As the war with Iran enters its second week, the military campaign has already shown successes. Key leaders have been eliminated, missile and drone attacks have sharply declined, and critical parts of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure have been damaged.

But in the public discourse, a very different battle is unfolding. Across media and politics, fierce arguments have erupted about the legitimacy of the war, America’s role in it, and Israel’s influence on foreign policy.

In this episode, host Aviva Klompas speaks with Dr. Einat Wilf about the narratives surrounding the conflict. They discuss why the wars involving Israel are framed so negatively, how criticism is now coming from both the political left and the populist right, and what these debates reveal about deeper ideological shifts in the West.

If the military campaign succeeds but the narrative turns against it, what does that mean for Israel, the United States, and future conflicts?

Guest Bio:

Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University.

Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. “We Should All Be Zionists“, published in 2022, brings together her essays from the past four years on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace; the co-authored “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace”, was published in 2020

Mentioned In this Episode:

Wall Street Journal Editorial The Washington Iran War Pessimists