Rania Khalek Dispatches

Africa’s Sahel region encompasses Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad and has been an arena of French colonialism, liberation struggles, ongoing imperialist interventions, the war on terror, and coups d’etat. To discuss this and more Rania Khalek, was joined by Hannah Rae Armstrong, a long-time researcher with years of experience living and working in Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and then covering the Sahel for the International Crisis Group from her base in Senegal.Hannah’s latest article in Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/morocco/2022-05-12/north-africas-frozen-conflict

Libya seems to be trapped in endless conflict between rival militias and outside powers, with migrants trapped in neo-slavery and others drowning in the Mediteranean trying to flee to the European. Prior to the 2011 Arab uprisings and subsequent NATO regime change operation that destroyed the country, most outsiders knew little of Libya except for its caricature as a bizarre authoritarian country led by the idiosyncratic Gaddafi. But history did not start in 2011. To understand the Libya of today requires going back many decades.To discuss how and why the US-led imperial order destroyed Libya, Rania Khalek was joined by Matteo Capasso, a Marie Curie Research Fellow between the University of Venice and Columbia University. Matteo’s latest article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09692290.2022.2028180?journalCode=rrip20 TIME CODES:0:00 Intro2:06 Libya’s Jamahiriya 6:00 Impact of sanctions and international isolation on Libya’s economy 12:28 Accomplishments of Gaddafi and Libya’s revolution 18:04 Understanding Libya through the context of imperialism21:01 Dependency on oil26:08 Hybrid war 30:19 Impact of 1973 civil war in Chad37:02 Capitalism & Libya’s ideological contradiction 40:08 Religious extremism & tribal groups47:52 Support for national liberation & then collaboration in war on terror53:12 Centrality of war & militarism to US capitalism58:37 Emergence of militias in Libya1:00:58 How imperialism underlies the ongoing destruction of Libya1:06:47 2011 uprising: What really happened?1:11:50 Libya’s destruction destabilized Africa

The Palestinian rap group DAM put Palestinian rap on the map and inspired Arab rap in general with songs like Meen Irhabi (Who’s the terrorist?). DAM did not only address Arabs, however. As Palestinian citizens of Israel, they also had Hebrew lyrics, directly challenging their oppressor.Tamer Nafar, one of the group’s founding members, has since launched a solo career which includes writing and starring in a semi autobiographical film, Junction 48 as well as newly released music. He joined Rania Khalek to discuss his art, his home in the mixed Israeli city of Lydd, and the story of his life.Songs and movies that were discussed:The Beat Never Goes Off https://youtu.be/6kJl_pEhvxM Go There https://youtu.be/gp0tx64Rwos Meen Irhabi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duwsH-gAmuM Tamer’s movie Junction 48: https://youtu.be/tDIQcJGdDXs TIME CODES0:00 Intro1:21 Tamer’s new song “Go There”4:44 Recording “The Beat Never Goes Off” w/ a kid from Gaza11:37 How Tamer became a rapper19:49 DAM’s hit song “Who’s the Terrorist?”25:12 How is the Palestinian rap scene different from the rest of the Arab world?31:15 Being a conscious rapper in a hyper-commercialized music scene34:20 Israel using culture and music for normalization42:52 Tamer’s movie “Junction 48”48:35 One year after Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Lydd56:20 Worried about the future

Following the 2019 uprising that deposed longtime leader Omar Bashir, Sudan is suffering from an economic disaster, another military coup, neoliberal rot and foreign interference from countries in the region and the West. To understand what’s happening and why, Rania Khalek was joined by Magdi El Gizouli, a Sudanese academic and fellow of the Rift Valley Institute, as well as frequent commentator and writer on Sudanese affairs on his blog Still Sudan.Time Codes:0:00 Intro2:02 2019 uprising: What happened & why?12:05 What are the military’s interests?14:38 Foreign influence: Egypt, Israel & the Gulf18:45 Importance of oil to Sudan’s economy22:34 Consequences of neoliberalism 27:14 Debt, Inflation, hunger & Western duplicity 35:32 IMF pushing removal of subsidies42:03 1964 failed revolution46:48 Failed uprisings around the world and capitalist rot54:50 What did Sudan do in Darfur?1:01:27 South Sudan1:04:23 How Ethiopia’s war & dam impact Sudan1:10:37 Why Omar Bashir’s shifting positions couldn’t save him1:14:24 Sudan’s integration into the pro-Israel regional security architecture1:19:57 Why has hunger in the countryside increased?

