From The Periphery Podcast

In this episode, israa’ and Leila are joined by two compas from The Peoples Want , Juls and Alaa, to talk about Revolutions of Our Times , an internationalist manifesto written by The Peoples Want. The Peoples Want is an internationalist from below network where israa’, Leila, Juls, and Alaa organize together, and where From the Periphery Media Collective is also a member as a media collective working to elevate voices from the periphery. Our manifesto, Revolutions of Our Times , is now published by Haymarket and available wherever you get your books. In this conversation, israa’, Leila, Alaa, and Juls explore what it means to be an internationalist and build internationalist movements, how exile can be turned into a point of attack, and the role of mutual aid and active solidarity in liberation movements. We invite you to reach out to us to engage more deeply with both the manifesto and The Peoples Want network. We welcome invitations to gatherings, panels, readings, or any other event that deepens our discussion in the manifesto and weaves our struggles together. You can learn more about The Peoples Want and find PDF copies of the manifesto in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic here: https://thepeopleswant.org/ You can learn more about the Mujwara campaign here: https://thepeopleswant.org/en/mujawara You can purchase the book here: English: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2732-revolutions-of-our-times French: https://www.editionsladecouverte.fr/revolutions_de_notre_temps-9782355222375 Spanish: Coming Soon Italian: Coming Soon German: Coming Soon Host: israa' ( ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠IG)⁠⁠ Leila ( Bluesky ) Subscribe to From the Periphery: Patreon YouTube BlueSky Instagram — — — From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the team.

In this episode, israa’ reads a dispatch from Iraqi activist Jamal Al-Sayigh. In this important dispatch, Jamal shares an update of the impacts of the escalating violence in Iran and calls for international solidarity in support of: Iraqi civil society and independent activists Feminist and secular movements under threat Trade unions and grassroots organizers The right to political dissent without fear of assassination You can read the dispatch here: https://antidotezine.com/2026/03/03/dispatch-from-iraq-in-defense-of-civil-society/ Additional Resources: https://www.newarab.com/features/yanar-mohammed-remembering-iraqs-advocate-womens-rights?amp https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraqi-oil-production-collapses-with-strait-hormuz-blocked-by-conflict-sources-2026-03-08/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/katyusha-rockets-target-us-embassy-baghdad-security-sources-say-2026-03-07/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/airstrikes-kill-least-two-iraqs-jurf-al-sakhar-pmf-spokesperson-says-2026-02-28/ Host: israa' ( ⁠Bluesky⁠ , ⁠IG)⁠ — — — From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Last Saturday, the 28th of February, Israel and the United States launched an unprovoked attack against Iran. Iran responded by attacking both Israel and US bases in the region, as well as against neighbouring Gulf States. The next day Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon, triggering a vicious response by Israel, which greatly expanded the bombing of the country which it never ceased doing despite signing a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in late 2024. This is only a fraction of what is becoming clear as an open regional war. The developments are dizzying. The horrors are on full display. And our hearts are incredibly heavy. In this episode of the From The Periphery Podcast, Elia, Ayman, and israa, sit and compile all the most recent developments (up until March 2), and share their thoughts and feelings. -- -- -- Referenced Links: Lebanon Grassroots Aid Network Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon -- -- -- Hosts: Ayman Makarem ( ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ) Elia Ayoub ( ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠ Mastadon⁠⁠ ) israa' ( Bluesky , IG) -- -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Protests have been raging across Iran since December 28, 2025. This is the 5th wave of mass protests in Iran since 2017. In this episode, Ayman reads an extensive essay (a compilation of 3 essays) published by Crimethinc on the protests movement, providing much needed historical, political, social, and economic context. The 3 essays are titled: Report on the Current Wave of Protests in Iran Contributed by an anarchist based inside Iran Iran Protests Amid a Siege by Internal and External Enemies: A Report on the Recent Mass Uprising Contributed by Roja , an independent, leftist, feminist collective based in Paris. The View from Syria Excerpted from a statement from anarchist internationalists on the ground in northern Syria. Link to the Full Essay -- -- -- Thank you for listening to this episode on our Patreon. If you're already a paid member, thank you so much for your continued support. If you're an unpaid member, please consider becoming a Patron (as little at $5/month) to help support our work.

