reign, and finally Hezbollah's catastrophic decision to join the war and how this is causing a severe crisis in Lebanon.

Support: You can support my work with a one-off or monthly donation on Ko-fi.

Lebanon Masterclass: Spots are still available for my March-April 2026 masterclass on modern Lebanese history and politics, but not many. Find out more on the website, on Bluesky or on Instagram. If you're interested in a later class instead, let me know on [email protected] or Signal ayoub.02.

Referenced:

• My pieces: Iranian protesters don't owe us an explanation and How Hezbollah Lost Everything
• Yuval Abraham for 972: ‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza and ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
• Also: Saudi commentator / Centrist dems / Thread on Israel and accountability / US using AI to bomb Iran

Mutual Aid links: Lebanon emergency relief

FTP: The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠. If you’re not a supporter yet, please consider doing so on Patreon.

Social Media:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram⁠ and has a ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠
• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠
• Elia is on Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon and has a website.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design), ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics) and Antidote Zine⁠ (Transcriptions).

Transcriptions: Want to help Antidote Zine transcribe episodes? Click here for more info.

Note on sound quality: I know there's a bit of a variation as I was pacing between two different rooms. Note to self for next time: stick to one room! I also had to do a quick edit on this one and I may have missed a cough or two. Hopefully not.

In which I read my Hauntologies essay "Iranian protesters don't owe us an explanation" (00:00 to 09:50) and reflect on it (09:50-36:49).

Support: You can support my work with ⁠a one-off or monthly donation on Ko-fi.⁠

For more:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠

• Elia is on Bluesky and Instagram. His newsletter is Hauntologies and his archives are on eliaayoub.com.

• Check out Politically Depressed's latest video "What Are Tankies Really?" since it's so clearly related to what I'm talking about here.

• The Hezbollah essay I mentioned

• My conversation with Hong Kongers

  
  

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. If you’re not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠⁠ Antidote Zine⁠⁠ and will be published on⁠⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠⁠.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode art), ⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and⁠ ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)

Elia Ayoub is joined by three folks from Minneapolis, sociologist Nicole Bedera and From The Periphery's very own Aydin and Ed from Antidote Zine, to talk about the ongoing resistance against the federal occupation of the state of Minnesota by ICE.

What is happening? How are they resisting? What can we learn from it, here in the UK and elsewhere?

Nicole also explained what 'symbolic compliance' means and why we must all be aware of it.

You can support Elia's work with a one-off or monthly donation on Ko-fi.

Links

• Nicole's article: I’m a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here’s how ICE observers are helping.

• Nicole's book: On the Wrong Side - How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence

• Nicole's Bluesky thread on symbolic compliance

• Counter Vortex episode on Iran and Minneapolis and Antidotezine's transcript

• Antidotezine: Between the Insurrection Act and the Insurrections

• Minnesota Star Tribune: ‘No humanity’: Detainees describe conditions inside Whipple Federal Building

• Stand With Minnesota

• Elia's article on Reform UK in Shado Mag

• Elia's newsletter

For more:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠

• Elia is on Bluesky and Instagram

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, Hidah: Jewish Counter-Colonial Thoughts and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠. If you’re not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠⁠ Antidote Zine⁠⁠ and will be published on⁠⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠⁠.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode art), Nicole Bedera, Aydin, Ed (guests), ⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and⁠ ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)

For episode 210, William C. Anderson comes back to The Fire These Times to talk to Elia Ayoub about the current crises in the US and how we should try and understand our current authoritarian moment.

Anderson is the author of The Nation on No Map (AK Press 2021) and co-author of As Black as Resistance (AK Press 2018). He writes a column for Prism called Another Way Out and is the co-founder of Offshoot Journal. He was previously on TFTT (episode 107) to talk about Black Anarchism, Abolition and the Radical Tradition.

More:

Elia

• Support Elia through Ko-Fi

• Check out the Hauntologies newsletter

• Info on the Lebanon masterclass: article and podcast

• Follow Elia on Bluesky

• Follow Elia on Instagram

William

• Follow William on Bluesky

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, Hidah: Jewish Counter-Colonial Thoughts and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠. If you’re not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠⁠ Antidote Zine⁠⁠ and will be published on⁠⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠⁠.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode art), William C Anderson (guest), ⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and⁠ ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)

For episode 209, Elia sits down with Nicole Rose from The Solidarity Apothecary to talk about her Overcoming Burnout series, which is also a podcast and an e-book. We talked about burnout, grief, trauma, mutual aid, herbalism, and more.

