Just World Podcasts
105 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsJust World Podcasts is an innovative podcast series on international affairs. In November 2023, we launched a new series titled "PalCast", which is a collaboration with Tortoise Shack Media in Dublin, Ireland. Our host for this series is Yousef AlJamal, and Helena Cobban is co-host. Tony Groves of Tortoise Shack is also part of these timely conversations.
JWP is run by the publishing house Just World Books and Just World Educational.
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Episodes
Story/Backstory ep.4: Gaza the crucible
March 15, 2019 04:00 - 30 minutes - 14 MBJust World Ed president Helena Cobban reads the column she had on this topic on Mondoweiss on March 13, which asked whether the Great March of Return movement that has swept the Gaza Strip for the past 50 weeks, may be the third great political movement to be born in Gaza. In the second half of this episode she discusses the Great March of Return with British-Palestinian author and activist Dr. Azzam Tamimi. Support the Show.
Story/Backstory episode 3: The two-state solution is dead
March 09, 2019 05:00 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MBJust World Ed president Helena Cobban first of all reads the column she published March 6 on Mondoweiss, "The two-state solution is dead. Let's plan for the one state." Then, she discusses the issue of one-state vs. two-state with special guest William B. Quandt, former Middle East advisor to Pres. Jimmy Carter... Support the Show.
Story/Backstory episode 2: The curious case of US domination of Palestine-Israel peacemaking
March 01, 2019 13:00 - 24 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this episode in our "Story/Backstory" miniseries, JWE president Helena Cobban first reads, then reflects on her most recent 1,300-word op-ed on U.S. policies in the Middle East. For more details on this project, visit the blog on our website. Support the Show.
Story/Backstory, episode 1: The longer arc of U.S.-Palestine relations
February 22, 2019 14:00 - 26 minutes - 12.4 MBThis is the first episode in our new "Story/Backstory" miniseries, which combines both the reading by JWE president Helena Cobban of her most recent 1,300-word op-ed on U.S. policies in the Middle East, with a slightly longer segment in which she reflects on some of the issues raised by the op-ed. For more details, visit the blog on our website. Support the Show.
Gaza-Palestinian author and activist Laila El-Haddad recalls Operation Cast Lead
January 17, 2019 21:00 - 35 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode you’ll hear a conversation I held recently with Laila El-Haddad, a political analyst, author, and rights activist who is from a family deeply rooted in Gaza, Palestine, though she currently lives near Baltimore, Maryland. Laila is the author or co-author of three Gaza-themed books, including the famed "ethnographic" cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey. In this episode, Laila talks about how it was to be a Gaza Palestinian living outside Gaza during O...
Dr. Alice Rothchild on health and women's issues in Gaza after Cast Lead
January 14, 2019 05:00 - 31 minutes - 14.6 MBThis episode features a conversation Just World Ed President Helena Cobban held with Alice Rothchild, who’s a member of our Board of Directors and a veteran activist in the field of health and human rights. Alice is a recently retired OB/GYN who has authored three books on the health and rights situation in the areas currently under Israel’s control. The latest was Condition Critical: Life and Death in Israel/Palestine, which was published by Just World Books in Fall 2016. Dr Rothchild has...
Joe Catron talks about the meaning and legacies of Cast Lead
January 09, 2019 05:00 - 21 minutes - 9.88 MBIn this episode, you’ll hear a conversation that Helena Cobban held recently with Joe Catron, Just World Educational's Director of Outreach, about the legacies of Cast Lead. Joe is a veteran social-justice activist who spent three-plus years in Gaza, from March 2011 through Fall 2014. This is the fifth episode in a special mini-series we’re releasing as part of our “Cast Lead Plus Ten” project, which started on December 27th will run till at least January 17th. This project marks the anni...
Gaza's Dr. Basem Naim on after-effects of Cast Lead and Great March of Return
January 06, 2019 05:00 - 26 minutes - 11.9 MBIn this episode you’ll hear the second half of a conversation I recently held about Cast Lead and its legacies, with Dr. Basem Naim. At the time of Cast Lead, Dr. Naim was the Minister of Health in the Palestinian government in Gaza. Today, he heads the Gaza-based Center for International Relations. This is the fourth episode in a special mini-series we’re releasing as part of our “Cast Lead Plus Ten” project, which started on December 27 and is running for 22 days. This project marks the...
Gaza's Dr. Basem Naim recalls the horrors of Cast Lead. Part 1.
