The ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began over the weekend, come after a protracted period of tension, negotiations and military build-up. Tehran has now said it will attack U.S. assets in the region in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes, which killed several top Iranian officials and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

So why, in a world where the U.S. is trying to withdraw from anything outside the Western Hemisphere, does the U.S. still care about Iran? Talking Geopolitics host Christian Smith is joined by GPF Chairman George Friedman to discuss how we got here, intelligence failures, and the future of the Iranian regime, which could look quite different or remain just a new version of the same. Visit www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion, and to access our full 2026 Forecast: Re-anchoring the World.

Americans are deeply divided, passions are running high, and many fear the Republic is failing. But is any of this actually new? In our recent ClubGPF live discussion, GPF Chairman George Friedman revisited his book The Storm Before the Calm to explain where we are in America's recurring 80-year institutional cycle. Drawing parallels to the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression, George shows that the current crisis is the least threatening of the four great institutional upheavals in American history.

To learn more about ClubGPF, including more free audio and video clips, go to https://geopoliticalfutures.com/join-clubgpf-bundle/.

Following the 2026 Munich Security Conference, the transatlantic alliance appears to be at a crossroads. With the Russian threat failing to manifest and the U.S. shifting its strategic focus, is the "divorce" between these old allies inevitable, or is it a necessary evolution?

In this episode of Talking Geopolitics, host Christian Smith is joined by GPF Chairman George Friedman to examine why the U.S. views European reliance as exploitation rather than obligation, and to explore whether Europe can finally overcome its fragmented history to build a unified defense capability.

Visit http://www.geopoliticalfutures.com for world-class geopolitical analysis and discussion, and to access our full 2026 Forecast: Re-anchoring the World.