The Weekly Point with Z: Recent Episodes
Zaher
The Weekly Point with Z Podcast is a personal project; a place for me to share a different perspective on past, present and future events, stemming from my understanding of global affairs, trends, and cultures. Being an economist by academic background, a politics and history hobbyist, and having lived and experienced the different cultures of the Middle East, Europe, and North America; I initiated this podcast to challenge traditional thinking, provoke initial beliefs, and stimulate a rewarding thought process. This podcast is meant to be provocative at times, reconciliatory at others. It is intended to identify and examine difficult topics that many are not willing to discuss, and to try and bridge the gap in understanding between those sitting on different sides of the conversation.If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the Podcast. If not, please contact me and share your point of view! In either case, I am Zaher and welcome to The Weekly Point with Z Podcast!
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we analyze some of the reasons why the Iranian Regime fell out of favor with the people of Iran. We elaborate on how the Regime invested the wealth of the Iranian people to finance its adventurism and aggressive expansionism in the Middle East, and how it instigated repressive policies used to oppress both the Iranian people and other peoples of the region.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we discuss the fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty (the last royal family of Iran), the revolution that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s regime, the rise to power of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the establishment of a theocratic state in the form of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we elaborate on Ismail Shah (the Safavid)’s decision to convert Persia (Iran) to Twelver Shiism, to secure his rule and curtail foreign intervention by the Ottoman Empire and Uzbek Khanates. We also discuss some of the repercussions of that decision, and how it aided in creating a schism between Muslim communities in the Middle East which lasts to this day and is at the source of many conflicts.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we go back almost 1,500 years in history to discover the period immediately preceding the Muslim conquest of Persia (Iran). We elaborate on some of the conditions that might have facilitated its fall, setting the stage for its integration and assimilation within the newly founded Islamic Caliphate / Empire. This will provide us with a starting point for future discussions / episodes, during which we will shed a light on Iran’s progression throughout history, leading to the foundation of the modern-day Islamic Republic of Iran, and an analysis of some of the challenges it is facing today.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we discover why the war in Ukraine is unlikely to offer any positive outcome for Russia. Russia might have lost the war the moment it had entered the country, unleashing a chain of events that will likely accelerate what it feared most: a bolstered NATO presence at one of its most vulnerable borders.
(Also available on YouTube:The Weekly Point with Z)
In this week's episode we discover why Russia's war on Ukraine was inevitable. We look to explore the different diverging interests in the country, key events, and decisions that put it on a collision course with Russia years ago.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this episode we provide a high-level overview of multiple potential solutions to the current economic crisis.
For more information on the current economic crisis and some of the key factors leading to it, I invite you to check out last week’s episode titled “Socioeconomics of Lebanon: The Current Crisis”
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this episode we go back to Lebanon’s post-civil war era, and discuss some of the main economic decisions, factors and events that led, or at least significantly contributed, to the current economic crisis.
(Also available on YouTube: The Weekly Point with Z)
In this episode we elaborate further on the repercussions resulting from France’s decision to establish Lebanon as a separate state, symbolically hand over control to the Maronite Christian Church, and implicitly promise to protect Christian minorities as a special community. We mainly discuss how this decision has helped to set a precedent, inciting each other community within the country to seek out protection from foreign powers through similar arrangements.
If you are unfamiliar with the history of Lebanon and how it was established, I invite you to check out the previous episode titled “Socioeconomics of Lebanon: Timeline from Crisis to Crisis”
(Also available on Youtube - The Weekly Point with Z)
Many assume the troubles of Lebanon started with the civil war. Many look back to the Lebanon of the 1950-60s, often considering that period in history as the golden age of the country, and mistakenly relying on it as a template for what a functioning Lebanon could possibly look like.
In this episode we explore why the troubles of Lebanon precede its creation and are more foundational in nature. We run through a chronology of crises that left the country in a vulnerable position, unable to weather the many storms in its path.
This is episode 1 in the series on the socioeconomics of Lebanon. Tune in for future episodes, where we explore this topic in further detail.
(Also available on Youtube - The Weekly Point with Z)
In this episode we continue to discuss some of the reasons behind the inability of Arab leaders to prioritize their causes, push their agendas, and influence events on the world stage. We explores how Arab leaders failed to understand how the world is evolving and the rules of the game are shifting, and how they are still playing by rules that are outdated in today's geopolitical landscape.