Explore every episode of the podcast Rania Khalek Dispatches

Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and carpet bombing attacks on Lebanon have shocked the region and the world. What comes next?  

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

What’s the history of Israel’s genocidal ambitions and the indoctrination that it requires in the Jewish community? Is Zionism really about protecting Jews or does it actually pose a danger to them? What’s the history of Gaza, Hamas and the timeline of Israel’s violence against them? To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by Zachary Foster, a historian of Palestine. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

The Israelis created a public health crisis in Gaza that has led to the reemergence of polio. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Lebanese medical doctor and public health researcher Anis Germany.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Alana Hadid — activist, designed and creative director of the newly-launched Watermelon Pictures — joins Rania Khalek to discuss the Democratic Party’s campaign strategy to suppress and ignore Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 

Rania Khalek was joined by Egyptian activist Rahma Zein to discuss the genocide in Gaza. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches w/ Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.” 

To discuss Israel’s intensifying atrocities in Gaza, including its weaponization of rape, Rania Khalek was joined by Miko Peled, the son of an Israeli general and the head of the newly established Palestine House of Freedom in Washington, D.C. Peled is the author of “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.”

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Israel’s assassination spree across Iran and Lebanon amidst its ongoing genocide in Gaza has brought the  Middle East closer to the brink of regional war. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

To discuss the recent North Korean treaty with Russia, new threats from the U.S. and the untold history between North Korea and Palestine, Rania Khalek was joined by Ju-Hyun Park, a member of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, an anti-imperialist organization of Koreans in the U.S. for Korean  reunification and national liberation. They are also engagement editor at The Real News.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Nodutdol just launched their new national U.S. out of Korea campaign, which you can learn more about here: https://usoutofkorea.org

You can watch the last episode with Ju-Hyun on Dispatches here: https://youtu.be/acZVbISIZg4?si=1rnwtZWjK4ruSj2C 

To help us understand the view from Lebanon about the genocide in Gaza, Rania Khalek was joined by influential journalist Ghadi Francis.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Nine months into an active genocide in Gaza, Rania Khalek is joined by Mouin Rabbani, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies.

How did the US end up with a two-party dictatorship? Are Trump and Biden really the only options? Does lesser evil voting work? If it’s meant to prevent the worst case scenario, then how come it didn’t prevent the genocide in Gaza? Is third party voting really as useless and fascist enabling as Democrats say? 

To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by BT’s Eugene Puryear. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss the Zionist movement’s untold history of collaboration with fascism, including Nazi Germany, Rania Khalek was joined by Tony Greenstein, a longstanding Jewish anti-Zionist, Marxist and anti-fascist activist from the UK and author of “Zionism During the Holocaust: The Weaponization of Memory in the Service of State and Nation.”

Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Is the fierce resistance to the genocide in Gaza a sign of an imperialist system in crisis? What are the various anti-imperialist fronts aligned against the US around the world and what is China’s role? What are the characteristics and contradictions of the US-led imperialist order and in what ways are the chickens coming home to roost in the imperial core? 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Nina Farnia, Assistant Professor of Law at Albany Law School, a longtime activist and a scholar of Critical Race Theory, with a focus on US imperialism and its impact on domestic law. Her forthcoming book is called “Imperialism: An American Story.”

Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content. 

Israel's leadership looks increasingly irrational and desperate as they seek to escalate on all fronts, eyeing Lebanon next. What would an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah look like in the Levant and across the region? To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier.

Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss Israel’s holocaust in Gaza, Rania Khalek was joined by journalist Abby Martin, creator and host of The Empire Files. 

Watch the extended version of this interview on our Patreon. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek is joined by Lowkey, rapper, activist and host of 'The Watchdog' podcast on MintPress News, to discuss Israel’s use of artificial intelligence in Gaza, the complicity of tech giants, and how the genocide is impacting British politics. 

To discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the myths its supporters use to justify it, Rania Khalek was joined by Joseph Massad, Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History at Columbia University and the author of many books including “The Persistence of the Palestinian Question,” “Islam In Liberalism” and “Desiring Arabs.” He also writes a bimonthly column in Middle East Eye in English and in Arabi21 in Arabic.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza Rania Khalek was joined by Palestinian novelist, poet and activist Susan Abulhawa, who recently returned from Gaza, witnessing the destruction first hand. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Susan’s lecture on Israel’s arms trade, which was referenced in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/live/TJK7wSzW5CU?si=qDTY1BT8QQMUwSK3

The struggle for justice in Palestine isn’t just a fight against the settler colonial Zionist project. It’s a struggle against US imperialism itself. To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Bikrum Gill, a political scientist and author of the forthcoming book “The Political Ecology of Colonial Capitalism: Race, Nature, and Accumulation.”

