Show Notes
No one expected diplomacy to proceed without setbacks. But there was hope that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the United States and Iran in late June, vague though it was, would create enough political space to allow commercial shipping to resume through the Strait of Hormuz. The events of the past few days have been a reminder of just how fragile that ceasefire remains.
What kind of challenge does this pose to efforts to turn that initial memorandum into a more durable peace agreement? To what extent has the U.S. foreign policy establishment been, to coin a neoconservative phrase, mugged by reality? Will the Iran debacle encourage Washington policy elites to place less emphasis on not just the Persian Gulf but also Europe and Asia?
Today’s guests are John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago and Doug Bandow from the Cato Institute, the leading libertarian think tank in Washington.
More from Switzerland with Tom Switzer
Kylie Moore-Gilbert spent 804 days in an Iranian prison. Now she is receiving death threats again -- from supporters of the man many hope will replace the regime. She tells Tom Switzer why the Shah’s son is no messiah, whether Trump botched the chance for regime change, and who would actually rule Iran if the Islamic Republic falls.
Rioting, looting and arson have exposed something deeper than youthful discontent in France. Simon Heffer on the collapse of the centre, the rise of Le Pen and Mélenchon, and the possibility that a National Rally victory would intensify the country’s divisions rather than settle them.
John Mearsheimer on why Ukraine cannot win, and why Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is a step towards ending the war. Plus: nearly 50 days after Economic D-Day, is Washington’s campaign against Iran working -- and will Tehran spring an October surprise before the midterms?
The Houthis have survived years of Saudi intervention and an intense American bombing campaign, and now threaten Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb. Elisabeth Kendall on the movement’s origins, its real relationship with Tehran, and whether Riyadh can defend itself without Washington.
Trump has called for Zelensky to be replaced and struck a diesel deal with Moscow weeks out from the midterms. John Mearsheimer and Aaron Maté on what this says about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine -- and on Iran’s attempt to regain the initiative as Gulf attacks send oil prices sharply higher.