There have been for quite a while now within popular discourse pertaining to IR (International Relations) that within the ranks of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” weak link

up until the beginning of what is shaping up to be a potentially decisive turning-point in what next year will mark fourteen-years of the SSyria's second city that in previous moments of history up until recently only was rivaled by the likes of Damascus, the political capital and former seat of the Umayyad Empire) urban center and formerly its most populous / economically vital city, prior to the initial onset of the conflict over a decade ago) and the ongoing success of the surprise Northwestern Syria Offensive led by HTS (Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, known formerly as the al-Nusra Front) and a motley coalition of rebel militia groups representing the Syrian Opposition, the question now on everyone's mind —Is this the beginning of the end for embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his secular, authoritarian Syrian Arab Republic?

Or... Will Russia, Iran, and the rest of his political allies from abroad be able to once again save him and his regime from a total collapse? And what is the strategic role and foreign policy priorities when it comes to Erdogan's Turkey and its particular concerns pertaining to the Syrian refugee crisis and the ever precarious Kurdish Question?

I discuss all these topics and provide some further gcontext to the rapidly evolving geopolitical situation in Syria, a country in the world whose history is

that has as of November 27th, 2024 (and continuing to the present) officially reignited what had up until recently been a more-or-less frozen conflict. is the Syrian Civil War which ever since 2011 has yet to be decisively settled in one way or another.

Until then, please stay safe and stay tuned!

--

Recommended Resources:

• Read the New York Times article I referenced:

⁠https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-bashar-al-assad.html⁠

• Syrian Civil War Live Map: ⁠https://syria.liveuamap.com/⁠

• Watch the video version of this segment on YT: ⁠

• Other resources referenced will be added shortly!

--

Previous segments covering similar interrelated issues:

A Third Palestinian Intifada? | Hamas Launches MAJOR SUPRISE ATTACK (Operation al-Aqsa Flood), Israel Responds with DECLARATION of WAR! - October 2023:

⁠https://getnuancednow.com/p/a-third-palestinian-intifada-hamas-092⁠

The Russo-Ukrainian War as of October 2022 - Territorial Annexations and Tactical Nukes?! | Historical Context and Strategic Analysis of Putin's Byzantine Ambitions for a New Russian Empire:

⁠https://getnuancednow.com/p/the-russo-ukrainian-war-as-of-october-1e7⁠

A Neo-Ottoman Foreign Policy in Erdogan's Turkey? | Understanding the Geopolitical Situation in Northern Syria (and Ukraine) - JUNE 2022:

⁠https://getnuancednow.com/p/a-neo-ottoman-foreign-policy-in-erdogans-e3d⁠

Afghanistan on the Edge: Foreign Policy Analysis of America's Retreat from the Graveyard of Empires | JULY 2021 EDITION:

⁠https://getnuancednow.com/p/afghanistan-on-the-edge-foreign-policy-e29⁠

A Growing Rift Between Moscow and Damascus? | A Geopolitical Analysis of the Syrian Civil War - 2020:

⁠

--

CONNECT:

Substack Newsletter: ⁠http://www.GetNuancedNow.com/⁠

Official Website: ⁠⁠http://www.GetNuanced.com/⁠

Tech Channel | ⁠⁠http://youtube.com/TJCMN⁠⁠

Show Twitter | ⁠⁠http://twitter.com/GetNuanced⁠⁠

Main Twitter | ⁠⁠http://twitter.com/TJCM⁠

Show Instagram | ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/GetNuanced⁠⁠

Main Instagram | ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/TJC⁠⁠

--

—Tom

Greetings and Salutations,

It is with great enthusiasm that I would like to provide my warmest of welcomes to the #GetNuancedNOW web-blog and periodic newsletter! It’s been a long time coming and as of December 18th, 2023 this thing is finally on the road!

Going in conjunction with both the related podcast and YouTube channel, GetNuancedNOW.com is on a mission to provide those who are as conscious as they are concerned with the most relevant and increasingly thoughtful pieces of content regarding Foreign Policy, International Relations, and Global Geopolitics from the (primary albeit not solely exclusive) perspective of an independent American publisher based in both the Tampa Bay Area and New York City.

(PLEASE NOTE: more info to be provided shortly on this article)

The conflict also so happens to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War and just like that fateful conflict in the 1970s, it is part of a broader historical context (i.e. the Cold War of the 20th century and the newfound, arguably "Second Cold War" of the 21st century) and will have a reverberating impact felt by not just those immediately engaged and currently participating in the street-to-street fighting, but also the broader international community and that especially pertains to the nations such as America, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, China, and other regional powers.

