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Syrian Civil War 1.6

Syrian Civil War 1.6

by | Apr 13, 2017 | Podcast

In this episode we examine the US’ response to the OPEC oil sanctions of 1973. Kissinger promised to negotiate a settlement between Israel and Syria which was enough for Assad to convince Arab oil producers to lift the embargo in March 1974. But at the same...
Syrian Civil War 1.5

Syrian Civil War 1.5

by | Apr 6, 2017 | Podcast

Part 5 of our Syria series looks at the era of Hafez Al-Assad, 1970 – 2000. His rise through the ranks of the military, becoming a general in the air force, defense minister, and finally President after his own coup. His wars against Israel and his role in the...
Syrian Civil War 1.4

Syrian Civil War 1.4

by | Mar 30, 2017 | Podcast

Part 4 of our series on the Syrian civil war focuses on the history of the Alawites, a bizarre and minor Islamic sect that spent most of its 1100 year history being oppressed (and beheaded) by the Sunni majority – until Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, became the...
Syrian Civil War 1.3

Syrian Civil War 1.3

by | Mar 8, 2017 | Podcast

Part 3 of our series on the Syrian civil war. We spend this episode talking about Saudi Arabia – from it’s founding in 1744, when Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab,...
Syrian Civil War 1.2

Syrian Civil War 1.2

by | Mar 8, 2017 | Podcast

Continuing our discussion about the Syrian civil war and the history that lead up to it, we pick up where we left off talking about the history of Iran, including the CIA’s covert overthrow of Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953, the...