Episodes

  • Episode 16: Pakistan on the Precipice
    Jun 25 2024

    In the summer of 2023, Omer sat down with Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, who was then on house arrest, having been ousted from power by the military. Khan was the most popular leader Pakistan had ever produced. In August 2023, he was thrown into jail—where he has since remained. This is their full conversation, covering Khan's ouster from power, his message to President Biden, and what could happen next in Pakistan.


    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    18 mins
  • Episode 15: U.S. Weapons and the Crisis in Gaza
    Feb 23 2024

    Omer sits down with Josh Paul, former Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. State Department, who was responsible for U.S. weapons transfers to other countries. Paul resigned in late October 2023, after working for the U.S. government for 11 years. They discuss U.S. arms transfers, the process of sending weapons to Israel, how Joe Biden sees Palestinians, Israeli-Saudi backroom diplomacy, prospects for a ceasefire, the day after the war ends, and other topics.

    Books mentioned in this episode:

    The Atlas of the Conflict: Israel-Palestine, by Malkit Shoshan

    Image and Reality of the Israel Palestine Conflict, by Norman Finkelstein

    Victory for Us is to See You Suffer, by Philip C. Winslow

    More about Omer's Book, Brown Boy: A Memoir, here. Subscribe to Omer's newsletter, Notes From The Margins, here.

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    49 mins
  • Episode 14: The Question of Palestine
    Feb 1 2024

    Omer talks with Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, about the war in Gaza, the history of Palestine and Israel, Zionism, the notion of Western guilt, Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump, the disconnect between political elites and the public, and what ordinary people can do to make their voices heard.

    Books mentioned in this episode:

    The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, by Rashid Khalidi

    Poems, by Mahmoud Darwish

    Plays and Novels, by Ghassan Kanafani

    Justice For Some: Law and the Question of Palestine, by Noura Erakat

    Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance, by Tareq Baconi

    More about Omer's Book, Brown Boy: A Memoir, here. Subscribe to Omer's newsletter, Notes From The Margins, here.

    More Conversations in Color coming your way.

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode 13: Brown Boy — The Conversation
    Dec 29 2023

    On the eve of the launch of his debut book, Brown Boy: A Memoir, Omer sat down with award-winning journalist Lee Hawkins for a candid conversation on writing the memoir, growing up Muslim, race and American history, Canada and colonialism, the Brown and Black experiences in North America, the notion of 'privilege,' how life can change in an instant, living in Paris, the differences between Harvard and Yale, intergenerational stories, and other topics. At the end of this episode, Omer reads from his bestselling-memoir, Brown Boy.

    You can order Omer's book here.

    Books mentioned in this episode:

    Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

    Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

    Black Boy by Richard Wright

    Native Son by Richard Wright

    The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter

    The Qur'an

    Subscribe to Omer's newsletter, Notes From The Margins, here.

    More Conversations in Color coming your way.

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • Episode 12: Free Speech in Crisis with Jameel Jaffer
    Dec 14 2023

    Omer sits down with Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. They discuss free speech on campus, when free speech turns to hate speech, the First Amendment, 'cancel culture' and conservatives, social media companies, censorship, the Israel-Gaza war, and other topics.

    Jameel's book recommendations:

    State of Silence by Sam Lebovic

    Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi

    Learn more about Omer's book here

    Subscribe to Omer's newsletter here

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    54 mins
  • Episode 11: Economics 101 with Jason Furman
    Dec 1 2023

    Omer sat down with Jason Furman, formerly President Obama's top economic advisor and currently a professor at Harvard. Jason served as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the White House from 2013 to 2017. In this conversation, Omer and Jason talked about economic inequality, inflation, Silicon Valley Bank, working in the White House, the best advice he ever gave President Obama, and being roommates with Matt Damon.

    More about Omer's book.

    Jason's book recommendations:

    The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan

    The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Heinrich

    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman


    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    43 mins
  • Episode 10: "Enemies of the People" — A Special Conversation with Bob Woodward
    Mar 31 2023

    Omer Aziz sits down with legendary Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward to talk about Donald Trump, the presidency, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, the craft of journalism, and other topics.

    More about Brown Boy: A Memoir.

    More about Omer's work at Harvard.

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Episode 9: Innovation or Extinction with Vijay Vaitheeswaran
    Mar 26 2023

    Omer sits down with Vijay Vaitheeswaran of The Economist magazine. They discuss climate change, innovation, the Inflation Reduction Act, clean energy, China, the future of journalism, and other topics.

    More about Omer’s book, BROWN BOY: A MEMOIR.

    More about Vijay’s book, POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

    More about Vijay’s work at The Economist.

    More about Omer’s research at Harvard.

    Twitter: @omeraziz12 and @MinorityViews_
    Instagram: @o.maz12 and @minorityviewspodcast

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    53 mins