It is in this particularly tense backdrop of affairs that Hamas (the Palestinian militant organization that exercises de-facto governance of the coastal Gaza Strip enclave) just today (October 7th, 2023) launched a stunning, surprise assault with its paramilitary groups against Israel proper which was able to pierce through the much vaunted defensive fortifications on the border and strike virtually unopposed as the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) were initially caught completely off guard in what will be in retrospect among the most humiliating national security debacles in Israel's recent history.

In response to these developments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally declared war on Hamas via a publicly broadcasted statement regarding the crisis and vowed swift, decisive retaliation as reports continue to pour in claiming that hundreds of causalities have been suffered so far on both sides. This also includes a significant number of Israeli civilians and military personnel alike who have been reportedly kidnapped by Hamas and trafficked into Gaza with the intention of the latter to use the former as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner swap. Please keep in mind that this is still an ongoing conflict and will definitely be revisited in between the content backlog which has long been overdue but is finally in the process of being ready!

--

Correction: It was Yitzhak Rabin, not Ariel Sharon who was the aforementioned PM of Israel who was assassinated in the 1990s.

--

Recommended Resources:

Read the article by AP that I originally cited in this segment: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2

Watch the video version of this segment on YT: https://youtu.be/-k9XSZMGuNE

--

Previous segments covering similar interrelated issues:

My first video on the Israel vs. Palestine political dispute: https://youtu.be/x5FaFv6Juk8 | 2020 Edition

A follow up podcast segment in lieu of further relevant developments: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/episodes/Understanding-the-2021-IsraelPalestine-Crisis-and-its-Broader-Historic-Context-as-of-05-21-21-e1338lv | 2021 Edition

My thoughts on the Israeli Judicial Review crisis: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/episodes/Israeli-Prime-Minister-Benjamin-Bibi-Netanyahu-Pulls-an-Erdogan-in-the-High-Court-of-Israel-and-IGNITES-a-MASSIVE-Judicial-Review-CRISIS--JULY-2023-e27e5ac | JULY 2023 Edition

--

CONNECT: Official Website: http://www.GetNuanced.com/ Tech Channel | http://youtube.com/TJCMN Show Twitter | http://twitter.com/GetNuanced Main Twitter | http://twitter.com/TJCMN Show Instagram | http://instagram.com/GetNuanced Main Instagram | http://instagram.com/TJC

--

—Tom

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With, of course, a keen emphasis on what lessons can be derived from this critical moment in a time (relatively not too long ago) that was a major turning point for not just America and China (as well as Taiwan), but the broader international community at large.

The 1960s were the era in which the post-WWII multilateral institutions (e.g. the United Nations, NATO, etc...) were still burgeoning and facing multiple crises that spanned the vast length and width of the entire globe and the many fledging nations contained within it. One of these that is still of particular salience to the present (2023) was the dispute between the ROC (Republic of China) and PRC (People's Republic of China) over who the UN (and the broader international community) should ultimately recognize and allow to hold the representative seat for "China" within its organization, and by extension which of the two so-called Chinas would get to enjoy the associated diplomatic privileges that being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) provides.

Join Tom in this segment as he dives into the larger-than-life figures of both U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Learn more about how these particular two world leaders in the 1960s dealt with the still as of yet unanswered "Taiwan Question."

Keep in mind, that this segment is by no means conclusive, but it still can serve as a solid gateway into future discussions on this and other fascinating, interrelated subjects such as the original Cold War of the 20th century, especially the contemporary world is grappling with the potential of a second Cold War emerging in real-time.

--

Video Edition: https://youtu.be/hl9FNVNG6qo

Source Highlighted: https://commons.und.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=9&article=1002&context=oers&type=additional

Complimentary Article: (Coming Soon, probably post-move!)

Subscribe via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/GetNuanced

--

-TJC

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While it is not impossible that the High Court may rule to use judicial review, based on the justices' past decisions and the repercussions, it remains unlikely.

The question at hand is what happens when the unstoppable force of judicial review meets the immovable object of the basic laws. The court is being asked to dare answer this question by using judicial review to strike down a matter of a basic law for the first time.