Note: this was recorded in November 2025, a few days before the death of my dog Flip. This is why it took until now to publish the episode.

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠. If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

Resources:

• Frontline Herbalism podcast
• The Mutual Aid podcast
• Plum Village app (the meditation mentioned)

For more:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠
• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠
• The Solidarity Apothecary is on Instagram
• Elia is on Bluesky and Instagram

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), Nicole Rose (guest), Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)

Hey everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that I’ll be giving online classes starting this January, and that I’m still accepting new people for the very first class. I recommend doing so asap as I’ve already had to open up a second class due to that amazing response I’ve received so far. All details below.

The class is entitled “Beware of Small States: An overview of Lebanon from 1975 to 2025.”

We will go beyond sensationalist headlines and shallow coverage, and beyond simplistic, top-down explanations for the country. Instead of a linear timeline of events, which you can get from Wikipedia anyway, you will get a messy one. After all, politics is not linear. Political actors evoke events from the recent or not-so-recent past as part of their politics in the present. In addition to the structured syllabus, I will use personal stories as someone who grew up in Lebanon in a very conservative, at times even Far Right, Christian environment, to explain how my own personal journey away from right-wing and towards left-wing, quasi-anarchist, politics has helped me understand Lebanon better, and hopefully help you too.

Register

Just send me an email at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or a Signal message @ ayoub.02.

I will send you the syllabus as well as all the required details including how to pay for the class if you're interested in taking it.

When?

Weekly from Saturday Jan 17th, 4pm UK time. 5 sessions.

Week 1 (Jan 17): The stories we tell ourselves about this painfully ordinary country.

Week 2 (Jan 24): Five academic-y concepts that are easier to understand than they seem.

Week 3 (Jan 31): We Are the Children of the Children of War.

Week 4 (Feb 7): From Life in the Midst of History to The Collapse

Week 5 (Feb 14): Lebanon yesterday, today, tomorrow

Fees: $300

Discounts: For Hauntologies (my newsletter) subscribers (past or present)

• 50% off for paid subscribers
• 100% off for Founding Members

Anyone joining the class will get:

• Access to all 5 sessions

• Lifetime access to the Google Drive

• Lifetime access to the Hauntologies newsletter without paying extra (subscribers pay $50 a year on average)

• Discounts on future classes

• An invitation to join a Signal group

More classes to come

In addition to repeating this class, here are the titles and brief descriptions of the other classes currently being prepared. You can already register your interest by email or Signal to those as well - and I’ll just send you an email or text when they’re ready.

• The Ghosts of Israel’s Future, looking at what the horrors unleashed by Israel during the ongoing genocide reveal about that country’s politics, and the people, Jews, Israelis and Palestinians alike, who predicted it. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions.

• Against Multipolar Imperialism, looking at why we cannot accept multipolarity as a valid alternative to a US-dominated world, especially as that involves accepting authoritarian states and effectively sacrificing whole populations as collateral. We will look at China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, so-called Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong, Syria, Israel-Palestine, Iran, El Salvador, Argentina, Tigray and Ethiopia, Bosnia and of course Lebanon. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions.

• Cancelling the Apocalypse: From James Baldwin to Solarpunk and beyond. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions.

• Postwar Hauntings: Modern Lebanon Through Its Cinema. This will be a much more in-depth exploration of Lebanon post-1990 through its cinema, which was the topic of my PhD dissertation. We will watch movies, discuss them, and explore Lebanon through them. Estimated fee is $600 for 6 sessions.

For episode 208, Elia and Dana talk about Zahrani Mamdani's victory and what it could mean for all of us.

What we got into, in no particular order:

• Dana seeing Mamdani win as a Muslim-American (and Arab/Palestinian) who grew up in the aftermath of 9/11 / Mamdani’s Arabic-language campaign video (in Syrian Arabic - thank you Rama - except when talking to the cat, when he switched to Egyptian Arabic for some reason) and him saying أنا منكم واليكم at his victory speech

• Elia seeing Mamdani win as an Arab who’s never been to New York City but still felt the impact of the War on Terror growing up in Lebanon

• Both Elia and Dana being Mamdani’s age and how that’s f-ed up

• How Mamdani navigated questions about Israel / why we need to be better at making the our opponents face their own contradictions instead of falling in their trap

• The Far Right is not inevitable. It can be stopped. Billionaires are not inevitable. They can be stopped.

