Jason Burke

The Iranian revolution transformed global extremism, replacing left-wing radicalism with religion Left-wing radicalism dominated the 1970s – until the 1979 Iranian Revolution became a catalyst for ‘a new and different energy’.

"In his riveting The Revolutionists, Jason Burke treats the Iranian Revolution as a catalyst for “a new and different energy” that would surge through the Middle East. In its aftermath, ... older, leftist revolutionary currents were pushed to the margins."

theconversation.com/the-iranian-...

Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies Iraq emerges as key front in new and often clandestine confrontation after launching dozens of attacks

Iraq emerging as a new front in this spiralling conflict, with air strikes, militia, Kurds, Shia, proxies covert ops and more all in the mix

our report here:

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Airstrikes hit Iran-Iraq border as US and Israeli plan to mobilise Kurds gathers pace Experts say backing Iran’s ethnic communities could ‘open up a hornet’s nest’ and increase risk of chaotic civil war

our latest on these US/Israeli plans to mobilise Kurds in the north of Iraq vs Iran.
a quieter night in Jerusalem, thankfully.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

1/9. In 2020 Iran did try to interfere with the presidential election.

In jerusalem right now somewhat incongruous combination of bells from old city (sunday morning) and loud explosions as missiles from Iran aimed at central israel intercepted overhead. there's no doubt a latin tag that could be usefully deployed. Bluesky users may know. Twitter not so much.

The rise and fall of Iran’s ruthless and pragmatic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The radical cleric took over as supreme leader in 1989 and is likely to be replaced by hardline figures

noisy night here in Jerusalem with a lot of alerts and so in and out of the shelter. all clear half an hour ago, and a stunning clear blue sky. unsurprisingly empty streets.

here's my file from last night on rise and demise of Ali Khamenei. The end of an era.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

came through quiet Ben Gurion airport at 4am this morning on one of last flights in for who knows how long. woken by alerts pinging on phone when first wave of missiles came in, since pretty much nonstop sirens, jets overhead, and explosions rattling windows here in Jerusalem.

Nobody knows what would follow regime change in Iran – but what happened in 1979 offers some pointers | Jason Burke The radical clerics benefited then – but who would prevail this time, asks the Guardian’s international security correspondent Jason Burke

so what lessons might 1979 offer for 2026 in Iran?

one is that the good guys may win but then not end up winning at all

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

very very long, careful and clever review of The Revolutionists in the New Yorker .. which is pretty amazing

"A new history charts how Palestinian militants of the nineteen-seventies made common cause with West Germany’s radical left."

t.co/mk6on0oGOz

The aforementioned book positioned with a pint of bitter.

Finally got round to starting my birthday present, @jasonburke2.bsky.social ‘s Revolutionists. 100 pages in in two days and it’s excellent.

Our Patreon supporters now have access to our latest episode with @jasonburke2.bsky.social about his remarkable book, The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s, and they get their extra 15 minutes with Jason!

Join us here: www.patreon.com/posts/revolu...

#booksky

THE REVOLUTIONISTS

...which is not surprising, because I loved my decade spent in the 70s. Was spending hours listening to music as research a bit over the top? Maybe .... But then again ....
Here's the play list again and thanks for listening/reading!

open.spotify.com/playlist/0NW...

A huge amount missed out obviously. suggestions welcome
but this was fun....

The Human League, The Lebanon, 1984. Yup, The 80s are definitely here, synths, make up, big hair, shoulder pads and everything. Don't You Want Me a better song obviously but still New Romantics sing about civil wars?. I never knew

Rock The Casbah, The Clash, 1982. British punkrockers tackle MENA politics, the rise of Islamism, secularism and much else. Yes, you can criticise but a hell of an effort. Shareef don't like it ... indeed he didn't.

No More Heroes, The Stranglers, punk at its raw best, but an important point too. Where were the heroes by 1977? The idealism of the late 1960s long gone ... The 80s are on the way ...

This is fantastic. Liza Liza, Elias Rahbani and his Orchestra. 1978 A reminder that yes Lebanon had a horrendous civil war, with huge consequences for the region, and about six chapters in my book, but still managed to produce some great music. another disco hit for Carlos

Demis Roussos! obviously. mega hit. not such a bad tune either, if you like that kind of thing, or are just a desperate 1970s nerd ...

Boogie Nights, Heatwave, 1976. This one a disco classic obviously, and fabulous. It's the 70s, what's not to like? So this was what Carlos the Jackal would have been dancing to in nightclubs in Baghdad when he stayed there 77-79, as well as ....

Chocolate Menta Mastik, Israel's Eurovision entry in 1975 with Emor Shalom, also got cut from the book, where it was meant to suggest the mood in Israel mid decade i.e loss of confidence post-73 war. not a great tune either ngtl

Autobahn, Kraftwerk, 1974. This because a paragraph explaining how mid-70s West German music illustrates/encrouaged the turn away from violence among radicals there was cut from the boo. i won't go into it here, but Kraut Rock important....

Maggie May, Rod Stewart. I know. Terrible song. But - who knew? - Stewart was a favourite of Ulrike Meinhof, co-founder of the Red Army Faction (AKA eponymous Baader Meinhif gang) about whom I could have written a whole book with great pleasure.

The Good The Bad and the Ugly, Enrico Morricone, which so inspired one West German violent extremist (so did 1966 Pontecorvo Battle of Algiers) that he modelled an execution on the famous shootout scene

Pink Floyd - Money (Official Music Video) YouTube video by Pink Floyd

Money, Pink Floyd. just watch the video.
youtube.com/watch?v=-0kc...
1973 - oil crisis

Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who, '71, is about the empty promises of change by ... the radicals, and was a massive hit. A John Lennon double album around this time full of protest songs was a disaster.

Revolution - The Beatles, '68- because revealingly they don't want one really, at least not a violent one, and as Mao said, quoted by lots of extremists in my book: A revolution is not a dinner party.

then Subterranean Homesick Blues, Dylan, '65, because hugely popular in UK and Euro squats/communes (and is brilliant)

Umm Kalhtoum because her music was played in the taxi taking a spy whose story i tell from Beirut to Damascus (and obviously all the time every where in MENA)

the first tracks are Led Zep Good Times Bad Times and Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth ('67). One utterly apolitical but angry and loud so very much of its age ('69), other highly political, really captures the anxiety and idealism that fuelled protest in US/elsewhere

THE REVOLUTIONISTS

Here's a fantastic Spotify playlist with some of the best music that features in The Revolutionists.
(yes the book is about terrorism, but it's also about the 70s, so there's a lot of tunes in it)

open.spotify.com/playlist/0NW...

The Rise of Carlos the Jackal, the Most Feared Terrorist of the 1970s The twenty-four-year-old gripping the Beretta 9mm pistol in his gloved hand had enjoyed many names in his short life. To teasing classmates, he had been el Gordo or “the chubby one.” To…

"The twenty-four-year-old gripping the Beretta 9mm pistol in his gloved hand had enjoyed many names in his short life ...."

read the rest (of this extract from #TheRevolutionists) on the early years of Carlos the Jckal here:

lithub.com/the-rise-of-...