Israel lacks a formal written constitution, but at the dawn of the state adopted a compromise in which the quasi-constitutional Basic Laws would be legislated and then at some indeterminate point assembled into a constitution. A problem with the basic laws is the ease with which they can be introduced and amended. They also originally had no status over regular legislation.

The High Court has the power of judicial review, the ability to strike down legislation that is in contradiction with the founding principles and constitutional framework. This power developed over the decades since the state's founding, but the current version coalesced during the 1990s during the "constitutional revolution."

The current iteration of judicial review was in large part inferred from the introduction of new Basic Laws, Human Dignity and Liberty, and Freedom of Occupation which had provisions that prevented other legislation from contradicting them. This allowed the court to strike down contradictory laws.

Petitioners on Monday and Tuesday challenged the judicial reform bill amending Basic Law: The Judiciary limiting the reasonableness standard, which allowed judicial review of government administrative decisions if they were deemed extremely beyond what a responsible authority would decide.

The petitions argued that the Knesset had violated its constitutional authority - the right to continue the constitutional process by introducing Basic Laws and amendments that established the general constitutional guidelines for the structure of the state and government, powers and relationships between the branches.

The reasonableness standard bill was passed to extract immediate political benefit and was about a specific tool rather than a general rule, petitioners contended.

--

Recommended Resources:

Read the full article here: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-752444

The article I originally used for the rather concerning quotation I cited: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/no-such-thing-as-palestinian-people-top-israeli-minister-says

(see: “There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian history. There is no Palestinian language,” -Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich)

Read the other article I briefly mentioned: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/07/25/the-crisis-in-israel-is-just-getting-started-00108040

--

Previously Mentioned Segments:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/episodes/Understanding-the-2021-IsraelPalestine-Crisis-and-its-Broader-Historic-Context-as-of-05-21-21-e1338lv

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/episodes/A-Neo-Ottoman-Foreign-Policy-in-Erdogans-Turkey---Understanding-the-Geopolitical-Situation-in-Northern-Syria-and-Ukraine---JUNE-2022-e1jvtr0/a-a8454hl

--

CONNECT: Official Website: http://www.GetNuanced.com/ Tech Channel | http://youtube.com/TJCMN Show Twitter | http://twitter.com/GetNuanced Main Twitter | http://twitter.com/TJCMN Show Instagram | http://instagram.com/GetNuanced Main Instagram | http://instagram.com/TJC
--

—Tom

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

In particular, I delve deep into the fascinating, often overlooked historical context of how modern Russia developed its particular spiritual and political identity as well as how Moscow and its various policymakers seek to rewrite what it perceives as the historical errors that had led to the disintegration at the end of the 20th century of the Soviet Union (USSR) and the reduction of its territorial borders into what they were prior to Putin's quest to resurrect the Russian Empire and establish in the process his own place in world history as the modern version of Czar / Emperor Peter the Great.

This particular segment was made on the fly and off the cuff, and covers a whole slew of miscellaneous topics that contextualize both the Byzantine nature of Russia's imperial past as well as the present juncture in which the Kremlin has taken the notion of being a besieged fortress in the face of Western opposition to the brink of a crisis with the risk of further military escalation in the form of a nuclear strike that could have grave implications for not just the ongoing conflict between Kyiv (and by extension Washington and NATO via proxy) and Moscow, but humanity as a collective species. Join me in this episode to learn more!

–

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TPFCMear8Hk

–

Articles Referenced in the Podcast:

https://greekreporter.com/2022/09/22/byzantine-history-putin-russian-empire/

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181

–

Interactive Map of the Ongoing Conflict: https://liveuamap.com/

–

Recommendations from the Show:

"RUSSIA-UKRAINE | A Real Nuclear Threat?" via Prof. James Ker-Lindsay | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz2YcYqU7sc&t=295s

"Crimea is running out of water" via CaspianReport | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqq8clIceys

–

Previous Segments Mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KXpA6aqxt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFiR2VX6PKQ&t=1064s

https://anchor.fm/getnuanced/episodes/A-Trip-to-Taipei-An-Overview--Strategic-Analysis-of-U-S--House-Speaker-Nancy-Pelosis-Anticipated-Visit-to-Taiwan-and-the-Ongoing-Cross-Strait-Crisis-with-Xi-Jinpings-China--JULY-2022-EDITION-e1lq5g6

https://anchor.fm/getnuanced/episodes/A-Neo-Ottoman-Foreign-Policy-in-Erdogans-Turkey---Understanding-the-Geopolitical-Situation-in-Northern-Syria-and-Ukraine---JUNE-2022-e1jvtr0/a-a50c7tb

–

CONNECT:

Main YouTube | http://youtube.com/GetNuanced

Tech Channel | http://youtube.com/TJCMN

Show Twitter | http://twitter.com/GetNuanced

Main Twitter | http://twitter.com/TJCMN

Show Instagram | http://instagram.com/GetNuanced

Main Instagram | http://instagram.com/TJC

–

#GetNuanced with TJC

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With the Cross-Strait relationship between the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) being at one of its worst phases since the immediate era following the 1949 conclusion (at least when it comes to the end of military conflict on the Chinese Mainland) of the Civil War between the forces of the Kuomintang (KMT, lit: “Chinese Nationalist Party”) and the Communist Party of China (CCP), respectively.

The recent announcement of an impending, formal diplomatic envoy headed by none other than Nancy Pelosi, the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives has sparked a blazing hot rhetorical response from Beijing and its so-called “Wolf Warrior” diplomats with fears from the Biden Administration and Policymakers from the Pentagon that this could potentially manifest in the PLA Air Force shadowing and then literally shooting down the aircraft that would be transporting Speaker Pelosi, among other high-ranking (and yet to be announced) American politicians.

In this segment today, I attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the tensions as they have developed through the aforementioned war of words and also my personal geostrategic analysis of what is certainly a situation of critical importance if one is someone such as myself with an interest in foreign policy and international relations.

–

Articles Read & Referenced in the Podcast:

“Biden and China’s Xi to speak during tense Taiwan standoff” - via the Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/28/china-biden-xi-call-nancy-pelosi-taiwan/

“EXPLAINER: Why is a Pelosi visit to Taiwan causing tension?” - via the Associated Press | https://apnews.com/article/china-pelosi-taiwan-visit-explainer-fd940b681b9a4165d2ace569bbfe33fb

“How Eisenhower Saved Taiwan” - via The Diplomat | https://thediplomat.com/2015/07/how-eisenhower-saved-taiwan/

–

Previous Video Segments I Produced on the Taiwan Question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KXpA6aqxt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFiR2VX6PKQ&t=1064s

–

***Expanded Description Coming Soon!***

–

CONNECT:

Main YouTube | http://youtube.com/GetNuanced

Tech Channel | http://youtube.com/TJCMN

Show Twitter | http://twitter.com/GetNuanced

Main Twitter | http://twitter.com/TJCMN

Show Instagram | http://instagram.com/GetNuanced

Main Instagram | http://instagram.com/TJC

–

#GetNuanced with TJC

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Modern Türkiye (Republic of Turkey) and the Resumption of History | Understanding Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman Foreign Policy in Syria and Ukraine

Resources Referenced:

YT Video: [coming soon!]

EXPLAINER: What is behind Turkey’s Syria incursion threats? | https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-islamic-state-group-politics-middle-east-a1293989c40712ae4a789311f88bcb45

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/1/turkey-expands-military-operation-in-northern-syria

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/05/erdogans-plan-return-syrian-refugees-unlikely-succeed

Syrian Civil War Interactive Map: https://syria.liveuamap.com/

YouTube Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbC0Ct2E2h0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmpKP1qjSSk

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

Updated description for this episode and video edition coming soon!

=

Recommended Resources:

"The U.S. Air Force Is Sending Dozens Of F-22 Stealth Fighters To Practice For War With China" | https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/07/20/the-us-air-force-is-sending-dozens-of-f-22-stealth-fighters-to-practice-for-war-with-china/

"China Says U.S. Trespassing in Its Airspace After Documents Sent to Taiwan" | https://www.newsweek.com/china-says-usa-trespassing-airspace-after-documents-sent-taiwan-diplomatic-spat-1609947

"In propaganda video, China threatens to nuke Japan after Japan vows to defend Taiwan" |  https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/in-propaganda-video-china-threatens-to-nuke-japan-after-japan-vows-to-defend-taiwan

"China’s navy is tipping the balance" | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg2xmKNAZvM

=

Support the Show: https://www.gofundme.com/f/GetNuanced / http://www.patreon.com/TJC

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Stay Connected:

Blog / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Website 

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[Additional information including recommended resources will be provided and is coming soon!)

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Watch via Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNImHZNodTk

=

Overview:  

The United States Armed Forces are scheduled to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the 31st of August 2021, concluding Operation Freedom's Sentinel and NATO's Resolute Support Mission.  

The U.S. and allied forces invaded and occupied the country in 2001 following the September 11th 2001 attacks, with the subsequent war becoming the U.S.'s longest military engagement surpassing even that then its War in Vietnam in the 20th century.  

On the 29th of February 2020, the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace agreement titled the "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan", with provisions including the withdrawal of all regular American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, a Taliban pledge to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in areas under Taliban control, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan Government based in Kabul. The deal was supported by China, Pakistan, and Russia, and unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.  

The Trump Administration agreed to an initial reduction of its force level from 13,000 to a total of 8,600 by July 2020, which would then be followed by a full withdrawal by the 1st of May 2021. This was contingent on if the Taliban kept its previously stated commitments.  

The Biden Administration announced in April 2021 that it would continue the withdrawal beyond the initial deadline, with an expected completion date by the 11th of September 2021. This deadline would mark the 20th anniversary of the previously mentioned attacks that had been the initial casus belli for the U.S. / NATO Coalition Forces.  

The Biden Administration later announced that despite the withdrawal, it would keep 650 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to defend the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and defend the Hamid Karzai International Airport alongside Turkish troops.  On the 8th of July, Biden shifted the U.S. withdrawal deadline to 31 August. Despite all of this, the Department of Defense stated that the U.S. will continue airstrikes on Taliban. More content on this is to follow as the circumstances of this story continue to evolve.

=

Recommended Resources:   

"Mapping the advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan" | https://news.yahoo.com/mapping-advance-taliban-afghanistan-230108412.html 

"Biden to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11" | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/13/biden-to-withdraw-us-troops-from-afghanistan-by-september-11 

"THE AFGHANISTAN PAPERS: A secret history of the war" | https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-confidential-documents/ 

"Origins of the Taliban" | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzBVvyBWDD4 

"Afghanistan sits on $3 trillion in minerals" | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9pOQioOEGg 

"China's Strategic Assessment of Afghanistan" | https://warontherocks.com/2020/04/chinas-strategic-assessment-of-afghanistan/ 

"Turkey's Erdogan says Taliban should end "occupation" in Afghanistan" | https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-says-taliban-should-end-occupation-afghanistan-2021-07-19/ 

"US weighs attacks if Kabul at risk of falling to Taliban: Report" | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/10/us-weighs-strikes-if-kabul-at-risk-of-falling-to-taliban-report

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Support GetNuanced:

Tip Us via Cash App: $GetNuanced

Our GoFundMe:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/GetNuanced

Patreon Community: http://www.patreon.com/TJC

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-TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

As someone who tends to try and stay out of the fray of these sorts of back-and-forths, nonetheless, I figured it would actually be on this occasion the perfect segue into an op-ed I have on the broader nature of "Debate Me, Bro!" culture and why I personally am of the firm belief that regardless of which particular camp one falls in —it is still ultimately a dead end if the aim is to actually improve society and not just chase clout and reaffirm the preconceived notions of those who are observing such as myself and others who are taking the time (even if briefly) to peer into the spectacle.

=

Recommended Resources:

Ethan Klein Debates Steven Crowder (Ft. Sam Seder) - H3 Podcast # 248

"OPINION: Steven Crowder Showed Why We Shouldn’t Engage With ‘Debate Me Bros’" by Ian Haworth (the article I referenced in the episode)

[more resources, including the referenced appearance I made on The Daily Wire will be added soon once I have more time to relocate it!)

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[Additional information including recommended resources will be provided and is coming soon!)

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Recommended Resources:

https://hensloweasablog.blogspot.com/2020/05/20-may-1596-tragedy-of-phocas.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktcs2VrLPbw

https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/2014/01/09/episode-42-in-fairness-to-phocas/

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Support the Show: https://www.gofundme.com/f/GetNuanced

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Stay Connected:

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[Additional information including recommended resources will be provided and is coming soon!)

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

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Recommended Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_of_Twitter_in_Nigeria

https://www.africanews.com/2021/06/09/trump-congratulates-nigeria-for-shutting-down-twitter/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57336571

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/03/27/many-nigerians-tunisians-and-kenyans-say-they-plan-to-leave-their-countries-in-the-next-five-years/#:~:text=In%20Nigeria%2C%20Africa's%20most%20populated,countries%20surveyed%20across%20four%20continents.&text=In%20nations%20surveyed%20outside%20of,say%20they%20plan%20to%20migrate.

