Understanding the latest tensions in the Middle East from a military perspective

Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The U.S. drone strike that killed Major General Qassim Suleimani has heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East. This week, Iraq’s Parliament voted to remove 5,000 U.S. forces from the country, and Iran fired more than 20 ballistic missiles at two U.S. military bases in Iraq. Joseph Westphal, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Inaugural Chang Sun Term Professor at Penn’s Lauder Institute, discusses his perspective on the process that occurred leading up to last week’s strike against Iran, the state of U.S. relations with the Middle East over the last two years, and what to expect moving forward from both a military and economic perspective.

Comments

New This Week

Understanding Congress’ Impact on Financial Markets
Podcast

Understanding Congress’ Impact on Financial Markets

June 12, 202613 min listen

Wharton finance professor discusses how changes in expected federal deficits influence bond yields, inflation expectations, and broader financial markets.

Best Countries Index 2026

Best Countries Index 2026

June 12, 202616 min read

Available on June 16, 2026

The Science Behind Elite Athletic Performance
Podcast

The Science Behind Elite Athletic Performance

June 10, 202618 min listen

Wharton professor of marketing, psychology, and neuroscience discusses how neuroscience can identify the cognitive traits that drive success in sports, business, and other high-performance environments.