January 03, 2019 05:00 - 28 minutes - 13.1 MBThis episode of our podcast is the third in a special mini-series we’re releasing as part of our “Cast Lead Plus Ten” project, which started last December 27 and is running for 22 days. The project marks the anniversary of the “Operation Cast Lead” assault that Israel waged against Gaza during these same 22 days, ten years ago. In this episode you’ll hear the first half of a conversation I had about Cast Lead recently, with Dr. Basem Naim. At the time of Cast Lead, Dr. Naim was the Minist...
Richard Falk on the lasting legacies of Operation Cast Lead
December 30, 2018 12:00 - 35 minutes - 16.3 MBThis episode of our podcast is the second in a special mini-series we’re releasing as part of our “Cast Lead Plus Ten” project. In this episode of our mini-series you can hear the second half of the conversation Helena Cobban had about Cast Lead, with the distinguished international jurist Richard Falk. In the previous episode, Cobban and Falk had discussed mainly what happened during the Cast Lead assault, ending with the ceasefire that Israel and Hamas reached on January 17, 2009. In this ...
Recalling Operation Cast Lead with Richard Falk, part 1 of 2
December 26, 2018 14:00 - 28 minutes - 13.1 MBThis episode of our podcast is part of a special mini-series we’re releasing as part of our “Cast Lead Plus Ten” project, which will run for 22 days, December 27, 2018 through January 17, 2019, to mark the tenth anniversary of Israel’s brutal “Operation Cast Lead” assault against Gaza, which ran for precisely those same 22 days, ten years ago. In the first episode in this mini-series you can hear the first half of a conversation I had about Cast Lead with the distinguished international ju...
Peter Ford, Britain's former ambassador to Syria, discussing Syria and Palestine
July 26, 2018 04:00 - 31 minutes - 14.3 MBWe are pleased to present an interview that JWE President Helena Cobban conducted July 24th with Peter Ford, who was Britain’s ambassador to Syria, 2003 through 2006, and who has remained an informed and close observer of Syrian affairs ever since. He was also, for several years after he left the British diplomatic service, the representative of the UN agency UNRWA to the Arab world, based in Amman.In this half-hour interview Ambassador Ford discussed aspects of the situations of both Syrians...
Richard Falk on Pres. Erdogan's regional policies & prospects
July 13, 2018 04:00 - 25 minutes - 11.6 MBIn this second half of Helena Cobban's recent conversation about Turkish politics with Prof. Richard Falk, they discuss the implications for Turkey's regional and to some extent global policies. Support the Show.
Richard Falk on Pres. Erdogan's inauguration and Turkish domestic politics
July 10, 2018 04:00 - 23 minutes - 10.7 MBThe distinguished international jurist Richard Falk, who's a member of Just World Educational's Board of Directors, has had a long association with Turkey, where he spends most of his summers. Recently, there was an election in Turkey for both the 600-person legislature and the presidency in its new, enhanced "executive president" form.On July 10, JWE President Helena Cobban recorded a wide-ranging conversation she held with Prof. Falk, who was speaking from his family's summer home in southe...
Understanding Gaza and Hamas
June 22, 2018 04:00 - 10 minutes - 4.67 MBHelena Cobban introduces "Understanding Gaza and Hamas", the factsheet she produced for Just World Educational, which demolishes seven key myths the Israelis have fostered regarding these crucial topics. Support the Show.
Ian Williams discusses John Bolton with Helena Cobban
March 24, 2018 04:00 - 28 minutes - 12.9 MBSupport the Show.
An interview with Ian Williams on UN Day
October 25, 2017 04:00 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBIan Williams joins Just World Educational on #UNDay to discuss the United Nations, the U.S., and the world.See www.justworldeducational.org for updates on Ian's speaking events.Book information and purchasing at justworldbooks.com/books/untold/ Support the Show.
The Ken Burns effect on the Vietnam War: an interview with Karín Aguilar-San Juan
October 23, 2017 04:00 - 24 minutes - 11.1 MBAn interview recorded in early August 2017 with Karín Aguilar-San Juan. The interview covers the book she coedited with Frank Joyce called "The People Make the Peace: Lessons from the Vietnam Antiwar Movement" (Just World Books 2015) on U.S. antiwar activists and combat veterans against the Vietnam War and their efforts at citizen diplomacy through travel to Vietnam. The interview touches upon the new Ken Burns documentary on the Vietnam War and what Aguilar-San Juan calls America's "Forrest ...
From Vietnam to Palestine, with Doug Hostetter
November 12, 2016 05:00 - 34 minutes - 15.8 MBSuper-skilled peace activist Doug Hostetter talks about his groundbreaking work on the "Peoples Peace Treaty" that students from the United States, South Vietnam, and North Vietnam concluded in early 1971... about how his peace activism has evolved over the years and why he's long been a big supporter for the rights of Palestinians... and why he supports Just World educational Support the Show.
