Below you can find a collection of edited interviews conducted by David Zlutnick of Upheaval Productions. Those speaking are a variety of individuals who offer unique view points on diverse topics ranging from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to the Drug War, and many more.
Links to the full transcripts of the interviews are provided underneath each video. Check em out!
RACHEL HAVRELOCK on Israel’s Borders — November 22, 2011
Click here for a transcript of the full interview.
Rachel Havrelock is a scholar of the Hebrew Bible and its historical interpretation. She teaches Jewish Studies and English at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the author of several books as well as a play. Her latest work, River Jordan: The Mythology of a Dividing Line , examines five national myths in the Hebrew Bible and examines which have had political currency and which have been repressed. In this interview she argues that while certain biblical interpretations favor expansion and conquest, others may provide an inspiration for coexistence, while colonial ideas of partition and rigid borders need to be thrown out to favor a new post-national model.
GILBERT ACHCAR on the The Arabs and the Holocaust — October 21, 2011
Click here for a transcript of the full interview.
Gilbert Achcar teaches in the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. His research has included the study of politics and economics in the Middle East and North Africa; US policy in the Middle East; the sociology of Islam and Islamic fundamentalism; and social theory and movements, among other topics. Achcar’s latest work is The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, published in 2010 by Metropolitan Books. Here he talks about what he calls the “Nazification” of the Arabs and the implications this narrative has had on the past and present political situation in the Middle East.
CHARLES BOWDEN on the Mexican Drug War — June 30, 2011
Click here for a transcript of the full interview.
Charles Bowden is an author and journalist whose work has largely focused on the US/Mexico Border region. His writing has especially centered on the Mexican Drug War and Ciudad Juárez, the border city known as the epicenter of Mexican drug violence. His critically acclaimed book, Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields, was published in 2010 by Nation Books. He argues in this interview that the extreme violence seen in Mexico is a sign of a deeper societal disintegration resulting from governmental corruption, failed economic policies, and the War on Drugs.
MALALAI JOYA on the War in Afghanistan — April 9, 2011
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Malalai Joya is an Afghan activist, author, and former politician. She served as an elected parliamentary member of the National Assembly of Afghanistan, until she was expelled for denouncing other members as warlords and war criminals. She has been a vocal critic of both the US/NATO occupation and the Karzai government, as well as the Taliban and Islamic fundamentalists. Here she speaks about the US occupation, the inspiration of the Arab uprisings, and the Afghan social movements.
GEORGE KATSIAFICAS on the Arab Uprisings — March, 27, 2011
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George Katsiaficas is a professor, sociologist, author, and activist. He teaches at the Wentworth Institute of Technology and specializes in social movements, Asian politics, U.S. foreign policy, and comparative and historical studies. He has written extensively on popular social uprisings in various regions and historical moments. In this interview he discusses the Arab uprisings of early-2011, placing them in a greater context of social transformation.
DR. HAJO MEYER on Zionism and Judaism — Feb. 19, 2011
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Dr. Hajo Meyer is a Holocaust survivor and anti-Zionist activist. He has conducted a speaking tour titled “Never Again For Anyone,” sharing his experiences of surviving Auschwitz and his perceptions of Zionism and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. In this video he discusses his views of the antagonistic relationship between Zionism and Judaism.
