Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Society & Culture
On this edition of Parallax Views, we have a double-header episode.
First, free speech is an issue often discussed in American politics. One aspect of that discussion involves a movement called BDS, or Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. The BDS movement seeks to pressure Israel on issues related to Palestinian human rights vis-a-vis the three measures of its initials. This has caused backlash from Israel and its supporters, including many evangelicals Christians in the United States. In an attempt to quash the BDS movement, the conservative organization ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and certain states within the U.S. are seeking to put anti-BDS laws on the books. This led to Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leverett being asked to sign a pledge that his publication would make a pledge to Israel against BDS. Leverett refused on the grounds that the publication is neither for or against Israel, is focused on local issues of significance to Arkansas rather than the Middle East, and that said the state forcing such a pledge from the Arkansas Times violates both the 1st and 14th amendments. This has not only cost the publication in advertising revenue, but has also led to a court case in which the Arkansas Times is being supported by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). The case, Leverett says, is not so much about Israel/Palestine (Leverett's publication has no stance on this issue) but rather free speech. The case will likely go to the Supreme Court and has ramification for freedom of speech across America.
Alan Leverett joins us to discuss this case and its implications, which has gained more attention thanks to his November op-ed in the New York Times entitled "We're a Small Arkansas Newspaper. Why is the State Making Us Sign a Pledge About Israel?"
Then, the Center for International Policy's William Hartung joined me to discuss the war in Yemen and how U.S. arms sales from the Obama, Trump, and Biden Presidencies have enabled the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to carry out deadly blockades and bombings on the Yemeni people. President Biden had promised to end the U.S. support for the war in Yemen. However, he is now signing off on an arms sale worth $650 million. Congress, both Senate and the House, are seeking way to block the sales from happening. Said attempt to block the sale has received bipartisan support with its proponents including Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul, Ilhan Omar, and Ro Khanna. William and I discuss all of this as well as the problem with Washington's foreign policy establishment aka the D.C. "Blob", the changing consensus around U.S. involvement in the Middle East, the arms race with China, progressives and conservatives working together on issues pertaining to war and peace, countering the slur of "isolationism" when criticizing U.S. foreign policy, and more.
Arming Repression: U.S. Military Support for Saudi Arabia, from Trump to Biden by William D. Hartung - Center for International Policy, Arms and Security Program - December 2021
"The Biden Administration’s Missile Sale to Saudi Arabia Is Offensive, and Must Be Stopped" by William Hartung - Forbes 11/28/21
"Congress Should Cut Off U.S. Military Support for Saudi Arabia" by William Hartung - Forbes 11/8/21
The Confederation Model Approach to Israel/Palestine w/ Josef Avesar
Free Your Mind!: Giovanni 'Tinto' Brass, 'Swinging London' and the 60s Pop Culture Scene w/ Simon Matthews
The Future of Israelis & Palestinians Are Intertwined: Peter Beinart on His Belief in a Single Democratic State, Gaza, and More
Diplomacy, Israel/Palestine, and the Action Biden Must Take on Gaza w/ Amb. Patrick Theros
The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War w/ Jeff Sharlet
Israel, Democracy, Israeli Public Opinion Polling/Surveys, and the Confederal Approach to Israel/Palestine w/ Dahlia Scheindlin
What History Says About How the Gaza War Will End w/ Ian Lustick
RFK Jr.'s Former Foreign Policy Advisor James R. Webb on Gaza, Risks of Regional War, Israel/Palestine, and U.S. Foreign Policy
The Sordid Saga of Jeffrey Epstein Revisited w/ Nick Bryant, the Reporter Who Published Epstein’s Little Black Book
Dimes Square Demons w/ Matthew Gasda
The Necessity of Exile: Essays from a Distance (On Zionism, Israel, Anti-Zionism, Jewish Identity, and More) w/ Shaul Magid
The Curious Case of the Attack on Jerusalem’s Armenian Community (+ Discussion of the Occupation, the Two-State Solution, One-State Reality, and More) w/ Daniel Seidemann
The No-State Solution: A Jewish Manifesto w/ Prof. Daniel Boyarin
The Gaza War, Israel & the 1948 Expulsion of Palestinians, the Suppression of the Tantura Massacre, and More w/ Ilan Pappe
The Transformation of the Israel-Palestine Conflict and the Erosion of the Two-State Paradigm w/ Amb. Karim Haggag
The Israeli Bombardment of Gaza and Genocide w/ Raz Segal
Israel/Palestine from a DSA Perspective w/ Yaseen Al-Sheikh/Further Thoughts on Gaza w/ Filmmaker and Activist Frank Barat
Israel’s Bombing of Gaza, Henry Kissinger’s Booger-gate Moment, Alexander Cockburn Vs. the Israel Lobby Revisited, & Sen. Bob Menendez Skullduggery w/ Ken Silverstein
Israel’s Failed Bombing Campaign in Gaza and the Logic of Terrorism w/ Prof. Robert A. Pape
Networked Tribal Warfare, Israel, and the Gaza War w/ John Robb
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