The New Asian Century Podcast: Recent Episodes
The New Asian Century Podcast
The New Asian Century podcast tracks West Asia from poorhouse to powerhouse.
This transition increasingly shapes the political, economic and military environment at the global level. Inevitably, it challenges the idea of a core/periphery hierarchy.
Invited guests are natives to the region and offer their qualified expertise on selected subjects.
In episode 4 of our New Asian Century Podcast, I speak to Ali Choukair, a German-Lebanese lawyer who witnessed the brutal assault on German Shia Muslim religious centers after the government's designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Ali helps us explore the history of the Lebanese Shia Muslim community in Germany, their evolving relationship with the state during the last decade, motives of the German government behind the raid, the power of the Zionist lobby in parliamentary politics, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs' relationship with Hezbollah since the 2006 war onward and what Ali believes is the future of Muslims in Germany following the assault.
In the third episode of New Asian Century, a psychologist and political scientist discuss the importance of naming and framing in public diplomacy discourse. This episode covers three key terms: 'Middle East,' 'the Politics of Factionalism' and 'Intervention.' It is part of a larger collection of segments discussing the linguistics of Imperialism that will be published online. Throughout the decades, these terms have become standard discourse in the political science literature and have been adopted by hegemonic powers, particularly the United States, to justify the strategic mission they have for countries they are seeking to overthrow.
Iranian economist Ali Mohebbi talks about the unilateral US sanctions regime against Iran in light of COVID-19 and which areas the American government is hindering Iran's battle against the virus.
An Iranian nurse tells me about Iran's experience with containing the coronavirus outbreak amidst a global scacity, a targeted propaganda campaign and a brutal sanctions regime. Zahra Shafei is a nurse with working experience in the Iranian health care sector.