PROGRAM NOTES 04/05/24-
Click Here To Listen (33MB)

This weeks show features stories from GOING UNDERGROUND, RADIO DEUTSCHE-WELLE, and FRANCE 24.

From UAE- Afshin interviewed Prof Stephen Walt, a political scientist currently serving as the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. In the three excerpts I have extracted he begins by giving his reasons for supporting Julian Assange. He then explains why he says that Russia was provoked into invading Ukraine. He then dispels the American notion that if Ukraine does not defeat Russia that they will follow by invading western Europe.

From GERMANY- First, the partial legalization of cannabis came into effect this week in Germany, with a unique plan for distribution through so-called social membership clubs. The Israeli murder of 7 international aid workers was heavily criticized across the world, which the Israeli government said was an accident- the US NGO World Central Kitchen says that they were targeted as were the other 190 aid workers killed in Gaza. The Biden administration authorized another multi-billion dollar weapons package for Israel, including 1800 one ton bombs that are allegedly the source of the mass casualty events in Gaza.

From FRANCE- Members of the UK parliament have called for a suspension of arms sales to Israel, and the majority of the population want a ban enacted. An international press review on the murder of the food aid volunteers in Gaza and the result that charities have halted their Gaza missions. Then a report on the Israeli military use of AI to generate targets, labeling 37,000 Palestinians as members of Hamas or jihadist operatives.

"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness."
--Alejandro Jodorowsky