US, Iran and the New Middle East Order: Expert Analysis with Anant Goenka

Anant Goenka engages Indian Express columnists Pratap Bhanu Mehta and C. Raja Mohan in a discussion on the evolving global geopolitical landscape. The conversation explores the two ongoing wars, China’s equation with the US, global AI regulation, and how the war between Iraq and the US has reshaped the Middle East’s competitiveness and global appeal. C. Raja Mohan is a leading foreign-policy expert, the Korea Chair at the Council for Strategic and Defence Research, and Contributing Editor on international affairs at The Indian Express. Pratap Bhanu Mehta is a prominent political theorist and Contributing Editor at The Indian Express. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of Ashoka University and former President of the Centre for Policy Research. In the Video: 0:00 Intro: The Fly Dubai incident and youth movements (teaser) 0:33 Is the world hanging by a thread? 1:42 Iran-US war: why neither side will back down 2:12 Why America can't easily pull back 2:59 Monarchies vs republics in the Middle East 3:28 AI regulation and Trump (teaser) 4:33 BRICS summit and the Iran-US stalemate 4:53 Who is winning? A strategic stalemate 6:42 IRGC strengthened: who is in charge in Iran 7:27 Is Israel holding America back? 8:01 The cost of US withdrawal and America's credibility 10:18 America's nihilism on international law 11:40 No equilibrium: why both sides may escalate 13:23 Does there have to be a winner and loser? 14:22 Trump, oil prices and strategic objectives 15:01 Can Iran be stopped from getting nuclear weapons? 16:06 Will the war last 6-8 more months? US Congress and the Democrats 17:37 Biden vs Trump on Israel and Netanyahu 18:45 West Bank settlements and the regional settlement 19:47 Trump's Iran policy: negotiation vs Israel's hardline 21:25 The Arab world: "not our fight"? 22:32 Gaza, Iran and the 8 Muslim countries backing Trump 23:27 Gulf states' fear of Iran and the missile problem 24:17 Arab proxies, post-oil bets and UAE's side payments to Iran 27:24 How the Middle East is recalibrating its alliances 28:56 Has the world normalised the Russia-Ukraine war? 31:28 Escalation risks in Russia and Ukraine 33:02 Trump's love of oil: Venezuela and Russian assets 35:00 Green energy: Biden's strategy vs Trump's, and China 37:13 Why America fears China on AI but not on green energy 38:00 AI regulation: the White House declaration 40:05 Why AI regulation is hard: three levels of risk 42:45 Regulating hardware, financial risk and data center backlash 45:22 What happens if Democrats take power? 46:13 US vs China: AI race and diffusion 47:27 Is AI a bubble? Interest rates and the economics 50:30 Dot-com parallels: finance may bust, technology continues 51:04 Fly Dubai incident: how to read it 52:31 Near-miss escalation and risks without global cooperation 54:12 Saudi Arabia's vulnerability and dependence on Pakistan and Turkey 56:01 The UAE model: has the Middle East changed its place in the world? 57:49 Dubai survived the Iranian projectiles 58:43 Is the Gulf a model of liberalism? Limits and tests ahead 1:00:55 Monarchies vs "republics": what India got wrong 1:02:57 Gulf jobs: the Dubai delivery boy and South Asia's remittances 1:04:00 Constitutional monarchy and the resource curse 1:05:07 Kerala's dependence on Gulf remittances 1:06:22 Gen Z protests across the subcontinent 1:07:58 Global waves: France, 1960s parallels and the Indian middle class 1:10:01 India: democracy and unemployment strands converge 1:13:19 Foreign hand in Bangladesh: fact or conspiracy theory? 1:15:03 Levels of foreign interference: CIA, KGB and Indian history 1:17:11 Why blaming outside forces is dangerous for democracies 1:20:49 Closing remarks #geopoliticsofresources #pratapBhanuMehta #crajaMohan #indianexpress #trump #indiausrelations #rubio #tradedeal #bangladesh #america #globalnews #uschina #airegulations #middleeast #worldpolitics #foreignpolicy #internationalrelations #globalaffairs #ExpressAdda #currentaffairs #upsc Read all the stories in today's paper https://indianexpress.com/todays-paper/ The Indian Express brings you comprehensive coverage of global & indian politics, election news, business news, world affairs, sports, entertainment, Bollywood, and public policy. Go beyond the headlines with exclusive interviews, explainers, ground reports, editorials, opinion, and expert analysis that help you understand the stories shaping India and the world. With accurate, fact-based reporting backed by over 90 years of credible journalism, The Indian Express brings context and clarity to the issues that matter. Subscribe to The Indian Express for in-depth news, India news, live updates, business news, political analysis, world news, and insightful conversations that keep you connected with the stories shaping our times. Connect with us: Facebook:   / indianexpress   Twitter:   / indianexpress   Indian Express App: http://indianexpress.com/apps/ Official Website: https://indianexpress.com/