Best Arab Spring Podcasts (2026)

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Grace and Tolerance in History: Toussaint 1:15:22

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8d ago1:15:22

1:15:22

The Haitian Revolution was the most radical and unlikely uprising in the modern world. In this episode, Dr. Roy Casagranda traces the rise of Toussaint Louverture and the extraordinary transformation of Saint-Domingue from the richest slave colony on earth to a revolutionary force that challenged Europe’s greatest empires. Dr. Roy explores the brut…

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Hassan Barbary Part II - الجزء الثانى من الحلقة 163 مع أ.حسن بربرى والنقابات العمالية 47:10

19d ago47:10

47:10

Hassan Barbary Part II - الجزء الثانى من الحلقة 163 مع أ.حسن بربرى والنقابات العمالية هل قام قانون العمل الجديد رقم 14 لسنة 2025 بحل مشاكل العمال فى مصر؟ابن اللائحة التنفيذية للقانون؟ هل يمكن تطبيقه بدون اللائحة التنفيذية؟ما هى مطالب العمال المضربين عن العمل من شركات الكهرباء والغاز؟الحق بالاحالة .....غياب الحماية والتشغيل لذوي الاعاقة في قانون الع…

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hassan barbary part I - الحلقة 163 مع أ. حسن بربرى: لماذا تم حبسه وكيف يعيش الان بعد العفو الرئاسى 1:00:21

19d ago1:00:21

1:00:21

الباحث العمالى أ. حسن بربرى يحدثنا عن حبسه 3 سنوات ونصف, وخروجه بعفو رئاسى. كيف قاموا بحبسه وما هى ظروف اعتقاله؟ كيف قضى فترة الحبس وفترة ما بعد الحبس؟لماذا قاموا بحبس شبيه السيسى؟ ولماذا قبضوا على شخص وقف يشترى مجلة ميكى؟

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One more helping, for good measure: Satan (Taylor’s Version) 42:23

12d ago42:23

42:23

In this bonus episode, Sarah talks to Yvonne Eadon, a professor at the University of Kentucky who specializes in conspiracy theory and online misinformation, about GAYLOR — the online fan theory that claims Taylor Swift is a closeted queer woman.

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Yet another helping from Satan: The Devil’s storytellers 23:22

17d ago23:22

23:22

In this bonus episode, Sarah talks to Professor Bill Ellis who specializes in folklore and urban legends, and they chat about the innate human behaviours that lead us to create panics in the first place.

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A second helping from Satan: Elizabeth Knapp’s Possession 37:33

14d ago37:33

37:33

We travel back in time to 1670s Massachusetts to review the famous case of the so-called Satanic possession of 16-year-old Elizabeth Knapp — which took place twenty years before the Salem Witch Trials. In this bonus episode, Sarah and producer Carolyn Kendrick talk to professor Elisabeth Ceppi to find out more about possession in Puritan America.…

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The Islamic Golden Age 57:55

15d ago57:55

57:55

Most histories of the Islamic Golden Age focus on its discoveries. But in this episode, Dr. Roy goes further back, tracing the long arc of Western civilization from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to Greece, Rome, Persia, and the rise of Islam. He reveals how one Persian emperor’s decision to build a library, one Arab army’s humility in conquest, and…

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69. Common Ground: Birth & Death — Rituals for Life's First & Final Moments 43:11

24d ago43:11

43:11

In this episode of the Common Ground series, we're diving into unique rituals from around the world that honor both birth and death, which is something we all share. We cover: • Navajo First Laugh Ceremony – United States (American Southwest, Navajo Nation) • Baek-il (100-day celebration) – South Korea • Selapan Ceremony (35th day) – Indonesia (Jav…

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Episode 8: Where Are We Now? 58:28

17d ago58:28

58:28

Now that we know where we’ve been, where are we going? As the Satanic Panic receded from view, we almost forgot it had happened at all – until it came back. How do today’s moral panics compare to the one we just learned about? And what can we learn from the tragedy at Jonestown?