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Past episodes with Bikrum:
https://youtu.be/F8GMyxAWjYk?si=4a2X1CWUNhn4Cq3O
https://youtu.be/3OV31mk8rns?si=-Ho7-sJQdPtmr9E3

To discuss the New Cold War in the South China Sea, Rania Khalek was joined by Ken Hammond, a Professor of History at New Mexico State University and author of China’s Revolution and the “Quest for a Socialist Future,” published by 1804 books. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss the Israel lobby and the nature of the US-Israel relationship, Rania Khalek was joined by Richard Becker, author of the book “Palestine, Israel and the US Empire.” (1804 Books)

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek was joined by Jon Elmer, a contributing editor at The Electronic Intifada, to discuss the battles, tactics and weapons of the Palestinian resistance groups.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek is joined by Codepink’s Medea Benjamin for a special live episode of Dispatches to discuss the corporate media’s complicity in the US-funded genocide in Gaza and her recent disruption of the White House Correspondents Dinner, where she and other activists were roughed up by police.

Rania Khalek was joined by Tony Greenstein, a longstanding Jewish anti-Zionist, Marxist and anti-fascist activist from the UK and author of the book “Zionism During the Holocaust.”

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek was joined by Assal Rad, who holds a PhD in Modern Middle East History and is the author of “State of Resistance: Politics, Culture & Identity in Modern Iran.”

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek was joined by Yanis Varoufakis, economist, political leader, former Finance Minister of Greece and the author of many books including his latest “Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism,” to discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 

Pro-capitalist ideologues in politics, media and academia have been hard at work slandering the left in an effort to subvert any true understanding of socialist history. They do this by constructing narratives around socialism, communism and leaders of socialist states to lead people to dismiss the idea that there can ever be an alternative to capitalism. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Henry Hakamaki and Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro, co-translators and editors of Domenico Losurdo’s “Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend.” 

Henry Hakamaki is an educator, activist and co-host of the Guerrilla History Podcast. Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro, is a professor in the Geography Department and Environmental Studies at SUNY-New Paltz.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

What is this new era of “Hyperimperialism” for the US/NATO Empire? Where do Gaza, Ukraine, and the Cold War on China fit in? How is the decline of Global North hegemony shifting the geopolitical landscape? Are there new possibilities for emergent organizations of the Global South? How do we maintain hope as we watch an exterminationist campaign unfold in Gaza? 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by author, historian and journalist Vijay Prashad, Executive Director of The Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which recently published a dossier on “Hyperimperialism.”

Read the Tricontinental report: 

Hyper-Imperialism: A Dangerous Decadent New Stage

https://thetricontinental.org/studies-on-contemporary-dilemmas-4-hyper-imperialism/ 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

To discuss colonial feminism in the context of Gaza, Rania Khalek was joined by Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, the founding Director and Senior scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies Program at San Francisco State University and head of the oral history project Teaching Palestine. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek hosts a special live episode of Dispatches w/ Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine. 

Despite facing defeat in Ukraine, Western powers are determined to continue fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian. They insist on antagonizing China in ridiculous ways, with US members of Congress now demanding TikTok be banned. They have zero shame about the genocide in Gaza, even as it’s making the world hate the US and Israel, hardening the battle between the Global North and Global South while laying bare the atrocious reality of the so-called “rules-based international order.” 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Arnaud Bertrand, a commentator on economics and geopolitics based in Shanghai. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek was joined by Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany and associate professor at Koc University in Istanbul, to discuss Israel’s descent into genocidal fascism. Prof. Amar addresses whether it’s useful to make Holocaust and Nazi comparisons and the real reason behind the West’s unshakeable loyalty attitude when it comes to Israel’s barbarism. 

Over 100,000 Michigan Democrats sent an unmistakeable message that the genocide against the Palestinians would not be forgotten in November. Rania Khalek is joined by Prem Thakker, politics reporter for The Intercept, to discuss the potential political fallout of Biden’s unconditional backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Throughout Israel’s genocide in Gaza, those who care have used their skills in beautiful and inspiring ways to help bring attention to the struggle for justice in Palestine. One of those people is musician Leila Hegazy, an Egyptian-Italian-American solo artist and activist as well as a member of the twin sister duo HEGAZY. Leila joined Rania Khalek to discuss her viral adaptations of popular songs to help battle the absurdity of Western propaganda and challenge the pop stars who have stayed silent.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Fashion icon Alana Hadid joined Rania Khalek to discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the importance of speaking out against it despite the costs. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek was joined by rapper and activist Lowkey to discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He’s also host of 'The Watchdog' podcast on MintPress News.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

