Going Underground Hosted by Afshin Rattansi

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Uri Bar-Joseph, Prof. Emeritus of International Relations at the University of Haifa. Can Israel survive an all-out Iranian retaliation as Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu prepare a second US-Israeli war on Iran? What are Trump’s and Netanyahu’s real motivations behind a war on Iran? Will Hezbollah join the war? How much damage could Israel suffer? All this and much more on this episode.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Cuba's Ambassador to the United Nations Ernesto Soberon Guzman, amid Donald Trump's unprecedented campaign to strangle the Cuban Revolution by intensifying the blockade. Can Cuba survive the maximum pressure? What now for Cuba with Venezuela now under US control? What measures is Cuba taking against the US cutting off fuel imports to the country? Is Cuba ready for a US military attack? All this and more on this episode of Going Underground.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Prof. Anatol Lieven, Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute. He discusses Europe’s self-entrapment over assisting Ukraine as the proxy war against Russia continues, European leaders deliberately lying to their people that Russia will imminently attack Europe and whether their populations believe them, Britain’s unexpected appearance in the Geneva Negotiations to end the Ukraine proxy war, and whether or not Europe is finally returning to a constructive role in international relations. In the second half, he discusses the Western media allegations that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Ecuadorean dart frog poison, the potential collapse of the Western European ‘Coalition of the Willing’ supporting Ukraine, the collapse of belief in ‘liberal values’ in Western Europe from the Iraq War to Gaza, the farcical claims of the Russian and Chinese threat in the Arctic, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to CIA Veteran Prof. Melvin Goodman. In an at times heated interview, Afshin Rattansi and Prof. Goodman cover the looming US war on Iran and why the focus will be Iranian ballistic missiles, Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Ukraine proxy war and one of the causes being NATO expansion to Russia’s borders, the beginning of a new Russia-China-US nuclear arms race after expiry of the START treaty, the Epstein Files and whether Israel is pressuring Donald Trump via blackmail, the US’ ‘takeover’ of Venezuela and regime change campaign against Cuba, the ‘mediocrity’ of Trump’s cabinet team, and much more.

n this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Alan Eyre, Former Senior Advisor for Iran at the US State Department and the First Persian-Language Spokesperson at the US State Department. He discusses the Trump Administration’s strategic ambiguity and inconsistency towards Iran regarding the nuclear program, missiles and regime change, whether China and Russia will come to Iran’s rescue for economic and military aid, the weakening of the Iranian economy by the US and structural economic problems, Iran’s continued deterrence via hypersonic missiles, whether Iran should pursue nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the US and nuclear-armed Israel, the power of the Israel lobby as the war on Iran looms, Israel’s goal being the annihilation of Iran rather than a US-Iran deal, whether he would advise Trump to use or not to use military action against Iran, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Dr. Victoria Panova, Head of Russia’s BRICS Expert Council who participated at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, UAE. She discusses the shadow of a US war on Iran hanging over the region, the status of Saudi Arabia’s invitation to join BRICS and Javier Milei’s rejection of BRICS membership for Argentina, the launch of the BRICS New Development Bank as an alternative to the Washington-dominated World Bank and IMF, Brazil’s Lula Da Silva vetoing BRICS membership for Venezuela, the subsequent kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores by Donald Trump and the silence of BRICS and the international community. In the second half, she discusses why Donald Trump believes BRICS is an anti-US bloc, the building of an independent payment system and the use of non-dollar currencies, Trump’s tariff war against BRICS nations, Donald Trump being the ‘best thing’ to happen to BRICS, and much more. 

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Former Israeli Intelligence Officer Ari Ben-Menashe about the Epstein Files. He discusses his belief that Israel is holding sensitive information which they would release if they felt Donald Trump was threatening Israel, Jeffrey Epstein’s history of working as a Mossad agent to attain compromising blackmail on Western politicians, his allegations that MI6 is working with Israel amid the revelations about Peter Mandelson in the Epstein Files, the Western media’s claims that Jeffrey Epstein is a Russian agent and Israel being behind the cover-up, his belief that Benjamin Netanyahu would sabotage a US-Iran deal with damaging Epstein material against Trump and other US officials, the previous Israeli policy of supporting Hamas and the turn to destroying Palestinians, his belief that Donald Trump wants Benjamin Netanyahu out of power, the possibility of Israel using nuclear weapons against Iran, former British Prince Andrew’s role as Jeffrey Epstein’s useful idiot, and much more. 

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s Minister of Business, Mineral Resources & Energy. She discusses the US’ betrayal of Greenland following Donald Trump’s plans to annex Greenland, her policies on banning uranium mining and natural resource extraction, Greenland’s membership of NATO and the accusation that it makes Greenland a target for Russia and China, her view of China as a competitor rather than a potential partner, whether Greenlanders see Trump’s annexation plan as leverage against Denmark to gain full independence, the lower rates of poverty rates in Denmark compared to Greenland and the lack of sovereignty over US bases, Trump’s offer of $100,000 to every Greenlander in exchange for annexation, Denmark’s arming of Israel for the genocide in Gaza, whether the US’ threats over Greenland signal the beginning of the end of NATO, and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to CMSGT. Dennis Fritz, Former Advisor to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Richard Myers. He discusses the Trump Administration’s crackdown against anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota and how it’s a training ground for repression against the American population, Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and what the motivations are behind his threats, the looming threat of a US-led regime change war against Iran, the US’ failed use of unrest in Iran to bring down the Iranian government which makes war more likely, whether Saudi Arabia and the UAE can dissuade Trump from attacking Iran while the Israel lobby and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are persuading Trump into going to war, whether China will imminently move to reintegrate Taiwan by force, and much more.

Tuomas Malinen, Associate Professor of Economics and CEO of GnS Economics, offers economic and geopolitical forecasts. He explores why Trump may fail to secure Ukraine peace, how US neocon priorities aim to prevent a China-Russia-Europe alliance, rising militarization in Finland and NATO tensions, European banking and euro fragility, and heightened Middle East dangers including threats to the Strait of Hormuz.