The East is a Podcast cover art
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The East is a Podcast

A podcast offering a critical, anti-imperialist analysis of geopolitics and history, with a particular focus on Iran and West Asia.

The brief

A mix of guest interviews and co-hosted roundtables analyzing geopolitics, media, and culture from a staunchly anti-imperialist perspective. The show often serves as a counter-narrative to Western media, focusing on topics like the Palestinian resistance, US foreign policy failures, and internal dynamics in Iran. It is part of a broader ecosystem of collaborating left-wing podcasts, sharing hosts and cross-promoting content.

Its unapologetic anti-imperialist framing and deep, granular focus on Iran distinguishes it from mainstream foreign policy podcasts. The show actively platforms on-the-ground perspectives and expert analysis that challenges dominant Western narratives.
— What makes it distinctive
§1 · The host

Who hosts this show

The East is a Podcast is created and hosted by Sina Rahmani, who provides a critical lens on the history of the present in West Asia and North Africa. The show features a mix of interviews with experts, co-hosted roundtable discussions, and archival audio mashups. Rahmani, who has a PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA and is a Postdoctoral Fellow, frequently collaborates with a network of other anti-imperialist podcasts. The podcast is known for its staunchly anti-imperialist political framework and deep focus on Iran.

AI-extracted bio · help us verify· Source: gemini-video-grounded

Credentials & credits

  • PhD in Comparative Literature, UCLA
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Alberta
  • Host, The East is a Podcast
  • Producer, The Red Nation Podcast

Other ventures

  • The Red Nation Podcast (Producer)
  • Guerrilla History (Frequent guest/collaborator)
  • Resistance is Fertile Podcast (Collaborator)
  • The End of Sport (Guest)
§2 · Classification

What kind of podcast

Country
Canada
Region
north america
§3 · Cadence & catalog

When new episodes drop

§3b · Editor's picks

Notable episodes

AI-extracted picks + commentary · help us verify
  1. 01
    People of Granite: Why Iran won't break (pt.1) w/ Sara in Tehran

    Features an on-the-ground perspective from Tehran during a period of conflict, which is central to the podcast's mission.

  2. 02
    Not a proxy: Iran and the Palestinian resistance w/ Mujamma Haraket

    A representative example of the show's deep-dive interviews on the complex geopolitics of the Middle East, challenging Western narratives.

  3. 03
    Tankie Group Therapy #39: Ah Sh*t, here we go again

    Showcases the recurring roundtable format with co-hosts, highlighting the informal, chaotic, and self-referential style of the show.

§4 · Signature

What you'll be asked on this show

AI-extracted from recent episodes · help us verify
How the host interviews

The show is a mix of interviews and co-hosted roundtables. In interviews, the host often begins by establishing a strong geopolitical frame before bringing in the guest for collaborative analysis. The questions are designed to elicit deeper details based on a shared understanding of events, rather than to challenge or debate the guest's premise. The co-hosted "Tankie Group Therapy" episodes are more informal and conversational, often revolving around recent events or controversies within their political sphere.

The format varies between solo-hosted interviews, chaotic co-hosted roundtables like the recurring "Tankie Group Therapy" segment, and collaborative livestreams. The host, Sina Rahmani, shares a clear political alignment with his guests, leading to conversations that are more about collaborative analysis than debate. The tone is informal, sometimes self-referential, and deeply embedded in a specific left-wing podcasting community.

Questions the host keeps coming back to

1 catalogued

If you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.

controversy

1
  1. Q.01

    Can you tell us about kicking a hornet's nest?

    The host asks this of a co-host to introduce a recent controversy they were involved in, setting the stage for a self-referential discussion.

Signature segments

  • · Tankie Group Therapy
  • · Collaborative livestreams (e.g., 'Iran vs. the Epstein Empire')
  • · Interviews with on-the-ground sources
  • · Archival audio mashups

Topics covered repeatedly

Anti-imperialismGeopoliticsIranPalestineUS Foreign PolicyMedia CriticismLeftist Political TheoryMiddle East HistoryWorld Cup 2026Resistance Movements
§5 · Guests

Who gets booked here

AI-extracted guest list + profile · help us verify
Typical guest

Academics, journalists, and analysts who share the show's anti-imperialist political framework are common guests. The show features experts with specific knowledge of Iran, Palestine, and Middle Eastern geopolitics, as well as hosts from allied podcasts.

Recent guests
  • Adnan Husain
    on Tankie Group Therapy #39: Ah Sh*t, here we go again
  • Sara in Tehran
    on People of Granite: Why Iran won't break (pt.1) w/ Sara in Tehran
  • Mujamma Haraket
    on Not a proxy: Iran and the Palestinian resistance w/ Mujamma Haraket
  • Mikey
    on Tankie Group Therapy #39: Ah Sh*t, here we go again
  • Nora
    on Tankie Group Therapy #39: Ah Sh*t, here we go again
§6 · Channels & links

Where to find this show

§7 · Stats

Audience & reach

YouTube · first-party
Subscribers
8.6K
8,590
Avg views / video
2.4K
Trailing window
Total views
421K
420,943
Videos published
152
Sponsor readEstimated

The podcast is primarily listener-supported via Patreon. It does not appear to feature traditional sponsors and instead sometimes promotes individual fundraising campaigns for causes aligned with its politics.

AI-extracted sponsor read · help us verify

Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.

§8 · Contact

Pitch this show

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Verified contact
Host / booking email
E•••@•••.com

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§9b · FAQ

People also ask

AI-extracted researched answers · help us verify
What is the host's real name?
The host is Sina Rahmani, which appears to be his real name.
What are the host's credentials?
Sina Rahmani holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA and is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta. He is also the producer of The Red Nation Podcast.
What is the political perspective of the podcast?
The podcast takes a staunchly anti-imperialist and anti-colonial stance, often associated with the "tankie" label, providing critical analysis of US foreign policy and Western media narratives, particularly concerning Iran and Palestine.
What is the format of the show?
The show varies, featuring a mix of expert interviews, archival audio mashups, and recurring roundtable discussions with co-hosts, such as the "Tankie Group Therapy" series.
Is the podcast still active?
Yes, the podcast is active and has been running from 2018 to the present, releasing episodes on a regular basis.
Last updatedJun 29, 2026Not yet host-verified
Research depthLightly researchedMedium confidence · Jun 29, 2026 · gemini-2.5-pro

Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.

§9c · Methodology

Sources & how this page was built

This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · medium confidence

  1. [01]The East is a Podcast - Official Website Snippetseastpodcast.com
  2. [02]The East is a Podcast | Podchaserpodchaser.com
  3. [03]Sina Rahmani – Public Bookspublicbooks.org
  4. [04]The Red Nation Podcast - Inside the producer's studiopodchaser.com
  5. [05](How badly) Did the US lose to Iran? w/Sina Rahmani - The Red Nation Podcastyoutube.com
  6. [06]"Listen to the Iranian": Sina Rahmani (The East is a Podcast)youtube.com
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