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?

In this episode of the Diplomacy and Discourse Podcast, host A.R. takes a deep dive into the intellectual foundations of international relations — and why many of those foundations no longer hold up.

From Realism and Liberalism to Constructivism, Critical Theory, and Postcolonialism, we explore how these theories shaped our understanding of world politics — and why they may be out of sync with the complexities of today's geopolitical realities.

As global crises multiply and institutions struggle to adapt, is it time to rethink what we teach, how we theorize, and what we expect from world politics?

We discuss how:

• Modern leaders use traditional theories selectively — and sometimes manipulatively.
• Globalization, corporate power, and cyberwarfare are rewriting the rules.
• Constructivism and postmodern IR offer alternatives rooted in people power and cultural transformation.
• IR education must evolve to meet the challenges of a world shaped by both power and principle.

A.R. also walks you through the key critiques of NATO, UN cooperation breakdowns, and the real-world gaps between theory and practice — all while asking a crucial question: what should the next generation of IR scholars, policymakers, and citizens be learning instead?

🎧 Tune in, think critically, and join the conversation about what the future of international relations should look like.

📬 Questions or feedback? Email us at: diplomacyanddiscourse@gmail.com

• Acharya, Amitav. Towards a Global International Relations? International Relations Theory, 2017
• Dietzel, Alix. Global Justice and Climate Governance, Edinburgh University Press, 2019
• Holst, J.J. ‘Keeping a Fractured Peace’ in Subduing Sovereignty, Pinter Publishers, 1994
• Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince, Reader’s Library Classics, 2021
• McGlinchey, Stephen; Walters, Rosie, & Gold, Dana. International Relations Theory, E-International Relations, 2017
• NATO, nato.int
• Onuf, Nicholas. World of Our Making, Routledge, 2012
• Katzenstein, Keohane, Krasner. International Organization and the Study of World Politics, 1999
• Roberts, A. NATO’s ‘Humanitarian War’ over Kosovo, Survival, 41 (1999)
• Stoltenberg, Jens, Munich Security Conference, 18 Feb 2022: link
• Stoltenberg, Jens, Spain’s NATO Anniversary, 30 May 2022: link
• United Nations, un.org
• An Assessment of Modern International Relations Theory, Anglisticum Journal, 2024

Welcome back to Diplomacy and Discourse, and thank you for joining us for the final installment of our five-part series on power politics. In this episode, we zoom in on today’s global flashpoints—Ukraine, Taiwan, the South China Sea—and unpack how these battlegrounds are reshaping the balance of power.

From Russia’s costly war in Ukraine to China’s tightening grip over the Indo-Pacific, we examine how military aggression, spheres of influence, economic leverage, and strategic ambiguity are rewriting the rules of international engagement. This isn’t just about war—it’s about control, prestige, survival, and the future of a fragmented world order.

We tackle the rise (and potential fall) of multipolarity, the contradictions in America’s foreign policy, and why spheres of influence—once thought obsolete—are roaring back. By connecting the dots across regions and history, this episode sheds light on how today’s great-power tensions echo past rivalries while forging new global fault lines.

🎧 Tune in as we bring this series to a close with a clear-eyed look at what’s happening now, and where we might be headed next.

📬 Have questions or thoughts? Reach out at diplomacyanddiscourse@gmail.com

In Episode 12, Part 4 of Diplomacy and Discourse, we turn the page from the great power games of the past to the quiet calculations shaping the future. A.R. explores the subtle and often overlooked endgames of U.S. foreign policy — from Biden’s cautious yet coordinated response to the Ukraine war, to Trump’s unapologetically transactional worldview. This episode unpacks how restraint, ambiguity, and misread history are actively reshaping the norms of global conflict and cooperation.

We ask big questions: What does “victory” even mean in today’s multipolar world? How do great powers avoid war without sacrificing influence? And what are the long-term consequences when diplomacy becomes just another tool of leverage?

From NATO’s shifting posture to Trump’s freeze on aid and Biden’s high-stakes balancing act — this is a deep dive into the final chapters of 21st-century power politics, and the echoes they leave behind.

📩 Got thoughts? Send them to: diplomacyanddiscourse@gmail.com 🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, and follow for more critical international analysis every week.

In Episode 11, Part 3 of Diplomacy and Discourse, we dive into today’s most dangerous flashpoints—Ukraine, the South China Sea, and the Middle East—to reveal how power politics is alive, brutal, and evolving. From Russia’s Arctic ambitions to China’s Indo-Pacific expansionism, and from Iranian proxies to Israeli deterrence, this episode maps the high-stakes battlegrounds shaping our world. We also explore U.S. foreign policy, Trump vs. Biden strategies, and the rise of multi-alignment in a rapidly fragmenting global order.

Power politics didn’t die with the Cold War—it simply changed form. Tune in for a real-world look at the chessboard of 21st-century geopolitics.

💬 Like the episode? Drop your thoughts in the comments and share with fellow global affairs nerds!

📧 Email us: diplomacyanddiscourse@gmail.com 📌 Subscribe and follow for future episodes.

Hey everyone, welcome back to Diplomacy and Discourse. First off, I want to apologize for the two-week delay in getting this episode out. Life got a little hectic — I’ve been busy packing, planning, and traveling. I’m now officially recording this episode internationally from Israel/Palestine, where I’ll be based for the foreseeable future. I appreciate your patience, and I’ll do my best to keep the episodes coming, even while I’m on the move.

Now, onto the episode. This is Part 2 of our three-part series on global power dynamics, and we’re diving deep into the post–Cold War world. From the so-called “unipolar moment” of American dominance to the rise of new players like Ursula von der Leyen and Annalena Baerbock, this episode explores how the global chessboard has shifted—where soft power and diplomacy are now as crucial as tanks and tariffs.

We’re unpacking the second-term boldness of Donald Trump, contrasting it with the multilateral legacy of Joe Biden, and looking at how the Kremlin, NATO, and the EU have all recalibrated. Cyber warfare, climate diplomacy, and strategic backchanneling—this isn’t just statecraft, it’s the new battlefield.

Whether you’re tracking the front lines in Ukraine or the ideological shifts in Berlin and Washington, this episode breaks it all down.

💬 Have thoughts or questions? Hit me up at diplomacyanddiscourse@gmail.com

📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, leave a comment, and follow for more on the power politics shaping our world.