Scholars Unravel Middle East

Losing an American ally & the Carter Doctrine! In yesterday's conversation with Dr. Bacevich, we discussed how America's military strategy transitioned from fighting Nazis and fascists, and later fighting proxy wars against communists, to fighting in the Middle East. In this episode, Dr. Bacevich tells us about the fall of America's prime ally in the Middle East - the Shah of Iran. And he explains the Carter Doctrine, including the irony of America's military potentially supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran! He'll also talk about our Middle East wars against terrorism - America's wars for more than 20 years! I ask him these questions: in response to 9/11, aside from war (actually two wars), did America have other military options?  Also, has our military presence in the Middle East paid off? We love to get your answer to these questions: Do you think fighting Middle East terrorists in open wars, such as we did after 9/11, or how Israel is conducting its war against Hamas now, is the effective way to stop terrorism? And if not, then, how do you think we should stop terrorism, particularly in the Middle East? ⁠⁠click here to answer⁠⁠ This question form will expire on Th., Feb. 8, 2024. My guest for this episode, which was recorded in early January 2024, is Dr. Andrew Bacevich, co-founder and Chairman of the ⁠Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft⁠. He is Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at⁠ Boston University⁠. He is a graduate of West Point, a Vietnam War Veteran, and a retired colonel of the US Army. Dr. Bacevich is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books, including the following: The New American Militarism, The Limits of Power, Paths of Dissent: Soldiers Speak Out against America’s Forever Wars, and America’s War for the Greater Middle East Also, listen to History for Ms. Haley at S4E5 of the History Behind News podcast. I hope you enjoy these episodes. Adel Aali Host, ⁠⁠Unravelling the Middle East⁠⁠ Host, ⁠⁠History Behind News Podcast ⁠⁠ Unravelling the Middle East podcast is a production of the History Behind News program. Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at ⁠⁠⁠https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/⁠⁠⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music to guest introduction: The Desert | The Grand Score ⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html⁠⁠⁠ The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | ⁠⁠⁠https://creatorchords.com⁠⁠⁠ Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) ⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠ The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music to promoting History Behind News episodes: The Success by Keys of Moon | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. IMAGE: Middle East map by ⁠MapChart.net:⁠ ⁠https://www.mapchart.net/world.html⁠. License is CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/⁠.

What was the Carter Doctrine? How did the fall of the Shah of Iran affect U.S. military policy in the Middle East? Did America take sides in the Iran-Iraq War? We love to get your answer to these questions: Before listening to this episode, did you know that the United States supported Saddam Hussein in his long war against Iran? Do you believe that America should continue to intervene in Middle East conflicts? Or should America leave the area alone and let the countries of the Middle East fight their own battles and reach peace on their own terms - terms that are dictated by the limits of their own internal resources? ⁠click here to answer⁠ This question form will expire on Wed., Feb. 7, 2024. My guest for this episode, which was recorded in early January 2024, is Dr. Andrew Bacevich, co-founder and Chairman of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. He is a graduate of West Point, a Vietnam War Veteran, and a retired colonel of the US Army. Dr. Bacevich is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books, including the following: The New American Militarism, The Limits of Power, Paths of Dissent: Soldiers Speak Out against America’s Forever Wars, and America’s War for the Greater Middle East If you enjoyed this episode with Dr. Bacevich, then you should definitely listen to my conversation with Dr. Vali Nasr about America's failed diplomacy in the Middle East. He is a former Dean of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and as advised senior American policymakers, including the President and the Secretary of State. He is the author of The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat. I spoke with in S2E25 of the History Behind News⁠ podcast. I hope you enjoy these episodes. Adel Aali Host, ⁠Unravelling the Middle East⁠ Host, ⁠History Behind News Podcast ⁠ Unravelling the Middle East podcast is a production of the History Behind News program. Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at ⁠⁠https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/⁠⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music to guest introduction: The Desert | The Grand Score ⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html⁠⁠ The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | ⁠⁠https://creatorchords.com⁠⁠ Music promoted by ⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠ The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music to promoting History Behind News episodes: The Success by Keys of Moon | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. IMAGE: Middle East map by ⁠MapChart.net:⁠ ⁠https://www.mapchart.net/world.html⁠. License is CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/⁠.

Is democracy the best form of government for the economic progress of countries in the Middle East? If your answer is yes, then how do you explain Turkiye? But if your answer is no, then how do you explain the UAE? And if not democracy, then what form of government would you suggest? ⁠click here to answer ⁠ This question form will expire on Fir., Feb. 2, 2024. My guest for this episode is Dr. Philip T. Hoffman. He is a professor of  Business Economics and History at the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In this episode we discuss his book Why Did Europe Conquer the World? To learn more about Dr. Hoffman, you can visit his ⁠academic homepage⁠. If you enjoyed this episode with Dr. Hoffman, then you should definitely listen to my conversation with Dr. Yasheng Huang of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, in which he describes the reasons why China fell behind Europe. Dr. Huang is the author of The Rise and Fall of the East: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline, which I discus with him in ⁠S3E7 of the History Behind News⁠ podcast. I hope you enjoy these episodes. Adel Aali Host, ⁠Unravelling the Middle East⁠ Host, ⁠History Behind News Podcast ⁠ Unravelling the Middle East podcast is a production of the History Behind News program. Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ⁠⁠ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music to guest introduction: The Desert | The Grand Score ⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html⁠⁠ The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | ⁠⁠https://creatorchords.com⁠⁠ Music promoted by ⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠ The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music to promoting History Behind News episodes: The Success by Keys of Moon | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. IMAGE: Middle East map by ⁠MapChart.net:⁠ ⁠https://www.mapchart.net/world.html⁠. License is CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/⁠.

And when did Middle Easterners begin to all fall behind Europeans? And what does it even mean to fall behind? For progress, which one do you think is better: many small states competing against each other? big states with huge resources and internal stability? click here to answer This question form will expire on Wed., Jan. 31, 2024. My guest for this episode is Dr. Philip T. Hoffman. He is a professor of  Business Economics and History at the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In this episode we discuss his book Why Did Europe Conquer the World? To learn more about Dr. Hoffman, you can visit his academic homepage. If you enjoyed this episode with Dr. Hoffman, then you should definitely listen to my conversation with Dr. Yasheng Huang of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, in which he describes the reasons why China fell behind Europe. Dr. Huang is the author of The Rise and Fall of the East: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline, which I discus with him in S3E7 of the History Behind News podcast. I hope you enjoy these episodes. Adel Aali Host, Unravelling the Middle East Host, History Behind News Podcast Unravelling the Middle East podcast is a production of the History Behind News program. Music attributions: 1. Opening and closing music of the program: Santur: Peyman Heydarian playing on the Santur some Iranian music. Recorded with a Sony PCM-D50 at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London on April 7th 2011. Music available on at ⁠https://freesound.org/people/xserra/sounds/125654/⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) ⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ⁠⁠⁠ This music has been cut in shorter pieces and its volume has been adjusted in different portions of our program. 2. Background music to guest introduction: The Desert | The Grand Score ⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html⁠ The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | ⁠https://creatorchords.com⁠ Music promoted by ⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. 3. Background music to promoting History Behind News episodes: The Success by Keys of Moon | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music promoted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.free-stock-music.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The volume and lengths of this piece have been modified. IMAGE: Middle East map by ⁠MapChart.net:⁠ ⁠https://www.mapchart.net/world.html⁠. License is CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/⁠.

Welcome to our new program. I am Adel Aali, host of Unravelling the Middle East, an in-depth history and analysis podcast that will launch on January 25, 2024. In this program, I ask my guests, who are all preeminent scholars, fundamental questions about the Middle East. Unravelling the Middle East is a production of the ⁠History Behind News⁠ program. I started the History Behind News podcast three seasons ago. Since then, 125 scholars (and counting) have guest participated in conversations with me to dig deep into the wide range of histories that help explain our news and current events. I've dropped a link to the History Behind News program for you, so you can follow our sister program and listen to fascinating conversations with historians there while you wait for the launch of Unravelling the Middle East podcast in January. History Behind News on ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple ⁠ ⁠Google⁠ ⁠iHeart⁠ ⁠Radio Public⁠ ⁠Amazon Music ⁠ ⁠Castbox⁠ So, please join us in January, when my guest scholars and I begin to unravel the Middle East. Music attributions: 1. Santur: Arpegio performed on a persian santur, recorded with an oktava mk012 mic. This piece has been edited into shorter segments and played in different parts of this podcast. https://freesound.org/people/nsmusic/sounds/259692/ Music available on https://freesound.org/ Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 DEED) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 2. Background and closing music: The Desert | The Grand Score https://www.free-stock-music.com/alexander-nakarada-the-desert.html The Desert | The Grand Score by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IMAGE: Middle East map by MapChart.net: https://www.mapchart.net/world.html. License is CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.