Episodes

  • Strategic defeat in the Gulf w/ Jennifer Kavanagh

    Strategic defeat in the Gulf w/ Jennifer Kavanagh
    Apr 8 2026
    Jennifer Kavanagh joins PTO to talk about the two-week conditional ceasefire that has been agreed between the United States and Iran, and how the Islamic Republic succeeded in inflicting what looks to be a major strategic defeat on the US. We talked about the implications of the ceasefire, what it means for US-Israeli relations and what will happen to American bases in the region - now that it's been shown that the US military is unable to defend them. And finally, we talked about what lessons American allies in Asia may be drawing from the conflict.
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    23 mins
  • Excerpt - A hegemonic Iran?

    Excerpt - A hegemonic Iran?
    Apr 4 2026
    If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
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    4 mins
  • Why Iran isn't breaking w/ Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi

    Why Iran isn't breaking w/ Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi
    Mar 26 2026
    Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi joins PTO to talk about the US and Israeli war on Iran, as the conflict - apparently expected to last mere days in the Trump White House - approaches its second month. Eskandar explained why the Iranian state and military have proven so resilient despite the overwhelming firepower that the United States and Israel are able to bring to bear, and why in his view the Trump administration made so little apparent effort to prepare for an extended conflict and the closure of the strait of Hormuz. We also talked about the prospect of negotiations and what Iran's red lines might be. And finally, we talked about how the Iranian revolution of 1979 continues to shape how the Iranian regime functions and why it's a mistake to view Iran's allies in the region as mere proxies.
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    57 mins
  • Israel's forever war in Lebanon w/ Nathaniel George

    Israel's forever war in Lebanon w/ Nathaniel George
    Mar 12 2026
    On March 2nd, in the early stages of the ongoing attack on Iran by Israel and the United States, and following the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah launched missile strikes on northern Israel. Hezbollah described the attack as a defensive act after more than a year of near-daily Israeli strikes. Israel has since launched major attacks on Lebanese territory that have killed hundreds, and its evacuation orders have caused a massive displacement of Lebanese civilians. Nathaniel George returns to PTO to talk about the background to the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the current situation in the country, and about the history of Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Interregnum - Operation Epic Fury

    Interregnum - Operation Epic Fury
    Mar 5 2026
    Richard Seymour on the widening war in West Asia. We talked about the current military situation, the confusion around what US and Israeli objectives are, and the divergent responses of European states to the attack. We also talked about how to situate Operation Epic Fury in the context of gradual US decline, and what the prospects are for a revival of the US anti-war movement.
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    42 mins
  • Excerpt - James Meadway on the Green's historic byelection victory

    Excerpt - James Meadway on the Green's historic byelection victory
    Feb 28 2026
    If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
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    2 mins
  • Interregnum - Labour's Death Spiral

    Interregnum - Labour's Death Spiral
    Feb 21 2026
    On the ongoing crisis within the Labour Party following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, over the appointment of Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson to the position of US ambassador. We talked about why the parliamentary Labour party has stepped back from trying to oust Keir Starmer, and whether or not a left turn from the government is now conceivable. We went on to discuss just how devastating the ongoing revelations about Peter Mandelson might prove to be for the government, and about the broader crisis of legitimacy facing the British state and its key institutions.
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    46 mins
  • Interregnum - mail bag (part one)

    Interregnum - mail bag (part one)
    Feb 4 2026
    If you'd like to listen to this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 patron of the show at patreon.com/poltheoryother Richard responds to some more excellent listener questions. Topics included: - What a left foreign policy might look like in the context of collapsing US hegemony. -Why Mark Carney called time on the so-called 'rules based order' before any major European state. - Marxist theorisations of war and whether conflict lays the basis for future economic growth - Violence and resistance in Minnesota.
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    2 mins