The Global Fallout of Donald Trump’s War on Iran
3/6/202631 min
As Iran’s retaliation hit American allies throughout the Middle East this week, David Remnick was joined by two New Yorker writers with decades of experience reporting from the region. Robin Wright has reported from Iran extensively, and she met with Ali Khamenei before he became the Supreme Leader of Iran; Dexter Filkins covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he has been reporting on the Pentagon and military readiness. Filkins and Wright discuss the possibilities for future leadership in Iran; the Administration’s chaotic statements in regard to its goals and time frame; and the economic impact of the war, which is already being felt around the globe.
Further reading:
“What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next,” by Robin Wright
"How Marco Rubio Went from “Little Marco” to Trump’s Foreign-Policy Enabler,” by Dexter Filkins
“The Forever War,” by Dexter Filkins
New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:01
[intro music] This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
David Remnick· Host0:09
[instrumental music] Welcome to The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. Last week, Donald Trump launched a war against Iran, and in the days that followed, the administration's rationale has shifted on a nearly daily basis. Talking with one reporter after another, the president, and his advisors as well, seemed to road test ideas and potential outcomes in public, frequently contradicting one another. The administration seems to want things both ways, or all ways. Pete Hegseth scoffs at nation building, calling that concept dumb. "No more endless wars," he says. And yet Donald Trump apparently wants regime change, an entirely new government in Iran, and he won't rule out boots on the ground. J.D. Vance says Trump won't allow a long war, while Trump himself muses that we have enough weapons to fight forever. There's a very familiar and ominous ring to all of this. To understand where this war may lead for Iran, for the Middle East, and for the United States, I called on two of my colleagues with decades of experience covering the region. Dexter Filkins has reported from all over the Middle East and much of the world, and his best-selling book, The Forever War, is a defining history of our campaigns in Iraq