Join co-hosts Ayman Makarem and Elia Ayoub to discuss the British hunger strikers who are currently at risk of death, as they await trial for alleged activities linked to UK-proscribed group Palestine Action. The discussion covers their plight, the denial of due process related to their case—as well as the indifference of the British media and political establishment. Hosts: Ayman Makarem ( ⁠Bluesky⁠ , ⁠Instagram⁠ ) Elia Ayoub ( Bluesky⁠ , ⁠ Mastadon⁠ ) — — From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

To mark one year since the fall of the Assad regime, Ayman Makarem (Politically Depressed), Karena Avidissian, and Leila al-Shami (Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution) sit together to reflect on the fall itself, the Syrian revolution which ultimately led to the fall, and the many many new developments that have occurred since. They discuss the new al-Sharaa administration, the assault and siege on the Sweida province, fear of escalations in the north, the emergence of new identity-based politics, renewed regional and international focus on Syria, and, to top it all off, the memeification of Bashar al-Assad. It's a wide ranging conversation that includes historical, political, and economic aspects. There's of course a lot more to talk about: the fall of a 40 year old regime and the developments of the last year is hard to summarize in one episode. If there is anything you would have wanted to hear more from us, please let us know in the comments. References: Ayman's Video Essay on The Druze (of Sweida) Puppet Show Leila References Book References by Karena (Ambiguities of Domination) -- -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

In this episode of From the Periphery , we dissect Ilham Aliyev’s latest expansionist remarks and what they signal for the region. We revisit the history of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in 2023, then examine how Aliyev’s rhetoric denies Armenian indigeneity and lays ideological groundwork for claims on Armenia’s territory. A conversation about imperial ambition, historical memory, and the international incentives that enable both. -- -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Large parts of the besieged Sudanese city of Al-Fashir has fallen to the RSF militia. After 18 months of siege, the RSF have entered. Thousands of civilians, who are already starving, are being displaced. The non-Arab populations of are at extreme risk of ethnic killings by the genocidal RSF militia. In this short episode, Ayman reads out a statement released by the Resistance Committee of Al-Fashir, released just a few days ago. For more information on the current war in Sudan check out some of our previous episodes: PolDep S2E19/ Getting People to Care about Sudan /w Sara al-Hassan TFTT 188/ Revolutionary Aid in Sudan w/ Eiad Husham FTP Podcast 3/ Khartoum is Free, But The War Rages On - Updates on the War in Sudan

Karena Avedissian interviews Elyse Semerdjian, a social historian of the Ottoman Empire at Clark University. Thediscussion considers the field of Armenian Genocide studies and its response—or lack thereof—to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They also consider the pressures shaping Armenian Genocide studies, and the wider politics of speech, funding, and solidarity in academia. What responsibilities do scholarshave when history repeats itself? -- -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

FTP hosts Leila al Shami, Karena Avedissian, and Ayman Makarem grapple with what it means to stand in solidarity with Palestine. They reflect on the urgency of responding to injustice, the power of grassroots networks, and the role of activism even in remote rural communities. At the heart of this conversation is a question many of us struggle with: how do we keep showing up when it feels like nothing is changing and when we're burned out? Today, we’ll share examples that, we hope, remind us why continuing matters.

On May 12, following an extensive congress, the PKK (The Kurdish Workers Party) released a statement announcing their intention to dissolve and end their armed struggle against the Turkish State. This momentous statement comes almost 3 months after the similar call was announcement by Abdullah Ocalan, the party's ideological leader, who remains in captivity in Istanbul. To get more context about this and understand what exactly this declaration entails, two FTP hosts, Aydin and Karena, sat with returning guest Dilan, a kurdish academic and organizer who has spent the last decade engaging with the Kurdish struggle. Their conversation is a deep-dive that goes far beyond the headlines and lackluster coverage of the mainstream media. --- --- Resources: Episode on Ocala's Statement Firat News Agency Book on The Kurdish Women's Movement Book of Ocalan's Writings --- --- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

In this episode we share 3 big updates from the war in Sudan, specifically concerning the involvement and complicity of the U.A.E as a major player. We also discuss a shocking article written by two Emiratis in the notorious magazine the Jerusalem Post, which attempts to justify the U.A.E’s role in the conflict. These developments mark a scary turning point in the war as well as the U.A.E’s calculations within it. -- -- Other episode from FTP on Sudan: FTP Pod: Khartoum is Free, but the War Rages on /w Sarah al-Hassan and Dalia Mohammad (2025) The Fire These Times: Revolutionary Aid in Sudan w/ Eiad Husham (2025) Sudan in Revolution and War w/ Dalia Abdelmoniem and Raga Makawi (2023) Politically Depressed: Distraught About Sudan w/ Sara Al-Hassan (2024) -- -- Mentioned article by Mat Nashed: ⁠How RSF is adopting Israeli's template for genocide⁠ . Opinion Article on JPost by Emirati 'journalist' -- -- Hosts: Ayman Makarem ( ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ) Aydin Yildiz -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

