America Unleashed: Why the US Can’t Kick Its Addiction To Empire (S01E88)

Corrupt, Violent Gangs Rule Over Libya (S01E109)

Thursday, July 16, 2026, Chicago Libya has often been described as yet another US-led Middle East regime change operations that led to catastrophic results for its people and for the world. Nearly 15 years after the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammer Gaddafi, the country is indeed a mess. It is divided by civil conflict and being exploited for its resources by rival families working in conjunction with their foreign backers. In part one of a special edition of badlands, Libya expert Anas el-Gomati [https://x.com/AGomati], founder of Libya’s Sadeq Institute, and I recount Libya’s recent history and discuss the sudden international interest in Libya, including meetings between warlord Khalifa Haftar’s and both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as fresh interest in the country’s oil reserves. “The oil is the best reason why everybody always comes back to Libya,” he says. There is also talk of a unification deal, between the two fractured halves of the country. “It’s being noted and penned as a unification deal,” he says. “It’s really a merger between these two rival families.” As the powerful grapple for power and resources, ordinary Libyans are suffering immensely, with declining living standards and eroding infrastructure, exemplified by the 2023 dam failures in eastern Libya that led to the deaths of at least 7,800 people. Also in this episode, I discuss the confusion over Donald Trump’s Iran strategy as well as the impact of the war on the global economy and the prospects for peace in interviews with India’s NewsX World. badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe [https://borzou.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Why Israel Has Gone Off The Rails (S01E108)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit borzou.substack.com [https://borzou.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] Wednesday, July 15, 2026, Chicago Israel’s wars in Gaza, the West Bank, Iran, and Lebanon have led to ambiguous military outcomes but undoubtedly increased the isolation of the country, both in terms of diplomacy and its worldwide image. In part two of her interview with badlands, Noga Tarnopolsky [https://substack.com/profile/256999-noga-tarnopolsky] discusses what describe as the “malaise” that seems to be afflicting Israeli society. She describes fear and loathing whipped up by a gang of rightwing politicians to exploit the horror of October 7 to keep a tight reign over society and pursue their maximalist demands. We also discuss Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest power grab, in which he defies a supreme court ruling in order increase his control over the country’s media ahead of elections now scheduled for October 27. Subscribe to Noga’s newsletter [https://nogatarnopolsky.substack.com/] now! Also today, I provide some brief updates on the escalation in the Persian Gulf and Donald Trump’s various flip flops in an interview with France 24. [https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/the-debate/20260714-war-talks-repeat-how-to-break-the-cycle-between-us-and-iran?utm_slink=f24.my%2FC3TH] badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber

Neocons Drag World Back To Brink Of Total Iran War (S01E107)

Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Chicago US President Donald Trump plans to re-impose the blockade on Iranian ships transiting the Persian Gulf. As for other ships, he claims that not only is the Strait of Hormuz is “OPEN” but soon to become a cash machine for America! In the latest episode of badlands, Brett Erickson [https://substack.com/profile/401162156-brett-erickson] of Obsidian Risk Advisors joins the podcast again to help unravel the combination of delusion and confusion that appears to be driving the Trump administration’s Middle East policy. “He's desperate and he's clearly under way more pressure,” he tells me “I don’t think anyone expected it to go this bad. And I mean, he's just tweeting or Truthing. He's just spewing out nonsense because he's not putting thought into it because he's angry.” Also, on today’s show, I discuss the whether diplomacy can still salvage the memorandum of understanding, as well as the increasing risk of Yemen being drawn onto the conflict in an interview with NewsX World. Separately, I spoke about the latest news in the Persian Gulf in an interview with NPR’s mid-afternoon show Here & Now [https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/07/13/strait-of-hormuz-strikes]. badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe [https://borzou.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Can Israel Handle The Truth? (S01E106)

Monday, July 13, 2026, Chicago The US and Iran hammered away at each other over the weekend, with Tehran effectively imposing a closure on the Strait of Hormuz and Washington all but tossing the memorandum of understanding it signed last month into the trash heap. While this may appear to be the new normal in the Persian Gulf, it is not sustainable for Americans, Iranians, or the rest of the world. On today’s edition of badlands, I discuss the lack of public input or popular protest in a war that is nonetheless the world. Also, Noga Tarnopolsky [https://substack.com/profile/256999-noga-tarnopolsky] joins badlands from Israel to discuss US Democratic Party stalwart Rahm Emanuel’s recent visit to Tel Aviv . Please tune in tomorrow when Noga and I discuss Benjamin Netanyahu’s power grab and Israel’s sense of isolation. in second part of her interview with badlands. Subscribe to Noga’s newly launched newsletter [https://nogatarnopolsky.substack.com/], Bibi and Beyond. badlands is a viewer-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe [https://borzou.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Fragile Lebanon Is Disintegrating Under Weight Of Israeli War, US Pressure (S01E105)

Friday, July 10, 2026, Istanbul Israel continues to occupy a huge swath of Lebanon, attacking Lebanese civilians in horrific atrocities taking place regularly. In the latest edition of the badlands podcast, Lebanon-based journalist Habib Battah, founder of the Beirut Report [https://beirutreport.com/], joins in for a discussion about how the country has been further fragmented along both sectarian and class lines as Israel continues its military operations against Hezbollah. The war is furthering the country’s collapse, with everything from traffic lights to security forces failing to function. The government is unable to accede to US and Israeli demands that it get Hezbollah under control. “This is a country that has been disintegrated, fragmented by decades and decades and decades of wars and so it’s in no it’s in no position really to take any massive control of the situation in this country,” he said. Habib also details his groundbreaking reporting on the massive new US embassy being built up, one that sounds like a vast fortress meant to effectively run Lebanon rather than represent US interests in the country. You can follow Habib on his Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/habib_b/] or on X. [https://x.com/habib_b] badlands is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe [https://borzou.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]