Today I talked to Jonathan Schanzer about his new book Gaza Conflict 2021 (Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 2021).
The May 2021 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas generated headlines around the world. However, much of the reporting was uninformed and misleading, ignoring the context of history, funding, political dynamics, and other ... Show More
Nov 22
Faisal Devji, "Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam" (Yale UP, 2025)
Faisal Devji's Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam (Yale UP, 2025) is a compelling examination of the rise of Islam as a global historical actor. Until the nineteenth century, Islam was variously understood as a set of beliefs and practices. But after Muslims began ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 21
Killian Clarke, "Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Why do some revolutions fail and succumb to counterrevolutions, whereas others go on to establish durable rule?
Marshalling original data on counterrevolutions worldwide since 1900 and new evidence from the reversal of Egypt's 2011 revolution, in Return of Tyranny: Why Counterre ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 14
Basit Kareem Iqbal, "The Dread Heights: Tribulation and Refuge after the Syrian Revolution" (Fordham UP, 2025)
Basit Kareem Iqbal's new book The Dread Heights: Tribulation and Refuge after the Syrian Revolution (Fordham UP, 2025) uses ethnographic scenes from Jordan and Canada to contextualize the role of Muslim charities and community organizations that support displaced refugees from t ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2023
The history of Hamas, and its likely grim future - with Jonathan Schanzer
We have been getting a lot of questions about the history of Hamas, its ideological roots and objectives, its allies and rivalries, how it wound up in charge of Gaza, the origins of this war, and whether there could actually be a post-Hamas Gaza. For this tutorial, our guest is D ... Show More
58m 39s
Nov 2023
Nowhere to go, and Nowhere is Safe: The massacres of Gaza and the war between Hamas and Israel
<p>The Israeli bombardment of the people of Gaza has unleashed horrors. </p><p>Thousands have been killed, including thousands of children. There’s no end in sight, and Israel does not look like it will step away from its path. </p><p>The past 27 days in Gaza have been ... Show More
41m 36s
Jan 2024
Israel-Hamas War: 100 Days Later
Jan. 15 marks 100 days since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people. Israel then retaliated by launching a ground invasion of Gaza. More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed, and numerous others face a dire humanitarian crisis.
After ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 2023
Hamas, Israel and the PA at War — with Jeroen Gunning, Dana El Kurd and Uriel Abulof
<p>After a surprise attack by Hamas killed nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians, the Middle East stands on the brink of being engulfed by war. Israel’s retaliation has been no less devastating as the IDF laid siege to Gaza, killing more than 1,000 Palestinian civilians so far in a bomb ... Show More
57m 17s
Dec 2023
Two Months Later : Israel's war in Gaza and Netanyahu's political prospects
<p>The Hamas attack of 7 October shook Israel to its core. </p><p>It was a horrifying day that left at least 1,200 people dead, saw hundreds taken hostage, and a country deeply traumatised. </p><p>Israel responded with a deadly barrage of airstrikes and bombardment. Thi ... Show More
23m 58s
Nov 2023
Trouble with the 51st State: US policy on Gaza and its relationship with Israel
<p>The death toll from the conflict in Gaza passed 14,000 this week. </p><p>With a ceasefire starting on Friday evening, international diplomacy is happening, but so is the conflict. </p><p>The recent four-day ceasefire and prisoner swap was negotiated by Qatar and Isra ... Show More
33m 22s