Host Aviva Klompas speaks with Natan Sharansky about one of the defining challenges facing democratic societies today: why the West often struggles to recognize and confront evil.

Drawing on his experience as a Soviet dissident who spent nine years in prison, Sharansky reflects on how authoritarian regimes operate and why democratic societies frequently misunderstand them. The conversation explores why many in the West hesitate to clearly identify evil even when faced with terrorism, hostage-taking, and deliberate attacks on civilians. 

Sharansky discusses the dangers of moral equivalence, the erosion of moral clarity since the Cold War, and the recurring mistakes democratic societies make when confronting regimes that reject their values. He also reflects on the role fear can play within democracies themselves and whether, after a lifetime spent fighting for freedom, he remains optimistic about the future of free societies.

Guest Bio

Natan Sharansky is a Soviet-born Israeli human rights activist, former political prisoner, and leading voice on democracy and freedom. Born in Donetsk, Ukraine, Sharansky became a prominent spokesman for the Soviet Jewish and human rights movements and was imprisoned by the Soviet regime for nine years on fabricated charges of treason and espionage after seeking to immigrate to Israel. Following an international campaign for his release, he was freed in 1986 and immigrated to Israel the same day. Sharansky later served in several Israeli governments as a minister and deputy prime minister and went on to chair the Jewish Agency for Israel from 2009 to 2018. He is the recipient of both the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2018 he was awarded the Israel Prize for his contributions to aliyah and the ingathering of exiles. Sharansky is also the author of several influential books on democracy, identity, and freedom, including The Case for Democracy and Never Alone.

As the war with Iran continues, the conflict is raising fundamental questions about how the United States uses military power and how President Trump’s foreign-policy doctrine may be evolving.

For years, Trump was closely associated with an “America First” approach that emphasized avoiding prolonged wars and limiting U.S. military involvement abroad. But the current campaign against Iran suggests a shift. 

In this episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with Elliott Abrams, a former deputy national security advisor and Special Representative for Iran. They examine how the war is unfolding so far, what might realistically be achieved militarily, and what the strategic endgame could look like.

The conversation also explores the domestic political tensions surrounding the conflict, particularly among Americans who supported Trump because of his opposition to “endless wars.” Abrams discusses whether the president is redefining what “America First” means in practice and whether the campaign against Iran signals a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy.

Finally, they step back to consider the global implications of the conflict and how Iran fits into the wider landscape of American adversaries alongside China and Russia.

Guest Bio:

Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. He has held senior foreign-policy positions in several U.S. administrations, including serving as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of George W. Bush, where he oversaw U.S. policy in the Middle East. During the administration of Donald Trump, Abrams served as Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant secretary of state in the administration of Ronald Reagan. 

Abrams was educated at Harvard College, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School. He has served on numerous public commissions and advisory boards, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and he is the author of several books on American foreign policy and the Middle East. 

More From This Guest:

Trump’s Rules of War in The Free Press

As the war in the Middle East unfolds, its consequences are being felt far beyond the battlefield. The conflict has triggered fierce debate about American involvement, Israel’s role in U.S. foreign policy, and the future of one of Washington’s most important alliances.

In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States Dr. Michael Oren about how the current war fits into the broader chain of events that began with the October 7 attacks and the strategic miscalculations that helped bring the region to this point.

They examine new polling showing deep partisan divisions among Americans toward Israel. The conversation also explores the resurgence of conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes circulating in political commentary and social media.

Guest Bio:

Michael Oren served in the IDF as a Lone Soldier in the paratroopers. He was Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013 and later served as a Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister of Diplomacy.

He is the author of several New York Times bestsellers including Six Days of War, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israel Divide, and Power, Faith, and Fantasy. Ambassador Oren published 2048: The Rejuvenated State in 2023 and is the founder of Israel Advocacy Group.

More From This Guest:

The Free Press - From October 7 to Killing Khamenei by Dr. Michael Oren

As the war with Iran enters its second week, the military campaign has already shown successes. Key leaders have been eliminated, missile and drone attacks have sharply declined, and critical parts of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure have been damaged.

But in the public discourse, a very different battle is unfolding. Across media and politics, fierce arguments have erupted about the legitimacy of the war, America’s role in it, and Israel’s influence on foreign policy.

In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Einat Wilf about the narratives surrounding the conflict. They discuss why the wars involving Israel are framed so negatively, how criticism is now coming from both the political left and the populist right, and what these debates reveal about deeper ideological shifts in the West.

If the military campaign succeeds but the narrative turns against it, what does that mean for Israel, the United States, and future conflicts?

Guest Bio:

Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University.

Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. “We Should All Be Zionists“, published in 2022, brings together her essays from the past four years on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace; the co-authored “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace”, was published in 2020

Mentioned In this Episode:

Wall Street Journal Editorial The Washington Iran War Pessimists 

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.

Following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, accusations that the operation was “illegal” and a violation of international law spread rapidly from social media to Congress to global institutions, often with great certainty and little explanation.

In this episode of Boundless Insights, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Natasha Hausdorff to cut through the noise and examine what international law actually says about the use of force. They explore when military action is lawful, how imminence is assessed in an age of missiles and proxy warfare, whether UN approval is required, how proportionality works in practice, and how states are held responsible for terror groups they fund and direct.

Guest Bio:

Natasha Hausdorff is a Barrister and expert commentator on international law, including the law of armed conflict, foreign affairs and national security policy. She is a sought-after keynote speaker on lawfare and the weaponization of international law against Israel. She regularly briefs politicians and international organisations and has spoken at Parliaments across Europe and at the United Nations. 

Natasha is a frequent contributor on legal matters for international media, including the BBC, Sky News, CNN, GB News, Talk TV and Fox and has written for publications including the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Mail and Law Society Gazette. She holds law degrees from Oxford and Tel Aviv Universities and was a Fellow in the National Security Law Programme at Columbia Law School in New York. Natasha previously worked for American law firm Skadden Arps, in London and Brussels, and clerked for the President of the Israeli Supreme Court, Chief Justice Miriam Naor, in Jerusalem. She serves as director of the Centre for International Rule of Law and legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust.

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran, signaling a decisive escalation after years of mounting confrontation. The operation appears aimed not only at degrading Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, but at fundamentally altering the regime’s trajectory, with President Trump openly calling on the Iranian people to challenge their rulers.

As strikes hit senior regime and military targets inside Iran, Tehran has responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. positions across the region. In Israel, sirens have sounded throughout the day as civilians shelter and daily life is once again disrupted. Many Israelis, however, see this moment as a necessary reckoning with a regime that has spent decades pursuing Israel’s destruction and destabilizing the region through violence and proxies.

In this emergency episode, Aviva Klompas speaks with retired Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus to assess what is unfolding in real time. They explore the scale and intent of the operation, how it differs from earlier strikes, Iran’s capacity for retaliation, the risk of regional escalation through proxies like Hezbollah, and what success would actually mean for Israel, the United States, and the Middle East if this campaign reshapes the balance of power after forty years of conflict.

Guest Bio:

Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on the Middle East. He served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for 24 years as a combat commander in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. He also served as a military diplomat, foreign relations expert, and international spokesperson. He recently retired as lieutenant colonel. Jonathan was the first Israeli officer to be seconded to the United Nations (UN), during which he provided military and strategic analysis for UN peacekeeping forces. He has directed social media and public diplomacy efforts and has extensive on- and off-camera experience from his years as a spokesperson. 

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.

As U.S. forces surge into the Middle East and diplomacy with Iran appears increasingly strained, questions are mounting about whether Washington is headed toward military action or using force to extract last-ditch concessions.

Host Aviva Klompas is joined by Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to assess what the current U.S. posture actually signals. They examine whether diplomacy still offers a real off-ramp, what a strike on Iran could target, and how exposed Israel and U.S. regional allies may be in a prolonged conflict.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is Executive Director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he oversees the organization’s research and policy work. A former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Treasury, Jonathan has tracked and disrupted funding networks for groups like Hamas and al-Qaeda. He’s authored several books on the Middle East, including Gaza Conflict 2021, State of Failure, and Hamas vs. Fatah. A frequent congressional witness and media commentator, his analysis appears regularly in major outlets including CNN, Fox News, and the BBC.

