# #796: What The World Gets Wrong About Iran & the Middle East | Prof. Syed Farid Alatas

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/yah-lah-but-1019349/796-what-the-world-gets-wrong-about-iran-the-middle-east-prof-syed-farid-alatas
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/yah-lah-but-1019349/796-what-the-world-gets-wrong-about-iran-the-middle-east-prof-syed-farid-alatas.md
Podcast: [Yah Lah But](https://stenobird.com/podcast/yah-lah-but-1019349)
Published: 2026-03-27T08:09:11+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d498eb2a
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/d498eb2a/4babdbd8.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/yah-lah-but-1019349/episodes/796-what-the-world-gets-wrong-about-iran-the-middle-east-prof-syed-farid-alatas
Duration seconds: 5706

## Resource

Prof. Syed Farid Alatas, an NUS sociologist, decolonisation scholar, and a man with family currently living under the Iran-Israel war, explains why the Middle East conflict is really about colonial power, US hegemony, and what Singapore's silence reveals about our own captive minds that have been “colonized”. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗱'𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸: Prof Syed Farid on Facebook Prof Syed Farid on LinkedIn Books by Prof Syed Farid 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 Terence: A Scientist's View of War Haresh: Why Singapore Built A 150m-Deep Oil Cave Farid: Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀! We’re looking for people to join our team! Click on the links below to find out more about the roles. If you’re interested, send your CV & cover letter to contact@ministryoffunny.com! Creative Producer Folklory Growth Hacking Internship 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 – "𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝘁” Get a roundup of our One Shiok Things & first dibs on our latest launches delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe Here (00:50) On this episode... (0:02:12) Intro (0:03:25) The War Hits Home: Prof Farid's Personal Connection To Iran (0:07:19) Prof Farid's Background In Sociology (0:09:26) What Is Neo-Colonialism? (0:11:29) Decolonizing Our Minds (0:13:05) What Is A Eurocentric Education? (0:17:17) Is Colonialism Only A European Problem? (0:19:23) Was Imperial Domination Always Inevitable? (0:22:00) Trump And The Return Of Colonial Language (0:25:04) How October 7 Changed American Minds (0:30:25) Critiquing All Sides: US, Israel, Gulf States, And Iran (0:35:18) Why Regime Change In Iran Won't Work (0:38:42) Understanding Iranian Society And Its Contradictions (0:41:28) Iranians United Against Foreign Aggression (0:43:50) Why Isn't The Muslim World Rallying Behind Iran? (0:46:17) The Most Worrying Thing: Regional…

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