UNAPOLOGETIC is a show that unapologetically looks at the life, times and views of some unapologetic and not so unapologetic humans. Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim
Epiosde 22 - What exactly happened in Syria’s 13-year civil war | Gamal Mansour | UNAPOLOGETIC
Gamal Mansour is a Syrian-Palestinian who was forced to move to Canada in 2012, as the Syrian uprising was turning into a civil war.Mansour is also a political scientist who is currently researching strategies that the business sector under the Assad regime employed so that they could remain autonomous from the state.In this marathon three-hour conversation, Gamal Mansour and the host Ashfaaq Carim discuss the genesis of the Syrian uprising amidst the Arab Spring and how it turned into a civil war; what the impact and scale of the war was both in terms of human devastation and in terms of ideological impact it had in the West and the Arab world, as Europe and North America moved to the right and Islamic State was born; and how brutal and devastating Assad's tactics in the war were.They try to make sense of all the conflicting voices that are clashing over what the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham liberation of Damascus means, and are critical of the reluctance amongst the anti-US-imperial left to embrace the new reality in Damascus as most Syrians are.
--------
2:46:40
Episode 21 - Is Israel descending into a ‘fully fledged fascist dictatorship’? | Israeli MP Offer Cassif | UNAPOLOGETIC
“In Israel they are either bigots, fanatics, sometimes murderous ones… and they are cowards… and unfortunately there is no brave figure that I can see” - Offer Cassif, Israeli MPIsraeli MP Offer Cassif has been staunchly against Israel’s long occupation of Palestine and has been highly critical of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The coalition he is a part of consists of only five seats out of 120 in the Israeli Knesset.He joined us for a second time on UNAPOLOGETIC to discuss how Israeli society is largely embracing its leadership’s descent into a “fully fledged fascist dictatorship”.Chapters00:00 Intro01:10 The war and Israeli society’s response07:37 Understanding the thinking of the Israeli government - subjugation plan16:58 The genocide and the international reaction to it23:02 How can this war be scaled back and ICC warrants?28:52 The make-up of the Israeli Knesset34:02 Going back to Rafah36:58 Unpacking the forged documents scandal42:00 Would Gantz or Lapid be any different?52:58 How a negotiated peace can occur - South Africa1:03:03 Unpacking resistance inside Israel1:07:00 Internal repression in Israel01:11:07 Is Israel sustainable? 01:16:30 Juxtaposing Palestinian dignity with Israel
--------
1:19:09
Episode 20 - 100-year history of US meddling, coups and wars in the Middle East | Roy Casagranda | UNAPOLOGETIC
Professor Roy Casagranda is an expert in history and political science.He has hosted a series of lectures that are available on YouTube explaining the history of the Americas, the slave trade, colonialism, and the Arab world and the Middle East.In this extended interview, Casagranda takes us on a history lesson that includes the Sykes-Picot agreement, CIA-orchestrated coups in Syria and Iran, various wars, doctrines, betrayals and policies that show just how damaging and cynical US meddling in the Middle East has been over the last century.
--------
2:09:41
Episode 19 - The global fight to isolate Israel as a “pariah state” | South Africa’s Naledi Pandor | UNAPOLOGETIC
South Africa’s former minister of international relations, Naledi Pandor, speaks to us about the why South Africa took Israel to court for genocide. We also speak about why the world has still not yet intervened decisively and has allowed Israel to continue its onslaught in Gaza, whether international institutions will break down under a new Trump presidency and in the aftermath of Israel’s impunity, changes in global power away from the North towards a more multipolar reality, and what can be done to stop Israel.Pandor grew up in a political family and as a child she was exiled from South Africa to go to Lesotho, Zambia and the United Kingdom, where her family contributed to South Africa’s freedom struggle. She draws on that experience and from her experience as being part of South Africa’s democratic government for three decades to tell us the challenges that lie ahead for Palestinian liberation and offers advice on how that road can be trodden.
--------
44:35
Episode 18 - The problem with "whiteness" and how its unleashed all types or racisms | Rachel Shabi | UNAPOLOGETIC
“Fighting racism in silos that was invented by racism doesn’t make any sense.”Rachel Shabi is an author, journalist and commentator, and she has recently published her second book, Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism.Shabi joined us for a conversation about her book, the fate of Arab-Jewish identity, how Israel’s war on Gaza is polarising global society and how the racist logic that defined so many colonial crimes is still at play today, justifying war crimes in the last few decades.Chapters00:00 Intro 02:04 How significant is the war in Gaza06:24 Why you chose to write Off-White and being an Iraqi Jew12:30 How did 7th October impact Off-White15:30 The wealth and loss of her Arab-Jewish identity19:25 Arab-Jewish displacement from origin countries27:30 Journey with Palestinian liberation31:10 The Iraq war36:20 The fakery of whiteness and origins of antisemitism42:20 Haven't all empires weaponised racism?47:54 How the US policy in the Middle East fuels antisemitic tropes53:15 Why does racist bias self-perpetuate and its consequences01:03:02 How can Jewish societies be safe01:08:12 What will be the future of Israel-Palestine?01:10:14 The single takeaway from your book, Off-White
UNAPOLOGETIC is a show that unapologetically looks at the life, times and views of some unapologetic and not so unapologetic humans. Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim
South Africa