The wealthy countries of the Persian Gulf have steadily become some of the United States' closest partners, through investment, technology, and military relationships. But Israel's assault on Gaza and US-Israeli attacks against Iran have brought turbulence to the region. Now targeted by Iran, the Gulf states find themselves stuck in the middle of a conflict they did not choose.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Omar Rahman, a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. Together they discuss how different Gulf states are navigating the current conflict with Iran, the state of the Abraham Accords, and Trump's Board of Peace. Omar also explains where Palestine fits into the picture and how a lack of legitimate leadership is holding Palestinian liberation back.

Find Omar on X: https://x.com/omarrahman

Read his recent article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war/

For decades, American air power dominated the skies. But, as we've seen with the Iran war, the advent of cheap drone technology is rapidly changing the dynamic. The United States has invested in billions in a military that was designed for traditional warfare, but how is it adapting to the present and preparing for wars of the future?

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Kelly Grieco. Kelly is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and an expert on military operations and air power. Together, they discuss vulnerabilities exposed by the war with Iran, how drones are changing the nature of war, and the importance of challenging entrenched beliefs about American power.

How does geopolitics play out on one street? The residents of Istanbul carry on with their daily routines while reckoning with complex foreign-policy dynamics, which affect the entire neighborhood. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian rise — against the backdrop of the US war on terror and the Syrian civil war — has forced the country to newly contend with questions of nation and identity.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by journalist Suzy Hansen. She discusses her new book From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdoğan in which she traces the country's political and social evolution as the Turkish president consolidated his rule and asserted power on the global stage.

Find Suzy on X: https://x.com/suzyhans

Read From Life Itself: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374298432/fromlifeitself/

In Trump 2.0, China has surprisingly taken a backseat to a renewed focus on the Middle East. And as the United States becomes less predictable and reliable, China has positioned itself as a stable partner on the international stage.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Kaiser Kuo, host of the China current affairs podcast Sinica. They discuss how China is thinking about the United States in this moment, the country's approach to technology and innovation, and why China won't replace the United States anytime soon. Kaiser also points out that American and Chinese people have far more in common than they may realize.

Find Kaiser on X: https://x.com/KaiserKuo

Listen to Sinica: https://www.sinicapodcast.com/

War in the Middle East keeps expanding, oil prices are rising, and an unpredictable American president has everyone trying to guess his next move. As trust in media institutions hits an all-time low and disinformation spreads online, how can we begin to make sense of things? The proliferation of open-source intelligence, or OSINT, offers one answer. While it's possible to glean certain insights from these sources, they can also mislead people to wrong conclusions or game booming prediction markets.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by friend of the pod Tyler McBrien, managing editor at Lawfare. Tyler recently wrote a piece on the perils of obsessively "monitoring the situation" for The Baffler. He and Jonathan discuss Trump's wars, why prediction markets and geopolitics shouldn't mix, and more.

Find Tyler on X: https://x.com/TylerMcBrien

Read Tyler's piece in The Baffler: https://thebaffler.com/latest/situational-unawareness-mcbrien

Check out Tyler's new series on who blew up the Georgia Guidestones: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-blew-up-the-guidestones/id1880399073

Jonathan's piece in The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/article/208781/trump-iran-venezuela-one-big-war-world

After Venezuela and Iran, many are asking if Cuba is next. The island is enduring energy blackouts, food and medicine shortages, and halting public services. But while the most vulnerable Cubans are hit hardest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's apparent dream of toppling the regime does not appear close to fruition.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Ed Augustin, an independent journalist based in Havana, to discuss the situation on the ground. Ed updates us on the unfolding humanitarian crisis, Trump's 180-degree turn on Cuba policy, why the Cuban government is not backing down, and much more. They also touch on how Cuba fits into Trump's broader Western Hemisphere policy.

Find Ed on X: https://x.com/ManInHabana

Read Ed's most recent article in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/world/americas/cubas-health-system-us-oil-blockade.html

Check out his other recent piece for Drop Site News: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/on-the-streets-of-havana-hope-that

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave her first major foreign policy remarks at this year's Munich Security Conference to lay out her vision of progressive foreign policy. Many are speculating that she is preparing for a presidential run in 2028. She has called for a reckoning with the United States' history of intervention and repression abroad and attempted to offer an alternative to Trump's "might makes right" approach.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and former adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, to discuss foreign policy on the left. Matt gives Jonathan his perspective on AOC in Munich, where the Democrats have gone wrong on foreign policy, and how they ought to respond to the Iran war.

Find Matt on X: https://x.com/mattduss

Food doesn't often enter conversations about foreign policy, but it is integral to it. Our relationship to food shapes ideas of identity and nationalism and is continuously impacted by the forces of history. Technological, social, and political changes inform and alter global foodways over time. And in today's interconnected world, food supply chains are inextricable from geopolitics.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Anny Gaul, a cultural historian and professor of Arabic studies at the University of Maryland, to explore the geopolitics of food in the Middle East. They discuss Anny's new book, Nile Nightshade: An Egyptian Culinary History of the Tomato, and how global events both shape and are informed by one of our most basic forms of sustenance.

Check out Nile Nightshade: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/nile-nightshade/paper

Read an excerpt of the book in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/egypt-tomato-price-food-agriculture-culinary-history/

Find Anny on X: https://x.com/annygaul

The United States largely misunderstands Iran. Historic anti-government protests rattled Iran this winter—and were met with lethal state repression and intensifying calls for regime change in Washington. Now, President Trump is again considering military strikes on the country, even as his envoys have sought to negotiate with Iranian leaders. Throughout, Iran has long been one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, causing immense hardship for its people.

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Narges Bajoghli, an anthropologist and co-director of the Rethinking Iran Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, to challenge American assumptions about Iran. They discuss the impact of Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign, how the current protests unfolded, and those pushing for war in Washington. Narges also explains how the war would be damaging for the interests of Americans and Iranians.

Find Narges on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nargesbajoghli

Check out the Rethinking Iran Initiative: https://www.rethinkingiran.com/

President Trump campaigned on promises of peace and putting America first, and heavily criticized past involvement in foreign wars. But one year into his second term, the United States has bombed Iran, kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and threatened NATO allies. So, what exactly are his foreign policy goals? And who is shaping those decisions?

In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs' Jonathan Guyer is joined by Curt Mills, the executive director of The American Conservative, to break down the state of foreign policy on the right. They discuss the major players, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Vice President JD Vance, emerging rifts in the coalition, and whether Trump is fulfilling his America First promise.

Find Curt on X: https://x.com/CurtMills

Check out Curt's work at The American Conservative: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/author/curt-mills/