American Prestige Bonus - A Kurdish Front in the Iran War? w/ Djene Bajalan (Preview)
Mar 8, 2026
A discussion about whether a Kurdish front is being opened in the Iran war and who might benefit. Debate over divergent U.S. and Israeli objectives and the strategy of peripheral pressure. Examination of Kurdish forces, Iraqi Kurdish authorities, and the limits of Kurdish military capacity.
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Israel Pushing For Regime Collapse
- Israel appears to be pursuing regime collapse in Iran while the U.S. seeks a more controlled leadership change.
- Daniel Bessner argues Israelis amplified paranoia with propaganda, currency moves, and targeted killings to weaken regime legitimacy.
U.S. And Israel Working At Cross Purposes
- The U.S. and Israel may have different objectives and tactics, producing strategic friction.
- Bessner suggests the weakened American state expertise allowed Israeli moves to steer events differently than U.S. plans.
Shahist Propaganda As Manufactured Alternative
- A pro-Shah narrative emerged as a manufactured alternative to existing opposition, reportedly driven by Israeli actors.
- Bessner notes social-media imagery and Shahist propaganda targeted younger Iranians who don't remember 1979.