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Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was a revolutionary leader with a revolutionary idea. In just 10 years as Supreme Leader, Iran became a global pariah; virtually friendless in the international community. Yet when he died, millions of Iranians hysterically grieved his death. In today's episode, how Ayatollah Khomeini changed the course of Middle Eastern history, and how his ideas are still affecting us today. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsdbCwS5qQ

In 1974, the Shah of Iran was diagnosed with cancer. It led to a Shakespearean tragedy that brought about the end of the Iranian monarchy and shaped the Middle East conflict we're seeing today. As open warfare between the US and Iran becomes more and more likely by the day, it's worth remembering that it all started with something tiny — a small lump in the spleen of one man. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZgrNZDxQhA

The Red Sea is the most trafficked trade route in the world, and now the US Navy and a group of militant Houthi rebels are going to war over it. The Houthis are attacking ships it says are linked to Israel and its allies; America is desperately trying to stop them. I mean, America might not get directly involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict, but you bet they'll protect their trade routes. The stakes couldn't be higher — if the US can't prove they have this under control, plenty of other groups around the world might decide to try their hand at blocking global trade as well. Editor's note: This introduction has been edited to clarify that not only Israeli ships have been targeted in Houthi attacks. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a new problem. As well as fighting Russia, he also has to fight Israel and Hamas for the world's attention. The shift in attention to Gaza has already meant Ukraine has lost crucial support. The question is — can Zelenskyy get the world to care about Ukraine again? And if not, what will that mean for the war? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fSMBo3xGBQ

China's pandas are not just pandas. They're diplomats. You're friendly to China? You get a panda. You criticise China? You get no pandas. In recent years China has been hostile toward the West, with the most literal symbol of their displeasure being the withdrawal of their pandas from zoos around the world. And yet, Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be having a change of heart. This may indicate something very important — a return to a more peaceful relationship with the West. But why? And why are pandas the key to understanding it? Please participate in our listener survey! Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzM1L3Nrc-I

The world's most famous artificial intelligence company, OpenAI — the creator of ChatGPT — was set up to create a superintelligent AI, while at the same time safeguarding humanity from an omnipotent robot overlord which could enslave us all. But last week the company fell into chaos. OpenAI fired its wunderkind CEO Sam Altman. Just days later, under intense pressure, Sam Altman was put back in charge and the entire board was booted. So is an AI apocalypse possible, and with Altman back in charge, will OpenAI be able to protect us from its own robots? Please participate in our listener survey! Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR8c10Tkb3E

China is using cash to try and shore up support in the Pacific. In Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, they just built most of the venues in the Pacific Games precinct. And China is not alone. Like a geopolitical version of The Bachelor, China, Taiwan, Australia and the United States are all trying desperately to win Honiara's heart. This tussle has caused panic in Taipei and Canberra, anger in Beijing and Washington, and actual violence in the Solomons. It's hard to think of a more perfect example of trouble in paradise. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzF_o11VvuQ

As international sanctions have cut into North Korea's ability to import and export things, they've become desperate for cash. They've been running crazy schemes to get it — smuggling, stealing, lying, cheating, swashbuckling — but that's nothing compared to what they make from stealing cryptocurrency. In fact, most of their foreign currency now comes from stolen crypto. So, can anything be done to stop the world's first nuclear-armed crypto bro, Kim Jong-un? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7eK8MO7c0Q

The Israeli hostages Hamas took back on October 7th still have not been rescued. The 1976 Entebbe rescue mission is legendary and gave Israel a reputation — they get hostages back no matter what. Now this reputation is putting enormous pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rescue the hostages again. The question is — can he? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQx0U-bfd7A

While Israel tries to defeat Hamas, they also have to worry about a much more dangerous paramilitary group on their northern border: Hezbollah. The express purpose of Hezbollah, which formed 40 years ago, is also to eradicate Israel. It would be a nightmare for Israel if Hezbollah swings in and backs Hamas up. So where did Hezbollah form, why do they hate Israel, and what hand did Israel have in their creation? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4x0gAzJx4

The Israeli Government has one of the most well-resourced intelligence communities in the world, specifically tasked with preventing attacks from Hamas. So how did it fail to detect an operation that involved months of planning, meetings in multiple countries, and thousands of militants? This is part two in our series on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Last week, Hamas burst out of the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, the vast majority of them Israeli civilians. But Hamas' origins go back decades, to its founder Ahmed Yassin. How did a disabled refugee from Gaza become one of the most influential men in Palestine? And how did he take Hamas from obscurity to wresting control of the Gaza Strip? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VqWVeanOS0