In this espisode, the first one for 2024, we start off hot by speaking with Scott Lucas on events in the Middle East from Gaza to Lebanon and from Yemen to Jordan and Iran, why have things gone so wrong and what lies ahead?

Scott’s latest piece in The Conversation can be found - here

927 Magazine can be found - here

Scott’s website EA Worldview can be found - here

In this espisode, the first one for 2024, we start off hot by speaking with Scott Lucas on events in the Middle East from Gaza to Lebanon and from Yemen to Jordan and Iran, why have things gone so wrong and what lies ahead?
Scott’s latest piece in The Conversation can be found - <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-with-a-tanking-economy-and-an-election-in-weeks-the-islamic-republic-tries-to-rally-support-by-acting-tough-221660">here</a>
927 Magazine can be found - <a href="https://www.972mag.com/">here</a>
Scott’s website EA Worldview can be found - <a href="https://eaworldview.com/">here</a>

The news today is often biased at the personal, organisational and structural levels, polarising our societies. The Focus is a program designed to cut through this bias to get at the heart of a topic. Join Host Dr. John Bruni and Producers Malcolm Hughes and Neil Smart as they examine the pressing issues of our time whether in Australia or overseas. In an interdependent, troubled and fast-moving world, knowing what questions to ask can lead us to understand and adapt to new and disruptive circumstances.

The Focus

Middle East Madness

In our latest episode of The Focus, we sit down with Dr. Roy Casagranda to delve into the high-stakes landscape of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. With democracy, alliances, and the global order on the line, Dr. Casagranda unpacks the complexities surrounding Trump AND Harris as presidential candidates, exploring how their policies and political manoeuvres could reshape America and its role on the world stage. Join us for this in-depth analysis of an election that could redefine the future.

Show Notes:

Roy Casagranda Links

X: @RoyCasagranda 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.roy.casagranda?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Website: https://gov.casagranda.com/index.html

Books by Roy:

The Blood Throne of Caria (Empire of the Nightingale Book 3), Sekhmet Liminal Press, LLC, 2018.

Articles by Roy:

Nationalism and the Left: Liberation not Supremacy, IAI News, March 3, 2023, https://iai.tv/articles/nationalism-and-the-left-roy-casagranda-auid-2408.

Glossary of Terms:

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 1 July 2020.

FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), 32nd President of the United States.

Jill Stein from Pennsylvania is an American physician, activist & politician associated with the Green Party. Her political campaigns primary revolve around the Green New Deal.

In our latest episode of The Focus, we sit down with Dr. Roy Casagranda to delve into the high-stakes landscape of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. With democracy, alliances, and the global order on the line, Dr. Casagranda unpacks the complexities surrounding Trump AND Harris as presidential candidates, exploring how their policies and political manoeuvres could reshape America and its role on the world stage. Join us for this in-depth analysis of an election that could redefine the future.
Show Notes:
Roy Casagranda Links
X: @RoyCasagranda 
TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.roy.casagranda?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.roy.casagranda?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc</a>
Website: <a href="https://gov.casagranda.com/index.html">https://gov.casagranda.com/index.html</a>
Books by Roy:
The Blood Throne of Caria (Empire of the Nightingale Book 3), Sekhmet Liminal Press, LLC, 2018.
Articles by Roy:
Nationalism and the Left: Liberation not Supremacy, IAI News, March 3, 2023, <a href="https://iai.tv/articles/nationalism-and-the-left-roy-casagranda-auid-2408">https://iai.tv/articles/nationalism-and-the-left-roy-casagranda-auid-2408</a>.
Glossary of Terms:
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 1 July 2020.
FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), 32nd President of the United States.
Jill Stein from Pennsylvania is an American physician, activist &amp; politician associated with the Green Party. Her political campaigns primary revolve around the Green New Deal.

Election 2024 | Democracy on the Edge?

🔥 Iran's Largest Missile Barrage Yet! 🔥 In this explosive episode of The Focus, we dive into the unprecedented Iranian missile strikes on Israel in 2024, the largest of its kind since the conflict began. With 200 ballistic missiles fired, retaliation for the assassinations of key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and Israel's air defenses pushed to the limit, we sit down with Professor Scott Lucas, an expert in international relations, to break down what this all means for the future of the Middle East. Could this be the flashpoint for a larger conflict? 🚨 Don't miss this must-listen episode!



SHOW NOTES:

X: @ScottLucas_EA

Website: eaworldview.com

Books:

(Eds. Bevan Sewell & Scott Lucas ) Challenging US Foreign Policy: America and the World in the Long Twentieth Century, 2011.

(Eds. Scott Lucas & Ali Fisher) The Trials of Public Diplomacy, 2010.

Scholarly Articles:

Lucas, Scott & Paraszczuk, Joanna. (2014). The Middle East: Between Geography and Power. Bustan: The Middle East Book Review. 5. 17-23. 10.1163/18785328-00501002. 

🔥 Iran's Largest Missile Barrage Yet! 🔥 In this explosive episode of The Focus, we dive into the unprecedented Iranian missile strikes on Israel in 2024, the largest of its kind since the conflict began. With 200 ballistic missiles fired, retaliation for the assassinations of key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and Israel's air defenses pushed to the limit, we sit down with Professor Scott Lucas, an expert in international relations, to break down what this all means for the future of the Middle East. Could this be the flashpoint for a larger conflict? 🚨 Don't miss this must-listen episode!
 
SHOW NOTES:
X: @ScottLucas_EA
Website: <a href="http://eaworldview.com">eaworldview.com</a>
Books:
(Eds. Bevan Sewell &amp; Scott Lucas ) Challenging US Foreign Policy: America and the World in the Long Twentieth Century, 2011.
(Eds. Scott Lucas &amp; Ali Fisher) The Trials of Public Diplomacy, 2010.
Scholarly Articles:
Lucas, Scott &amp; Paraszczuk, Joanna. (2014). The Middle East: Between Geography and Power. Bustan: The Middle East Book Review. 5. 17-23. 10.1163/18785328-00501002.

Middle East at War | Israel vs. Iran

Is there a new 'Harris Doctrine' on the horizon? Join Yale historian Dr. Michael Brenes as we unpack Kamala Harris's foreign policy vision in our latest podcast!

Show Notes:

You can contact Michael here:

X: @mbrenes1

Substack: michaelbrenes.substack.com

Books published by Michael – 
And, as mentioned in the podcast - The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy, and TO BE published by Yale University Press in January 2025.
Rethinking U.S. Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2024.
For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy, published by University of Massachusetts Press in 2020.

Is there a new 'Harris Doctrine' on the horizon? Join Yale historian Dr. Michael Brenes as we unpack Kamala Harris's foreign policy vision in our latest podcast!
Show Notes:
You can contact Michael here:
X: @mbrenes1
Substack: <a href="http://michaelbrenes.substack.com/">michaelbrenes.substack.com</a>
Books published by Michael – 
<ul>
<li>And, as mentioned in the podcast - The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy, and TO BE published by Yale University Press in January 2025.</li>
<li>Rethinking U.S. Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2024.</li>
<li>For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy, published by University of Massachusetts Press in 2020.</li>
</ul>

Middle East Madness

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