• Parallels to the UK with Zack Polanski and the rise of the Green Party

Mentions 

• Mamdani Created a Left-Liberal Coalition on Israel/Palestine by Peter Beinart

• The Far Right is Not Inevitable | The Fire These Times with Aurelien Mondon (ep. 163)
  

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.

If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

For more:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠

• Dana is on Bluesky

• Elia is on Bluesky and Instagram

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.

Credits:

Dana El Kurd (host), Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)

In this collaboration episode, host israa’ is joined with Jordan and Prince from The Dugout Podcast and Dr. Mohamed Abdou. We got together to talk about Malcolm X, his evolution over time, his commitment to the below, and the role and impact of Islam on his journey towards collective liberation. Along the way, we talk about Malcolm’s impact on our lives and our politics and share insights on how we think Malcolm would be showing up today. 

00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions

01:45 Personal Connections to Malcolm X

04:52 Malcolm X's Influence and Evolution

08:48 Reflections on Malcolm X's Teachings

11:31 Malcolm X's Legacy and Modern Relevance

19:39 Organizational Structures and Revolutionary Responsibility

29:19 Global Impact and Pan-Africanism

46:17 Evolving Governance and Lessons from the Zapatistas

48:08 Exploring Malcolm X's Intersectional Analysis

48:47 Malcolm X and James Baldwin: A Shared Journey

50:45 Decolonization and Internationalism

52:30 Contextualizing Malcolm X's Strategies

54:34 Malcolm X's Methodology and Ethics

58:38 Malcolm X's Legacy and Modern Implications

01:18:09 The Role of Spirituality and Self-Critique

01:29:20 Final Reflections on Malcolm X's Influence

Mohamed :

Dr. Mohamed Abdou is a Muslim anarchist scholar and organizer. He's a student of the muqawama (the resistance) and author of Islam and Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances (Pluto Press, 2022).  His work centers on Palestinian, Indigenous, Black, and people of colour liberation, and draws on the Indigenous Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico, as well as his participation in the Egyptian uprisings of 2011. 

substack: https://drmohamedabdou.substack.com/

website: ⁠mabdou.net⁠. 

Twitter: @minuetinGmajor

 Instagram: @slightlydrifting

israa’ :

israa’ (they/them) is an activist scholar in a committed relationship with collective liberation. They are part of From the Periphery Media collective where they are hosts of The Mutual Aid Podcast, The Fire of these Times, and From the Periphery Podcast. They’re working towards building a world where all worlds fit through their activism and scholarship.

israa’ is on Bluesky and IG

Dugout

The Dugout is a Black anarchist podcast rooted in political education, decolonial thought/praxis, and deep community study. We tell stories, break down systems, and honor the voices of those building liberation from below. From interviews with Black Panthers and movement elders to media critiques and abolitionist strategy, each episode is a living contribution to Black radical traditions.

Stay connected with The Dugout! Follow us for updates, exclusive content, and more:

🔗OUR WEBSITE: https://www.thedugoutpodcast.com/

🔗 ⁠Instagram⁠: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dugoutpodcast/⁠

🔗 ⁠Substack⁠: ⁠https://tdugout.substack.com/⁠

 🔗⁠YouTube⁠: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thedugoutpod⁠

🔗 ⁠Patreon⁠: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheDugoutPod⁠

🔗 ⁠OUR LINKS⁠: ⁠https://bio.site/thedugoutpodcast⁠

🔗 Watch Prince Shakur  on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMgrSHWLLU4U_FnJ1u10Ug

How to Support Our Work:

Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠: You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join ⁠⁠⁠⁠our monthly hangouts⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more.

Donations: https://fromtheperiphery.com/donate/

Check out our merch: https://fromtheperiphery.com/shop/

Credits:

israa' (host, producer), Elia Ayoub (episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

For episode 206, Dana El Kurd is joined by Pablo Abufom, translator, scientist, and organizer with the Coordinadora Por Palestina in Chile. We talk about the largest Palestinian diaspora population outside the Middle East, the limits of ethnic and national affinities, and what it means to organize against the backdrop of American hegemony.

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.

If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

For more:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.

Credits:

Dana El Kurd (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

Daniel joins Elia from what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto to talk about Gaza.

The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.

If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery

Read the two relevant pieces that informed this chat:

• Daniel's: A Prayer Drifts to a Nest

• Elia's: Notes on Assadism, Zionism, Fascism and Hope

For more:

• Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky, Mastodon and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ 

• Daniel Voskoboynik is on Bluesky and blogs at The Ecology of Us

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

• From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠

Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), Daniel Voskoboynik (host), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics).