Niall Ferguson, a renowned historian and Free Press columnist, joins Dexter Filkins, a veteran foreign correspondent and contributor to The New Yorker, to explore the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. They delve into whether Israel can effectively dismantle Iran's nuclear ambitions, the potential U.S. military involvement, and the long-term geopolitical repercussions of this war on global tensions, including the U.S.-China rivalry. The duo also discusses the future of Iran's regime amid internal dissent and the risks of nuclear proliferation.
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insights INSIGHT
Israel's Air Dominance and Decapitation Strategy
Israel has achieved air dominance and is decapitating Iran's military leadership effectively.
This combination has led to significant Israeli success early in the conflict.
insights INSIGHT
Mossad's Local Recruitment and Intelligence
Mossad relies heavily on locally recruited operatives given widespread animosity toward the Iranian regime.
Israeli intelligence is extraordinarily detailed, tracking even Hezbollah's top leaders daily for years.
insights INSIGHT
Challenges of Targeting Fordow Facility
Fordow is a heavily fortified Iranian uranium enrichment plant, buried under 300 feet of concrete.
Israel may need US support or a risky ground operation to destroy Fordow effectively from within.
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It’s the fourth day in the war between Iran and Israel.
Many questions hang in the air. Chief among them: Will Israel be able to fulfill its main goal in the war—to end Iran’s nuclear program? Will it put troops on the ground to do so, specifically to blow up Iran’s most important nuclear site? Or will the U.S. get involved? Will Trump provide the bunker-busting bombs necessary to destroy the facility at Fordow?
Will the regime fall—and if so, what will come next? How does this struggle fit into the much, much larger geopolitical conflict between the U.S. and China?
So today, I have two experts to break it all down: Niall Ferguson and Dexter Filkins.
Niall Ferguson is a historian and Free Press columnist who just wrote in our pages, “Israel’s attack restores the credibility of the West.” Dexter Filkins is a longtime foreign correspondent who has reported from Iran. He is a contributor at The New Yorker, has covered this topic for years, and is the author of The Forever War.
Honestly with Bari Weiss 
