

Turbulence
Turbulence
Turbulence is a podcast about the end of the American empire, or the end of the world—whichever comes first. Join Dylan Saba, Séamus Malekafzali, and M Ceniza as they navigate the geopolitical chaos of a world-system in flux. turbulencepod.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 27, 2026 • 5min
BONUS: Transnational Jihad w/ Darryl Li
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.comDarryl Li joins us to discuss his work deconstructing the concept of the “foreign fighter” and how ideology shapes our perception of who is fighting for what on battlefields from Palestine, to Afghanistan, to Syria, and beyond.Darryl Li is an anthropologist and legal scholar thinking mostly about questions of war, law, migration, empire, and racialization in the currents between the Middle East, South Asia, and the Balkans. He is the author of The Universal Enemy: Jihad, Empire, and the Challenge of Solidarity (Stanford University Press, 2020), an ethnographic and archival study of "jihadist foreign fighters" in the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman

Mar 25, 2026 • 46min
BONUS: Double or Nothing
We continue our coverage of what’s been called the “The Ramadan War” with a discussion of the strategic landscape, the supposed ceasefire negotiations, Iran’s development of the “Hormuz weapon,” and the prospects of a US ground invasion.This is a special public release of our News of the Week series, which is usually available exclusively to paid subscribers.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit turbulencepod.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 19, 2026 • 5min
BONUS: Unity of Fronts
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.comWe continue our coverage of the Iran war with a discussion of shifting US and Israeli strategies, attacks on energy infrastructure, the assassination of Ali Larijani, and Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.Please consider donating to support families displaced from southern Lebanon here, here, here, and here.We’re committed to independence and will n…

Mar 17, 2026 • 1h 5min
Episode 17: Settler Empire w/ Darryl Li
Darryl Li joins us to assess the post-October 7 conjuncture, the US-Israel relationship, and the new regional order emerging out of the Iran war.This is the first part of a two part conversation. Part 2, where we discuss Darryl’s work deconstructing the concept of the “foreign fighter,” will be available as an exclusive for paid subscribers on April 3.Texts mentioned: Arghiri Emmanuel, White-Settler Colonialism and the Myth of Investment Imperialism.Darryl Li is an anthropologist and legal scholar thinking mostly about questions of war, law, migration, empire, and racialization in the currents between the Middle East, South Asia, and the Balkans. He is the author of The Universal Enemy: Jihad, Empire, and the Challenge of Solidarity (Stanford University Press, 2020), an ethnographic and archival study of “jihadist foreign fighters” in the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit turbulencepod.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 12, 2026 • 4min
BONUS: Operation Epic Mistake
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.comWe continue our coverage of the Iran war with a discussion of the new Supreme Leader, Iranian and American strategic narratives, the Axis of Resistance, and the war’s global economic fallout.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subsc…

Mar 11, 2026 • 1h 9min
Episode 16: Cuba, Defiant w/ Helen Yaffe
Helen Yaffe joins us to discuss the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on Cuba, the country’s history of medical internationalism, and Che Guevara’s developmentalist socialism.Helen Yaffe is a Professor of Latin American Political Economy at the University of Glasgow, specialising on Cuba. Since 1995, she has spent time living and researching in Cuba. She is the author of Che Guevara: The Economics of Revolution (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and We Are Cuba! How a Revolutionary People Have Survived in a Post-Soviet World (Yale, 2020). She co-hosts Cuba Analysis podcast https://linktr.ee/cuba.analysis and has co-produced three documentaries, including Cuba & Covid-19: Public Health, Science, and Solidarity (2020) and Cuba’s Life Task: Combatting Climate Change (2021).Twitter/X: @HelenYaffe People from around the world can support or join the Nuestra América Convoy, for which people will travel to Havana by land, air and sea, for a mass mobilization on March 21.Fundraising links:* Let Cuba Live is purchasing solar panels* Saving Lives Campaign and Global Health Partners are procuring medical equipment* The Hatuey Project provides cancer medicines for Cuban childrenWe’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit turbulencepod.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 6, 2026 • 5min
BONUS: Escalation Dominance
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.comWe discuss the rapidly expanding scope, duration, and intensity of the Iran war.Please consider donating to support families displaced from southern Lebanon here, here, here, and here.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman

Mar 3, 2026 • 45min
BONUS: Make it a World War
We discuss the US and Israel’s war of aggression on Iran that has dragged the entire region into chaos.This is a special public release of our News of the Week series, which is usually available exclusively to paid subscribers.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit turbulencepod.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 27, 2026 • 3min
BONUS: State of the Union
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit turbulencepod.substack.comWe discuss the killing of “El Mencho” in Jalisco, an attempted gusano infiltration of Cuba, a looming war with Iran, SCOTUS knocking down Trump’s tariffs, cases against the Prairieland 19 in Texas and Pal Action in the UK, and Snowgazi in New York City.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman

Feb 24, 2026 • 1h 5min
Episode 15: Ghost in the Machine w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.
In the first installment of our Political Economy of Genocide series, we are joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in war, Silicon Valley’s relationship with Israel, and ongoing resistance within the industry.Texts mentioned: The Eye of the Master by Matteo PasquinelliEdward Ongweso Jr. is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. Most of his work centers around tech criticism, labor and financial reporting, and book reviews. From 2019 to 2023, he was a staff writer at Motherboard, the technology section at VICE News. After leaving VICE, he was a Reporter-in-Residence at the Omidiyar Network and a guest columnist for The Nation. In 2023, He joined Logic(s) as a columnist and finance editor. In 2024, he became a Senior Researcher at Security in Context, where he focuses on artificial intelligence.We’re committed to independence and will never run ads or take money from institutions. That means Turbulence is entirely listener-funded.For $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to weekly news analysis bonus episodes, where we respond to events as they unfold, follow up on previous discussions, and draw connections across the conflicts shaping our world.Most importantly, paid subscriptions make it possible for us to keep doing this work independently, week after week.Subscribe today at turbulencepod.substack.comFollow along on Twitter/X and Instagram @turbulence_podTheme: Eye for an Eye, Haram (2017)Art: Vivek Venkatraman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit turbulencepod.substack.com/subscribe


