Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

J.G.

A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.

  1. 8. SEPT.

    Gaza, The Great Game, and the Haifa Pipeline Scheme w/ Charlotte Dennett

    👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this episode of Parallax Views, Charlotte Dennett, author of Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil, unpacks the high-stakes geopolitical and economic forces behind the war in Gaza. Drawing on decades of research—including declassified CIA documents connected to her father’s post-WWII counterintelligence work in the Middle East (who died in a mysterious plane crash)—Dennett explores how energy interests, infrastructure projects, and pipelines have shaped conflicts from the Arabian Peninsula to the Eastern Mediterranean in what she calls "The Great Game for Oil. We discuss the so-called “Gaza post-war plan,” the IMEC pipeline linking India to Haifa, and how longstanding ambitions to transform Israel into a regional energy corridor intersect with war, displacement, and geopolitics. Dennett also traces surprising links between conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and the broader web of financial, intelligence, and political interests that underlie modern crises. Topics include: How energy infrastructure has influenced decades of Middle East policy. The “costs", including depopulation and military campaigns, associated with securing oil and gas reserves. The intersection of geopolitics, corporate interests, and intelligence operations from WWII to today. Connections between global conflicts, including Gaza and Ukraine, and "The Great Game for Oil". The GREAT (Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation) Trust plan And... The Jeffrey Epstein connection? Supplementary Materials and Images to Help You Understand This Episode: Image: Rendering of the GREAT Trust "Day After" plans for Gaza Image: Netanyahu presenting controversial maps at the UN, Sept 2023, surprising delegates by omitting Palestine. The “curse” represents the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” while the “blessing” shows what appears to be the route (by red arrow) of the IMEC pipeline connecting India to Saudi Arabia and the port of Haifa. Links: The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: Connectivity in an era of geopolitical uncertainty - Atlantic Council Let's Call the 'GREAT' Gaza Post-War Plan Exactly What It Is: Ethnic Cleansing - Zeteo Netanyahu Presents Controversial Maps at UN, Surprising Everyone by Omitting Palestine | India.com

    1 Std. 23 Min.
  2. 2. SEPT.

    Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land w/ Ross Halperin

    👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with journalist and author Ross Halperin about his new book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. Halperin takes us deep into the Honduran barrio of Nueva Suyapa, where poverty and gang violence created a landscape of fear and impunity. At the heart of his narrative are Kurt Ver Beek, an American sociologist, and Carlos Hernández, a Honduran educator, who together founded the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). Rejecting traditional models of charity, ASJ pursued justice through daring, sometimes clandestine, methods—taking on gangs, corrupt officials, and a failing state. We discuss the book’s central themes: the moral compromises of activism, the dangers of confronting entrenched power, the role of faith in motivating social justice, and the question of whether justice is possible in places where institutions have collapsed. Along the way, we examine how Halperin’s reporting complicates tidy narratives about NGOs, reform, and the global fight against corruption. Bear Witness has already drawn praise from writers like David Grann and Larissa MacFarquhar for its gripping, ethically charged storytelling. In this conversation, Halperin reflects on the limits of reform, the risks of speaking truth in violent lands, and what it really means to “bear witness.”

    1 Std.
  3. 27. AUG.

    American-Made: Trump, Constitutional Crisis, and Liberal Collapse w/ Daniel Lazare

    👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist and author Daniel Lazare, author of The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution is Paralyzing Democracy, joins the show to dissect the forces behind Trumpism and the broader American political landscape. They explore why Lazare believes Trump is not a fascist, despite popular claims, and what his rise reveals about the collapse of liberal institutions. This does not, however, mean that Lazare think Trump is benign. Nor is he claiming that Trump isn't authoritarian. But the analysis can't of Trump, he argues, can't claim that the phenomena of Trumpism is alien to America. Lazare explains how the U.S. Constitution, far from being inherently protective of democracy, contains authoritarian mechanisms that have enabled the concentration of power. The conversation also delves into Trump’s foreign policy, drawing parallels with Putin’s consolidation of power and the revival of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” approach in a multipolar world. Lazare analyzes how neoliberal elites and cultural movements intended to strengthen their position have inadvertently fueled working-class resentment, contributing to Trump’s appeal. This episode is a deep dive into the structural forces shaping contemporary American politics, the myths of “alien fascism,” and the real threats to democracy that come from within. Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews

    1 Std. 7 Min.
  4. 15. AUG.

    The Dogs of Mariupol: Russia’s Invasion and the Forging of Ukraine’s Iron Generation w/ Tom Mutch

    👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. On this edition of Parallax Views, journalist and war correspondent Tom Mutch, author of The Dogs of Mariupol: The Invasion of Ukraine and the Future of War, joins the show to discuss his frontline reporting on the Russia–Ukraine war and the hard lessons of a conflict that continues to reshape global politics. We begin by revisiting the shocking first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, when many in Moscow and the West assumed Ukraine would collapse within days. Why did so many analysts underestimate Ukraine’s resilience, and what explains the country’s remarkable ability to withstand Vladimir Putin’s assault? From there, we examine how the war has evolved between 2022 and 2025—highlighting acts of courage by Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, but also the immense human cost of the conflict. Tom reflects on mistakes made by Ukraine and the West, including the absence of a coherent U.S. strategy for aiding Kyiv, and whether Washington’s focus has sometimes been more about weakening Russia than guaranteeing Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty. We also address difficult questions such as the controversial defense of Bakhmut, whether Ukraine committed critical tactical errors, and what the future may hold: negotiations, diplomacy, or total victory. The conversation goes beyond Ukraine as well. We discuss the significance of Nagorno-Karabakh in understanding today’s revived great-power politics, and how the war in Gaza has negatively impacted Ukraine, especially as Israel's actions have come under scrutiny and undermined U.S. moral credibility as an arbiter of the global order. Finally, Tom speaks to audiences split on the war—those skeptical of Ukraine’s continued fight and U.S. military aid, and those who strongly defend Kyiv’s efforts. While Mutch comes from a firmly pro-Ukraine perspective, he offers a nuanced and critical edge that challenges simplistic narratives on both sides of the debate. He also offers criticisms of the American right-wing's views on Ukraine, addresses controversies around the Azov Battalion and the cultural significance of WWII-era far-right figure Stepan Bandera in modern Ukraine, and more.

    1 Std. 11 Min.
  5. 6. AUG.

    Zero Dark Gaza: Casey-Tyler, McNally Capital, and the Militarized Aid Complex w/ Jack Poulson

    👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. In this explosive episode of Parallax Views, investigative journalist Jack Poulson joins host J.G. Michael to uncover the shadowy post-retirement career of Michael Anne Casey-Tyler, a former CIA official alleged to be one of the real-life inspirations behind Jessica Chastain’s character “Maya” in Zero Dark Thirty. She's also for her controversial role in the CIA’s Bin Laden Issue Station, namely being accused of blocking critical 9/11 intelligence from reaching the FBI. Now Casey-Tyler has resurfaced in the private sector and her latest affiliations are raising eyebrows. Poulson breaks down his bombshell reporting on how Casey-Tyler consulted with McNally Capital, a private equity firm that now has an “economic interest” in Safe Reach Solutions, the security partner behind the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a militarized aid operation accused of facilitating the deaths of over 600 Palestinians and providing cover for Israeli displacement efforts. We dive deep into: Connections between former intelligence officials and militarized humanitarian aid The role of private military contractors like Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions How McNally Capital and Orbis Operations are profiting from crisis zones The controversies around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is being called a “fig leaf for further violence” by UN officials Is humanitarian aid being weaponized? Is the post-CIA private sector creating a new form of covert empire? And what do these shadowy networks say about the future of war, intelligence, and privatized power?

    56 Min.

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A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.

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