Rania Khalek Dispatches

As Israel expands its war across the region, Lebanon is once again in the crosshairs.Israeli officials are openly calling for pushing the border to the Litani River, annexing southern Lebanon, and preventing displaced civilians from returning. At the same time, the country is being bombed, depopulated, and pushed toward internal collapse.So what is Israel actually trying to achieve?In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek speaks with Karim Makdisi, co-host of the Makdisi Street podcast and Associate Professor of International Politics at the American University of Beirut.They discuss: -Israel’s long-term ambitions in southern Lebanon-Whether this is a plan for annexation or permanent control-Hezbollah’s actual strength after 2024-Lebanon’s internal divisions and the role of the army-The risk of civil strife and regional escalationThis isn’t Israel’s first invasion of Lebanon, but the stakes may be higher than ever.

The United States and Israel are pushing the region toward a dangerous escalation with Iran, threatening strikes on energy infrastructure and even raising the possibility of a ground invasion.But Iran isn’t backing down.As the war expands across the region and the global economy, the risk of a wider conflict is growing by the day.So what is the real strategy here? Is this brinkmanship, or the early stages of a war that could spiral far beyond anyone’s control? Have the U.S. and Israel fundamentally misjudged Iran?Rania Khalek is joined by Mohammad Marandi, professor at the University of Tehran, to break it all down.

In week 4 of the U.S.-Israeli war of aggression on Iran, the global economy has been pushed to the brink. Iran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz shows just how key it is to global energy markets, supply chains, and food systems, putting millions at risk.So what happens when the U.S. no longer has a monopoly on economic coercion?Has Trump overplayed his hand?Are we witnessing the limits of American power and the beginning of a more chaotic global order?To break it all down, Rania Khalek is joined by Marxist economist Prabhat Patnaik, professor emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University and co-author of Capital and Imperialism: Theory, History, and the Present.

Three weeks into the war on Iran, the conflict is expanding more than ever.The Strait of Hormuz is closed, energy infrastructure is under attack, and U.S. bases are increasingly vulnerable. Israel and Washington are escalating.According to Middle East expert Vali Nasr, this is actually all part of Iran's strategy.Iran isn’t trying to win quickly. To “win” is to survive — and for that it wants to make the war longer, more expensive, and politically unsustainable for the United States.In this conversation with Rania Khalek, Nasr explains:-Why Trump gets weaker the longer the war extends-How energy and Hormuz became the central battlefield-What Washington fundamentally miscalculated-Why regime change is unlikely-The role of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi factions-And whether any real off-ramp still exists-If this war continues, the consequences won’t just be regional, they will be global.

Israel has expanded its war across the region, bombing Lebanon and Iran while preparing a potential ground invasion into southern Lebanon.Israeli officials claim the goal is simply to create a “buffer zone” for security. But many Israeli politicians and commentators are openly discussing something much bigger: territorial expansion to the Litani River and beyond.This is not about security, it’s part of much longer historical Greater Israel projectOn this live episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by historian Zachary Foster to examine the long history of Israeli invasions of Lebanon, the ideological roots of the “Greater Israel” concept, and how the Gaza model of destruction is now spreading across the region.

The war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran could send shockwaves through the global economy.Energy markets, shipping routes, fertilizer supply, and cloud infrastructure are all at risk. Even a short disruption could drive inflation, food shortages, and economic instability worldwide.Rania Khalek speaks with economist Yanis Varoufakis, former Finance Minister of Greece, about why this conflict could become one of the most economically disruptive wars in decades.

As war between Iran, Israel, and the United States escalates, what’s actually happening on the battlefield, and how is the conflict being viewed inside the U.S. military itself?On this live episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by two guests to break down both the military realities of the war and the growing opposition to it inside the United States.Jon Elmer, contributing editor at The Electronic Intifada, joins the show to analyze the military dynamics of the US-Israeli war on Iran — including Iran’s strategy, the effectiveness of Israeli and U.S. defenses, and who appears to have the strategic advantage so far.Then Mike Prysner, Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War and a U.S. Army veteran, discusses widespread opposition to war on Iran among American soldiers and what it reveals about morale, public opinion, and the limits of U.S. war-making power.

As Israel expands its war on Iran and U.S. officials float the possibility of American boots on the ground, what is really happening behind the headlines?Iran expert at Johns Hopkins Vali Nasr joins Rania Khalek to explain:Why Iran prepared for decapitation strikesWhy “regime collapse” is far from guaranteedHow global oil supplies “have become a battlefield” Why Trump may already be looking for an off-rampThe growing divide between U.S. and Israeli war goalsThe chances this conflict could spiral into something far biggerNasr argues that Iran’s strategy isn’t to win quickly. It’s to make the war long, costly, and politically dangerous for Washington.If this is the “last battle” for Iran’s leadership, what does that mean for the region — and for the global economy?

Mike Huckabee’s reference to borders stretching “from the Euphrates to the Nile” has sparked a diplomatic firestorm across the Middle East.Even governments that normalized relations with Israel — including the UAE — publicly condemned the remarks. Why did this rhetoric hit such a nerve? And is it really new, or just unusually blunt?At the same time, tensions between Israel and Saudi Arabia are rising, fractures between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are deepening, and the risk of a U.S.–Iran war looms in the background, a conflict that could drag Gulf states into a confrontation they don’t control.What does this moment reveal about the future of normalization, regional alliances, and the possibility of a wider war?Rania Khalek was joined by Giorgio Cafiero on Dispatches to break it all down.🎥 The full episode is available to Breakthrough News members.Become a member at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

At the Munich Security Conference, Marco Rubio said the quiet part out loud.No more “rules-based order.” No more liberal pretense. Just open coercion.After Gaza — after a genocide livestreamed for the world — U.S. empire isn’t even pretending anymore.In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by Dylan Saba — attorney with Palestine Legal and co-host of Turbulence — to unpack what this moment represents:• Gaza as the capstone of the War on Terror• The return of gunboat diplomacy• Why imperial “decline” means escalation, not collapse• Fascist consolidation at home under Trump• The Democratic Party’s containment of dissent• Why the U.S. still lacks a real left foreign policyThis isn’t a deviation in American foreign policy.It’s its logical endpoint.🎥 The full episode is available to Breakthrough News members.Become a member at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews