In seven episodes, the Babel: U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East podcast miniseries will take a closer look at two decades of heightened U.S. engagement in the region. Over seven weeks, Babel will cover how the United States has used its military, economic, diplomatic, and soft power tools in the Middle East—and how the Middle East has responded. In the seventh episode, Jon concludes the series by looking at views on how the Middle East should fit into U.S. global strategy. He talks with Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School; Dalia Dassa Kaye, senior fellow at UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations; Martin Indyk, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel and as assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who served in the Bush administration as a senior director on the National Security Council, a deputy assistant secretary of Defense, and senior advisor in the State Department.

Michael Doran, "Biden Koshers Iranian Terror," Tablet Magazine, April 13, 2022.

Martin Indyk, "The Price of Retrenchment: What the Ukraine Crisis Reveals About the Post-American Middle East," Foreign Affairs, February 14, 2022.

Dalia Dassa Kaye, "America Is Not Withdrawing From the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, December 1, 2021.

Stephen Walt, "What Comes After the Forever Wars," Foreign Policy, April 28, 2021.

Transcript, "U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Seven," CSIS, April 19, 2022.