At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Roger Waters Confronts War, Power, Palestine, Media, and Human Rights
- Roger Waters joins Joe Rogan for a long-form discussion that intertwines his political activism, especially around Palestine and Ukraine, with personal history, creative process, and his current tour.
- He defends his support for BDS and criticism of Israeli government policies, rejecting accusations of antisemitism, and details why he views Israel/Palestine as an apartheid system rooted in unequal rights.
- Waters argues that U.S. foreign policy, NATO expansion, and the military‑industrial complex drive conflicts like Iraq and Ukraine, enabled by a compliant media that suppresses dissenting narratives and cases like Julian Assange and Steven Donziger.
- The conversation also explores his upbringing, his philosophy of ‘do the right thing,’ how that informs his art and shows, and his belief that equal human rights and genuine peace negotiations are the only viable path forward globally.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasCriticizing Israeli state policy is not the same as antisemitism.
Waters distinguishes clearly between opposing Judaism or Jewish people and opposing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, arguing that labeling all criticism as antisemitic is a deliberate tactic to shut down debate on human rights and apartheid conditions.
Understand conflicts by ‘reading both sides’ before forming opinions.
Echoing his mother’s advice, Waters insists people must study multiple perspectives and primary sources—on issues like Palestine, Syria, and Ukraine—rather than accepting a single official or media narrative.
Peace requires negotiation and ceasefires, not endless arms shipments.
Regarding Ukraine, he says the only humane path is an immediate ceasefire and serious talks that address both Ukrainian and Russian security concerns, warning that continual escalation and weapons transfers only increase suffering and nuclear risk.
Money in politics and corporate power structurally distort democracy.
Waters and Rogan argue that decisions on war, regulation, and prosecution—from Iraq to Donziger’s case—are driven by corporate and elite interests, which is why removing money from politics is framed as a prerequisite for meaningful change.
Mainstream media largely functions to protect the status quo.
They contend that legacy outlets and many journalists are constrained by owners, advertisers, and access, which is why stories like Assange, Donziger, and alternative views on Syria or Ukraine are marginalized or smeared as ‘conspiracy theory.’
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesYou don't have to subscribe to people's beliefs. The important thing is that we're good people, that we have hearts and that we care about our brothers and sisters.
— Roger Waters (quoting and extending his mother’s advice)
Most of us who get labeled as antisemites are not. We’re just criticizing the apartheid policies of the state of Israel.
— Roger Waters
All I’m interested in is a ceasefire and for talks to begin.
— Roger Waters, on Ukraine
The media only has one message, which is: support the status quo.
— Roger Waters
All through your life you’re gonna be faced with difficult questions... Read, read, read, read, read. Learn everything you can... and then you do the right thing.
— Roger Waters (recounting his mother’s guidance)
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