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Why This $6.25B Gift Won’t Age Well 2:20

21d ago2:20

2:20

Summary: I unpack the Michael & Susan Dell $6.25B pledge and why partnering with bad-faith actors is a branding and moral landmine. Is there any world where backing a Trump-adjacent vehicle is a good idea? Short answer: no. From lawsuits and bankruptcies to the history of financial deception, I argue that the Dell donation is a textbook case of mis…

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Two Texans, One Deranged Plan, and a Federal Indictment 6:59

22d ago6:59

6:59

Summary: A solo riff from me on a truly unhinged story that defines “peak white people behavior.” Two Dallas guys allegedly tried to recruit a homeless paramilitary in D.C., sail to a Haitian island, kill the men, and enslave the women and kids. I unpack the receipts, the mindset, and what this says about America’s radicalization pipeline with zero…

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Stop Laundering Reputations in the Epstein Aftermath 7:34

22d ago7:34

7:34

Summary: Some lines shouldn’t be crossed in the name of a “big tent.” Flip on the lights and watch the vermin scatter—that’s what Epstein’s aftermath looks like as politicians scramble to rewrite their roles. I give credit where it’s due on pushing to release the files, but I draw a hard boundary: platforming someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene und…

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Ending the Equalizer: Why Killing the DOE Locks in Elites 13:01

22d ago13:01

13:01

Summary: How the current regime’s plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education isn’t just policy—it’s a blueprint for entrenching power and shrinking opportunity. I open with a simple filter: When this regime adopts a policy, ask: who benefits? From there, I map out how the push to gut the Department of Education turns learning into a luxury …

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A second helping from Satan: Satanic Injustice 36:45

21d ago36:45

36:45

How did the U.S. legal system allow the Satanic Panic to proliferate as rapidly as it did? In this bonus episode, Sarah chats with journalist Josie Duffy Rice (Justice In America, The Appeal) who has written extensively about prisons, prosecutors and criminal justice.

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Deconstructing Racism and Sexism in the Envisagement of Western Civilization 1:46:08

23d ago1:46:08

1:46:08

Racism and sexism didn’t emerge naturally or accidentally. In this episode, Dr. Roy explains how Western societies constructed rigid hierarchies of gender and race, often in contrast to more egalitarian cultures in the ancient world. He examines how Greek philosophers like Aristotle shaped Western ideas about rationality and superiority, how the Ro…

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Episode 7: Four Lesbians and a Baby 52:11

26d ago52:11

52:11

Though it sounded like a wholesome sitcom premise — four lesbian housemates raise a baby in San Antonio — reality proved anything but. Instead, Liz, Anna, Cassie, and Kristy found themselves caught in a nightmare of a crime drama after being accused of Satanic abuse. They face all the twists and turns of court proceedings, junk science, Satanic all…

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YasserAbogame- الحلقة 162مع الصحفى الشاعرياسرابوجامع:لماذالا يقبل المجتمع المصرى زواج مختلفى الديانة 55:27

26d ago55:27

55:27

YasserAbogame- الحلقة 162مع الصحفى الشاعرياسرابوجامع:لماذالا يقبل المجتمع المصرى زواج مختلفى الديانة

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A second helping from Satan: SATANISM 101 33:03

30d ago33:03

33:03

Dr. Justin Sledge (who you heard from in Episode 6) is a professor of philosophy and religion. in this bonus episode, we learn how his own experience as a teenager implicated in an alleged satanic plot led to an academic career studying esoterica and the occult.

