Background Briefing

Background Briefing – May 29, 2024

Complaints From Ukraine’s Front Lines That Big Ticket U.S. Weapons Don’t Work, Get Jammed, or Are Unsuitable We begin with reports coming from the front lines in Ukraine that a lot of the big ticket items the U.S. supplied — like Abrams tanks, HIMARS, and F-16’s — are either not working, jammed by the Russians, … Continued


For over half a century, Big Oil and the plastics industry, through their trade associations and front groups, have sold the public the false idea that plastics are recyclable. Recycling became the mantra of good ecological stewardship, promoted by the likes of city governments, school children, and environmental groups. Davis Allen lays out the mass-marketing … Continued


UpFront

Historian Ilan Pappé Israel’s Continued Invasion of Rafah; Plus, What Comes Next in Iran After President Ebrahim Raisi’s Death?

0:08 — Ilan Pappe is the Director of the European Center of Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter. His books include Ten Myths About Israel and A History of Modern Palestine. 0:33 — Naysan Rafati is Crisis Group’s Iran Senior Analyst. His research is focused on the Iran nuclear deal and Iran’s regional policies.