Rania Khalek Dispatches

As Israel expands its war on Iran and U.S. officials float the possibility of American boots on the ground, what is really happening behind the headlines? Iran expert at Johns Hopkins Vali Nasr joins Rania Khalek to explain: Nasr argues that Iran’s strategy isn’t to win quickly. It’s to make the war long, costly, and politically dangerous for Washington. If this is the “last battle” for Iran’s leadership, what does that mean for the region — and for the global economy?

Mike Huckabee’s reference to borders stretching “from the Euphrates to the Nile” has sparked a diplomatic firestorm across the Middle East. Even governments that normalized relations with Israel — including the UAE — publicly condemned the remarks. Why did this rhetoric hit such a nerve? And is it really new, or just unusually blunt? At the same time, tensions between Israel and Saudi Arabia are rising, fractures between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are deepening, and the risk of a U.S.–Iran war looms in the background, a conflict that could drag Gulf states into a confrontation they don’t control. What does this moment reveal about the future of normalization, regional alliances, and the possibility of a wider war? Rania Khalek was joined by Giorgio Cafiero on Dispatches to break it all down. 🎥 The full episode is available to Breakthrough News members. Become a member at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

At the Munich Security Conference, Marco Rubio said the quiet part out loud. No more “rules-based order.” No more liberal pretense. Just open coercion. After Gaza — after a genocide livestreamed for the world — U.S. empire isn’t even pretending anymore. In this episode of Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by Dylan Saba — attorney with Palestine Legal and co-host of Turbulence — to unpack what this moment represents: • Gaza as the capstone of the War on Terror • The return of gunboat diplomacy • Why imperial “decline” means escalation, not collapse • Fascist consolidation at home under Trump • The Democratic Party’s containment of dissent • Why the U.S. still lacks a real left foreign policy This isn’t a deviation in American foreign policy. It’s its logical endpoint. 🎥 The full episode is available to Breakthrough News members. Become a member at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

The United States is mobilizing for a new war on Iran — repositioning military forces, floating assassination threats, and insisting on negotiations at the same time. As this military buildup intensifies, Western media is reviving a familiar propaganda narrative: that Iran is collapsing, its government has lost control, and foreign intervention might actually help. To cut through the noise, Rania Khalek is joined by Navid Zarrinnal, an Iranian-American academic and host of The Colony Archive, speaking from inside Tehran. Navid breaks down what’s actually happening on the ground — from internal debates over negotiations, to Iran’s potential military retaliation, to why the myth of Iran’s imminent collapse keeps getting recycled. They also discuss the end of Iran’s so-called “strategic patience,” the reality of U.S. hybrid warfare, the role of foreign intervention in recent protests, and the dangerous push to fracture Iran along ethnic and sectarian lines — a policy openly floated by Western elites. Finally, Navid explains why the nuclear deal failed, why sanctions and regime-change politics won’t bring justice, and what the Western Left should actually be focusing on. Read Navid’s Breakthrough News article here; https://breakthroughnews.org/irans-protests-explained-a-diary-from-tehran/

Join Rania Khalek and Zoe Alexandra for a special live show as Minneapolis erupts after Border Patrol agents killed nurse and legal observer Alex Pretti, just hours after a historic general strike shook the state. Zoe will report from Minneapolis as protests surge nationwide and fury at ICE and federal occupation explodes. With special guests, Rania and Zoe will discuss the Democrats’ weak response, the connections between imperial violence from Gaza to Minnesota, and the rising calls to defund ICE and a national general strike against ICE terror. Special Guests: -Craig Mokhiber, Human Rights Lawyer -Meghdad Bose, Independent journalist and professor of journalism at the University of Memphis -Simon Elliott, Community Activist in Minnesota

Rania Khalek is joined by former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber, whose recent Mondoweiss article, "Ushering in the age of impunity: Venezuela, Palestine, and the end of international law," unpacks how recent U.S. aggression from Venezuela to Gaza signals a dangerous unraveling of the post-World War II legal order. We’ll discuss: • What the U.S. attack on Venezuela reveals about the limits of global legal restraints. • How the violence in Palestine fits into a broader pattern of unchecked power. • The crisis facing international law and global institutions like the UN, ICC, and ICJ. • What meaningful resistance and accountability might look like.