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Episode 6: I’m Just a Teenage Cultist, Baby 46:35

1M ago46:35

46:35

How does a victim of a school shooting become accused of masterminding the whole thing in the name of Satan? When Justin Sledge was 17, a friend of his opened fire at their high school, killing two people and wounding seven others. It was one of the first modern-day school shootings, even before Columbine. Over the next few weeks, their once tight-…

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Ali a Alraouf - الحلقة 161 مع المعمارى د.على عبد الرؤوف والمتحف المصرى الكبير 43:01

1M ago43:01

43:01

ما الفرق بين تصميم المتحف المصرى الكبير ومكتبة الإسكندرية؟من هو المعمارى المناضل المقاوم؟رأيه فى اعتراض البعض على كلمة "فرعون"كيف يرى اولويات المعماريين؟

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68. A Table For Everyone: One Syrian’s Journey of Resilience and Welcome // Yassin Terou 56:34

1M ago56:34

56:34

Today we’re stepping into a story that blends together the last few month’s topics (Syria, Food, Hospitality) with my guest, Yassin Terou. Yassin Terou is a Syrian-born entrepreneur and American dream enthusiast, best known as the founder of Yassin’s Falafel House, a Knoxville-based restaurant celebrated for its welcoming spirit and message of incl…

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Masculinity 1:57:30

1M ago1:57:30

1:57:30

What does it mean to be a man? Dr. Roy takes listeners on a journey from the evolution of early humans to the social expectations placed on men today. Along the way, he explains how sexual reproduction shaped our species, why diverse personalities are essential, and how patriarchal systems emerged from warfare and historical accident, not biologica…

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Republicans and MAGA Go Full Mask Off 5:47

1M ago5:47

5:47

Summary: In this episode, I walk through one of the darkest “mask off” moments we’ve seen so far: a MAGA caller publicly questioning why child rape is even wrong, and a mainstream conservative host bending over backwards to reframe Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse as “barely legal.” When you stack that next to decades of evangelical abuse cover-ups and poli…

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When Drug Dealers Have More Morals Than Churches 5:21

1M ago5:21

5:21

Summary: What happens when you call 30 churches asking for baby formula? Most hang up. But when you offer them a donation? Suddenly, every line is open. In this episode, Dr. Jim unpacks three powerful social experiments that expose the deep, systemic hypocrisy of evangelical communities — and challenges listeners to stop pretending these are "good …

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When the Cost of Compromise Is Human Life 5:43

1M ago5:43

5:43

Summary: What do you do when your political opponent isn’t just playing hardball...they’re actively playing to harm people? Dr. Jim unpacks the moral and strategic implications of negotiating with a party hellbent on destruction, especially when survival is on the line. With the longest government shutdown in history as the backdrop, this episode c…

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Episode 5: The Devil in Delaney 53:19

1M ago53:19

53:19

As women increasingly spoke out about the abuse they suffered under the patriarchy, many still struggled to be heard. And the new field of recovered memory therapy became a vehicle for both legitimizing women's trauma and exploiting it. Delaney is a housewife and mother of three, living in Manitoba in the 1980s. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse…

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Sherif Azer- الحلقة 160 مع د. شريف عازر واحداث نزلة جلف واحكام الإعدام ومنها اعدام الراهب اشعياء 56:14

2M ago56:14

56:14

ماذا حدث فى نزلة جلف بين الأقباط والمسلمين؟لماذا يعتبر د.شريف ان اعدام الراهب اشعياء لم يكن عادلا؟لماذا يحكم القضاة على الأطفال والنساء بالإعدام؟

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A second helping from Satan: Arab Spring, Satanic Summer 36:33

1M ago36:33

36:33

In this bonus episode, we look at some impacts of satanic hysteria outside of North America. We hear from Cherine Amr, the founder of the Egyptian metal band Massive Scar Era, who was accused of being possessed by the devil himself in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Producer Mary Steffenhagen speaks with academic Pasqualina Eckerström for a deepe…

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The Arab Spring and Its Long Shadow 1:47:13

1M ago1:47:13

1:47:13

Note: This is a visual-heavy episode. You can watch the lecture here. The Arab Spring began in December 2010 when Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s desperate protest against corruption sparked uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Roy explores how these revolts evolved from Egypt’s mass protests to Syria’s devast…

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Episode 4: Bad Times, Good TV 47:43

2M ago47:43

47:43

How did the Satanic Panic take hold? Whitney Phillips, a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, guides us through the labyrinth of media and motifs that laid the groundwork for the Satanic Panic in politics and pop culture… and laid down the roots of our current day political landscape.…

