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History As It HappensAuthor: Martin Di Caro
Discover how the past shapes the present with the best historians in the world. Everything happening today comes from something, somewhere. History As It Happens features interviews with today's top scholars and thinkers, interwoven with audio from history's archive. Subscribe for ad-free episodes and access to the entire podcast catalog: https://historyasithappens.supercast.com/ Language: en Genres: History, News, News Commentary Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Martyrs and Survivors: The Iran-Iraq War
Friday, 10 April, 2026
Keep the narrative flow going in 2026. Subscribe now for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content! Over eight long years in the 1980s, Iraq and Iran pulverized each other in an unwinnable, pointless war that nonetheless began as an existential threat to the new revolutionary government in Tehran. In the crucible of war, the Islamic Republic cemented hardline clerical rule, crushed dissent, forged an identity, demonstrated its resilience, ensured the country's independence, and created a powerful national narrative to challenge hostile "imperialists" in the West and East. In this episode, political scientist Hussein Banai, an expert on U.S.-Iran relations, discusses the enduring relevance of the Iran-Iraq War as the theocratic regime attempts to survive a U.S.-Israeli onslaught in 2026. Recommended reading: Republics of Myth: National Narratives and the US-Iran Conflict by Hussein Banai, Malcolm Byrne, and John Tirman Iran-Iraq War (Encyclopedia Britannica)













