This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com

In the wake of the US attack on Iran, I reached out to Iran expert, author and president of The Quincy Institute, Trita Parsi. Questions included…

Why did Trump do this?

Is regime change in Iran a goal of either Trump or Israel?

How do you expect Iran to respond?

How is the Iranian public reacting?

Might the current regime fail, and what is likely to replace it if it does?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com

Andile Zulu is a political writer and researcher at the Alternative Information and Development Center based in Capetown, South Africa.

Questions include…

What is the current reality around violence in South Africa, and how does it intersect with race and class?

Looking back at the fall of apartheid, was there an alternative path the ANC could have taken that would’ve led to a better present?

Given that violence in South Africa is more likely to afflict black people and that white people have largely maintained their privilege, where is this discourse of white persecution coming from?

Why does the issue of Palestinian freedom resonate for South Africans? Does South Africa’s path from apartheid offer lessons for Palestinian liberation?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe

I spoke with my friend, political analyst, and president of The Agora Initiative, Khalil Sayegh. Questions included…

How are you able to face this unending horror and maintain such gentleness and generosity?

What do you think of the “perfect victim” critique?

After all this time, what gives you confidence that persuasion is possible, and that changing minds can lead to real-world change?

How do you maintain your faith in God in the midst of so much suffering?

How do you find the right balance between criticizing Hamas and criticizing Israel, given their great power disparity?

How do you respond to the argument that Hamas’s authoritarianism and violence shows Israel can’t afford to give Palestinians equal rights?

Do you believe Hamas truly accepts of the idea of a two-state solution?

What was your response to the assasinations in Washington, DC?

What do you think of the phrase “Globalize the Intifada”?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com

Our guest is Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University and author of several recent New York Times op-eds, including “Trump is Selling Jews a Dangerous Lie” and one subtitled “Higher Education Should be Tolerant but Never Neutral.” We talk about the Trump administration’s assault on independent universities, the claim of rampant campus antisemitism, and the argument that universities should be neutral on political issues.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com

Earlier this year, Israeli writer and historian Fania Oz-Salzberger and the Palestinian peace activist Aziz Abu Sarah debated on X whether Israel targets Palestinian civilians and how to evaluate Israel’s behavior compared to the behavior of Hamas. I’m grateful they both agreed to meet and explore their different perspectives with us.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe