Best Peter Oborne Podcasts (2024)

1
Britain's Muslim Moral Panic (w/ Peter Oborne) 34:21

21d ago34:21

34:21

**This is free preview of a members only episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** As Israel bombards Gaza, the Tory Party have used anti-war protests as an excuse to whip up a moral panic about British muslims. To discuss the long history of Tory animosity towards muslims - and the broader ideology that sees …

1
India's Election: How Modi Became Unbeatable (w/ Pratinav Anil) 35:11

34m ago35:11

35:11

To mark India's general election, I'll be doing a few episodes on the politics and economics of the world's most populous nation. In this first interview, I speak to the Oxford historian Pratinav Anil about Modi's Hindu Nationalism, and how it came to dominate politics in India. **This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full inte…

1
Things Can Always Get Worse (Vincent Bevins Part 2) 35:04

3d ago35:04

35:04

In the second part of my conversation with Vincent Bevins we discussed the arab spring and the fall of the Soviet Union. The conversation includes Vincent giving a really useful explanation of the rise and fall of the Egyptian revolution, and me making a tentative case for small-c conservatism. **This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen …

1
Why are Israel and Iran on the brink of war? | David Hearst 43:11

3d ago43:11

43:11

Did Iran fall into Israel’s trap when it attacked on Saturday, or did it outmanoeuvre Netanyahu? Are we on the brink of regional war, or can the US contain the spill? When Israel bombed an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on 1 April, killing top Iranian commanders, many saw it as bait laid out by Benjamin Netanyahu to force a direct confrontati…

1
You Say You Want a Revolution (w/ Vincent Bevins) 41:48

7d ago41:48

41:48

Vincent Bevins is one of my favourite authors - and a good friend of mine - so I knew when I got him sat down in a room our conversation good go on for a long time. I wasn't wrong. This is the first part of a three hour conversation where we discuss his latest book "If We Burn: The Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution" . In this episode I tell…

1
Antisemitism, White Supremacy and the death of liberal Europe | Ghassan Hage 51:37

7d ago51:37

51:37

Is Europe ‘nostalgic for a racist past’ when it didn’t have to apologise for its colonialism? In this week’s episode of The Big Picture, we sit down with renowned Australian anthropologist Ghassan Hage. Hage is currently fighting against the prestigious Max Planck Society in Germany over accusations of ‘antisemitism’ over his critiques of Israel. T…

1
Sadiq Khan | Keir Starmer, Gaza and the Muslim vote 48:47

14d ago48:47

48:47

In this episode of The Big Picture, we sit down with Sadiq Khan for a wide ranging conversation about Labour’s election hopes, his political regrets and his vision for the future of London. Sadiq Khan wants to make history by winning a third term as London’s mayor - but his confidence is shaky. A winter of mass protests, a smear campaign in the med…

1
Does Britain Need More Houses? A debate with Nick Bano 1:05:43

15d ago1:05:43

1:05:43

In my first crossover episode with Novara FM I spoke to Nick Bano about his new book "Against Landlords". Nick also wrote a recent piece in the Guardian which caused controversy due to Nick's unusual claim that Britain doesn't need to build more houses. I fundamentally disagree with Nick on that point, hence this became a bit of a debate! You can r…

1
Finding my voice and leaving Gaza | Plestia Alaqad 50:20

21d ago50:20

50:20

How do you humanise people facing unimaginable odds? That was the task Plestia Alaqad gave herself when she first put on her press vest on October 7. Freshly graduated from journalism school and dreaming of a bright future, she suddenly found herself in the middle of a war zone, with the eyes of the world watching. Armed with her phone and internet…

1
How Israel tests its weapons in Gaza then sells them to the world | Antony Loewenstein 1:05:12

28d ago1:05:12

1:05:12

In this episode of The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with investigative journalist Antony Loewenstein to talk about how for decades, Israel used its occupation of Palestinians as a testing ground for new weaponry, which it then packages and sells to governments around the world. In fact, Loewenstein argues that since its inception, Israel built …

1
Changing the narrative around Palestine | Randa Abdel Fattah 51:02

1M ago51:02

51:02

What does coverage of Gaza tell us about how the West sees the rest of the world? A recent report into mainstream news coverage found Islamophobic and anti-Arab language was widely used in coverage of the events after 7 October, with Israeli victims described using emotive language 11 times more than Palestinian victims. It also documented how pro-…

1
Who gets to ignore international law? (w/ Alonso Gurmendi) 51:56

2M ago51:56

51:56

** This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod ** Events since October 7th have shown the strengths and weaknesses of international law. On the one hand, differing attitudes to Russia and Israel have shown the West's commitment to international law to be paper thin. On the other, c…

1
Lock 'em Up, Get Elected: Bukele's El Salvador 39:02

2M ago39:02

39:02

**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To listen to the full show visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod** I've taken a break from the Palestine series on this episode to interview an expert on another topic that has fascinated me this month: The election of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. Bukele has been criticised by human rights groups for lo…

1
Britain's Israel Lobby (w/ Hil Aked) 36:12

3M ago36:12

36:12

** This is a free preview of a longer paid episode, to access the whole interview visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod ** Is the West's unconditional support for Israel thanks to the existence of a powerful Israel lobby? I spoke to Hil Aked about Britain's Israel lobby, and its activity during the war on Gaza. Hil Aked is author of "Friends of Israel: …

1
Yemen and the Houthis (w/ Séamus Malekafzali) 52:35

3M ago52:35

52:35

**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. You can access the full show at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. The Houthis were a Yemeni group of rebel outsiders. Yet they now have the entire West on the ropes with their blockade of the Red Sea. I spoke to Beirut-based writer Séamus Malekafzali for …

1
Why the West is wrong about Islam | Peter Oborne 1:03:11

3M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Why are Western societies so fearful of Islam and Muslims? One can answer this question by examining history, particularly that of European colonial powers, and the ways in which they justified their actions in the Global South by painting its peoples and religions as alien and in need of reformation. Another answer can be found in the murky ties b…

1
The Labour Party has a racism problem | Ali Milani 54:16

3M ago54:16

54:16

How deep does racism run within the Labour Party? Since the start of the Gaza war, there's been a growing anger within British Muslim communities at Labour's perceived lack of leadership on the Palestinian issue, and on the calls for a ceasefire. Under Sir Keir Starmer, the opposition party has towed the government line, publicly supporting Israel'…

1
How we organised the biggest protest in UK history | Chris Nineham 1:01:31

3M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

This week on the Big Picture, we speak with British political activist, author and deputy chair of the Stop The War Coalition, Chris Nineham. Nineham was instrumental in organising the historic anti-war demonstrations in 2003 against the invasion of Iraq - which saw millions flood the streets in major cities across the globe - and is considered the…

1
Israel, Iran and "the Axis of Resistance" (w/ Trita Parsi) 29:50

3M ago29:50

29:50

***This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full hour subscribe at patreon.com/crashcoursepod*** Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen are all part of the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance" which poses the biggest challenge to Israel in the Middle East. I spoke to Trita Parsi about the surprising history of Israe…

1
The 'righteous anger' of Palestinians | Omar Suleiman 1:27:06

4M ago1:27:06

1:27:06

It is impossible not to feel overwhelmed by the ongoing war in Gaza - the death toll, the horrific footage, the world’s inability to bring it to an end. That is compounded for Palestinians, many with family members directly impacted, who feel they’ve always been seen through a racist and islamophobic lens, and that speaking out is a political act w…

1
Immigration Nation? (w/ Jonathan Portes) 1:03:15

4M ago1:03:15

1:03:15

Earlier in the year I started a series on Migration which I put on hold to focus on the Gaza War. This was going to be episode 2 of that series. It's with Jonathan Portes, who was a very senior civil servant in the New Labour years and is now a Professor of Political Economy at Kings College London. We discussed the history and economics of immigra…

1
A British lawmaker fights for her Christian family in Gaza | Layla Moran 24:40

4M ago24:40

24:40

What does it take to shift the UK’s position on Palestine? One lawmaker, Layla Moran, has a deeply personal drive to fight for change. Her relatives have been trapped in a Gaza Church for days, surrounded by Israeli snipers and tanks and running out of food and water. Moran has been fighting to change the position of her Liberal Democrats Party for…

1
Apartheid South Africa Vs Israeli Apartheid (w/ Andrew Feinstein) 48:59

4M ago48:59

48:59

**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To subscribe, visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod** Andrew Feinstein is a campaigner and author who grew up in apartheid South Africa and became an MP for the ANC. Andrew is also jewish, and has spent extensive time in Israel-Palestine, so I couldn't have found a better placed guest to discuss the con…

1
The legal team pursuing justice in the Gaza War | Tayab Ali 1:44:22

4M ago1:44:22

1:44:22

Can Western leaders be held to account for their role in the Gaza war? This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with one lawyer determined to do just that, and who has already put many of them on public notice. Tayab Ali is Solicitor Advocate, a partner at the London Law firm Bindmans LLP and the director of the International Centre of Jus…

1
[BONUS] Biden needs the Arab vote to beat Trump | The Big Picture Explained 9:41

4M ago9:41

9:41

Joe Biden has pursued a ‘no red lines’ policy in his support for Israel’s war in Gaza, despite it being deeply unpopular among his own voters. The growing anger in Arab and Muslim American communities in key swing states has pushed many to vow they won’t vote for him in the 2024 Presidential elections. While only making up 1% of the population - it…

1
Why a weapons expert is taking on the US government | Josh Paul 51:27

4M ago51:27

51:27

Josh Paul created a big stir when he resigned from the US State Department in protest of the sale of weapons to Israel. In a highly publicised letter, he said the rush to arm Israel’s war in Gaza was “shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory” The former arms trade expert, who helped the US train the Iraqi police and the Palestinian Autho…

1
The Labour Party, Israel and the Gaza War (w/ Jon Lansman) 37:41

5M ago37:41

37:41

**This is a free preview of a paid episode - to listen to the full conversation sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod** For my sixth episode on the Gaza War I interviewed Jon Lansman on the Labour Party and Israel-Palestine. Jon is a long-time stalwart of the Labour left who ran both of Jeremy Corbyn’s successful leadership campaign, and I've known…

1
How the White House sees the Gaza War (w/ Ben Judah) 37:28

5M ago37:28

37:28

I spoke to Ben Judah from the Atlantic Council about how the U.S. sees the Gaza War. This is a free version of a longer episode. To listen in full sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Why Britain Backs Israel (w/ David Wearing) 57:03

5M ago57:03

57:03

From Balfour to Braverman, Britain has consistently backed Israel in its war on Palestine. To discuss why, I was joined by David Wearing Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex. This is a free version of a longer episode - to listen to the full show subscribe at patreon.com/crashcoursepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva…

1
Israel's fears, its delusions and its future | Daniel Levy 1:00:31

5M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

Is there a path back from the brink for Israel and Palestine? Under the blinding influence of fury and revenge after the October 7 attack, Israel has waged a relentless war in Gaza which killed more than 11,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 1.5 million people. But beyond its stated aim to eliminate Hamas, there seems to be no plan for what h…

1
[BONUS] Why American politicians are 'lying' about Gaza | The Big Picture Explained 19:40

5M ago19:40

19:40

Are there Hamas tunnels under hospitals? Did Israel give up Gaza in 2005? Did the Palestinians reject their own state? This week on The Big Picture, we examine a widely shared interview with Hillary Clinton, praised as informative and illuminating. Except most of what she says about Gaza isn’t true - so why is she misleading the public? It could be…

1
Palestine's Neighbours: Egypt & Jordan (w/ Abdel Razzaq Takriti) 55:50

5M ago55:50

55:50

Since 1948, the relationship between Israel and its arab neighbours has gone from open hostility, to accommodation and collaboration. I spoke to Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston, about Egypt and Jordan's role in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and how that can inform our understanding of the current Gaz…

1
The fall of Western order, the rise of the Global South | Wadah Khanfar 1:06:46

6M ago1:06:46

1:06:46

Are Western leaders sleepwalking into a disaster in the Middle East? As regional tensions surge amid Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, its allies in the US and Europe have refused calls to de-escalate the conflict and prevent the staggering toll on human life from spiralling further. Western countries vowed to stand by Israel as it responds to the …

1
Two Gaza Endgames: Greater Israel Vs Oslo (w/ Gilbert Achcar) 40:12

6M ago40:12

40:12

For my second episode on the Gaza War I spoke to Gilbert Achcar about his recent article outlining two possible endgames for Israel in its war on Gaza. One of his scenarios is based on annexing Gaza, and the other involves a return to the peace process. Gilbert Achcar is a Lebanese socialist academic and writer. He is a Professor of Development Stu…

1
[BONUS] ‘40 beheaded babies’ : How media amplified an unconfirmed story | The Big Picture Explained 14:29

6M ago14:29

14:29

On Wednesday, the world woke up to newspapers plastered with a horrific headline about ‘40 Israeli babies decapitated by Hamas’. But was the story true? We dig into the dizzying, circular debate around the darkest story of an already devastating week and ask whether journalists fulfilled their duty to fact-check it, or instead helped Israel justify…

1
The Origins of the Gaza War (w/ Andrew Kadi & Ben White) 1:08:59

6M ago1:08:59

1:08:59

I've taken a break from the migration series to do an emergency episode on the war in Gaza. I was joined by author Ben White and human rights advocate Andrew Kadi to discuss the longer-term origins of the Gaza War, and how that might inform what happens next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
The history of Hamas, Fatah and Palestinian liberation movements | Azzam Tamimi 49:59

6M ago49:59

49:59

The history of Palestinian liberation movements is paved with setbacks, betrayals and bitter rivalries. What began as an attempt to unify the resistance against Israeli occupation has over time been undermined by regional and global political interests, ideological differences and disagreements over the justification, and use, of guerilla tactics. …

1
The Dire State of Britain's Asylum System (w/ Lou Calvey) 1:17:21

7M ago1:17:21

1:17:21

For the first episode of my series on migration I spoke to immigration and asylum specialist Lou Calvey. We discussed the rise of small boat crossings, how the asylum backlog got so large, and why the home office isn't fit for purpose. Lou brings a wealth of experience both from the policy world, and from practically supporting asylum seekers, whic…

