Podcast series covering various topics in security and technology
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 18, 2014
ISIS and Iraq
Wednesday Jun 18, 2014
Wednesday Jun 18, 2014
Aaron Zelin discusses ISIS and Iraq including, its history and role in the June crisis.
Make sure to check out Aaron's work at the following links: "Return of Sunni Fighters in Iraq", "ISIS Has a Consumer Protection Office", and "The Massacre Strategy"
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
June 2014: The situation in Mosul, Iraq
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
Wednesday Dec 04, 2013
Episode 95 - Politics in Iraq and ISIS
Wednesday Dec 04, 2013
Wednesday Dec 04, 2013
@UticensisRisk's managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics newsletter, Nathaniel Rabkin, discusses politics in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham.
Monday Sep 09, 2013
Episode 81- A conversation about Shiism with Hayder al-Khoei
Monday Sep 09, 2013
Monday Sep 09, 2013
Hayder al-Khoei (@Hayder_alKhoei) talks to the Loopcast about Shiism in the modern world. Our conversation roughly follows the outline below.
Describe Shiism in the modern world: What is the
relationship between the state, the clergy, and the followers. Are there
Shia Islamists? Islamists being defined here as a "Shia Ikwan" lay people who use
religion as a method to access politics.
Najaf and Qum are the two most important cities in Shiism. How would you describe the relationship between them? How is politics structured between them? Where do we place Karbala?
How would you describe Iran's approach to Shiism, and Iraq's approach to Shiism as far as the individual experience is concerned? Has the differing ideologies of the state have had a different effect on the respective clergy and seminary schools?
How would compare the scholarship and students of Iran vs Iraq? The relationship between government, scholarship, and students?
In navigating the politics of the faith where do we place young men who have lesser religious credentials but are in the position of leadership like Sadr and Nasrollah? Moreover how important is the idea of marja taqlid to leadership in the faith if Sadr, Nasrollah, and even Khamenei have all used politics to circumvent it?
Syria: how do we understand Syria within the context of
Shiism. It seems that the Sayyida Zayneb, the protection of it, is playing a
large role in defining the conflict in starkly sectarian terms. Furthermore, a
great deal of the media being produced by Shia militias have evoked
sectarianism ( vs jihadis of the opposition) as reason to fight. Can we
consider Syria as a "Shia transnational jihad" in the vein of the
role that Afghanistan in the 80s played for Sunni jihadists?
Thursday Aug 08, 2013
Thursday Aug 08, 2013
Dr. Fanar Haddad (@fanarhaddad) talks to me (@rejectionking) about his book "Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity". We discuss sectarianism within the context of Iraq from the periods of 90s to 2003, from 2003 to 2010, and then 2010 on. At the end we discuss Syria and its effect on Iraq's political and sectarian dynamics.
Monday Aug 05, 2013
Episode 65- Can the war in Syria be considered a Shia jihad?
Monday Aug 05, 2013
Monday Aug 05, 2013
Phillip Smyth (@phillipsmyth) and I (@rejectionking) discuss whether the war in Syria can be considered a Shia jihad. The discussion opens up with an update on the war in Syria, followed by discussion of the transnational aspect of the war in Syria for Shia that includes a focus on sectarianism, the concept of defensive jihad, Iran's role, and Shia militia's media and music.
Please check out Phillip's work at "Hizballah Cavalcade" including "The Lion of Damascus, and Afghans, and Africans! Oh my!: Fighters from Exotic Locales in Syria's Shia Militias", "Liwa'a 'Ammar Ibn Yasir: A New Shia Militia Operating in Aleppo, Syria", and "The Songs of Liwa'a Abu Fadl al-Abbas: Militant Iraqi Shia Music and Syria".
Tuesday Jul 16, 2013
Episode 52- Iraqi Politics
Tuesday Jul 16, 2013
Tuesday Jul 16, 2013
Kirk Sowell (@uticensisrisk) and I (@rejectionking) discuss Iraqi politics in detail including a look at Sunni politics, Shia politics, Kurdish politics, and ending with Syria.
Make sure to check out Inside Iraqi Politics, a great resource if you're studying Iraq and Iraqi politics.
Wednesday Jul 10, 2013
Episode 51-Iraq Update
Wednesday Jul 10, 2013
Wednesday Jul 10, 2013
Joel Wing (@JoelWing2) and I (@rejectionking) discuss what is happening in Iraq.
Please check out Joel's informative and in depth analysis at Musings on Iraq.
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Episode 45-Badr Organization in Syria
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Friday Jun 28, 2013
Phillip Smyth (@phillipsmyth) and I (@rejectionking) discuss Iraqi militias in Syria with a particular focus on the Badr Organization.
Check out Phillip Smyth's post on Jihadology: "Breaking Badr: Is Iraq's Badr Organization Operating in Syria?"
For a more policy oriented look read "Iran's Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria"