Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
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Scholar Gilbert Achcar on the U.S. War Against Iran & Trump's "Old-New Imperial Doctrine"

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April 30, 2026

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We speak with Lebanese-born academic Gilbert Achcar about the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. foreign policy under President Trump and more. Achcar says Trump's military actions in Venezuela and Iran are not as dramatic a departure from U.S. policy as some commentators have suggested, calling it "an old-new imperial doctrine." While the George W. Bush administration believed in "regime change," says Achcar, Trump is "just going back to 19th-century gunboat diplomacy: You bomb a country until they submit."

Achcar's new book is Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective.

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Guests & Subjects Covered

Gilbert AchcarIran USPresident TrumpGeorge W BushAchcar TrumpGaza Catastrophe The GenocideWorld-Historical Perspective Democracy NowFriday Watch

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Scholar Gilbert Achcar on the U.S. War Against Iran & Trump's "Old-New Imperial Doctrine" · Amy Goodman · Sentinel