Twice a week, award-winning journalist Afshin Rattansi and his team go underground to cover geopolitics and current affairs from a perspective you won’t find in the mainstream media, with some of the most high-profile guests.
Aftermath: The US’ dirty war on Syria, and will US-Israel attack Iran again? (Prof. Steve Simon)
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Prof. Steven Simon, NSC senior director for transnational threats under President Bill Clinton and NSC senior director for Middle East and North Africa under President Barack Obama. He discusses his reaction to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee meeting convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, responsible for the biggest breach of US intelligence in history, the lack of any real set compass for Donald Trump as regards foreign policy with constant U-turns, Russia’s standing in the Middle East following the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria, and Trump’s welcoming of Al-Sharaa/Al-Jolani to the White House. In the second half of the interview, Afshin Rattansi challenges Simon on why the US had been meddling in Syria, leading to more bloodshed, and the infamous admission by Jake Sullivan that the US was on Al-Qaeda’s side in Syria. The conversation then moves into Iran realizing that negotiations with the US over its nuclear program are pointless and the threat of attack by the US and Israel again, how long Al-Jolani/Al-Sharaa can remain in power, and more.
Ukraine: Europe is bringing the world to the precipice of nuclear war with Russia (Dr. Dmitri Trenin)
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak with Dr. Dmitri Trenin, member of Russia’s Foreign and Defense Policy Council and Former Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. He discusses why, with the world at the precipice of nuclear war, the Ukraine proxy war is far more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis, the possibility of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons should current negotiations with the US fail, whether there are splits in the approach to negotiations in the Russian and US leadership, the leak of the Ushakov-Witkoff phone call and who could be behind it, why Donald Trump keeps caving to demands from European countries on Ukraine, Trump’s approach to pressuring both Russia and Ukraine into agreeing to a peace deal, Vladimir Putin’s aim to help the US distance itself from Ukraine, the tenets of the ‘28-point-plan’ and whether Russia is likely to accept it, the potential of Russian strikes against European targets in the event of Western provocations and false flags to torpedo a future peace agreement, and much more.
Israeli influence, Al-Qaeda, assassination: Afshin Rattansi challenges ex-CIA Tel Aviv station chief
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Susan Miller, former chief of the CIA’s station in Tel Aviv. Afshin Rattansi asks her about the close relationship between the CIA, Mossad and Shin Bet, Israel’s level of influence over US foreign policy, Israel and the CIA’s involvement with ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria, Syria’s Al-Sharaa/Al-Jolani being welcomed to the White House by Donald Trump, the CIA’s role in the assassination of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani, whether the CIA’s policy of assassinations are actually successful in furthering US foreign policy objectives, the Trump administration’s bogus pretext of narco-trafficking for pushing regime change against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the CIA’s own history of being involved in drug trafficking, and much more.
BRICS must replace the authoritarian US international financial system, says Prof. Steve Keen
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Prof. Steve Keen, Distinguished Fellow at UCL’s Institute for Strategy Resilience and Security. He discusses the ‘failed sideshow’ of the G20 and the non-attendance of the leaders of the big powers, the high levels of private debt crushing the poor and reducing demand across the West, the zero-sum games of FDI-led growth and war-led growth that the US is trying to pursue under Donald Trump, the short-sighted and ludicrous economic aims of our contemporary leaders, the elite increasing their wealth and power through war while ignoring growing private debt, the IMF being a major destabilizing force causing economic misery in Africa, Washington’s weaponization of the US dollar and use of the international commerce system against Russia, Iran, and others, the catastrophic economic impact of Europe cutting itself off from cheap Russian energy, the need for BRICS to create an alternative international financial system to replace the US’ flawed and authoritarian system, some of Donald Trump’s good economic instincts which are in tune with the demands of the working class, and much more.
NATO’s Operation Gladio: The network destroying nations for oligarchical control of the world’s resources
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Colonel Roxane Towner-Watkins, US Air Force Veteran and Host of the Colonel’s Corner podcast. She discusses the history of NATO’s Operation Gladio and the use of terrorism and false flags to suppress and keep socialist and communist movements out of power, not just in Western Europe but all around the world, the real objective being to suppress and attack labor movements and strengthen oligarch power, how Gladio networks are still attacking anti-imperial leaders in the modern era from Gaddafi to Maduro now in Venezuela, Israel and Taiwan as a ‘strategy of tension’ for control of the Middle East and Asia’s resources, how Operation Gladio today uses student movements against designated enemy governments, the assassination of Charlie Kirk and how it fits into the historical pattern of assassinations of mass movement leaders, the Jeffrey Epstein blackmail campaign and how it fits into the Operation Gladio strategy, and much more.
‘Time to wrap up the Israel project?’ Afshin Rattansi challenges Netanyahu’s ex-adviser Ruthie Blum
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Ruthie Blum, former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She discusses the visit of Syria’s Ahmed Al-Sharaa to the White House and the resignation of Netanyahu’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Afshin Rattansi challenges her on Israel’s arming and supporting of Hamas, Ron Dermer advocating the use of economic measures to lower Palestinian birth rates and preserve an Israeli majority, the assassination of Charlie Kirk and his turn against Israel before his death, J.D. Vance’s embrace of the anti-Israel MAGA base, Donald Trump’s admission of Miriam Adelson’s significant influence over his administration, the exodus of Jews from Israel as the Gaza genocide continues despite the ceasefire, a potential second Israeli war on Iran, whether it’s time to wrap up the Zionist project, and much more.