Episode Description
Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict really at the center of the Middle East?
In Part 2 of Dan’s conversation with historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Cauldron, they trace how the balance of power in the Middle East shifted after 9/11, from Iran’s rise and its network of proxies to the emergence of Israel, Iran and Turkey as the region’s dominant military powers. They also ask whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has obscured a much larger struggle for power across the region, and what history can tell us about the possibility of peace.
Purchase a copy of Simon’s book The Cauldron here.
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This episode is sponsored by The Israel Democracy Institute: For resources on Israel's upcoming election and to learn more about IDI, visit elections.idi.org.il/2026.
This episode is sponsored by Citizen Cafe: Schedule your free intro session with Citizen Cafe today.
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In this episode:
- How the Iraq War empowered Iran
- Iran’s proxy empire and October 7
- The rise of the Middle East’s non-Arab powers
- The surprising parallels between Turkey and Israel
- Why does the West focus so intensely on Israel?
- Beyond the one-state vs. two-state debate
- Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a regional sideshow?
- Can the Middle East choose “honey” over blood?
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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Beth Pearlman, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Yuval Semo