The U.S. military raid on Venezuela on January 3 shocked the world. On Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela’s former foreign minister, to explain what actually happened and to respond directly to U.S. media narratives about “betrayal,” regime change, and control.

Rania Khalek is joined by journalist and political economist Ben Norton, editor of the Geopolitical Economy Report, to break down why the Trump administration attacked Venezuela—and what comes next. Norton explains how Trump’s bombing of Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro are not isolated acts, but part of a broader U.S. imperial offensive in Latin America. The goal: control strategic resources like oil, gas, rare earths, and critical minerals, reassert U.S. dominance in the region, and build a supply chain that cuts out China.

Rania Khalek is joined by Zoe Alexandra of People’s Dispatch and special guests for a live episode of Dispatches examining the Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on Venezuela. The US has invaded and bombed Venezuela, kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and is openly threatening to expand its campaign against Venezuela’s neighbors and allies. We break down the lies used to justify this aggression — and what comes next.

A DSA member just won one of the most significant left-wing electoral victories in recent memory with Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York — despite red-baiting, anti-Palestinian smears, and a full-on campaign to demonize socialism. But that victory has raised big questions: Why keep Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner? Why discourage a primary against Hakeem Jeffries — and then endorse him for Speaker? What does accountability look like when socialists actually win power? To unpack all this, Rania Khalek is joined by the national co-chairs of the Democratic Socialists of America, Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique, to talk about Zohran’s win, DSA’s national strategy, Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine and how they plan to hold their elected members accountable. 👉 Hear the full member-only episode at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews Support BreakThrough News: https://breakthroughnews.org/donate/ Follow BreakThrough News: X: https://x.com/BTnewsroom?s=20 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btnewsroom TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@btnewsroom

As the world slides deeper into imperial rot — from Trump’s transformation of the U.S. into a Department of War state, to Europe’s political collapse, to global leaders shamelessly bowing to Washington — a socialist shockwave has erupted in New York City: Zohran Mamdani has just won the mayoral race while proudly defending Palestine. What does this contradiction reveal about the global moment we’re living in? Yanis Varoufakis — economist, political leader, former Greek finance minister, and author of “Technofeudalism” — joins Rania Khalek to unpack the rise of fascistic politics, the failures of global capitalism, the myth of Western “democracy,” and the lessons of Zohran’s victory. Watch the full member-only episode at: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

As Israel continues its relentless assault on Gaza, killing and starving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with Western backing, even during so-called ceasefires, one thing has become clear: this isn’t just about Palestine. It’s about Western supremacy, empire, and the racism that underpins them both. To discuss this, Rania Khalek is joined by Dr. Ghada Karmi — academic, physician, and Nakba survivor — who has written powerfully about how Western imperialism, Arab complicity, and Zionism’s own contradictions have led us here. Dr. Karmi is a former research fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter and author of many books including “One State: The Only Democratic Future for Palestine-Israel.” She has spent her life exposing the deeper roots of this catastrophe: the colonial mindset that made Palestine disposable, the Western guilt that turned Jewish suffering into Palestinian punishment, and the moral rot that allows genocide to be broadcast live without consequence.

Dozens have been killed in U.S. airstrikes on boats off the Venezuelan and Colombian coasts. The Trump administration claims it’s targeting drug traffickers — but there’s no evidence. And now they’re threatening airstrikes inside Venezuela. U.S. warships now encircle Venezuela, joined by 10,000 troops and the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier. This is a war in slow motion, justified by recycled lies, CIA covert ops, and billionaire-backed propaganda. Rania Khalek speaks with Zoe Alexandra, managing editor of Peoples Dispatch and co-author of “Why Venezuela? How the US tries to undermine democracy and sovereignty in Latin America,” to unpack the truth behind Washington’s latest regime-change operation and what it means for Latin America and the Global South. 👉 Watch the full episode: Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews 👉 Subscribe, Like, Share! 👉 Follow Breakthrough News on all social media platforms @btnewsroom

