As the United States marks its 250th anniversary—a testament to endurance, sacrifice, and democratic aspiration—it does so under a dark and foreboding shadow. At this defining moment, the nation finds itself led not by steadiness or vision, but by a figure whose erratic conduct, corrosive narcissism, and moral decay mock the very ideals this milestone…
As midterm campaigns accelerate and disillusionment with Trump’s domestic and foreign policies widens, a stark scenario emerges: America faces a perilous inflection point demanding immediate action before democratic erosion becomes irreversible Donald Trump did not invent America’s vulnerabilities, but he has driven them to a breaking point. His contempt for democratic norms, alliances, and international…
A war launched to reshape the Middle East has instead exposed the limits of force—and the cost of misunderstanding a nation that has spent millennia learning how to endure The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was finally unveiled a few days ago only reaffirmed how misguided the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28…
Benjamin Netanyahu’s political career will be remembered not for an era of national stewardship, but as a prolonged exercise in political survival at the expense of Israel’s security, democratic health, and moral standing For nearly three decades, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has treated the state as an instrument of personal power rather than a public…
At the core of the Israel-Palestinian conflict is not only about land or security; it is about competing claims to justice. One philosophical truth stands out: a nation cannot secure its future by indefinitely denying other people their fundamental rights.
Today’s podcast guest is Jason Pack, Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defense College Foundation and Associate Fellow at RUSI. He is the Host of the Disorder Podcast, and author of Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder.
In this episode, we discuss the end of the post-WWII global order and the prevailing disorder since 2011, the loss of American leadership, the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States, particularly in comparison to the 2015 JCPOA, and the broader regional fallout from the war with Iran.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Jason Pack is the Founder of Libya-Analysis LLC, and the host of Disorder, a geopolitics podcast co-produced with Goalhanger Podcasts. He is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defence College Foundation in Rome.
His most recent book, Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder (Hurst 2021 / Oxford University Press 2022) is a ‘cross-over’ academic book that explores what Libya’s dysfunctional economic structures and its ongoing civil war reveal about our era of 21st-century geopolitics. Jason’s ‘Enduring Disorder’ concept – that we no longer inhabit the post-Cold War World, but have entered a new era – the ‘Enduring Disorder’ – was conceived to describe the collective action failures that have come to define international politics.
Jason has lived in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Oman, Qadhafi-era Libya, and Trump-era Washington, DC. Proficient in Arabic, French, and Hebrew, he has been kidnapped twice, and served as the Executive Director of a K St-based Trade Association. He is open for media appearances about US foreign policy, conspiracy theories, the state of the global system, neopopulism, and especially the Middle East.
When not podcasting or consulting on the Middle East, Jason plays backgammon semi-professionally. He was the 2018 World Champion of Doubles Backgammon, came 2nd place in the 2024 World Championship of Speedgammon, and has achieved the rank of Grandmaster – placing him in the top 100 players in the world. He also writes about gambling’s connections to geopolitics.
Today’s guest is Dr. Daniel Bar-Tal, Professor Emeritus at the School of Education, Tel Aviv University. In this episode, we discuss differing narratives between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs and how to bridge that gap, the decline of the Israeli peace movement, and changing public opinion toward Israel abroad.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Dr. Daniel Bar-Tal is Professor Emeritus at the School of Education, Tel Aviv University. Dr. Bar-Tal received his graduate training in social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his doctoral thesis in 1974. He previously served as a Director of the Walter Lebach Research Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence through Education, Tel Aviv University and as President of the International Society of Political Psychology, and was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Israel Journal. In 2013 he received honorary membership in the Polish Society of Social Psychology.
Since the early eighties his interest has shifted to political psychology and the study of the socio-psychological foundations of intractable conflicts and peace building, including reconciliation. In the latter area, he studied the evolvement of the socio-psychological infrastructure in times of intractable conflict that consists of shared societal beliefs of ethos of conflict, collective memory, and emotional collective orientations. He also studied socio-psychological barriers to peacemaking and ways to overcome them, and acquisition of the conflict repertoire by children and adolescents.
Within this scope of studies he developed with his collaborators theoretical frameworks for concepts like siege mentality, intractable conflict, delegitimization, collective victimhood, socio-psychological infrastructure, culture of conflict, effects of lasting occupation, barriers to peace making, construction and struggle over conflict supporting narratives, acquisition of intergroup psychological repertoire, early development of the ethos of conflict, transitional context, collective identity, and peace education, among many others.
Elizabeth Hoffman, Executive Director, North America at ONE, joined me on my podcast to discuss the urgent humanitarian situation in Sudan as a result of its ongoing civil war. She speaks about the background to the civil war and the players involved, and discusses the techniques of fear being used in the war, and the horrific crimes against humanity being committed by both the RSF and the SAF.
Listen to this and more in my latest episode, available now - link in bio.
Germany's deportation of Tajik opposition activist Asadullo Boboev to Tajikistan raises serious concerns about compliance with international human rights obligations. Boboev, a government critic, was reportedly detained immediately upon arrival, a pattern seen in several previous cases involving deported Tajik opposition activists. International law prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they face a real risk of persecution, torture, or other serious human rights abuses. Political dissidents should not be sent back to governments that have a documented record of imprisoning and silencing their critics. Protecting those fleeing political persecution is a fundamental obligation—not a discretionary policy. Governments must ensure that deportation decisions fully respect the principle of non-refoulement and prioritize human rights over political expediency.
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The European Union recently hosted Taliban officials in Brussels while discussions reportedly included the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan. Yet Afghanistan remains a country where women and girls are systematically denied their most basic rights, critics are arbitrarily detained, and returnees face persecution, abuse, and extreme hardship. International law prohibits refoulement, the forced return of people to places where they face persecution, torture, or threats to their lives. Afghanistan is not a safe destination for forced returns. It is a profound contradiction to condemn the Taliban's human rights abuses while cooperating on policies that could send vulnerable people back into danger.
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Thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt are being arrested, detained, and deported simply because their residency permits have expired—even though many are still waiting years for the government to process their renewal applications. Some have valid UNHCR registration, yet remain trapped in legal limbo created by bureaucratic delays. Families fleeing war and persecution should not be punished for administrative failures beyond their control. International law is clear: refugees must be protected from arbitrary detention and forced return to places where their lives may be at risk. Human dignity cannot depend on paperwork delayed by the very system meant to provide protection. Egypt should end arbitrary arrests and deportations, uphold the principle of non-refoulement, and ensure that those seeking safety are treated with humanity and respect.
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Go to Egypt and help them
For decades, Israel and the Palestinians have tried to bend reality to their will. But reality does not yield to force, memory does not fade on command, and justice cannot be indefinitely deferred
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There is no such thing as a Palestinian people or a Palestinian anything. Palestinianism is a scam. We should refer the the Arab people as Arab people, not as if there is an existing Palestinian country peopled by Palestinians. The only purpose for Palestinianism is to negate Jewish life in Israel, and to replace the Jewish state of Israel.
