World Discord Podcast

Episode 42: The Fascism Series Part IV

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless PhD, Joel Ostrow PhD) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:22:46 +0000

Profs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless continue to explore fascism in the US and the world, this time focusing on how fascist regimes destroy and transform institutions.

Episode 41: The Fascism Series, Part III

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless) — Mon, 9 Feb 2026 03:03:31 +0000

Profs Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow continue their discussion of fascism. This episode focuses on how fascist regimes utilize disinformation to take and keep control of the people and country.

Episode 40: The Fascism Series Part II

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Tue, 3 Feb 2026 00:47:46 +0000

Professors Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow continue their analysis of the United States' trend towards fascism, with a discussion of the role of militarized violence in fascism, the ICE actions in Minneapolis, and the murders of Robin Goode and Alex Pretti.

Episode 39: The Fascism Series, Part 1

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless) — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:47:06 +0000

Profs Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless define fascism and discuss what it really means in comparison to democratic and other authoritarian forms of government.

Episode 38, Discord in Gaza: France, Famine and Genocide

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless PhD) — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 14:42:34 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless give an update on the current situation in Gaza, where more countries are now pressuring the Israeli government on famine and human rights issues.

EPISODE 37: UPDATED The Media's Role in Discord

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Joan Esposito, Dr. Brian Endless) — Mon, 7 Jul 2025 17:07:47 +0000

UPDATED: this episode had some sound quality issues and is reloaded here. Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Joan Esposito, award-winning Chicago media personality and host of "Live, Local and Progressive" on WCPT-AM820 radio. We discuss ways in which the impact of the media in our current political climate.

Episode 37: the Media's Role - Discord in the Media

joel@ostrows.us (Joan Esposito, Brian Endless PhD, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Thu, 3 Jul 2025 19:49:55 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Joan Esposito, award-winning Chicago media personality and host of "Live, Local and Progressive" on WCPT-AM820 radio. We discuss ways in which the impact of the media in our current political climate.

Episode 36: Breaking the ICE with a Mayor

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 11:23:19 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by local mayor Rory Hoskins of Forest Park, IL to discuss immigration enforcement and ICE issues as they apply to local areas.

Episode 35: Israel and Iran - War Gaming the Day After

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow) — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 16:51:35 +0000

Brian and Joel discuss Israel's military strike against Iran, Iran's response, and the likely regional and global repurcussions.

Episode 34: Caring Amid Carnage - a volunteer medic on the Ukrainian front

joel@ostrows.us (Rima Ziuraitus, Dr. Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless PhD) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 13:20:59 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined today by Rima Ziuraitus, a US citizen who moved to Ukraine when the war broke out in 2022 to help people, and has since enlisted in the Ukrainian military as a combat medic working on the front lines.

This is certainly the most intense World Discord Podcast so far, and it may be the most important. Please watch/listen and pass it along to as many people as possible.

Episode 33: Make the World Sick Again?

joel@ostrows.us (Katie Suleta, Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow) — Thu, 29 May 2025 23:06:47 +0000

Dr. Katie Suleta, an expert on global public health, joins Brian and Joel to discuss the global impact of the US withdrawal from international obligations, the dissolving of USAID, withdrawal from the WHO and other attacks on science and health.

Episode 32: The Terror of Tariffs

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Fri, 23 May 2025 21:22:32 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Alex Jacquez, the Chief of Policy and Advocacy for the Groundwork Collective to go into depth about the many potential issues arising from new tariffs and the potential tariff wars.

Episode 31: Ukraine Under American Chaos

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:53:49 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined today by Ukrainian student and youth activist Khrystyna Dmytryshyn to talk about the war in Ukraine, what life is like for average citizens, and what chaos in US politics does to the people of that war-torn country.

Episode 30: America Playing Alliance Roulette

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 01:47:02 +0000

Profs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Alexandra Chinchilla, Assistant Professor of International Affairs, Texas A&M University to discuss the problematic nature and future of US alliances in the new administration.

Episode 29: Discord American Style!

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Brian Endless, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 14:48:18 +0000

Profs Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless get together in this episode to talk about the extreme discord in the US since the election of President Trump.

