I am very pleased to welcome writer and columnist Patrick Lawrence to Wider View.  Patrick is the author of 5 books, has taught at universities in the US and abroad, and has worked as a journalist and columnist for the Far Eastern Economic Review, the International Herald Tribune, the New Yorker and Consortium News.  His most recent book is “Time No Longer: Americans After the American Century”.

We begin by discussing his recent article for Consortium News, COVID-19: The US National Emergency and move on from there.

Grant Smith, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, joins me to discuss the Israel Lobby, the Israel Lobby Conference, and his new book The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board.  Learn how taxpayers in Virginia are supporting Israel business interests.

Geopolitical analyst Mark Sleboda joins me to discuss the latest developments in the 9-year war in Syria, including the machinations of Turkish President Erdogan and his proxies in the Idlib region and the reaction of the Syrian and Russian governments.  We recorded this after the meeting in Moscow of Putin and Erdogan.  

Author and analyst Mike Whitney and I discuss the recent downturn in the stock market, the various tools the government has to respond and their inadequacy, as well as the implications of the coronavirus pandemic on our financial future.

You can find Mike's most recent articles on The Unz Review at https://www.unz.com/author/mike-whitney/.  Mike has also been published at Counterpunch, and Global Research at https://www.globalresearch.ca/author/mike-whitney.

Margaret Kimberley, Senior Editor of Black Agenda Report, joins me this week to talk about her new book, Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents.   

"Margaret Kimberley gives us an intellectual gem of prophetic fire about all the U.S. presidents and their deep roots in the vicious legacy of white supremacy and predatory capitalism. Such truths seem more than most Americans can bear, though we ignore her words at our own peril!" — Cornel West, author of Race Matters

We also discuss the current presidential campaign as seen from the vantage point of this book.

This week was a very busy one for news.  Trump gave his State of the Union speech followed the next day by his acquittal in the impeachment trial and the Democrats made a mess of the Iowa Caucuses.  To help us get perspective on these events, I’m joined by historian Jeremy Kuzmarov.

Jeremy is the author of 4 books on US foreign policy:

• Obama’s Unending Wars: Fronting the Foreign Policy of the Permanent Warfare State

He has taught at numerous universities in the field of US history and foreign relations and contributes to a number of progressive publications.  He is also a board member of the Tulsa Peace Fellowship and on the Steering Committee for Historians for Peace and Democracy.

I'm joined this week by Jim Kavanagh.   Jim is a former college professor and denizen of New York City who currently blogs at ThePolemicist.net, reflecting on politics and culture from a left-socialist perspective.  He is a frequent guest on the Loud and Clear podcast from Sputnik.  

You can follow Jim on his Facebook page and on Twitter as @ThePolemicist_ .

During the show, Jim mentioned a recent article on Joe Biden by Shaun King.  That article can be found on Shaun King's Newsletter at https://shaunking.substack.com/p/2-truths-and-31-lies-joe-biden-has

Lots of material packed into this half hour.  Take a listen!

Writer and analyst Mike Whitney who writes regularly for the Unz Review, joins me for a wide-ranging discussion on the crisis in the Middle East and the role of the neocons.

Mike's recent articles include "Pompeo Says Gangland-Style Hit on Soleimani was 'Restoration of Deterrence'", and "Did Pompeo Dupe Trump Into the Soleimani Hit?"

Catherine Shakdam is Co-Founder of Veritas Consulting and Head of the Yemen Unit at the Next Century Foundation.  She was formerly Director of Programs at the Shafaqna Institute for Middle Eastern Studies. She is much in demand as an analyst of the Middle East and I am honored to have her join me on Wider View.

We talk this time about the repercussions of the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani throughout the region.

You can find Catherine's work at https://www.catherine-shakdam.com/ and at Citizen Truth, New Eastern Outlook, and on the blog of the Next Century Foundation.  You can follow her on Twitter @shakdamc.

With the murder of Iranian General Soleimani on January 3rd, tensions in the Middle East are worse than before. I explore the events leading to the drone assassination, the popularity of Soleimani and his contributions to the region, and talk about why we continue to get further embroiled in the Middle East region.