badlands podcast by borzou daragahi

Borzou Daragahi
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Politics
  • Updated Semiweekly

incisive and engaging commentary and intelligence on global affaiirs borzou.substack.com

  1. 4h ago

    Israel Is Choking The West Bank Economy. The World Is Finally Noticing (S01E133)

    Thursday, August 20, 2026, Paris The New York Times this week published a well-reported piece about how Israel is destroying the economy of the West Bank. In the latest edition of badlands, I discuss the various ways in which Israel has manipulated its control over the territory meant to be the main component of a future Palestinian state to impoverish the population and prevent the economy from thriving. The New York Times piece follows a June 15 report by Joost Hiltermann of the Crisis Group warning of an economic collapse in the West Bank thanks to the restrictions. In the latest episode, I repost an edited version of that interview with Joost. Plus, in a brief interview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss Oman’s dilemma following the Trump administration’s threats to bomb it. badlands is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  2. 1d ago

    Iran Has Lots Of Secrets. Its War Plans Ain’t Among Them (S01E132)

    Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Paris Iran has been warning for months that it plans to escalate its war against the US unless the Americans take steps that include freezing its assets and acknowledging its authority over the Strait of Hormuz. It has not only signaled such escalation, it has begun to implement its plans, activating or coordinating with proxy forces to spread the conflict from the Persian Gulf to the Levant to Iraq to the Red Sea. It recently, listed all the sites it would strike if the US were to launch an attack on Iranian civilian infrastructure. In the latest episode of badlands, I talk apart a recent Wall Street Journal article which contained some nuggets of decent reporting, but was framed as a revelatory scoop depicting Iranians as devious warmongers and Americans as naive simpletons merely hoping to wind down the conflict. Also in this episode, I speak about the latest security developments in the Gulf in an interview with India’s NewX World. Finally, the episode includes a rerun of my interview with Ali Ahmadi, a former advisor to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, in which he discusses Iran’s military capacity. badlands is a viewr-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 2d ago

    Screwing Over Your Friends And Neighbors (S01E131)

    Donald Trump plumbs new depths of dishonor and disloyalty by threatening to bomb one ally while throwing another to the nuclear-armed wolves. In the latest episode of badlands, I ask why Iran or any country not named Israel would trust the US or make any deals with it. Also, badlands re-posts an interview with former Chinese diplomat and host of the podcast “Devil’s Advocate” Han Yang from March, when the war between Iran and the US was raging. I made a number of predictions on the war’s outcome. Listen or watch to assess how well or poorly I performed. badlands is a listener-supported podcasst. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  4. 3d ago

    Donald Trump Can’t Shut His Big Fat Mouth (S01E130)

    Monday, August 17, 2026, Paris Lots of threats and bluster by Iranian officials over the weekend, including a warning that Iran would “cut off the legs” of Donald Trump, who prompted the exchange of ballistic trash talk with his apparently jocular vow to turn the Strait of Hormuz into American territory. On the latest episode of badlands, I discuss the latest rhetorical flourishes by US and Iranian officials. In interviews with India’s NewsX World and Pakistan TV, I also dicuss the latest news, including the impact of the conflict on US amd international politics. badlands is a listener-supported platform. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 5d ago

    Rogue Regimes: Governments Which Oppress, Abduct, And Brutalize (S01E129)

    Friday, August 15, 2026, Paris One kidnapped innocent people and forced them into concentration camps. Another aired a forced confession live on television. Yet another stole people’s homes and terrorized their inhabitants. In this very special, jam-packed episode of badlands, three misbehaving governments compete for the dubious honor of “rogue regime of the week.” I also give a quick update on the latest scheme by the administration of Donald Trump to laumch a new pressure campaign against Iran. Plus, in an inteview with India’s NewsX World, I discuss the latest comments from Norway’s foreign minister about the Persian Gulf crisis as well as the latest on the Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon. badlands is a viewer-supported show. To receive new episodes and support my work, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Season 1, Episode 128 Trailer

    Axing The ‘Axis': Ditching Tired Thinking On Foreign Policy (S01E128)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit borzou.substack.com Thursday, August 13, 2026, Paris Foreign policy podcaster and former US Department of Defense official Jasmine El-Gamal joins badlands for a lively discussion on Syria, her area of focus when she was in government, as well as on latest diplomatic and security machinations surrounding the Iran war. Among the topics of discussion Syria’s death sentence against Bashar al-Assad, the return of refugees to Syria, and its enigmatic, ascendant new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the convuluted thinking that has gotten the US and the Western countries mired in countless quagmires. “We tried to do the whole Shia crescen 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 in how other countries, particularly Western countries, view the region,” she says. “And then these become the good guys and these become the bad guys.” Please check out and subscribe to Jasmine’s excellent podcast now! Also in this edition of badlands, I discuss the Pakistani interior minister’s visit to Tehran and ongoing repression of Palestinians in the West Bank in an inteview with India’s NewsX World. badlands is a listner-supported podcast. To receive new episodews and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

  7. Aug 12

    Donald Trump Is Stuck In The Quicksand of Iran (S01E127)

    Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Paris Recent comments by US President Donald Trump on Iran show how stuck he is in his Iran failures. In the latest episode of badlands, host Borzou Daragahi breaks down Trump’s latest lies and misinformation and sketch out how Iran has become a hell of his own making. badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episode and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Season 1, Episode 126 Trailer

    Is A Free Syria Still Possible? (S01E126)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit borzou.substack.com Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, Paris A Syrian court just sentenced former dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over his role in the country’s 13-year civil war. His brother Maher and cousin Atef Najib were also convicted and sentenced to death by a Syrian court. Assad fled to Russia in 2024 as rebel forces seized control of the country after a years-long conflict which left more than half a million people dead. In the second part of Syrian-British author Robin Yassin-Kassab’s interview with badlands, we discuss whether the original democratic and civil spirit that spurred the Syrian uprising in 2011 still exists. We also discuss a range of topics including: * How Hezbollah laid the seeds of its own demise by taking part in the Syrian civil war on behalf of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. * How Syrian president and former rebel leader Ahmed al Sharaa should be assessed. * Turkey’s outsized role in promoting Syrian interests and Sharaa on the international stage. Robin is the author of the recently released book, “The Blood Between Us.” In this episode, I also discuss the latest Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia, and how they are undermining the US plan to keep oil prices low by helping tankers dodge Iranian missiles and drones on the way out of the Strait of Hormuz. badlands is an independent podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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incisive and engaging commentary and intelligence on global affaiirs borzou.substack.com

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