Welcome back to the Diplomacy and Discourse Podcast! In this episode, we will unpack the latest developments in the most volatile region on Earth — the Middle East.

June 2025 marked a chilling escalation as Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a surprise strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. What followed was a storm of retaliation, missile fire, and regional mobilization, turning what began in Gaza into a full-blown multi-front conflict. From Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon to Houthi drones in the Red Sea, the region is now entangled in a kinetic and symbolic war reshaping power dynamics across the Middle East.

But this isn’t just a military story — it’s a diplomatic, digital, and psychological one. We explore how social media shaped public sentiment, how misinformation muddied the truth, and how the world’s powers scrambled to keep the peace.

We will dive deep into the role of economic incentives in diplomacy, the impact of non-state actors, and how domestic politics (especially in Israel and the U.S.) continue to derail peace efforts. From failed negotiations and shifting alliances to climate stress and tech solutions, this episode covers the full spectrum of crisis and opportunity in today’s geopolitical landscape.

In this powerful and timely episode, we will unpack the complex, devastating reality of peacebuilding failures across the Middle East—from Gaza and Syria to Yemen and Libya. As the region reels from decades of war, foreign intervention, and internal divisions, reconstruction efforts often fall flat. Why? Because peace built on silence, exclusion, or political erasure cannot last.

We explore:

• Why massive humanitarian aid is falling short despite urgent needs
• How political fragmentation is crippling meaningful recovery
• The pitfalls of foreign-led normalization deals that sideline Palestinians
• Historical lessons from the Marshall Plan—and why the Middle East has no equivalent today
• Proxy wars, fractured authority, and the future of governance in Syria and Yemen
• Iran, Israel, and the Gulf powers: competing visions of peace or recycled strategies of dominance?
• What real reconciliation must look like—and why infrastructure without justice is doomed to collapse

A.R. takes us beyond the headlines to interrogate the deeper political structures driving these conflicts—and what it will really take to break the cycle. It’s not just about rebuilding cities; it’s about rebuilding trust, institutions, and dignity.

In this powerful and thought-provoking episode of Diplomacy and Discourse, host A.R. explores one of the most urgent questions of our time: Can the world still say no to war? From the ashes of World War II to today’s battlefield technologies, proxy conflicts, and global power rivalries, this episode uncovers how war has evolved — and how our capacity to resist it has weakened.

We unpack the rise and decline of liberal internationalism, the effectiveness (and failure) of institutions like the United Nations, and the paradox of humanitarian intervention. We ask why war, once seen as a last resort, has become politically and economically normalized — even incentivized — in modern international relations.

Along the way, we revisit landmark ideas from key thinkers and diplomats and explore competing narratives about peace, power, and what it means to defend humanity without perpetuating endless violence. Whether you're an international relations student, a policymaker, or someone simply trying to understand why we live in such volatile times, this episode will leave you asking: Are we truly committed to peace, or just afraid of losing war?