In this episode, we’re joined by Associate Professor Hussein Banai, a leading scholar of international relations, for an in-depth journey through the shifting landscape of American foreign policy under Donald Trump.

Together, we travel across critical regions—from the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East to Europe, Russia, China, and Latin America—to scrutinise the core principles guiding U.S. actions on the global stage.

We discuss the most recent and dramatic development: the 2025 Israel-Iran conflict, during which the U.S. carried out major strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

👤 About the Guest

Dr Hussein Banai is an Associate Professor of International Studies at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University, also a Research Affiliate at the Center for International Studies, MIT, and currently a visiting fellow at the Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania. In fall 2024, he was the Zahedi Family Fellow at the Program in Iranian Studies at Stanford University.

Dr Banai is widely recognised for his interdisciplinary approach, international relations and political theory, with particular focus on topics in political ideologies, conflict, diplomatic history and practice, and modern Iran.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

02:17 - From Disruption to Consolidation: Trump's Second Term Strategy

07:45 - Trump's Confident Unilateralism in Foreign Policy

10:54 - American Political Culture and the Think Tank Ecosystem

15:18 - America First Policy: Domestic Appeal and Implementation

22:16 - The Strategic Use of "America First" Despite International Concerns

24:29 - Inside the National Security Council: Roles and Functions

30:23 - Personnel Quality in US Foreign Policy Decision-Making

35:01 - Decoding US Foreign Policy Statements: Research Challenges

38:56 - North Korea Diplomacy: Prospects for a Second Trump-Kim Summit

41:38 - Middle East Triangulation: US-Israel-Iran Relations and Trump-Netanyahu Dynamics

50:11 - Steve Witkoff's Contrasting Negotiation Mandates

53:16 - Trump's Scepticism Toward Multilateral Institutions and Frameworks

57:27 - Neighbours First - Trump's Approach to Canada, Mexico, and Latin America

01:04:03 - Understanding Trump's Foreign Policy Through IR Theories

01:09:12 – EU vs. Member States: Trump’s Fragmented View of Europe

01:14:37 – Trump’s Geopolitical Take on the EU: Weakness, Irrelevance, or Rival?

01:20:28 – China Policy: Strategic Rivalry Meets Economic Interdependence

01:25:33 – Taiwan’s Role in Trump’s China Strategy

01:29:23 – Trump and Putin: Personal Chemistry and Strategic Ambiguity

01:37:20 – U.S. Sanctions on Russia: Tools of Pressure or Leverage for a Deal?

01:42:25 – Why Trump Believes Iran Must Never Go Nuclear

01:47:32 – Iran in Trump’s First Term: Maximum Pressure, Minimal Results?

01:57:58 – 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict - U.S Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure

Official Website

https://irthinker.com/

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Welcome to today's episode where we dive deep into one of the most compelling questions in international relations: Why do some regions achieve lasting peace while others remain trapped in cycles of conflict?

Professor Arie M. Kacowicz, a leading expert on the Zone of Peace Concept, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, elaborates in detail.

Professor Kacowicz holds the distinguished Chaim Weizmann Chair in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he has been a valued member of faculty since 1993. He previously served as Chair of the Department of International Relations from 2005 to 2008, and more recently as President of the Israeli Association of International Studies between 2017 and 2021.

As a distinguished peace scholar, Professor Kacowicz’s scholarly interests encompass alternative pathways for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the relevance of international society, the international relations of Latin America, globalisation, and International Relations Theory more broadly.

Content: (1) The Genesis of Zone of Peace Theory: From Regional Puzzles to Global Concepts; (2) Why Study Peace Over Conflict? A Scholar’s Perspective; (3) Theoretical Foundations: Which IR Schools Shaped Zone of Peace Theory?; (4) Beyond Security Communities: Distinguishing Zones of Peace from Deutsch’s Framework; (5) Decolonizing Peace Theory: Addressing Global South Perspectives in IR; (6) South America vs West Africa: Why Some Regions Achieve Lasting Peace; (7) ASEAN’s Peaceful Paradox: Non-Interference Despite Internal Tensions; (8) From Conflict to Peace: Can the Middle East Transform Its Security Dynamics?; (9) Practical Applications: Using Zone of Peace Theory in Today’s World; and (10) Authoritarian States and Peace: Navigating Democracy vs Stability.

Official website:

https://irthinker.com/

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Tune in for an engaging discussion with Dr. Joseph Daher as we explore the future of post-Assad Syria. We’ll cover the war economy’s impact, the whereabouts of Assad’s inner circle, and the current state of Syria’s economy.

Dr. Joseph Daher is a distinguished academic and expert on the Middle East, specialising in political economy, political Islam, and contemporary regional history, with a particular focus on Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine.

He is an associate researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.

Between November 2018 and August 2024, he was a visiting professor at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. At the EUI, he first participated in the research project entitled “Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria.” He was responsible for one of the four research axes of the project, focusing on political economy: “The war economy and its impact on (potential) future reconstruction efforts.”

Then he co-managed the “Syrian Trajectories: Challenges and Opportunities for Peacebuilding” project at the EUI. His extensive publications appear in academic journals, research centres, and outlets in English, French, and Arabic. Dr. Daher also founded and manages the blog Syria Freedom Forever, a platform dedicated to analysing Syrian politics and society.

Content: (1) Post-Assad Order: Continuity or Break from Syria’s War Economy?; (2) Fate of Assad’s Inner Circle: Where Are They Now?; (3) Current State of Syria’s Economy; (4) Technocrats and Expatriates in Syria’s Government: Redistribution of Resources; (5) Role of Syrian Diaspora and Leaders in Exile; (6) Religion’s Influence in Syria’s Reconstruction and Post-Assad Era; (7) Main Potential Income Sources for Syria in Reconstruction; (8) Approaches of Middle Eastern States vs. Western Economies towards Syria: Solidarity or Profit-Driven?; (9) Role of Russia and China in Syria’s Reconstruction; (10) Geopolitical Triangle: Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds; and (11) Strengthening Syria’s International Diplomacy.

Official Website:

https://irthinker.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.