Dr. Sarah Ahmed talks about her work with survivors of ISIS violence, in Iraq
August 20, 2016 04:00 - 25 minutes - 11.7 MBIn this episode of the Just World podcast, Helena Cobban talks to Dr. Sarah Ahmed, another very inspiring young Iraqi who’s been working to provide direct relief to the news waves of refugees and internally displaced people inside Iraq. Dr. Sarah is the Director of Operations for a UK-based charity called the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East. She talks with passion and conviction not only about the work she’s been doing with some of the deeply traumatized survivors ...
Conversation with Taif Jany, graduate of the Iraqi Student Project
August 13, 2016 04:00 - 21 minutes - 9.86 MBFrom 2007 through 2012, American peace activists Gabe Huck and Theresa Kubasak ran an innovative project in Damascus, Syria, to provide mentoring to some of the many young Iraqis who had then found refuge in Syria from the terrible conflicts then raging inside US-occupied Iraq... to prepare them to win entry to-- and succeed at-- four-year colleges around the U.S. In May 2016, many of the 60-plus graduates of this mentoring program gathered in Chicago for a reunion. Helena Cobban, the Preside...
Talking with Rabbi Brant Rosen about Jewish Nonviolence and his work with the Quakers
July 28, 2016 04:00 - 20 minutes - 9.54 MBThis a Just World Educational podcast, in which JWE President Helena Cobban talks on the phone with Rabbi Brant Rosen about his recent experience taking part in an action organized by the Center for Jewish Nonviolence-- and also, about he's found it being both a Jewish leader in his hometown, Chicago, and also a senior manager for the leading Quaker service organization there. Support the Show.
Amb. Chas Freeman on the interaction between Middle East events and the U.S. election
June 21, 2016 04:00 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MBOn June 21, Just World Books CEO Helena Cobban had a fascinating 40-minute discussion with Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr., author of the recently published book America's Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East. In the conversation, Freeman discussed the recently-reported letter that 51 currently serving junior and mid-level diplomats signed onto, in which they called for tougher action against Syria's President Assad; Russia's role in Syria; the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement for...
Sheila Carapico, Michael Hudson, & others discuss Yemen
May 14, 2016 04:00 - 1 hour - 43.4 MBSince March 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition has pursued a very destructive military action inside the populous Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen. In late April 2016, Dr. Sheila Carapico, the editor of the new book Arabia Incognita: Dispatches from Yemen and the Gulf, discussed the Yemen situation in Washington DC with fellow-expert Dr. Michael Hudson. In this 95-minute podcast, you can learn more about the book and hear their discussion. Support the Show.
'Gaza Kitchen' authors, in conversation with Claudia Roden
October 20, 2015 04:00 - 52 minutes - 24.2 MBA fascinating, 50-minute discussion held at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair among the authors of 'The Gaza Kitchen', Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt, and Claudia Roden, the doyenne of Mediterranean cuisine documentation. Support the Show.
Falk and Bennis launch Falk's great new book on Middle East!
June 10, 2015 04:00 - 1 hour - 28.1 MBThis is the recording of the great discussion that Richard Falk, author of "Chaos and Counterrevolution: After the Arab Spring" had with Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies, to mark the book's June 9th launch. A thoughtful seminar with two renowned experts. Support the Show.
Gareth Porter speaks in Berkeley, CA, early April 2014
April 14, 2014 04:00 - 1 hour - 42.3 MBBerkeley Fellowship Unitarian-Universalist hosted a lively discussion with Gareth Porter in early April, about his new book 'Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare.' The evening was co-sponsored by BFUU's Social Justice Committee and Project Censored. The discussion was moderated by Project Censored head Mickey Huff. Support the Show.
Matt Zeller's campaign for his interpreter
September 25, 2013 04:00 - 8 minutes - 4.05 MBMatt Zeller, author of the fine memoir 'Watches Without Time: An American Soldier in Afghanistan', has been waging a big campaign to save the life of his interpreter, Janis Shinwari. Hear about his campaign-- and also hear an excerpt from his book telling of his parting from Shinwari in Kabul, in december 2008. Support the Show.
Getting to Gaza: A reading from Laila El-Haddad's 'Gaza Mom Abridged'
September 15, 2013 04:00 - 12 minutes - 5.77 MBTo mark the publication of the abridged edition of Laila El-Haddad's classic 'Gaza Mom' book, we present a short reading from the book that focuses on the terrible problems Laila, like all Gaza's people, has in trying to get in and out of her home territory. Support the Show.
