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The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

By: Al Jazeera
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 A weekly take on US politics and policies and how they affect the world.2026 Al Jazeera Media Network. All rights reserved. Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Has Iran exposed the limits of what US can achieve by force? | The Bottom Line

    Has Iran exposed the limits of what US can achieve by force? | The Bottom Line
    Apr 26 2026
    Despite on-again, off-again negotiations, the United States has no other option but to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran, argues Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University. Nasr tells host Steve Clemons that the US-Israel war on Iran has shown the limits of military force. “You don't go to the table to demand surrender. The other side is not going to surrender because they haven't lost. So you have to cut a deal,” Nasr said, adding that Iran’s objective is to make sure the US and Israel understand that “war with Iran isn't easy”.
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    25 mins
  • What would it take for the Iran-US talks to succeed? | The Bottom Line

    What would it take for the Iran-US talks to succeed? | The Bottom Line
    Apr 19 2026
    Iran will not be left alone to live in peace and prosperity “unless and until it normalises its relationship with the US and accepts Israel as a legitimate player in the Middle East”, argues University of South Florida political scientist Mohsen Milani. Milani and former White House official Elisa Ewers tell host Steve Clemons that another major stumbling block in Iran-US talks is uranium enrichment. If that is not resolved, or a vague interim deal is made in lieu of a more rigorous treaty, “in two or three years from now, we might see the outbreak of another war”, says Milani.
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    25 mins
  • How shaky is the Iran-US ceasefire? | The Bottom Line

    How shaky is the Iran-US ceasefire? | The Bottom Line
    Apr 12 2026
    In this episode, experts with divergent world views agreed on one thing: it’s unlikely that the United States will resume the war on Iran. Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton tells host Steve Clemons that he still hopes for “regime collapse” in Iran, but that US President Donald Trump has failed to achieve his goals. In the second half, Georgetown University Associate Professor Nader Hashemi argues that the war had an opposite effect – strengthening Iran – and that the people of the region view the war “through the prism of the genocide in Gaza and what Israel is doing in Lebanon right now”. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile
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    25 mins
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