When most people think of Sweden, or more broadly, the Scandinavian countries, they imagine a more egalitarian and advanced model to which we should aspire. Some assume without investigating that Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Norway, have figured out how to be prosperous “socialist” countries.But this Swedish model is uglier than it might appear to be, with a brutal history and a dangerous present. To discuss the imperialism on which Scandinavian living standards are built, Rania Khalek was joined by Torkil Lauesen, a long-time anti-imperialist activist and writer, who spent years in prison for his militant activities as a member of a clandestine Danish communist cell. Torkil is also the author of many books, including “Riding the Wave: Sweden's Integration into the Imperialist World System.”A good book on Torkil’s political activism: "Turning Money into Rebellion: The Unlikely Story of Denmark's Revolutionary Bank Robbers” https://snylterstaten.dk/turning-money-into-rebellion/TIME CODES0:00 Intro1:38 The global perspective 3:38 Scandinavian integration in the imperialist core 9:00 Swedish settlerism 14:43 Sweden, Denmark & the slave trade19:43 Sweden, Belgium, Congo & Dag Hammarskjöld25:20 1986 Assassination of Swedish PM Olof Palme29:03 Formation of the social welfare state34:06 Racism & national chauvinism 40:40 How social reforms strengthened European imperialism46:32 What radicalized Torkil into leftist anti-imperialism?57:26 Global neoliberalism in the last 50 years 1:08:15 The future after covid-19 & Ukraine1:12:53 End of capitalism?1:15:57 Opportunity for the revolutionary left?1:19:58 The Scandinavian military-industrial complex1:28:34 How to view Russia’s war in Ukraine

Whether or not there was a U.S.-backed coup against Pakistan’s deposed leader Imran Khan is a point of great debate. On a recent episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek spoke with Pakistani professor Taimur Rahman, who argued that it was not a coup: https://youtu.be/nA5UCTz4oys But judging by the crowds in the street, many Pakistanis believe that there was in fact a coup and that the US played a major role. To understand why so many Pakistanis are demonstrating in support of Imran Khan, Rania Khalek was joined by Azhar Imran, a lecturer of political science at Punjab University.

Two months into the war on Ukraine, why have Europeans allowed the US, which is of  course not part of Europe, to dictate reckless policies against Russia over what are purely European issues? Is this a desperate last ditch effort to halt American and Western decline?To discuss the future of Europe and the Western-dominated order, Rania Khalek was joined by Wolfgang Streeck, a sociologist and emeritus director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.Listen to every episode of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts.Apple: https://apple.co/3zeYpeW Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3za9DRKTIME CODES0:00 Intro 1:05 Germany’s about-face 5:13 40,000 US soldiers in Germany7:57 Europe’s imperial core & periphery17:25 US dictates vs European interests26:41 Pouring weapons into Ukraine 31:51 EU vs NATO38:55 America’s wars blow back on Europe43:53 The power of the Ukrainian far right51:37 Is neoliberalism collapsing?

One year after Zionist extremists in Jerusalem provoked a defiant response from Palestinians in occupied Gaza, the same scenario is now repeating. Israelis are attacking Palestinian worshippers at Al Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, executing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and once again bombing Gaza, but without any of the Western sympathy expressed for Ukrainian victims or condemnation against their aggressors. In fact, the very nations most zealously supporting the Ukrainains are the ones supporting the Israeli oppressors of the Palestinians. To contextualize the latest Israeli escalation and expose the double standards, Rania Khalek was joined by Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of “The Battle for Justice in Palestine”.Ali’s article that was discussed in this episode: https://electronicintifada.net/content/israel-lobby-group-adl-rehabilitates-hitlers-accomplices-ukraine/35021 Follow the Electronic Intifada on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/electronicintifadaTIME CODES0:00 Intro3:22 What’s going on in Palestine?7:47 Why does Israel attack Al Aqsa Mosque?19:26 Repeat of last year?23:18  Native collaborators32:07 Israeli policy in Gaza: “kill and kill and kill”37:41 Ukraine, Palestine and weaponizing religion43:11 Whitewashing Nazis50:37 Right-wing diaspora1:00:51 EU hypocrisy 1:06:10 Invisible war crimes, invisible victims1:10:43 Malcolm Nance becomes a foreign fighter1:15:27 Blowback

While the world has been distracted by the war in Ukraine, Pakistan is in the middle of massive political upheaval. Imran Khan was removed as prime minister through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, which he blamed on a US-backed coup. Was it US interference? Or was this just local Pakistani politics?To understand what happened and how Pakistani politics came to be dominated by a right-wing and military elite, Rania Khalek was joined by Taimur Rahman, a Pakistani Marxist who is Secretary General of the Mazdoor Kisan Party (Workers and Peasants Party). He is also an associate professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.TIME CODES0:00 Intro2:28 What happened in Pakistan?9:33 Was it a US-backed coup?23:34 Who is Pakistan’s new PM Shehbaz Sharif?29:17 Why don’t Pakistani PM’s complete their terms?31:49 Pakistan’s military & ruling elites35:52 Dominance of Punjab province 37:47 Role of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan48:15 Sunni extremism in Pakistan52:10 Pakistan’s relationship with China59:12 Multipolarity1:07:29 Leftist movements in Pakistan1:12:18 What do Pakistanis think about the war in Ukraine?

The war in Ukraine has led to a closing of the ranks in the West, with media and politicians in lockstep united against Russia, and some self-described leftists have joined in. As with many recent conflicts the left has been riven by divisions over what is the correct position to take, with “Putinism” replacing “Assadism” as the new term used to excommunicate opponents of NATO and American intervention. To understand the history of the Western left and how wars over the last century have caused divisions, Rania Khalek was joined by Ben Norton, an investigative journalist based in Latin America, and editor of the independent news website Multipolarista. Follow Multipolarista here: https://multipolarista.com/