Jake Sullivan's September 2023 assessment of a "quiet" Middle East was shattered by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. In May 2024, John Mearsheimer discussed how the conflict strained US-Israel relations and raised risks of broader regional war.

Mearsheimer also noted that Israel appeared to be struggling in Gaza while simultaneously battling Hezbollah in the north, managing strained US relations, and confronting genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.

CIS executive director Tom Switzer hosted this event with John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago in May 2024.