Author Short: Rami Zurayk on his 2009 visit to Aleppo
July 20, 2013 04:00 - 10 minutes - 4.83 MBRami Zurayk is a Lebanese agronomist and social activist. In this podcast, Just World Books owner Helena Cobban reads an excerpt from his 2011 book 'Food, Farming, and Freedom'. The excerpt is a charming account of a short visit he and his family made to Aleppo, Syria, in July 2009. Support the Show.
Convo with Laila El-Haddad about her recent visit to Gaza
July 13, 2013 04:00 - 21 minutes - 9.8 MBLaila El-Haddad, co-author of our much-acclaimed recent cookbook 'The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey' was recently back in Gaza. Though her time there was hectic, we caught up with her soon after her return to the United States, and talked with her about the reactions Gaza's people had to the cookbook-- and also about how the recent moves by the Egyptian military to close down the one remaining crossing point between Gaza and the rest of the world have affected people in the Str...
Amb. Chas W. Freeman Jr on his recent visit to China
April 28, 2013 04:00 - 24 minutes - 11.3 MBJust back from ten days in China, Chas Freeman, the author of 'Interesting Times: China, America, and the Shifting Balance of Prestige' describes and assesses how the many high-level Chinese officials he talked to there propose to calm the tensions currently wracking East Asia, regarding North Korea and other issues. Support the Show.
Dr. William Quandt Tracks Latest News on Turkish-Israeli Relations from Istanbul
April 03, 2013 04:00 - 15 minutes - 7.3 MBDr. William Quandt, veteran Middle East analyst and editor of 'Troubled Triangle: The United States, Turkey, and Israel in the New Middle East,' discusses the latest breakthrough in Turkish-Israeli relations with Dr. Sebnem Gumuscu from Sabanci University and Dr. Soli Özel from Kadir Has University during his recent trip to Turkey. Support the Show.
Matt Zeller on key U.S. lessons from the war in Afghanistan and its relationship with the war in Iraq
March 25, 2013 04:00 - 37 minutes - 17.1 MBMatt Zeller, author of 'Watches Without Time: An American Soldier in Afghanistan,' discusses the highlights from his recent college speaking tour and his key lessons learned from Afghanistan—some of which come from surprising places. Matt also reflects on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, what the war in Afghanistan would have looked like if we had never invaded Iraq, and how these wars have reignited the issue of veterans’ mental health. Support the Show.
Brant Rosen reflects on his book, the views of young American Jews, and the Arab Spring
February 15, 2013 05:00 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBIn this podcast, Rabbi Brant Rosen, author of 'Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi’s Path to Palestinian Solidarity,' shared his reflections on his book and how it has impacted his understanding of “what to do” with his beliefs and convictions as well as provided his insights about the effects of Operation Cast Lead, the Gaza flotilla incident, and other Israeli actions on both the views of young American Jews and the Arab Spring. He also offers his opinion on what President Obama should do in...
Miko Peled discusses his January 2013 travels-- and more!
February 02, 2013 05:00 - 29 minutes - 13.6 MBMiko Peled, author of 'The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine' discussed his fascinating recent travels in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan with Just World Books owner Helena Cobban. In this conversation, Miko also looked back at some of the main things he's learned doing book events around 'The General's Son' over the past ten months. Support the Show.
Jon Randal discusses the Sabra and Shatila massacres with Helena
September 14, 2012 04:00 - 44 minutes - 20.3 MBThirty years ago this month, fighters from Lebanon's Christian-extremist Phalangist militia, working in close coordination with the Israeli military, committed massacres against unarmed Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila that shocked the world. JWB author Jonathan Randal was in Beirut at the time. In this podcast, which is linked to the recent publication of his book "The Tragedy of Lebanon: Christian Warlords, Israeli Adventurers, and American Bunglers", Randal discussed ...
Yaprak Gursoy discusses Turkey's regional role
August 18, 2012 04:00 - 19 minutes - 8.99 MBYaprak Gursoy, a contributor to Troubled Triangle: The United States, Turkey, and Israel in the New Middle East and a professor at Istanbul's Bilgi University, discussed Turkey's role in the Syrian crisis and other regional arenas in a mid-August interview with JWB's Dalia Mortada. Support the Show.
Soli Özel talks about Turkey's role in Syria and the rest of the Middle East
February 24, 2012 05:00 - 15 minutes - 6.97 MBSupport the Show.