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[Additional information including recommended resources will be provided and is coming soon!)

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[Additional information including recommended resources will be provided and is coming soon!)

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

This podcast segment will provide an introductory point for future discussions on the broader historical context of the Hellenistic Era via a critical analysis and biographical breakdown of one of the period's most underrated, yet nonetheless major players —Lysimachus, the Basileus of Thrace (and also at the apex of his tenure as monarch —Pontus, Macedonia, Thessaly, and most of what is modern-day Anatolia (Asia Minor / "Little Asia"))

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Support the Show: https://www.gofundme.com/f/GetNuanced

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Worth a Gander: 

• Lysimachus' Official Wikipedia Article

• Partition of Babylon / Lysimachus' Kingdom at its Absolute Height

• Minted Coinage to Commemorate / Legitimize King Lysimachus 

• A Solid Ancient-Origins.net Article Further Discussing Lysimachus

Video Edition of this Podcast Segment: *Coming Soon!*

Written Version of this Podcast Subject: *Coming Soon!*

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WATCH + LEARN More:

[coming soon!]

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TAGS: #Lysimachus #Basileus #HellenisticEra #AsiaMinor #Thrace #Anatolia #Macedonia #AlexanderTheGreat #History #Biography 

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STAY SAFE & PEACE OUT,

-@TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

This major conflict between the forces of the (Medieval) Roman Empire led by then Emperor Constans II and the Rashidun Caliphate led by then Caliph Muawiyah I would inaugurate centuries of prolonged struggle for geopolitical hegemony of the Mediterranean Sea (which had itself prior up until that point been a Roman Lake for centuries) between the great powers who respectively championed the Christian & Islamic religion, at least ostensibly.

Despite the former being only possible due to the latter taking place prior —the Battle of the Masts is in contrast to the Battle of Lepanto far less documented in regards to the available professional scholarship and even casual creators of digital material such as myself who tend to frame it (if at all) only within the narrow context of the event itself and not the broader historic factors which the causes and outcomes of battle are even themselves relatively few and far between.

This particular segment aims to at least begin rectifying a situation which tends to minimize the topic into being little more than a footnote in the wider struggle of "Christianity vs. Islam" or "The Occident vs. The Orient" (aka: "The West" vs. "The East"). It is far more impactful and interesting than the simplified polemics that often are (unfortunately) contrived from modern sentiments that prioritize self-interest over the actual truth of such matters

Join Tom as he provides an overview of the conflict, dives deeper into the transformative era of the 7th century with a particular focus on the political circumstances which the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire was facing (along with some side notes on its geographic neighbors such as the Arabs and the Persians), and also contextualizes the evolving nature + composition of the Roman military system with an emphasis on naval warfare as the Roman Navy of antiquity concluded its transition into the Byzantine form it took in the Middle Ages.

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Important Programming Notes: Description will be further improved after I finish work this week with additional links and notes. An update segment is also forthcoming clarifying the future of #GetNuanced and also a vague schedule / sneak-peak of what is yet to come. Appreciate your patience!

*1: John Kourkouas, not John Axouch.

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Video Edition of this Podcast Segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRV6M2ccnEI

Written Version of this Podcast Subject: *Coming Soon!*

Primary Source for this Historical Period (Theophanes the Confessor): *Coming Soon!*

WATCH + LEARN More:

• #AugustusCaesar, the #RomanEmpire, and Our #ModernWorld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVQ-msKhao

• #Anthemius, Praetorian Prefect of the East: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_jShHkEdQ4

• Understanding the #FallOfConstantinople: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8HsJ3C6iDk

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Stay Connected:

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TAGS: #ConstansII #NewRome #BattleOfPhoenix #MilitaryHistory #NavalWarfare #Byzantium #Geopolitics

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STAY SAFE & PEACE OUT,

-@TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

Among the seemingly noteworthy, larger-than-life figures whose circumstances from their own times to ours have continued to deeply influence and shape mankind's historical trajectory —Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus; better known by those concerned as Diocletian, towers among the great leaders of world history for his success in not only ending the tumult and terror which characterized the Crisis of the Third Century. but thereafter introducing a stunning series of ambitious political reforms --"The Tetrarchy" ("Leadership of Four") which (among other policymaking endeavors) was a radical attempt to rectify the systemic problems which were literally and metaphorically plaguing the entire Roman Empire. The results would ultimately be mixed, but nevertheless decisive and would usher in the era of Roman History known in modernity as "The Dominate."

Join Tom in this particular segment of #GetNuanced today to explore and analyze the most meaningful tidbits of the life & times of Diocletian! 

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Programming Notes: Sorry for being super busy! Clarification via an update video is forthcoming. There is plenty more where this came from coming soon!

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Help Reinforce the Show's Foundation: (coming soon!)

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Video Edition of this Podcast Segment: ***Coming Soon!*** 

Written Version of this Podcast Subject: ***Coming Soon!***

"The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbon | Chapter 13: https://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume1/chap13.htm

Article I had mentioned in the segment: http://historybooksreview.co.uk/diocletians-character-gibbons-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire/

Learn about #Aurelian, another fascinating #RomanEmperor and historical figure: 

• Audio Version: https://anchor.fm/getnuanced/episodes/Restorer-of-the-World-Life-and-Legacy-of-the-Roman-Emperor-Aurelian--270-275-eith02

• Video Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6MA1dfj4k

WATCH and LEARN more about Greco-Roman History:

• #America, #Russia, and #Rome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJLoyk3Y9E

• #AugustusCaesar, the #RomanEmpire, and Our #ModernWorld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVQ-msKhao

• #Anthemius, Praetorian Prefect of the East: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_jShHkEdQ4

• Understanding the #FallOfConstantinople: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8HsJ3C6iDk

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Stay Connected with GetNuanced:

Blog / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Website 

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PODCAST TAGS: 

#DIOCLETIAN #JUPITER #TETRARCHY #HISTORY #ROME

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STAY SAFE & PEACE OUT,

-@TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

In what could only be described as a tense meeting defined by mutual animosity derived from the conflicting geopolitical interests that policymakers from Washington and Beijing would not hesitate (for those who might not be fully "in the know") to reference as talking points against their respective counterparts (key figures of note: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan being at the head of the delegation of the former, while Chinese Foreign Minister & State Councilor Wang Yi along with Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi leading the latter's diplomatic envoy). 

The metaphorical gauntlet with this event has been formerly thrown down and with it comes (of course!) the ramblings from casual observers to professional analysts alike of a "New Cold War" between America and China. This prevailing narrative has swept across all relevant mainstream and independent media outlets as far as the eye can see (& as much as the digital algorithms which configure our social media timelines can optimize).

Beyond discussing the *real* state of play (along with the appropriate historical context) of what for some analysts has been referred to as being a modern-day version of Thucydides Trap, this podcast will attempt to take an even deeper dive into the ulterior machinations and their uncomfortable truths which fuel the false dialectic which is unfortunately proliferating across the political spectrum (at least the one which is defined by traditional and new media pundits who tend to be inclined towards a black-and-white worldview). 

For a subject as intricate and often misunderstood as the one being discussed —it will be clear (at least for likeminded people who are concerned with the future of mankind) that this segment, despite its *relatively* lengthy format is only beginning to truly scratch the actual surface of the shifting nature of international relations and the ongoing battle for so-called "global hegemony" between the two contemporary superpowers of the 21st century. This will not only be one of the defining issues of our own times, but that as well for the world of tomorrow & further beyond.

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RECOMMENDATIONS:

C-SPAN | https://www.c-span.org/video/?510091-1/secretary-blinken-chinese-foreign-minister-clash-meeting-anchorage-alaska

Transcript | https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/US-China-tensions/How-it-happened-Transcript-of-the-US-China-opening-remarks-in-Alaska

"Is #TheQuad an anti-China club? How 4 nations plan to engage Beijing" | https://www.straitstimes.com/world/how-quad-nations-us-japan-india-and-australia-are-squaring-up-to-china

Xi Jinping's Prior Experience in the United States | https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/story-xi-jinping-oldest-us-friends-what-it-shows-trade-war-china-14020306

"An Intro to Taiwanese Geopolitics" via #GetNuanced | https://youtu.be/8KXpA6aqxt0

"Geopolitics of the South China Sea" via #CaspianReport | https://youtu.be/GcFiJwpvmq0

"US-China conflict 'more likely' than five years ago, says Singapore PM" | https://youtu.be/xeXdfG-Nbpw

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CONNECT:

YouTube | http://youtube.com/GetNuanced

Twitter | http://twitter.com/GetNuanced

Instagram | http://instagram.com/GetNuanced

Website | http://GetNuanced.com

PeachiLabs | http://PeachiLabs.com/

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#InternationRelations / #ForeignPolicy

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Manuel would tour many of the former lands in which the Roman Empire at its height had once held sovereignty over, but by his time the Romans at the twilight of the Middle Ages were little more than rulers of a city-state in Constantinople which was being besieged by the rising Ottoman Sultanate at the time of Manuel's journey to Western Europe.

