Brian sits down with Holly Dagres, Libitzky Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to discuss Iranian public opinion, protest movements, and Washington's lack of strategic policy planning on the Iran file. Dagres, who was born in Los Angeles and moved to Iran at age thirteen, offers a rare insider perspective on the views and aspirations of the Iranian people. The conversation explores the formative experiences of her teenage years in Iran, the roots of the country's powerful women's movements, the influence of Gen Z voices in driving change, and the need for a creative and cohesive US strategy on Iran to empower the Iranian people.

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Brian sits down with Behnam Taleblu, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to unpack the ongoing protests in Iran and what this moment reveals about the long struggle between the state and the street. They discuss the regime's brutal crackdown, the prospect of US intervention, and what both could mean for the future of the Islamic Republic. The episode centers on agency, imagination, and the possibilities facing Iranians at a critical juncture in the country's history.

Brian sits down with Robert Malley, a former US official best known for his role as the lead negotiator of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Malley discusses the motivations behind his new book, Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine, and offers his assessment of American perspectives on the war in Gaza. The conversation also explores his personal background as the son​ of an Egyptian Jewish father and an American Jewish mother—both outspoken on the political left—and how that upbringing shaped his worldview, alongside a career spanning the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations.

In this episode, Brian sits down with Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News. Abbas, who reported on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 18 visit to the White House, unpacks his impressions from the visit and the opportunities it presents for US-Saudi relations. The conversation also explores the Kingdom's transformation over the past decade, its relationships with key partners including the United States, and Abbas's recommendations for deepening the US-Saudi partnership going forward.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 2025 visit to the United States is his first in more than seven years, and during the past few years Saudi Arabia has assumed an increasingly prominent role in regional and global affairs. In this episode, Brian Katulis sits down with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, for a discussion focused on Saudi Arabia's emergence as a key "swing state" in regional and global dynamics. The two discuss "Global Swing States and the New Great Power Competition," a report that Fontaine published earlier this year with Gibbs McKinley. Richard also discusses his many travels around the world with the late Senator John McCain's delegations, the recent changes in the politics of US national security, and shares personal stories from trips Brian and Richard took together across the Middle East.

In this episode of Taking the Edge Off the Middle East, host Brian Katulis is joined by Mara Rudman, MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow and veteran of the Obama and Clinton administrations. Together, they discuss political processes, peacemaking, and the human side of diplomacy. From accompanying President Bill Clinton to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank to navigating today's complex foreign policy landscape, Rudman reflects on what can make or break US engagement abroad.

Brian Katulis speaks with Dr. Marvin Weinbaum—senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and former Department of State analyst—about his remarkable career spanning more than five decades in academia, government, and policy analysis. Drawing on his deep expertise in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Weinbaum reflects on the evolution of U.S. foreign policy, the lessons learned from state-building efforts, and how personal conviction and intellectual curiosity have shaped his life's work. He offers a rare, first-hand look at how policy is made, and what it means to dedicate a lifetime to understanding one of the world's most complex regions.

Veteran US foreign policy official Elliott Abrams joins Brian for a sweeping conversation on America's role in the world amid global upheaval. With nearly 50 years of experience under Presidents Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, Abrams offers lessons from past crises— from Ukraine to Gaza. Abrams makes his case for why he doesn't see a two-state solution as realistic and what his alternative vision is. The discussion explores the chaotic uncertainty of Trump's second term, Israel's security two years after October 7, and the future of Palestinian governance and regional integration. Abrams also shares insights from his decades in government, including his work with Ariel Sharon on Gaza disengagement, his reflections on the Iraq War, and what it was like briefing presidents in the Oval Office.

Looking ahead, Abrams underscores the importance of strategy, clarity, and leadership in shaping US policy in the Middle East and beyond.