Behind the News with Doug Henwood Behind the News, 4/30/26
Apr 30, 2026
Ervand Abrahamian, historian of modern Iran and CUNY professor emeritus, offers expert analysis on Iran, its politics, and U.S.–Iran relations. Dylan Gottlieb, historian and author, traces 1980s yuppie culture, its rise from financialization, effects on law and dining, and links to urban change and politics. They unpack geopolitics, domestic elites, and cultural shifts in sharp, short conversations.
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Falling Yuppies Could Join Working Class Politics
- Downwardly mobile yuppies could be a political bridge to working-class movements if they shed ideological blinders.
- Many formerly secure young professionals now face childcare costs, flattening wages, and expensive urban housing, feeding potential cross-class alliances.
US Iran Policy Sidelined Experts And Followed Netanyahu
- The Trump administration lacked Iran expertise and deferred to Netanyahu, outsourcing policy ideas to Israel.
- Ervand Abrahamian says few Iran experts remain in Washington and key advisors were sidelined or had security clearances removed.
Iran Is The Latest Scapegoat In Israeli Strategy
- Israel frames Iran as an existential threat to deflect from Palestinian issues, repeating a historical pattern of externalizing problems.
- Abrahamian traces a sequence: when one external enemy faded (Nasser, USSR, Saddam), another filled the role, now Iran.