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Ahmed AbdelNasser Salah الحلقة 159 مع احمد عبد الناصر صلاح ولماذا تم حبسه فى مصر وماذا حدث فى كوريا 24:35

2M ago24:35

24:35

ما هى التهم التى تم توجيهها لأحمد عبد الناصر وما هى ظروف اختفاؤه واحتجازه فى السجون المصرية.لماذا تم حبسه فى كوريا الجنوبية وما هى الفروق بين سجون مصر وسجون كوريا؟

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From Stalin to Trump: How Tyrants Weaponize Food 18:40

2M ago18:40

18:40

Summary: Dr. Jim isn’t here to sugarcoat anything. In this solo episode, he takes us into the darkest corners of global history and then brings it right back to our front doors. Starvation, he argues, isn’t just a past atrocity. It’s a current political tool. “If you starve the people, they won't have the energy to fight.” That’s the opening line a…

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The Next 12 Months Will Decide the Next 40 Years 9:07

2M ago9:07

9:07

Summary: Dr. Jim is back with fire and fury in this solo episode, cutting through the noise to call out what’s coming in the next election cycle and what we need to do now to prepare. If you’ve been lulled into complacency by the recent election wins, this is your wake-up call. The November election results were a bloodbath for the Republican Party…

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The Origins of the Syrian Crisis 1:50:41

2M ago1:50:41

1:50:41

The Syrian Civil War didn’t begin in 2011; it began centuries earlier. Dr. Roy explores how the legacy of empire, the carving up of the Middle East after World War I, and repeated Western interference destabilized Syria and Iraq long before the Arab Spring. Along the way, Dr. Roy connects the dots between the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Sykes-P…

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67. Common Ground: Hospitality — The Universal Language of Welcome 40:13

2M ago40:13

40:13

Food may be the universal need, but hospitality is the universale virtue. In the second episode of the Common Ground series, we're diving into how different cultures practice hospitality, and how there's much more in common than you might think. Sign up for my free weekly newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wiserworld.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you'd like ad-free epi…

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Episode 3: Moral (Panic) Entrepreneurship 44:53

2M ago44:53

44:53

Mary de Young had always been interested in deviants and deviance. As a social-psychologist, she studied “behavior that broke the rules,” and whether the worst parts of a person’s behavior were innate, nurtured, or misunderstood. So when news broke in 1983 about a “new” form of child abuse that she had never heard of before, she was — as a research…

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Khaled El Serty Part II - الجزء الثانى من الحلقة 158 مع مهندس خالد السرتى وثورة المفاصل 1:02:10

2M ago1:02:10

1:02:10

ما هى ثورة المفاصل وهل يمكن تحقيقها؟

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Inside the Authoritarian Playbook: What They Learned from the Arab Spring (Part 2) 18:15

2M ago18:15

18:15

Summary: Dr. Jim continues his high-voltage breakdown of how billionaire-backed regimes weaponized media control and digital platforms after the Arab Spring, this time unpacking the how behind modern narrative warfare and the chilling effectiveness of informational autocracy. They didn’t need to burn books. They just buy the platforms. In Part 2, D…

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Inside the Authoritarian Playbook: What They Learned from the Arab Spring (Part 1) 21:58

2M ago21:58

21:58

Summary: Dr. Jim breaks down the chilling legacy of the Arab Spring and how a wave of people-powered uprisings sparked a global counterstrike by authoritarian regimes and the billionaire class. It’s the origin story of today’s surveillance state. In 2010, social media was a liberator. By 2025, it's become a leash. Dr. Jim lays out how the Arab Spri…

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The Corporate Con Game No One Wants to Talk About 4:55

2M ago4:55

4:55

Summary: What do Amazon’s $40M CEO payday and 175,000 layoffs have in common? They're both part of a masterclass in modern corporate grift. In this episode, Dr. Jim exposes how tech giants and Wall Street are running one of the biggest economic cons in plain sight using AI hype and balance sheet manipulation to line executive pockets while gutting …

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A second helping from Satan: A closer look at Michelle Remembers 46:32

2M ago46:32

46:32

Canadian director Sean Horlor’s film, Satan Wants You (2023), is a deep dive into the book "Michelle Remembers.” In this bonus episode, he talks to Sarah about the process of making that film and what it was like growing up in Victoria at its so-called satanic heyday.

