Ahmed Obali, founder of Gunaz TV and human rights activist for the Iranian Azerbaijani people, joins Mike and Marshall to discuss the on-going protests in Iran. The death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini on September 16 provoked unprecedented protests and riots against the Islamic Republic. Obali offers his insights on the current demonstrations, on the ethnic divisions that might lead to the Islamic Republic’s demise, and the implications for the United States.
Obali discusses the risks of easing the sanctions placed on the Islamic Republic at a time when the Biden administration lacks a comprehensive Iran strategy.
About Counterbalance:
Counterbalance is a foreign policy podcast that embodies Hudson’s tradition of challenging conventional wisdom. The Trump era attacked the elite consensus regarding several key issues, including the rise of China, American policy toward the Middle East, and the compartmentalization of domestic and foreign policy. Many observers in the media and in establishment foreign policy circles are presenting the advent of a Biden presidency as a total repudiation of President Trump’s policies and a return to “normalcy.” But, regardless of how one feels about the Trump era or any of his specific policies, there is no turning back the clock. The elite foreign policy consensus will never be the same. Counterbalance will reckon with what’s next.