The fight against western-financed mass slaughter in Gaza isn’t just a struggle to liberate Palestine but rather a battle for the future of humanity and a battle to liberate us all. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Matteo Omar Capasso, the Marie Curie Research Fellow at Columbia University and the University of Venice, Italy; author of “Everyday politics in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya”; and editor of Middle East Critique. His work focuses on the nature and impact of U.S.-led imperialism

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

What is Iran’s role in the resistance axis? Why does Iran support Palestine? Is it anti-imperialism or self-interest? And how do average Iranians feel about it? To discuss this Rania Khalek was joined by Navid Zarrinal, a Postdoctoral Fellow in History at the University of Tehran. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Listen to the entire episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/full-audio-is-in-97649308

Why does Europe support Israel so much? What does Europe gain from the occupation of Palestine and further escalation across the Middle East? How much of this is Europe following its own interests versus being subservient to US imperial designs in the region, as we’ve seen with Ukraine? Is Europe actually united on this or are there segments of the body politic that disagree with the US and Israel’s imperialist aims in Gaza? Does the EU have any awareness of its own hypocrisy? And are there consequences for those who speak out against the status quo?

Listen to the full interview here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/full-audio-and-w-97253263

Democratic leadership said in 2020 that people needed to vote for Joe Biden because another Trump term would bring about the worst case scenario. But Joe Biden is facilitating a genocide in Gaza. What happens when the so-called “lesser evil” is responsible for the worst case scenario?

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Briahna Joy Gray, host of Bad Faith Podcast and co-host of Rising at The Hill. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Rania Khalek will be joined by Eugene Puryear for a special live episode of Dispatches to discuss developments across the Horn of Africa. 

Listen to the full episode on the BreakThrough News Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/full-audio-biden-97012634

Rania Khalek was joined by Palestinian journalist Said Arikat who has been regularly holding the Biden administration's feet to the fire by challenging his spokespeople. 

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Where does Israel’s genocide in Gaza fit in to our late stage global imperialist order? What does it mean about the role of Zionism in the Middle East? How do the U.S. wars on other Middle Eastern countries factor in? How has China managed to escape this and the neoliberal rot that has consumed so much of the world?  And how come some Western Marxists get it so wrong?

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Ali Kadri, author of many books including “Arab Development Denied: Dynamics of Accumulation by Wars of Encroachment,” “The Unmaking of Arab Socialism,” “China's Path to Development: Against Neoliberalism,” and his most recently published book “The Accumulation of Waste: A Political Economy of Systemic Destruction.” 

Does Israel really have the “right to defend itself” against people it occupies? What about Palestinians, don’t they have a right to defend themselves from their occupiers? How serious is South Africa’s case charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice? Is there even any meaning to international law anymore? 

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, joined Rania Khalek Dispatches to discuss this and more.

As Israel continues its genocide on Gaza, it is ramping up its attacks in Lebanon and Syria while the US strikes Iraq and Yemen, bringing the Middle East closer to the brink of regional war. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by veteran war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

By targeting hospitals and doctors while cutting off water, food and electricity and concentrating Palestinians into smaller and smaller zones of death in Gaza, the Israelis are creating a public health crisis that will kill even more Palestinians with infectious diseases. 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek was joined by Lebanese medical doctor and public health researcher Anis Germany. 

What does the genocide in Gaza mean for the surrounding Arab states? Do their oppositional responses even matter or is it all just symbolic? How will this impact the Abraham Accords and other normalization efforts? Why won’t the Gulf states use their oil as leverage to pressure the United States? How does the genocide in Gaza impact countries like Jordan and Syria? How is it affecting America’s standing in the world? What does it mean for Russia and China in an emerging multipolar world? 

To discuss this and other regional developments, Rania Khalek was joined by Giorgio Cafiero, the CEO of Gulf State Analytics, a Washington, D.C.-based geopolitical risk consultancy.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.

Israel has been stealing Palestine for more than 100 years. What are the roots of the genocide in Gaza? How did Zionism form? What has Palestinian resistance to the Zionist project looked like throughout history and how has it impacted Palestinian resistance today? 

To discuss this and more, Rania Khalek is joined by Professor As’ad Abukhalil for a special live episode of Dispatches.  

Listen to the entire episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/full-audio-never-94662711

There appear to be no “red lines” for what Israel can do as U.S. officials twist themselves in knots to justify genocide in Gaza with racist and dehumanizing tropes. 

To help us understand the view from West Asia about the genocide in Gaza and the racist behavior of the so-called “civilized” West, Rania Khalek was joined by influential Lebanese journalist Ghadi Francis.

This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available for Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://www.Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews to access the full episode and other exclusive content.