Big Tech loves to sell itself as a liberatory force for connection, free speech, and empowerment. But when it comes to Palestine, those same companies have partnered with Israel to censor, surveil, and criminalize. To unpack this “digital settler colonialism,” Rania Khalek was joined by Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of AMED Studies at San Francisco State University and author of "Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Settler/Colonialism in the Palestine Liberation Struggle,” which argues that understanding Palestine is essential to understanding the global struggle against Big Tech and U.S. imperialism. 👉 Support independent journalism and listen to the full episode: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

What we’re witnessing in Gaza is not just another chapter of Zionism — it’s the final stage. That’s the argument of Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, who joins Rania Khalek on Dispatches to explain how Zionism is in fact “collapsing” even in its most ruthless moment. He discusses Israeli society is fracturing from within, the impact of Trump’s return, Israel’s widening regional war, and what a post-Israel Palestine could look like. Watch the full interview exclusively on Breakthrough News Patreon: https://Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews Subscribe and click the bell so you don’t miss future episodes. Support our work by donating directly on YouTube or at the link above.

Israel and its U.S. backers are advancing a clear project: Greater Israel. That means weakening every state in the Levant, fueling sectarianism, and pressuring Lebanon to disarm — leaving the south of the country defenseless. But disarming resistance in the middle of Israel’s expansion isn’t peace. It’s surrender. So how should the Levant respond? Rania Khalek speaks with Antoun Issa, co-founder of DeepCut News, about the rise of “Greater Israel,” why disarmament would be catastrophic for Lebanon, the targeting of journalists, Syria’s instability, his resignation from The Guardian, and what a real sovereign vision for the region could look like. 👉 Full episode available for Breakthrough News members at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

U.S. military veteran Greg Stoker joins Dispatches from the ship deck of the Global Sumud Flotilla, comprised of dozens of boats that just launched from Barcelona with the goal of breaking Israel’s starvation siege on Gaza. Stoker, who served in the U.S. Army, explains why he chose to risk his life by joining the flotilla, how his military experience radicalized him on Palestine, and what it means for veterans to stand against U.S. empire. He responds to Israeli threats against the flotilla, reflects on the genocide in Gaza, and connects imperialism abroad to the suppression of dissent and exploitation at home in the U.S. 👉 Support independent media and access the full episode: http://Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

Israel murdered Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, then lied about it. The Biden administration helped them cover it up. Now, Israel is targeting even more journalists — with impunity. Rania Khalek is joined by Dion Nissenbaum, executive producer of the new documentary “Who Killed Shireen?” and Lina Abu Akleh, human rights advocate and Shireen’s niece, to discuss the murder, the media disinformation campaign, the U.S. obstruction of justice, and why Israel is deliberately targeting journalists. They also discuss the ongoing detention of veteran reporter Ali Samoudi, the broader crackdown on press freedom, and the terrifying complicity of Western media in genocide. 🎥 Watch Who Killed Shireen: https://zeteo.com/p/who-killed-shireen-abu-akleh 📺 Support Breakthrough News: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

The Western elite once claimed ignorance during the Holocaust. Today, Israel’s genocide in Gaza unfolds in full view, yet nothing is done. The most powerful states arm the perpetrator while the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine they have long celebrated is now ignored, except where it continues to serve the U.S. empire. Historian Tarik Cyril Amar joins Rania Khalek to discuss the hypocrisy of R2P, why no coalition has formed to intervene, the weaponization of Holocaust memory, Europe’s empty gestures on Palestinian statehood, and the complicity of Western media in genocide. You can follow his work at https://www.tarikcyrilamar.com/ and his weekly analysis of world events at Syriana Analysis. Listen to the full episode of this program and support independent media: https://www.patreon.com/BreakthroughNews

Trump met with Putin. Hillary Clinton praised his “better understanding” of Ukraine. Europe bowed its head and posed for a photo. And Ukraine? Still collapsing — politically and militarily. After terrible human suffering, the war is lost, arms control is dead, and sanctions have failed. Meanwhile, BRICS can’t stop U.S. rampaging in the Middle East, and Europe remains the obedient junior partner, with its leaders now fully committed to a policy of senseless militarization. Historian and Tricontinental Institute Director Vijay Prashad joins Rania Khalek to expose the delusions of the West, the myth of Ukraine “winning,” and what this moment means for global power, multipolarity, and U.S. empire. 👉 Watch the full episode by becoming a Breakthrough News member: https://patreon.com/BreakthroughNews