Extremism expert and political scientist Dr. Lorenzo Vidino joins Dr. Rachel Fish to explore the history and spread of radical Islamism and how it has taken root in Western democracies.

They trace the movement’s origins to the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood, explain the difference between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology, and discuss how Islamist groups have adapted their messages for Western audiences, especially on college campuses.

The conversation also looks at how some Islamist actors have built alliances with parts of the progressive left, the role of Gulf funding in spreading these ideas, and the challenge liberal societies face to uphold pluralism and free speech while pushing back against extremist ideologies that exploit openness to gain influence.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino is the Director of the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University and a leading expert on Islamism in Europe and North America. His work focuses on jihadist mobilization, counter-radicalization policies, and the activities of Muslim Brotherhood-inspired networks in the West. A native of Italy and American citizen, he holds a law degree from the University of Milan and a Ph.D. from Tufts University. Dr. Vidino has held positions at Harvard, the RAND Corporation, and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and has advised governments across Europe and North America. He is the author of The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West and The Closed Circle, and his commentary appears regularly in major global media.

Further Reading:

Lorenzo Vidino, The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West (Columbia University Press, 2010)

Lorenzo Vidino, The Closed Circle: Joining and Leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in the West (Columbia University Press, 2020)

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.

In this special live podcast from Sydney, Australia, host Aviva Klompas is joined by Kellie Sloane, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales. Two months after the antisemitic attack at Hanukkah by the Sea in Bondi, Kellie reflects on what it meant to arrive at the scene while the attack was still unfolding and to witness both the horror and the heroism firsthand.

Drawing on her background as a longtime journalist and now a political leader, Kellie discusses the responsibility of bearing witness, the courage of everyday Australians who ran toward danger, and the deeper reckoning Australia faces as it confronts rising antisemitism, online denialism, and extremism.

Guest Bio:

Kellie Sloane is the New South Wales Leader of the Opposition and NSW Liberal Leader, elected to Parliament in 2023 as the Member for Vaucluse. She previously served as Shadow Minister for the Environment and Shadow Minister for Health before being elected party leader in November 2025.

Before entering politics, Kellie built a distinguished career in journalism across radio and television and later served as National CEO of Life Education (Healthy Harold), Australia’s largest independent provider of preventive health education for children. As Opposition Leader, she is focused on strengthening essential services, improving health outcomes, driving economic opportunity, and delivering responsible, future-focused government for New South Wales.

We want to hear from you. Send questions and comments to [email protected] or message Aviva on X at @avivaklompas.

Since October 7, a key battlefield has been in courtrooms and international institutions. At the International Criminal Court, prosecutors have sought arrest warrants for Israel’s leaders. At the International Court of Justice, Israel is accused of genocide. And the United Nations churns out reports and statements condemning Israel.

In this episode, Aviva speaks with barrister Natasha Hausdorff, legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel, about how law has been turned into a weapon against the Jewish state. Natasha explains how this strategy has evolved since October 7, what recognition of a Palestinian state does and doesn’t mean in legal terms, and why symbolic gestures can carry dangerous consequences.

Guest Bio:

Natasha Hausdorff is a Barrister and expert commentator on international law, including the law of armed conflict, foreign affairs and national security policy. She is a sought-after keynote speaker on lawfare and the weaponization of international law against Israel. She regularly briefs politicians and international organisations and has spoken at Parliaments across Europe and at the United Nations. 

Natasha is a frequent contributor on legal matters for international media, including the BBC, Sky News, CNN, GB News, Talk TV and Fox and has written for publications including the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Mail and Law Society Gazette. She holds law degrees from Oxford and Tel Aviv Universities and was a Fellow in the National Security Law Programme at Columbia Law School in New York. Natasha previously worked for American law firm Skadden Arps, in London and Brussels, and clerked for the President of the Israeli Supreme Court, Chief Justice Miriam Naor, in Jerusalem. She serves as director of the Centre for International Rule of Law and legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust.