Borzou Daragahi

In the latest episode of badlands, renowned Middle East scholar and Saudi exile Madawi al-Rasheed joins me to dissect the recent escalation of conflict involving Saudi Arabia, Iran, the US, Israel, and the Houthis. borzou.substack.com/p/a-shaken-s...

Rightwing candidates defeated in Brazil and Serbia. Will Israel and the US be next? www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV0C...

2 Trumpian, MAGA-backed rightwingers were defeated in in major elections. Serbia’s incumbent PM Aleksandar Vucic and Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro both lost. In the latest totally free episode of badlands, I discuss those elections as well as the Israeli and US votes taking place this week and next.

Social media influencer and documentary filmmaker Mohsen Jahori is inside Iran. Yes, there are occasionally lines at gas stations, but nothing out of the ordinary, he says in an exclusive interview in this edition of badlands. And institutions like schools and hospitals are functioning as normal.

Gibraltar is known mostly as a sunny getaway for UK pensioners. But for centuries, Gibraltar—which abuts the strait between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea—was a hotly contested piece of real estate sought by various empires and monarchs. borzou.substack.com/p/the-ugly-a...

Canadian Middle East expert @thomasjuneau.bsky.social joins badlands for a discussion on the relationship between Iran and its proxies, in particular Yemen's Ansar Allah, the only one of Iran's proxies or allies which has became more powerful since October 7. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mGS...

Thomas Juneau joins me to offer up his well-informed assessments of the Houthis’ ambitions, capabilities, and ties with its patron, Iran. I also discuss the latest from the Middle East and cautions against confusing analysis and journalism for advocacy. borzou.substack.com/p/the-real-r...

Marco Rubio recently gave an interview to the rightwing Breitbart News. It was prompted by his October 7 speech in Athens about the administration’s embrace of “Western Civilization.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOm7...

NEW: In the latest totally free episode of badlands, I dissect Marco Rubio’s inaccuracies, falsehoods, and deranged illusions regarding antiquity, US foreign policy, and the Middle East in an interview. borzou.substack.com/p/taking-on-...

A team of Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers sneaks into Las Vegas, competing at the World Championship without drawing any major media attention. In the latest totally free episode of badlands, Ι unveil the story behind this covert operation. borzou.substack.com/p/irans-wres...

FREE TO WATCH: Former Swedish Minister of Employment Sven Otto Littorin spent the better part of the last 10 years inside Saudi Arabia’s government . He helped come up with the reforms and new policies that have brought women into the workforce in droves for the first time in the country’s history.

Earlier this year, scholar Inna Rudolf joined badlands for a discussion about her new book on Iraq's militias: "Iraq's Shi'a warriors." She discusses how these armed groups have become increasingly intertwined with the government even as rogue elements continue to pursue an ideological agenda.

Middle East scholar and former State Department official Annelle Sheline, PhD of the Quincy Institute joins badlands for an extraordinary and wide-ranging interview about the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the dominance of neocons and Washington, and how she broke away from the blob.

In the latest episode of badlands, scholar and former US diplomat Annelle Sheline joins me for an extraordinary discussion of Yemen’s history and how Saudi Arabia appears to have stumbled into a trap set by Ansar Allah (or the Houthis, as they are popularly known.)

The whole Washington foreign policy infrastructure needs to be dismantled. Start with the think tanks and their financiers. In the latest episode of badlands. youtu.be/JFDy855eIds?...

s. In the latest *FREE* episode of badlands, I discuss the impending consequences for Trump and the Republican Party as the upcoming elections approach. borzou.substack.com/p/it-will-ta...

We’re on the precipice of a major escalation in the Middle East, drawing in numerous regional countries and global powers. youtu.be/cT548IG-IzM?...

We’re on the precipice of a major escalation in the Middle East, drawing in numerous regional countries and global powers. In the latest totally free episode of badlands, I sort through the various dimensions of the conflict. borzou.substack.com/p/war-and-ru...

🚨BOMBSHELL🚨 Irans nuclear weapons ambitions began under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, says Sina Azodi, the author of a new book and the guest on the latest episode of badlands. borzou.substack.com/p/bombshell-...

Activist Morad Tahbaz details his arrest in Iran and confinement inside Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Also the death penalty in Iran and the US. borzou.substack.com/p/inside-ira...

NEW EPISODE: In the latest episode of badlands, Anastasiya Shapochkina and Bohdan Kostiuk of Eastern Circles join me for an interview about the three-way relationship between Russia, Iran, and the Gulf states.

One of the craziest stories of the year. Cops investigating a wild child kidnapping caper stumbled into an even bigger crime: alleged betrayal by Germany's longtime former spy chief. On the latest free episode of badlands. youtu.be/4WZgHFbdFaw

In the latest FREE episode of badlands, I break down the case of August Hanning, Germany’s fanatically pro-Israel former intel chief and what is says about Europe’s disturbing ties to a particularly controversial country.

Saudi Arabia is launching yet another massive offensive to dislodge the Houthis from Yemen, it's latest assault in an on-and-off war that has lasted more than a decade. It will likely fail. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oap6...

The US has placed some of the toughest financial restrictions on Iran ever imposed on an adversary – and the sanctions continue to intensify as the conflict drags on. The pressure campaign has gone far beyond travel bans on targeted individuals or sanctions on the weapons trade or dual-use goods.

As if the Middle East didn’t have enough troubles, as if energy markets weren’t already constrained, Saudi Arabia declared a fresh military offensive against Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis. youtu.be/oap62qiRmso?...

Former Swedish Minister Sven Otto Littorin has spent 10 years inside Saudi Arabia’s labor ministry as an adviser to the government. In an interview, we explore Saudi reforms, social changes, and regional geopolitics as the country shifts from oil dependence to a diversified economy

Tehran tech entrepreneur Hamidreza Ahmadi joins badlands from Tehran to discuss the state of the economy inside Iran. He describes enormous pressure on ordinary Iranians, compounded by the government’s refusal to shift away from its version of neoliberal economics.

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the mental gyrations and conniving cynicism of “neocon lite,” elites depraved enough to lust after another war that leads to more dead brown people, but clever enough to cloak their unfettered bloodlust in platitudes about “competence” and “process.”

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz and assess the contention that the US is “winning.” Also, I interview strategic analyst Ali Ahmadi on the impact of US sanctions on Iran as well as the role of the Pahlavist opposition in the Diaspora.

Turkey is being rocked by one of the worst financial scandals in its history, with some estimated that $19 billion in investor assets have been pilfered. In the latest episode of badlands, I break down the scandal and discuss the mounting public outrage. borzou.substack.com/p/ponzi-sche...

The US has long had enemies, rivals, and adversaries, but none quite like Iran. In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss why the relationship between the US and Iran is so...weird, anomalous. youtu.be/0o_4CJtcyw0?...

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the history of US-Iran relations and why they are so bad…and so weird. Also in this episode, Chatham House’s stellar Sanam Vakil joins me for a discussion about the diplomacy around Iran.

On the latest episode of badlands, I discussed Donald Trump's insane threats to destroy a nation of 93 million borzou.substack.com/p/trump-thre...

On the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the awful choice Ukraine faces between a terrible deal with Russia and a terrible war with the backing of fickle, selfish allies. Please watch for free, hit the like button, and subscribe! www.youtube.com/watch?v=355o...

On the latest episode of badlands, a former Iranian political prisoner, plus my warning of the dangers of melding the Iran and Yemen conflict. Please watch for free, and then hit the like and follow button www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEs8...

“We tried to do the whole Shia crescent and Sunni thing and it just isn’t a helpful way to look at the region because what happens is that then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And then these become the good guys and these become the bad guys.”

In this edition of badlands, College of DuPage professor David Goldberg joins for a discussion about the complexities of American life, focusing on immigration issues, public reactions to government policies, and the upcoming elections. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuGH...

In the latest FREE edition of badlands, I discuss reports by CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN that showed the extent of the damage caused by Iran’s attacks on the Arabian Peninsula and its under-appreciated capabilities. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jft8...

Yemen’s Ansar Allah seized control over huge swaths of the country, defeating Saudi-backed forces in an extraordinary offensive that appears to have been in the works for months.

youtu.be/XVC-vUEWVSg?...

In the latest episode of badlands, Turkish journalist and security analyst Ahu Ozyurt joins for a talk about 9/11 and Turkey’s role in the region’s conflicts, then and now. We also discuss Turkish domestic politics, and the latest surge by a new opposition party.

For months the US claimed that its war against Iran was a success because it had “degraded” Iran’s military and nuclear program. But recent military exchanges and news reports have revealed the reality of Iran’s missile capabilities and its nuclear program has emerged.

On the latest episode of badlands, I discuss Israel’s reaction to the sanctions and the significance on the trading restrictions imposed on Israel, as well as the latest escalation in Yemen. Also an interview with ex US diplomat Alan Eyre, who talks about US foreign policy in the age of Trump.