Ep. 79: How 'Neutral' 'Experts' Took Over Trump's Iran Policy

“Satellite Images Raise Questions About Iran Threat, Experts Say,” worries The Daily Beast. “Iran And Trading Partners Will Find Ways To Skirt Sanctions, Analysts Say,” frets NPR. “Iran uses proxies to punch above its weight in the Middle East, experts say,” declares NBC News. “Fuel from Iran is financing Yemen rebels’ war, U.N. experts say,” writes the Associated Press.

Experts say. Analysts say. Officials say. We hear these qualifiers constantly in the media and when it comes to reporting on Iran, experts, analysts, scholars and Fellows are consistently tapped to weigh in on the latest nefarious thing the "Islamic Republic” is up to now.

But who are these so-called experts? What’s their track record like and what are their tangential, non-Iranian, related regional political goals? And what does a recent partnership between the Trump State Department and Foundation for Defense of Democracies that targets peace activists on social media tell us about the broader problem of so-called neutral experts? On today’s episode, we’ll dig into some of the resumes of the media’s favorite experticians and breakdown how a revolving door of deeply ideological partisans use US media to pawn themselves off as apolitical scholars.

We are joined today by journalist and editor Arash Karami.

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Guest

Arash Karami is a journalist, editor and currently a contributor to Al-Monitor. Follow him @thekarami.

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Show Notes

FDD Aligned With State Department To Attack Supporters Of Iran Diplomacy

Eli Clifton | June 1, 2019 | LobeLog

State Department uses taxpayer money to fund online attacks

Negar Mortazavi | May 30, 2019 | Twitter

This Think Tank Is Pushing Regime Change in Iran—and the White House is Listening

James Carden | July 12, 2018 | The Nation

He Was a Tireless Critic of the Iran Deal. Now He Insists He Wanted to Save It.

Gardiner Harris | May 13, 2018 | The New York Times

Mark Dubowitz: You’re On The Hook For Killing The Iran Deal

Ben Armbruster | May 10, 2018 | LobeLog

Think Tank-Addicted Media Turn to Regime Change Enthusiasts for Iran Protest Commentary

Adam Johnson | January 5, 2018 | FAIR

Why Do Mainstream Reporters Take FDD’s Mark Dubowitz’s Iran Analysis Seriously?

Ben Armbruster | September 30, 2017 | LobeLog

Regime Change Redux: Empowered Hawks Renew Sights on Iran

Nima Shirazi | July 10, 2017 | Wide Asleep in America

David Albright’s Hidden Talents

Derek Davison | May 31, 2017 | LobeLog

The Little Think Tank That Could

John B. Judis | August 18, 2015 | Slate

Heinonen Moves Deceptive Anti-Iran Campaign From Washington Post Opinion Page to New York Times News Page

Jim White | March 30, 2015 | Empty Wheel

US Iran Hawks Try to Sabotage Nuclear Deal

Muhammad Sahimi | December 24, 2014 | The National Interest

Atomic Errors: Propaganda & Ignorance in Reporting on Iran

Nima Shirazi | October 31, 2013 | Wide Asleep in America

The Talented Mr. Takeyh

Nima Shirazi | February 7, 2013 | Wide Asleep in America

David Albright and Company Call for Intensifying War on the Iranian People

Muhammad Sahimi | January 19, 2013 | Anti-War

ISIS's David Albright: Career Alarmist Extraordinaire

Nima Shirazi | March 8, 2012 | Wide Asleep in America

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Transcript

For a full transcript of this episode, go here. 

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