For episode 5 of the From The Periphery Podcast, Elia Ayoub is joined by Thinzar Shunlei Yi of the #Sisters2Sisters Myanmar campaign and Debbie Stothard of the Alternative Asean Network for Burma group to talk about the recent devastating earthquake in Myanmar, how the military junta responded to it, and what can be done to support the resistance groups on the ground doing it differently. Myanmar groups and initiatives to support: https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org https://www.facebook.com/MyanmarERCU https://sisters2sisters.org https://burmacampaign.org.uk https://www.betterburma.org https://www.facebook.com/catsassociation.mm Host: Elia Ayoub ( ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠ Mastodon⁠⁠ , Newsletter ) From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

50 years ago today, on April 13, 1975, a group of gunmen, belonging to the right-wing Kataeb party, opened fire on a bus of Palestinian civilians in Lebanon, killing 27 and injuring 20 others. Known notoriously as the bus massacre, this event is widely recognized as the trigger that sparked what would come to be known as the Lebanese Civil War. However, the roots of the conflict are far deeper and are in fact many different wars wrapped up in one. All told, the wars would rage on for at least 15 years, killing at least 150,000, displacing millions, and reconfiguring the entire country and the region. In this episode of the From The Periphery Podcast Elia Ayoub and Ayman Makarem go into depth about the many wars that raged in Lebanon since 1975. We provide an overview of key events and try to tie together the many different strands, struggles, and conflicts that make up what is better called the Lebanon Wars. We also try as much as possible to connect this history to the present moment because, as we discuss, in many ways, the wars never really ended. If you want to learn more about the Lebanese wars, I will be hosting a series of online screenings of Lebanese films and documentaries that cover different phases and aspects of the wars. The screenings will be held weekly starting on April 20 and continuing every Sunday for 5 weeks. The screenings will also be followed by a group discussion. Invitations to these screenings will be available through our Patreon , where all members will get immediate access. If you’re not yet a member, but want to join the screenings there are two things you can do: become a member, or buy the invitation via one-time purchase also available on our Patreon . Hosts: Ayman Makarem ( ⁠Bluesky⁠ , ⁠Instagram⁠ ) Elia Ayoub ( Bluesky⁠ , ⁠ Mastadon⁠ ) -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

On the 26th of March, the Sudanese army recaptured the capital city Khartoum and expelled the forces of the Rapid Support Forces, which had controlled the city since the start of the war almost 2 years ago. This is a rare moment of joy and celebration amidst an ongoing war which has killed 10s of thousands, and displaced millions of people . The humanitarian catasrophe still going on in Sudan is being described as the worst in human history. Despite that the war still receives very little coverage. So today I, Ayman Makarem, am joined by two brilliant Sudanese commentators, Sarah el-Hassan and Dallia Abdelmoniem, to talk about the recent developments in Sudan as well as giving an overview of the current war and the revolution that it crushed. They talk about the problematic narratives and discourses around the war and the need for internationalist solidarity to support people on the ground. Socials: Sarah is on Instagram , Bluesky , and Twitter Dallia on Twitter and Bluesky Ayman is on Bluesky⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

On Thursday the 27th of March, a new governer was named to head the Central Bank of Lebanon. To help us better understand who this new governer is, why its such a big deal, and how people are reacting to the news, Ayman Makarem and Elia Ayoub are joined by Beirut-based journalist Justin Salhani, who recently wrote an article for Al-Jazeera English on this very topic. They talk about recent developments, a brief history of the banking sector in Lebanon, and the wider implications of this appointment. Justin's Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/30/is-lebanons-new-central-bank-governor-another-riad-salameh Hosts: Ayman Makarem - Bluesky - Instagram Elia Ayoub - Bluesky - Mastadon Guest: Justin Salhani - Bluesky - Twitter -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

On March 23, the president of Turkey, Erdogan, arrested one of his main political rivals, the current Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, alongside dozens of others. The arrest has sparked a wave of protests that has rocked the country, and with it, police repression, arrests, and mass confusion. To give us more background and an in-depth look at what's happening in the streets, Aydin is joined by two activists; Efe Levent , writer and co-founder of Istanbul-based media collective Mangal Media Kadir Ersoy , a traveler street artist based in Istanbul. Recommended readings: Aposto English -- -- From The Periphery podcast is supported by the community around us. Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.