His predecessors may have been venerated and he may as well have still legally held the honor of being an heir to the legacy (and imperial title) of Augustus and Constantine, but despite the glorious reception, ceremonial splendor, and theoretical grandeur of his office, Manuel and his diplomatic envoys were little more than over glorified beggar to those who since had surpassed the polity which had once held dominion over their lands.

The tour would be chronicled by contemporary court historians from Paris to London and many would both be in awe as well as hold pity for a man who was well-educated and devoutly pious but nevertheless a tragic figure and the leader of a doomed Empire.

Little would materialize from his visit other than vague promises of aid along with token, symbolic gestures such as gifts and celebrations while he trekked across the West which was too embroiled in its own affairs to muster a proper response to the rapidly expanding Ottoman Empire which despite Manuel and his successors best efforts, would go on to conquer Constantinople and completely vanquish the final vestiges of Ancient Rome.

Despite the failure of Manuel's trip, the primary sources that chronicle his adventures in Medieval Europe provide modern observers and analysts such as ourselves with invaluable insight on the final days of Constantinople and the Roman Empire in the East.

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The source I referenced in the video: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Imagined_Communities_Constructing_Collec/_GZjDwAAQBAJ

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Second Part: ***COMING SOON!***

Video Edition on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VXyMZCtuxiI

Fall of Constantinople in 1453: https://youtu.be/E8HsJ3C6iDk

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Connect with #GetNuanced:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GetNuanced

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/GetNuanced

Website: htttp://www.GetNuanced.com/

#TeamPeachi: http://www.PeachiLabs.com/

[more resources to be included here shortly]

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-TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support

After losing his asylum from #Ecuador which had allowed the #UnitedKingdom to enter into their diplomatic Embassy in London to detain him. Since his arrest in April 2019 has been a de facto political prisoner of conscious whose personal health as well as public reputation been under siege by those who for a number of reasons (or an equal amount of decisions produced from a lack thereof of critical thinking, perhaps?) have lobbied for the extradition from the U.K. to the U.S. of his person for a trial and imprisonment based on his publications' revelations of both horrific war crimes as well as equally embarrassing contradictions from the infinite wisdom of U.S. Policymakers which much would rather his voice along with any other that is pursuing actual #journalism be silenced by any and all means going forward, "Freedom of the Press" be damned!

The verdict announced on the 4th after months of prolonged hearings and a lengthy trial which had limited public access (as well as excessive restrictions placed on Mr. Assange and his family, friends, and other supporters who were unable to enjoy certain legal protections / rights due to the controversial and critical nature of the case). What has surprised many was the outcome being more than what many pessimists had conceived as a pretty much foregone conclusion of Mr. Assange being sent with a one-way flight ticket to a federal prison in the Washington D.C. Area (or worse). 

Despite expectations from even some of his most ardent supporters to the contrary —2021 has provided its first solid piece of good news pertaining to the potential survival as well as viability of a #FreePress and having #FreeSpeech mean more than just mere political formalities as the reality of civil liberties in the U.S. as well as the broader collection of so-called "Western, Liberal Democracies" such as France the Britain (among others) which as of recent have seen a broader trend towards a future in which society is increasing dystopian and despotic regarding the nature of relations between the the powerful and those who seek to hold such powerful interests accountable.

"District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that while U.S. prosecutors had met the tests for Mr. Assange to be extradited for trial, the U.S. was incapable of preventing him from attempting to take his own life (a thinly veiled sleight at the abysmal conditions of the U.S. prison system).

Outlining evidence of his self-harm and suicidal thoughts, she said: "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future."

She said: "Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge."

(More links mentioned in the show coming soon!)

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TJC

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BTW - Apologies again for the delay in content programming as I have had my hands quite full during the holiday season & beginning of 2021. I hope all of my listeners have had a happy holidays & solid start to what *hopefully* will be a much happier and fortunate new year!

-TJC

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/getnuanced/support