Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left Podcast in which we will

attempt to understand as many of the interlocking elements as possible in the current Middle East conflicts sparked most prominently

by the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Sources today include Democracy Now, The Inquiry, Intercepted, and AmeriCast with additional members only clips from

intercepted and the majority report. I think that in my 20 plus years of covering the war on terror this is the

most dangerous moment in for the Middle East that I've seen professionally.

You talk about there being the possibility of a full-blown regional conflict,

we're at least at half-blown now.

Consider what the battlefields are and have been

in this conflict.

Gaza, obviously the most important one,

the most devastating to humanity

where the Palestinians are experiencing

what could and probably should be understood as a genocide but also southern Israel

northern Israel southern Lebanon northwestern Syria

Beirut northeastern Syria erbille bagged Syria, Beirut, Northeastern Syria, Erbil, Baghdad, southwestern Yemen, the Red Sea, Pakistan as well.

This is now a conflict with battle fronts ranging across the region, each of which facing pressure to escalate as their various combatants,

objectives are not fully achieved.

We shouldn't think that absent an active act of de-escalation

that this won't continue spiraling outward throughout 2024.

And Spencer, this whole idea that we hear almost every day some member of the Biden administration say that they're trying

to prevent an escalation of the conflict in the region when in fact their actions are quite the opposite.

...