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How Islam Saved Western Civilization 1:58:59

2M ago1:58:59

1:58:59

Western civilization didn’t vanish when Rome fell - it moved east. Dr. Roy explores how the libraries of Persia, Egypt, and Baghdad became the true heirs of the ancient world. From the Great Library of Alexandria to the Academy of Gundishapur, from Persian mathematicians to Arab engineers, this episode traces how Islamic civilization safeguarded hu…

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Episode 2: Marylyn Remembers 44:16

2M ago44:16

44:16

Michelle Remembers is the 1980 “biographical” book that brought the idea of Satanic cults into the mainstream. In it, Michelle Smith documents years of alleged Satanic ritual abuse and the man who helped her remember it, psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder. We talk to those who thought they knew Michelle and Larry best: their families. They tell us what i…

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Khaled El Serty Part I- الحلقة - 158 الجزء 1 مع المهندس خالد السرتى من 25 يناير الى 30 يونيو 57:03

2M ago57:03

57:03

لماذا ترك المهندس خالد السرتى مصر؟ رأيه فى 25 يناير. ما هى اخطاء الإخوان السياسية؟

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Gaslight, Distract, Repeat: How Big Tech Hides the Truth 3:21

2M ago3:21

3:21

Summary: Dr. Jim drops a short but sharp warning: tech giants like Amazon and Salesforce aren’t just greedy—they’re sinister. From whitewashing labor abuses to partnering with ICE, these companies are betting on public burnout to escape accountability. Don’t let them. This episode is a two-minute takedown of corporate audacity at its worst. Chapter…

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The Next Chapter of Resistance 13:01

2M ago13:01

13:01

Summary: The second No Kings rally shattered turnout records and proved that millions are ready to resist. Now what? In this episode, Dr. Jim outlines the next chapter of resistance. From boycotting Black Friday to launching a national strike, this is a blueprint for real disruption. If rallies alone won’t shift the regime, it’s time to raise the s…

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How Amazon and Salesforce Whitewash Corporate Evil 6:33

2M ago6:33

6:33

Summary: Amazon and Salesforce want you to think they’re the good guys. In reality, they’re cashing checks from corrupt regimes and painting over human rights violations with PR puff pieces. In this short but scathing episode, Dr. Jim calls BS on corporate whitewashing and exposes how these tech giants are enabling modern-day oppression—while patti…

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Trump Gave Argentina $40B While U.S. Farmers Went Bankrupt 3:42

2M ago3:42

3:42

Summary: Farmers keep voting for Trump even as he decimates their livelihoods. In this solo episode, Dr. Jim breaks down the brutal irony of rural America’s undying loyalty to a politician whose policies have driven record bankruptcies in agriculture. If you’ve ever wondered how propaganda overrides pain, this episode will hit you hard. Chapters: 0…

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A Brief Overview of the U.S. Presidency 1:56:32

2M ago1:56:32

1:56:32

What exactly is the job of the U.S. president? Dr. Roy traces the presidency from its constitutional origins through major turning points in U.S. history, exploring how each era redefined executive authority. He discusses the balance between leadership and restraint, the rise of presidential power through war and crisis, and how charisma, fear, and…

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66. Common Ground: Food — The First Language We All Speak 32:32

2M ago32:32

32:32

No matter where you go in the world, everyone needs to eat, and preferably eat together. Eating together is one of our oldest human instincts. In this first episode of the Common Ground series, we're diving into concepts of food and drink that are cultural universals—things we all share. We talk about grains, fermentation, earth cooking, hot drinks…