Background Briefing: October 14, 2024
Intensifying Israeli Attacks on Lebanon and Netanyahu’s “Delusion” about Hezbollah
We begin with Israel’s intensifying attacks on Lebanon as the IDF flattens villages in the South creating a scorched-earth buffer zone while striking a Christian village in the North killing 18. Joining us from the UK is Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science and holder of a Professorship in Contemporary Middle East Studies. He was also the inaugural Director of the LSE Middle East Centre and his latest book is Making the Arab World: Nasser, Qutb and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East. We will discuss whether Hezbollah made a miscalculation in supporting Hamas and Netanyahu’s “delusion” that he can reshape the Middle East by eliminating Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy.
Do Biden and His Top Officials Believe Israeli Military Power can Reshape the Middle East?
Then we look into how much Biden and his top officials like Amos Hochstein and Bret McGurk believe that the Middle East can be reshaped by Israeli military power along with what kind of retaliation is planned against Iran and how much the Biden Administration is trying to limit the scope of targets. Joining us is Dr. Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, he has served as a professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Georgetown University, and George Washington University and he is the co-founder and former President of the National Iranian American Council. His books include, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States and Losing An Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy.
Reports Armed Militias Motivated by Trump and Vance’s Lies are Stopping FEMA From Delivering Aid in North Carolina
Then finally we will look into reports that armed militias motivated by disinformation from Trump and Vance’s lies about FEMA’s response to the devastation from Hurricane Helene on North Carolina have caused Federal authorities to stop aid efforts because of threats against FEMA. Joining us is Wendy Via, the President and Co-Founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism where her work focuses on the effects of extremism on our society, systemic racism, economic inequality, immigration, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ rights. Previously she was the Chief Communications and Development Officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center.