This week, Ukraine continued to gain territory in Kursk as Indian PM Modi ramped up mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine. In the Middle East, Blinken’s diplomatic tour failed to reach a ceasefire as the Lebanon theater heated up. In the Indo-Pacific, China bolstered its ties with Russia and South East Asian countries as Beijing conducted military drills in the South China Sea.

This week, Ukraine continued its military push into Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow led its own offensive in eastern Ukraine. In the Middle East, diplomatic efforts over the Gaza conflict resumed in Qatar in an attempt to forestall Iranian military retaliation against Israel. In the Indo-Pacific, China expanded export controls on critical minerals as the U.S. and EU seek to diversify their own supply chains.

This week, Iran said it would retaliate after Israel killed Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Ukraine launched a major incursion into a Russian border region, while Moscow warned of a new front of the war in Africa. China and the U.S. and its allies held competing drills in the South China Sea.

In this episode of Eurasian Connectivity, Dr. Kamran Bokhari hosts former CENTCOM commander, Retired Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr., for a discussion on the intensifying conflict between Iran and Israel, the challenge of Iranian efforts to alter the security architecture of the Middle East, and the implications for U.S. foreign policy in the region and beyond.

Tensions have ramped up in the Middle East as Israel targeted the leadership of Hamas in Iran as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the meantime, there was a high profile prisoner exchange between the US and Russia, while there has also been a lot of activity in the Indo-Pacific region when it comes to the US, China, and various states maneuvering between the two powers.

In this episode of Eurasian Connectivity, Kamran Bokhari hosts Nicole Hark, country director for Syria at Mercy Corps, for a discussion of the country’s humanitarian situation, particularly in its northeastern and northwestern regions, where her group’s operations are concentrated.

In a special episode of the New Lines Contours Podcast, host Kelsey Quinn sits down with New Lines Non-Resident Fellows Daryl Johnson and Alejandro Beutel, both specialists on domestic political extremism. In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the three discuss the political climate in which the attack took place in, potential reactions to the shooting, and the importance of political leaders' rhetoric in modulating extremism.

In this episode of the Contours podcast, Eugene Chausovsky, senior director of analytical development at the New Lines Institute, and Marie Mach, an independent researcher of Eurasian extremist ideology, discuss the evolution of extremist violence in Central Asia, the factors driving recent attacks, and the outlook for the region.

In this episode of the Eurasian Connectivity podcast, Kamran Bokhari sits down with Vali Nasr, professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies. Together, they discuss Iran's presidential race after Raisi's death, the future of Iran's Supreme Leadership, and the shifting geopolitical landscape between Iran and Israel.

In today's episode of the Contours podcast, host Carolyn Morman talks with writer and New Lines contributor Abdulaziz Kilani. Together, they discuss how Israel's war in Gaza is affecting relations with its neighbors, the role America plays diplomatically in these changes, and how the Palestinian question may be addressed in the future.