Jacobin Radio: Juan Cole and Yousef Baker on Iraq and Iran

Suzi looks at the likely impact of Qassem Soleimani's assassination for both Iran and Iraq. Juan Cole of "Informed Comment" examines the decision by Donald Trump to launch the strike that killed Iranian general Soleimani, escalating the stand-off with Iran to a new level of violence that could trigger a much broader and more lethal direct conflict. We get Cole's views on the ramifications for US-Iranian relations, the domestic considerations for each regime, and the wider implications at home and in the Middle East.

Suzi then talks to Yousef Baker of CSU Long Beach, who writes about the Iraqi protest movement. He says the American attacks and assassination of Soleimani has not just fanned the escalating regional conflict — it deals a death blow to the Iraqi protests. Iraqis have been pushed into the eye of the storm and every Iraqi political force now has to pick a side, with deadly consequences. The United States has made Iraq into its battlefield once again, making this escalation the most consequential action in Iraq since 2003. We get Baker's analysis and perspective.