Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning Poems for a world gone to shit. And Conor McGregor’s plan to end the war.
Mar 17, 2026
Sharp takes on US media control and threats to free speech amid wartime messaging. A romp through US oil geopolitics, Iraq’s postwar plunder and how privatization reshaped a broken state. Discussion of escalating regional tensions around Iran, Israel and Hezbollah. A darkly comic turn into poems as ironic solace for a world in chaos.
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Trump's Rush Risks Escalation Not Resolution
- Donald Trump signals urgency for a quick end to conflict, which may pressure escalation rather than restraint.
- Dion Fanning warns that rushing to finish a war can push leaders to commit more troops and lose control, risking messy outcomes.
Media Takeover Tactic Mirrors Authoritarian Playbooks
- Media control and threats to regulators are being used to chill critical coverage and consolidate power around pro-government outlets.
- Joe Brolly highlights FCC threats, attempts to buy networks, and a purge of journalists as signs of authoritarian media capture.
Intervention As Resource Extraction Strategy
- The U.S. has long pursued resource control through interventions that remake economies to favour foreign firms.
- Joe Brolly traces OPEC history and names Iraq, Venezuela and Iran as targets of economic vulturization.
