The Chris Hedges Report

John Kiriakou, former CIA analyst and whistleblower on the agency's torture program. He discusses whether Iran’s support for proxies differs from longstanding US proxy practices. Short, sharp takes on terrorism versus liberation, Israel’s covert tactics, the MEK’s rehabilitation, and how labeling nations politicizes the term "state sponsor of terror."

Annemarie Jacir, Palestinian filmmaker and writer behind Palestine 36, reimagines the 1936–39 uprising and its role in shaping modern Palestine. She discusses British counterinsurgency, archival revelations of brutality, and how class divisions and divide-and-rule tactics shaped the struggle. Jacir also recounts the film’s fraught production, from disruptions and relocation to covert shooting under occupation.

Gideon Levy, Israeli journalist and Haaretz columnist known for reporting on the occupation, offers a sharp critique of Israel’s militaristic mindset under Netanyahu. He discusses why war with Iran is framed as inevitable, media self-censorship, mass displacement from Gaza and Lebanon, and the political and ideological forces pushing the country toward repeated conflict.

Max Blumenthal, journalist and editor-in-chief of The Grayzone, breaks down how Israeli influence networks targeted Trump. He explains psychological tactics used to stoke fear and push policy shifts. Discussions cover the Soleimani strike, FBI sting operations that manufactured threats, and how financial and political pressure shaped decisions leading toward conflict with Iran.

Yanis Varoufakis, economist and former Greek finance minister known for crisis analysis, lays out how a war with Iran risks long-term global economic dislocation. He discusses energy shocks, broken diplomatic trust, fragile supply chains, asymmetric impacts on Europe and Asia, and how crises can fuel authoritarianism. Short, urgent, and wide-ranging conversation on systemic fallout.

John Mearsheimer, a leading scholar of great power politics at the University of Chicago, outlines how the U.S. became entangled in the Iran conflict. He discusses failed decapitation plans, limits of air power, Iran’s economic leverage such as closing the Strait of Hormuz, potential global economic shocks, and how Russia and China may aid Iran. Short, sharp analysis of strategy, escalation risks, and geopolitical consequences.

Alastair Crooke, former British diplomat and Middle East negotiator, outlines Iran’s missile and drone tactics and how they’ve strained Israeli and U.S. defenses. He discusses damage to U.S. radar and ISR, regional spillovers in the Gulf, asymmetric naval threats, and wider geopolitical and economic consequences. Short, sharp insights into how the war is reshaping regional power dynamics.

Stephen Walt, a Harvard political scientist who studies U.S. foreign policy, appears with sharp historical perspective. He explores Trump’s rule‑breaking worldview, predatory tactics toward allies, and how short‑term gains risk long‑term decline. He discusses rising multipolarity, Europe’s drift, weaponized finance, and the erosion of diplomacy. All in concise, provocative conversation.

John Mearsheimer, leading international relations scholar and author, outlines the shift from U.S. unipolarity to a multipolar world. He discusses unilateralism and threats to alliances, the strategic rivalry with China in East Asia, NATO and European security anxieties, and how erratic leadership raises risks of escalation.

Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister and DiEM25 leader known for critiques of capitalism, unpacks the politics behind the so‑called “Board of Peace.” He links it to historic corporate colonialism and warns it masks dispossession. He discusses how Trump’s hub‑and‑spokes strategy reshapes global power, fractures allies, and limits multilateral responses.