Current History

Why did Iranian students storm the American Embassy in 1979? The answer can be found in American involvement in the 1953 coup In Iran, a CIA regime change mission that has had massive consequences long after the men who planned it where gone.

How does the ruler of Chechnya run the country like a personal kingdom, despite it technically being part of Russia? well the Kadyrov's do it with a creative mix of political murder and Instagram postings, all while extorting money out of Vladimir Putin.

This episode covers the political trials and tribulations of Ukraine as it seeks independence in the chaos of the first World War and the Russian Revolution.

What are the protests in Hong Kong about, and how does it connect to Hong Kong's not so distant colonial past? Why doesn't China use its military to end the protests like they did at Tiananmen square? What lessons can we learn from these protests to apply in other places?

Luckily it doesn't matter that it took me like a million years to finally record this podcast, because the protests are still going on.

Ever wondered why the world powers don't seem to do world wars lately? have you ever been curious about how similar a 6 year old punching their sister is to international relations? are you curious what would drive Russia to recruit spy whales? well I won't answer that last one, because duh, whales are cute and no one has ever gotten a whale to reveal state secrets no matter how much you try to waterboard it.

The Mueller report is out, and it has enough political drama to keep the world busy till election day. Hopefully that's enough time to get our shit together before Russia attacks our election again.

Let me spin you a tale of old men pedaling, prosperity spheres, fortress Singapore, and a scattering of stories that have a bike in them.

Why is there an ideological divide in the Muslim world between Sunni and Shi'a?

How did Western Imperialism ignite the conflict between the rulers of Iran and their people? Why the hell are the British and Russians even involved in Iran?

And how did the 1911 constitutional revolution change the course of Iranian history?

Why does Venezuela have two presidents, and what should the United States do about it?

COINTELPRO, or Counter Intelligence Program, was an FBI program to disrupt and destroy political organizations in the United States that the government saw as subversive, dangerous, or threatening to the establishment. When it was uncovered in the 1970s, it was a massive scandal and politicians tripped over themselves to disavow and distance themselves from the program, blaming the FBI for breaking the law. The questions we will explore today are what was COINTELPRO, who did it target, and how much did the politicians really know about what was going on? This is important for anyone involved in modern protest or direct action organizations from BLM to ANTIFA to the sunrise movement, because you must understand the government playbook for disrupting and destroying political movements that threaten their power.