Chas Freeman discuss Middle East prospects with Helena
January 26, 2012 05:00 - 26 minutes - 12.2 MBIn this 26-minute podcast, Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr. discusses the risk of heightened U.S. confrontation with Iran during the current election year. He says he expects little U.S. activism in Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking-- and that U.S. influence in the region is anyway declining. Also, that there is now little prospect of a two-state outcome emerging. He also gives a smart assessment of the effects of the Arab Spring at its first anniversary. Support the Show.
Reidar Visser gives Helena Cobban a bleak assessment of U.S. achievements in Iraq
November 12, 2011 05:00 - 22 minutes - 10.3 MBThe U.S. occupation of Iraq is scheduled to draw to a final end on December 31 of this year. Just World Books author Reidar Visser has closely tracked Washington's efforts to try to build a democratic, accountable government in Iraq and now, as the nearly nine years of occupation draws to an end he tells Helena Cobban that the political situation there is bleak. Support the Show.
Laila El-Haddad, author of 'Gaza Mom', talks about Gaza, the flotilla, and changing American attitudes
November 05, 2011 04:00 - 13 minutes - 6.09 MBOn Friday, November 4, a small flotilla crewed by western and Palestinian peace activists was stopped and boarded by the Israeli Navy as its members tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by sailing into Gaza with medical supplies and letters from pen-pals. That same day, Just World Books owner Helena Cobban spoke by Skype with Laila El-Haddad, author of the acclaimed book 'Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything In Between.' Support the Show.
Joshua Foust's Afghanistan-Pakistan update, early August 2011
August 03, 2011 04:00 - 17 minutes - 8.12 MBJust World Books author Joshua Foust discussed mid-year trends in how U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan have been doing, with Dalia Mortada. In this lively discussion, Foust challenged much of what Gen. David Petraeus, until recently the commander of all U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, has said about violence in the country having been reduced. Listen to this experienced analyst's take on the situation-- and buy his book! Support the Show.
Our author Rami Zurayk on what happened in South Lebanon on May 15
May 17, 2011 04:00 - 15 minutes - 6.9 MBOn May 19, Just World Books will be publishing a fine new book by Lebanese agronomy specialist and social-justice activist Rami Zurayk. The book is called 'Food, Farming, and Freedom: Sowing the Arab Spring'. In this podcast episode, JWB owner Helena Cobban talks with Zurayk about a big civil-society action he participated in alongside other activists, centered around expressing supporting for the rights of the Palestinians. Sadly, the Israeli forces opened fire into Lebanon on some of the un...
Reidar Visser on Iraq's Fledgling Democracy, Iranian Influence and Regional Implications
March 15, 2011 04:00 - 24 minutes - 11.2 MBVisser talks from Norway about what led the U.S. democratization project in Iraq to fail, and how Iraq is NOT a model for activists in the current pro-democracy movements in the Middle East. Support the Show.
Laila El-Haddad - The Earth is Closing in on Us
February 14, 2011 05:00 - 2 minutes - 1.07 MBLaila El-Haddad reads an excerpt from her book, Gaza Mom, during an event at Westmont College. Full video of the event can be seen at http://bit.ly/dPjK7D Support the Show.
Amb. Chas Freeman Jr. - The US is no Longer Qualified to Broker Mideast Peace
January 26, 2011 05:00 - 5 minutes - 2.62 MBIn a discussion with the New America Foundation's Steve Clemons, Ambassador Chas W. Freeman Jr. argues that the US is no longer a qualified broker of peace between Israel and the Palestinians and that the process must be outsourced to other parties. A full video of the event can be seen at http://bit.ly/dIat5e Support the Show.
Amb. Chas Freeman on the rise of China and US Hegemeny
January 26, 2011 05:00 - 8 minutes - 3.85 MBExcerpt from a discussion between Ambassador Chas W. Freeman Jr. and Steve Clemons at a New America Foundation event. Freeman discusses what the rise of China as an economic and military power means for the US. Full video available at http://bit.ly/dIat5e Support the Show.
Reidar Visser on Iraq's Power Sharing Government
December 07, 2010 05:00 - 6 minutes - 2.86 MBIn a discussion at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, Reidar Visser speaks about the 2010 national elections and criticizes the US approach to Iraqi governance and the risk of sectarian imbalance in a power sharing model. A full podcast of the event is available at http://bit.ly/eURXOJ Support the Show.
Amb. Chas Freeman Jr: Failed Interventions and What They Teach
October 22, 2010 04:00 - 39 minutes - 17.9 MBRemarks by Chas W. Freeman Jr. to the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations on October 21, 2010. Transcript: http://bit.ly/8ZVVrP Support the Show.