1
Imran Khan, the army and Pakistan's broken politics | Zulfi Bukhari 59:58

7M ago59:58

59:58

What is the fate of Imran Khan? After more than a year of political turmoil following his ousting, the embattled former Pakistani leader is in prison, fighting dozens of charges from corruption to sedition to selling state secrets. He’s also been barred from taking part in the country’s upcoming elections, and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, i…

1
What Ireland's history of resistance says about Palestine | Richard Boyd Barrett 45:28

8M ago45:28

45:28

Ireland’s fight for independence from British rule has defined how it sees itself in the world - as a liberated people compelled to fight against oppression everywhere. This sentiment formed its proud stance of ‘neutrality’, which saw it refuse to engage in World War II, and defines its strong and vocal support for the fight against Apartheid - fir…

1
Why don't you protest President Xi? (w/ Sam Geall) 1:14:32

8M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

Hello Crash Course listeners! First of all, a big apology from me. This feed has been way too quiet over the summer, but I will make sure its much more active over the coming months. I'm lining up a full series on immigration, both to debunk Tory scare-mongering and to explore what a genuinely human migration system might look like. In the meantime…

1
How a human rights defender was convicted of terrorism | Muhammad Rabbani 43:22

8M ago43:22

43:22

How far would you go to protect a client? When Muhammad Rabbani, a human rights advocate, was stopped and interrogated on his way back to the UK after working with a high profile client, it was an experience he was familiar with. As a Muslim and an activist, he'd been stopped at the airport many times before. This time however, when he refused to g…

1
Jeremy Corbyn | The future of Labour and the Left in Britain 49:00

8M ago49:00

49:00

Has the Labour Party turned its back on the Left? Following the disastrous election loss to Boris Johnson in 2019, the party emerged from the ashes promising to shed itself of its past and the image of one man - Jeremy Corbyn. His successor Sir Keir Starmer has instead defined his leadership directly in opposition to Corbyn, leaning towards the cen…

1
What Uyghurs want the world to know about China | Rahima Mahmut 51:38

8M ago51:38

51:38

How do you challenge the might of the Chinese state? For decades, the Uyghur Muslims have fought to preserve their culture, their language and their religion in the face of China’s rising power and control. Since 2013, sweeping crackdowns have turned the once-autonomous region which calls itself ‘East Turkestan’ into a heavily militarised zone, whe…

1
Why we should be worried about AI mass surveillance | Agnes Callamard 49:13

8M ago49:13

49:13

Can we trust the AI to watch over us? Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology have entered into a new era, advancing at a rate none of us can comprehend or keep up with. Tech companies, governments and police forces are racing to own and turn these advances into cutting edge security and mass surveillance systems, while legislators …

1
The forgotten history of Arab Jews | Avi Shlaim 53:42

9M ago53:42

53:42

For thousands of years, Jewish communities lived and thrived in the Arab world, and were integral to shaping its history, culture and economy. But when Israel was established, more than 260,000 Arab-Jews fled their homes, and their history has largely been forgotten. So what happened in the 1950s that forced the vast majority of them to leave? This…

1
How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shifted global politics | David Hearst 45:00

9M ago45:00

45:00

Putin, NATO and the threat of nuclear war - has the world entered a new reality? More than a year and a half ago, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shocked the world, destabilising energy markets, food security and diplomacy. But attempts by the US to rally the world behind Ukraine have failed, with many former allies choosing instead to sit on the side…

1
Narco-Diplomacy: How Bashar al-Assad used Captagon to survive the Syrian War | Lina Khatib 35:42

9M ago35:42

35:42

What happens when a dictator uses drug trafficking as a tool of diplomacy? The psychoactive drug known as Captagon has exploded across the Middle East and Europe, leading many countries to clasify it as an ‘epidemic’. The highly-addictive pill used to be made in Turkey and Latin America, but that slowly changed after the Syrian Civil War. Today, 80…

1
How Covid Supercharged Inequality w/ Gary Stevenson 52:12

9M ago52:12

52:12

At the height of the pandemic, I hoped the experience would lead us to build a more equal society when the covid crisis had subsided. I had World War 2 as an analogy. Gary Stevenson made a different prediction. He believed that the government response to the pandemic - and in particular - the decision to print billions of pounds, would lead to high…

1
The UK wants to ban Israel boycotts, but MPs vow to fight it | Crispin Blunt MP 27:41

9M ago27:41

27:41

Could the BDS movement soon become illegal in the UK? Under a new bill, the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, boycotting foreign countries will become illegal for public bodies, which would include councils, unions and student organisations. The law specifically protects Israel from being targetted, and bars public bodies …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Peter Oborne Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide