Is the Middle East Heading Toward a Much Bigger War?

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast
“I had never seen the Middle East as chaotic, as dangerous, as spiraling out of control as it is today.” Fawaz Gerges on why he believes the region is entering a much more dangerous phase.
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About This Episode

“This is no longer an Iran war. This is a region-wide war.” Fawaz Gerges, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, explains why he believes the conflict has expanded far beyond Iran, what Israel is trying to achieve in Lebanon, and why the search for security may be driving the Middle East toward deeper instability.

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About the Experts
Fawaz A. Gerges
Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science
Fawaz Gerges Headshot
Fawaz A. Gerges is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and holder of the Emirates Professorship in Contemporary Middle East Studies. He was also the inaugural Director of the LSE Middle East Centre from 2010 until 2013. He earned a doctorate from Oxford University and M.Sc. from the London School of Economics.
Fawaz Gerges Headshot
Leslie Vinjamuri
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
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Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.
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Issues Defense and Security
Regions Middle East and North Africa
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