Day: November 27, 2022

Background Briefing: November 27, 2022

 

A Veteran War Reporter Just Back From a Month in Ukraine

We begin with a veteran war reporter just back after a month in Ukraine who has a long perspective on Putin’s wars having covered Chechnya in the 1990’s. Joining us is Robert Young Pelton, an author, filmmaker, journalist, and explorer. He is the publisher of Dangerous magazine and has a first-hand perspective on the war on terror from direct contact with the world’s most infamous jihadi, rebel and insurgent groups. His books include: The World’s Most Dangerous Places, Come Back Alive, Three Worlds Gone Mad, Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror and his autobiography, The Adventurist. We discuss the alliance the petro-states Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have with Trump and how the war in Ukraine has benefited them as well as Putin’s continuing influence within the rabid right of the GOP who are working to cut off US funds to Ukraine.

 

An Update on the Revolution in Iran Led by Brave Young Women

Then with Qatar helping Iranian government thugs stifle dissent at the World Cup, we get an update on the revolution underway in Iran led by brave young women. Joining us is Tara Kangarlou, an award-winning journalist who has produced and reported for NBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera America as well as many digital news outlets. She was the recipient of the Ted Sorensen Award from Network 20/20 for her impact journalism and humanitarian work in conflict zones. She founded ART OF HOPE, the first American nonprofit with the sole mission of supporting the psycho-social and mental health needs of war-torn refugees. Born and raised in Tehran and based in London, she is currently a professor at Georgetown University and the author of The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of a Country and Its People.

 

Progressive Strategies to Build a Democratic Majority in 2024

 Then finally, since young and minority voters helped hold the line against the recent Republican “Red Wave”, we look into strategies progressives can build on to mobilize a Democratic majority in 2024. Joining us is Richard Parker, who teaches economics and public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is a Senior Fellow at the Shorenstein Center. He is a former managing editor of Ramparts, was a cofounder of Mother Jones magazine, and serves on the editorial board of The Nation. His books include, The Myth of the Middle Class and John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics.