EP:54 - Iran War Restarting?

Darryl Cooper & Scott Horton discuss the war with Iran, arguing that escalation offers little for either side while major obstacles remain to any durable settlement. They also examine the weaker-than-expected military position, political pressure around the conflict, and the possibility of a limited exchange of strikes rather than a full ground war.

They then turn to Israel, Iran, and U.S. politics, including Rahm Emanuel’s speech in Israel, the Democratic Party’s position on Israel-Palestine, and efforts to keep Israeli policy insulated from changes in American public opinion. They also discuss AIPAC and related attempts to deepen the Israel relationship within U.S. institutions.

Finally, they review Syria and Abu Muhammad al-Jolani’s background, including his ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq, and connect that to patterns in U.S. policy toward Islamist factions in the region. They also answer listener questions on Ukraine and other topics and mention several ongoing book and course projects.

Chapters:

0:36 Iran War and Israel Lobby

1:48 The Logic of the Iran War

3:42 Hawks Demand Surrender

10:02 Sponsors and Side Bets

11:16 Trump’s Mixed Signals

15:24 Israel’s Political Squeeze

21:29 New Books and Courses

31:32 Oil, China, and Iran