Episode 28: The Crumbling Facade of Assad - Trying to Make Sense of Syria

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless PhD, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Sat, 8 Feb 2025 20:08:32 +0000

Profs Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Dr, Joshua Landis, Co-Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma to talk about what's happening in Syria after the civil war that drove out the Assad regime.

Episode 27: Crisis in Congo: Will the World Actually Notice This Time?

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Mon, 3 Feb 2025 15:22:32 +0000

Profs Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless talk about the current crisis in Goma, DRC with M-23 forces and Rwandan military taking over the city, which could lead to a wider war in the region.

Episode 26: Constitutional Crisis in Korea: Who, What, and Why

joel@ostrows.us (Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless, Ji Yeon Hong, Jean Hong) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 19:07:50 +0000

Profs Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Professor Ji Yeon Hong, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Politics at the University of Michigan, to discuss the recent political turmoil around the declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment of the president of South Korea.

Episode 25: Some Words About the Kurds

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Wed, 8 Jan 2025 19:08:47 +0000

Profs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Karwan Gaznay, former member of the Kurdish Parliament in Northern Iraq, to talk about the Kurdish situation in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran.

Episode 24: 2024 Year in Review

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless) — Sun, 8 Dec 2024 22:30:47 +0000

Profs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless review various conflicts and issues around the world in a recap to the year 2024.

Ep 23: Veterans Discuss the Fog of War

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:22:44 +0000

Profs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by two US military veterans, Justin Van Gundy and Edward Levy, to talk about the experiences of our soldiers in various war zones and their perspectives on war.

Ep. 22: Globalization Trump'd

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow) — Fri, 8 Nov 2024 15:50:31 +0000

Brian and Joel discuss the global consequences of the election of Donald Trump.

Ep. 21: What Will Happen to the Rohingya?

joel@ostrows.us (Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless, Simon Billenness) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:53:33 +0000

Brian and Joel are joined by Simon Billenness, Executive Director, International Campaign for the Rohingya, for a discussion of the political chaos in Myanmar and the plight of the Rohingya.

Ep. 20: Unpacking Pakistan's Problems and Potential

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow, Afiya Zia) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 15:12:06 +0000

Afiya Zia, a Pakistan-based scholar and activist, joins Brian and Joel to discuss internal politics in Pakistan, and how the Taliban has destabilized much of that politics over the years.

Why Should We Still Care About Rwanda?

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow, Claude Gatabuke) — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 21:49:51 +0000

Brian and Joel discuss the situation in Rwanda with Claude Gatabuke, Executive Director of the African Great Lakes Network and a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Ep. 18: The Sorry Situation on the South Side. Sudan, That Is

joel@ostrows.us (Joshua Meservey, Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 03:55:47 +0000

Joshua Meservey of The Hudson Institute returns to join Brian and Joel in a discussion of the continuing conflict and chaos in South Sudan

Ep. 17 - Exploding Pagers: Just Terrorism or Just War?

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel Ostrow) — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 02:46:38 +0000

Brian and Joel discuss the Israeli operation in Lebanon that detonated scores of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of the operation.

Hatin' on the Continued Chaos in Haiti

joel@ostrows.us (Robert Fatton, Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless) — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 00:11:35 +0000

Professor Emeritus Robert Fatton of the University of Virginia joins Brian and Joel to discuss the deteriorating political situation in Haiti.

Israel and Gaza: An Israeli-American Student's Perspective

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 19:42:05 +0000

Brian and Joel discuss the impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict with an Israeli-American student. We discuss some aspects of the war that get less attention in the media today: the continuing attacks on Israel and their effects, the attitudes of the Israeli population to the ongoing conflict and to the Netanyahu government, and his experiences as a current university student.

Episode 14: China's Quiet Genocide

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 17:21:29 +0000

Olivia Enos, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, joins Brian and Joel to discuss China's genocidal persecution of the ethnic Uyghur population in Western China. Qelbinur Aini tells the story of her sister's detainment in a Chinese "reeducation" camp, which is in fact a hard labor concentration camp.

Episode 13 - International Law: What is it good for?

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Brian Endless, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:18:10 +0000

Drs. Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow discuss the relevance of international law and how it is used by states, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Episode 12: Huh? I thought the Sudan conflict was over?

joel@ostrows.us (Joshua Meservey, Dr. Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless PhD) — Thu, 8 Aug 2024 16:52:15 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Joshua Meservey, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute to discuss the current conflict in Sudan which has reemerged with extreme violence over the past year.

Episode 11: A Personal Perspective on Palestine

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:16:30 +0000

Benedictine student and Palestinian-American Mya Mohammed '25 joins Brian and Joel to discuss the Gaza War from a personal perspective.

Episode 10: Looking Across the Southern Border - Drug Wars and Politics in Mexico

joel@ostrows.us (Marco Alcocer, Brian Endless, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 15:03:34 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Professor Marco Alcocer from the University of California, Merced to discuss politics in Mexico following the recent presidential elections, along with the current plague of drug cartels in that country.

Episode 9: Putin the Focus on Russia's Military Malaise

joel@ostrows.us (Joel Ostrow, Brian Endless) — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 01:38:33 +0000

Professor Brian D. Taylor of Syracuse University joins Joel and Brian for a discussion of Russia's military failures, and how Russia so badly misjudged Ukraine's willingness and ability to resist and it's own military capacity.

Episode 8: Let's Go Congo - Discussing Africa's Hidden Conflict

Wed, 3 Jul 2024 21:03:24 +0000

Drs. Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow are joined by Father Touissaint Kafarhire Murhula, SJ, PhD, Director of the Arrupe Center for Research and Training in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We discuss some of the history and the current situation in the Congo, including the "civil war" that has been raging since 1996.

Episode 7: Yeah man, let's talk Yemen

joel@ostrows.us (Fatima Abo Alasar, Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless) — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:15:08 +0000

Drs. Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow examine the conflict in Yemen with guest Fatima Abo Alasar, Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute and Senior Analyst at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies. This covers history, the current conflict between the Iranian backed Houthis and the Saudi backed government, and how the conflict affects the rest of the region.

Episode 6: World Court Scrabble: ICJ? ICC? WTH!

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Brian Endless, Dr. Joel Ostrow) — Wed, 5 Jun 2024 21:48:58 +0000

Drs. Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow examine the recent controversy around International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) involvement in the Israel/Gaza crisis.

Episode 5: A Deep Dive into the South China Sea

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless, Joel M Ostrow, Eric Heginbotham) — Thu, 30 May 2024 15:31:50 +0000

In this episode, Professor Eric Heginbotham, Research Fellow at M.I.T.'s Center for International Studies and an expert on Asian security issues, joins us for a discussion of tensions between China and Taiwan and in the South China Sea more generally.

Episode 4: Helicopter Down! What next for Iran?

joel@ostrows.us (Dr. Joel Ostrow, Dr. Brian Endless, Dr. Kaveh Ehsani) — Thu, 23 May 2024 22:37:58 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless are joined by Dr. Kaveh Ehsani (DePaul University). Dr. Ehsani is an expert on Iran who provides insight on what comes next after the recent helicopter crash that killed the Iranian President and Foreign Minister.

Episode 3: Israel and Gaza

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless PhD, Joel Ostrow PhD) — Thu, 16 May 2024 02:41:31 +0000

Profs. Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow discuss the current situation in the Gaza Strip and the history that brought us to this point in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Episode 2: Ukraine and Russia

joel@ostrows.us (Brian Endless PhD, Joel Ostrow PhD) — Thu, 9 May 2024 20:12:14 +0000

Drs. Joel Ostrow and Brian Endless bring more history and depth to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, including what we might expect in the future.

And so it begins ... the World Discord Podcast Episode 1

joel@ostrows.us (Joel Ostrow PhD, Brian Endless PhD) — Thu, 2 May 2024 23:25:23 +0000

Professors Brian Endless and Joel Ostrow introduce this new podcast, focused on all of the international conflicts and crises you know about and those you never heard of.