UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim

Episode 52 - What does Zohran Mamdani's victory mean for the USA | Dr. Roy Casagranda | UNAPOLOGETIC

Unapologetic’s host Ashfaaq Carim speaks to Dr Roy Casagranda about what Zohran Mamdani's election victory means for the USA and it's political future

Episode 51 - Will Trump's ceasefire deal survive Netanyahu's scheming? |Gershon Baskin | UNAPOLOGETIC

In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, peace negotiator Gershon Baskin takes us inside the Trump-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — from backchannel talks with Hamas leaders to the Doha strike that nearly derailed the deal, and the moment Trump forced Netanyahu to apologize on camera. Baskin explains how the agreement came together, why it almost collapsed, and whether it can survive Netanyahu’s politics and the trauma of two years of war. He also reflects on 48 years in Israel, the country’s moral decline, and the difficult question of whether he can still call it home. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Backchannel Reborn Through Gaza 06:00 - Deal Delayed by Bombs 08:00 - The Three-Week Peace Plan 13:00 - Doha Strike and Betrayal 19:45 - Trump Forces Netanyahu’s Apology 23:00 - Will the Ceasefire Hold? 41:00 - Aftermath and Two-State Hope 48:00 - Israel Beyond Repair?

Episode 50 - How to stop a right-wing takeover of the UK | Zack Polanski | UNAPOLOGETIC

Green Party leader Zack Polanski joins UNAPOLOGETIC to talk about his plans to stop the right wing’s rise in the UK. Just weeks after being elected leader — and as the Greens gain over 30,000 new members — Polanski speaks about the party’s growing momentum in a political moment defined by Reform UK’s surge and the launch of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s Your Party. We discuss whether the Greens can turn their surge in support into real political power — and what it will take to build a credible alternative to the far right and a drifting Labour.

Episode 49 - October 7th, Two years on : “Genocide is the means, not the ends” | Norman Finkelstein | UNAPOLOGETIC

Political scientist and historian Norman Finkelstein joins this special edition of UNAPOLOGETIC that marks two years since the October 7 Hamas-led attack and Israel’s devastating retaliation against Gaza, which the majority of genocide scholars around the world have labelled a genocide. In this nearly three-hour conversation, we ask whether Hamas regrets its actions, probe the realities of Trump’s Gaza plan - and question if this is just another ruse to create cover for more of Netanyahu’s atrocities. Norman laments the depth of Israel’s brutality over the past 24 months and the roles of Israeli society, Arab states, Western governments, and the media in enabling it. He also reflects on the collapse of international law and shifting global politics. We discuss whether recognition of Palestine makes any difference, where the genocide leaves the future of the Palestinian liberation struggle, and why the horrors of Gaza defy facts alone.

Episode 48 - Three decades on the frontlines of battling abusive governments | Kenneth Roth | UNAPOLOGETIC

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, joins UNAPOLOGETIC to discuss his new book Righting Wrongs. Part memoir, part strategy guide, part global analysis, the book offers a rare inside look at how human rights advocacy really works. In this conversation, we explore how Roth built HRW from a team of just 60 people into a global organisation with more than 550 staff. He reflects on political strategy, the limits of “naming and shaming,” and the constant struggle to fund independent rights work. We also dive into HRW’s landmark reports—on apartheid and genocide in Gaza, the devastation of Syria’s war, Rwanda, China, Russia, and more. Roth shares what he learned from world leaders, victims, and dictators, and how those encounters shaped his understanding of power and human nature. A wide-ranging conversation on justice, accountability, and whether the world is becoming a better place.