Escalation Ladder and Lack of Strategy

Air Date: 3/15/2026

Today we examine how a century of foreign intervention created incompatible national memories between the US and Iran and how Netanyahu exploited that history to maneuver Trump into a war he didn't understand, promising a quick decapitation strike while knowing full well it would become a months-long regional conflict, at minimum.

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Full Show Notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Understanding America's Complicated Relationship with Iran - Velshi - Air Date 3-1-26

KP 2: Can Israel & the U.S. Sustain Iran's Military Power? (with Alastair Crooke) - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-6-26

KP 3: Who Gets to Have Nuclear Weapons and Why? | Start Here - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 7-30-25

KP 4: Why the F#!@ Are We at War with Iran? with Reza Aslan - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 3-6-26

KP 5: 100-Year History of US Meddling, Coups and Wars in the Middle East | Roy Casagranda - UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim - Air Date 11-25-24

(00:46:57) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Bombs Don't Liberate: How War Destroys Iran's Real Democracy Movement

DEEPER DIVES

(00:56:48) SECTION A: BOMBS AWAY (AGAIN)

A1: Mehdi Slams Trump's Illegal Iran War - Zeteo - Air Date 3-5-26

A2: 'Iranians Want to Be Bombed'? Inside the Propaganda Campaign for War - BreakThrough News - Air Date 3-7-26

A3: John Mearsheimer: No Winning in Iran for the U.S. - Daniel Davis / Deep Dive - Air Date 3-8-26

A4: "Stop This Bloodshed": Israeli Lawmaker Ofer Cassif Slams Netanyahu's "Fascist Government" Over Iran - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-3-26

(01:21:15) SECTION B: JESUS WANTS A FIGHTER JET

B1: Whistleblowers Speak Out About Religious Extremism in Military Amid War on Iran - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-9-26

B2: Christian Nationalist Plan For War With Iran Is To Pray A Lot - Stop Christian Nationalism - Air Date 3-2-26

B3: The Myth of "Judeo-Christian Values" EXPOSED - The Kayse Melone Show - Air Date 1-25-26

B4: Fascist Christian Military Officers Say Iran War Is Armageddon - Stop Christian Nationalism - Air Date 3-3-26

(01:51:35) SECTION C: HOW WE GOT HERE

C1: The Iranian Revolution (1979) - The Conflict - Air Date 10-30-24

C2: The Iran-Iraq War, Mapped - Johnny Harris - Air Date 5-31-24

C3: How Iran and the US Went From Friends to Bitter Foes - BBC Africa - Air Date 2-28-26

C4: Before the Iran War: The Secret CIA Operation to Oust an Iranian Regime - American Experience | PBS - Air Date 12-1-22

C5: How Israel Was Created - AJ+ - Air Date 5-15-23

C6: Zionism: From an Idea to Genocide - TRT World - Air Date 10-8-25

(02:45:45) SECTION D: THE THREE-WAY COLD WAR

D1: An Endless War: Iran, Israel and the United States (1/2) [Reupload] - DW Documentary - Air Date 6-26-25

D2: The Middle Easts Cold War Explained - Vox - Air Date 7-17-17

D3: An Endless War: Iran, Israel and the United States (2/2) [Reupload] - DW Documentary - Air Date 6-26-25

(03:11:57) SECTION E: ISRAEL'S BORDERS? WHAT BORDERS?

E1: The Origins of 'Greater Israel' - Middle East Eye - Air Date 2-24-26

E2: Huckabee Endorses GREATER ISRAEL Triggering Diplomatic Crisis - Breaking Points - Air Date 2-23-26

E3: Why "Greater Israel" Is No Longer A Fantasy - AJ+ - Air Date 10-30-25

E4: How Mossad Kidnapped Israel's Nuclear Weapons Whistleblower | If You're Listening - ABC News In-depth - Air Date 7-25-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Composite graphic image depicting an American flag blended with the Israel flag and cross-stamped bombs where the stars should be, with some falling downwards. The outline of Iran filled with its flag is in the center with a drop of black oil dripping down its side.

Credit: Internal composite design. | Elements from Pixabay

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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