Overthrow of the Assad Regime in Syria

01/07/25 • 57 min

This podcast of Global Stuff brings back Stephen Zunes, author and
expert on International issues, especially the Middle East and Israel and
Palestine. In this live interview with call-ins, recorded on Dec. 27, 2024,
Dr. Zunes discusses the recent overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime
in Syria by the rebel fundamentalist Hayat Tahir al Sham (HTS) group.
The end of the over 50 year authoritarian rule by the al-Assad family
brings major changes to the region with impact throughout the region
and the world. Among the issues discussed are the involvement of
Israel, the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel’s ongoing
military actions, the involvement of US weapons manufacturers, the
ongoing conflict in Gaza, the history of US support for repressive
regimes and related issues.

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at
the University of San Francisco, where he served as founding director of
the program in Middle Eastern Studies. Recognized as one the country’s
leading scholars of U.S. Middle East policy and of strategic nonviolent
action, Professor Zunes has served as a senior policy analyst for Foreign
Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies, an associate
editor of Peace Review, and a contributing editor of Tikkun until June
2024. From May-June, 2024, Dr. Zunes served as the Torgny Segerstedt
Visiting Research Professor at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Jimmy Durchslag has been the host of “Global Stuff”, a monthly guest
driven talk show for over 20 years. He has interviewed many prominent
scholars and leaders who clarify complex issues and provide
suggestions for positive change. He has a long experience as a manager
of several for profit and non-profit organizations. He is one of the
founders of Redwood Community Radio, the parent organization for
KMUD. He recently served as the Director of the Mainstream Media
Project, a nonprofit organization that scheduled expert guests for
interviews on talk shows both nationally and internationally.

Previous Episode

Global Stuff on Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks

This podcast of Global Stuff features a discussion with Colleen Rowley,
retired FBI agent, about the background and potential actions by
Trump’s initial cabinet appointees, especially in the area of security and
intelligence. In this live interview with call-ins, recorded on Nov. 22,
2024, Colleen, explains the very real threats to the rights and security of
Americans represented by Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Pete
Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National
Intelligence, John Ratcliff as CIA Director and others. As a leader in
Women against Military Madness she also talks about the
organization’s involvement in bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Special Agent (ret.) Coleen Rowley served in the Federal Bureau of
Investigation for 24 years, during which time she worked in several
offices, including those in Nebraska, Mississippi, New York, France and
Montreal.
She also served as the Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel who taught
Constitutional Law and law enforcement ethics to FBI agents and other
law enforcement agencies. She then became a whistleblower about the
FBI’s pre 9-11 failures, testifying to the Joint Intelligence Committee
Inquiry, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Inspector General Staff
of the Department of Justice. She was named, along with two other
corporate whistleblowers, as Time Magazine’s 2002 Persons of the
Year. In an early March 2003 memorandum, she warned FBI Director

Robert Mueller about the Bush Administration’s deceptive plan to
launch war on Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with the 9-11
attacks.
She holds a B.A. in French from Wartburg College and a law degree
from the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in the New York
Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and
CNN.com. In 2002, she received the Sam Adams Award – given annually
to an intelligence professional who has taken a stand for integrity and
ethics.
She is a long-time member of Women Against Military Madness and
Veterans for Peace and is most recently affiliated with the Eisenhower
Media Network
Jimmy Durchslag has been the host of “Global Stuff”, a monthly guest
driven talk show, for over 20 years. He has interviewed many
prominent scholars and leaders who clarify complex issues and provide
suggestions for positive change. He has a long experience as a manager
of several for profit and non-profit organizations. He is one of the
founders of Redwood Community Radio, the parent organization for
KMUD. He recently served as the Director of the Mainstream Media
Project, a nonprofit organization that scheduled expert guests for
interviews on talk shows both nationally and internationally.

Next Episode

White Supremacist Infiltration of the FBI and Law Enforcement

On this podcast episode of Global Stuff, host Jimmy Durchslag talks with Mike German, a former special agent with the FBI and a fellow in the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, about the issues he raises in his new book: Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. This live interview, recorded days after the inauguration of President Trump, details the right-leaning trend of the FBI and law enforcement in general, including members of white supremacist groups and a relative acceptance of crimes committed by far right extremists while victimizing mostly peaceful actions by demonstrators on the left. With Kash Patel as the new head of the FBI, the gutting of federal agencies by Elon Musk and the general tendency of the Trump Administration to downplay hate crimes and oppose racial justice movements, this very timely show presages what is now federal policy and the even more extreme support for white supremacy that can be expected in the current political climate.

Mike German is a fellow in the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, which seeks to ensure that the U.S. government respects human rights and fundamental freedoms in conducting the fight against terrorism. A former special agent with the FBI, his work focuses on law enforcement and intelligence oversight and reform. Before joining the Brennan Center in 2014, German served as the policy counsel for national security and privacy for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office.