Month: April 2024

Iran’s Vow to Retaliate Against an Israeli Strike Could Lead to a Wider War Biden is Trying to Avoid

We begin with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei promising retribution, declaring that those responsible for the recent killing of top IRGC officers at an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus “will be punished by our brave men,” and that they will “regret this crime.” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, also indicated that Iran had sent an “important message” to the U.S. government, holding it accountable for supporting Israel’s actions. Joining us to assess these developments, which suggest Iran may be considering a substantial retaliation, is Nader Hashemi, the Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and an Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. A Non-Resident Fellow at Democracy for the Arab World Now, he is the author of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future and Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East.

With MbS and Trump Talking, What Could They Do to Jack Up Gas Prices to Hurt Biden’s Reelection?

Then with Russia’s former Deputy Minister For Energy Vladimir Milov warning Putin intends to use oil as a weapon to help elect Trump, we look into what Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince might have in store to hurt Biden’s reelection as we learn that MbS has had a conversation, or conversations, with Trump ostensibly about the LIV golf tour, which is injecting money into Trump’s golf courses. Joining us to discuss what Russia and Saudi Arabia could do to jack up the price of gas in the fall ahead of the election is Jeff Colgan, the Richard Holbrooke Professor of Political Science and Director of the climate Solutions Lab at the Watson Institute for Public and International Affairs at Brown University where his research focuses on international order, especially as related to energy and the environment. He is the author of Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War and Partial Hegemony: Oil Politics and International Order.

Good Economic News as Janet Yellen Tries to Get a Level Playing Field With China

Then finally, with the Secretary of the Treasury in China trying to establish a level playing field in economic relations between the U.S. and China as China’s economy falters while the U.S. has impressive job growth, low unemployment and lowering inflation, we discuss how good news might translate into good poll numbers for Biden. Joining us is Robert Hockett, who has first-hand experience working at the International Monetary Fund and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and continues to consult for a number of U.S. federal, state and local legislators and regulators. He drafted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal” resolution for the House of Representatives and officially advises her on economic policy. He is the Edward Cornell Professor of Law and a Professor of Public Policy at Cornell University and his latest books are Money from Nothing Or, Why We Should Stop Worrying About Debt and Learn to Love the Federal Reserve, Financing the Green New Deal: A Plan of Action and Renewal, and The Citizens’ Ledger: Digitizing Our Money, Democratizing Our Finance.