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This is the 30 minute TV version of Jan Jekielekβs interview with Josh Hammer. The longer-form version was released on Epoch TV on June 7, 2025.
π΄ Watch the extended version of this episode: https://ept.ms/4dS8nbj
βYou can essentially divide the region between two sets of players. You have the, broadly speaking, Western-aligned players, which essentially consist of Israel and the non-Islamist Arab countriesβcountries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAEβand then, on the other hand, you have the axis of Islamismβof support for Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadism. And that, these days, is mostly the Iranian regime of course, Turkey unfortunately under Tayyip Erdogan, and Qatar, Qatar being the lead financier of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood,β says Josh Hammer, host of the Newsweek podcast βThe Josh Hammer Showβ and author of βIsrael and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.β
βIran is the source of evil in the Middle East. We should be very clear about that,β he says. βThis is the worldβs No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism. They have been ever since the hostage crisis that formed this horrific regime that ended the Jimmy Carter presidency in 1979.β
What does an America First foreign policy look like? How does Trumpβs Middle East strategy fit into it? And what about the U.S. relationship with Qatar?
βAmerica has always been engaged on the world stage. So the fact that weβre not necessarily going to be going around crusading in the name of spreading liberal democracy does not necessarily mean that we have no interest in the world. Weβre America first, but you have to be America smart as well,β says Hammer.
CHAPTER TITLES
0:00:00 β Geopolitical Landscape: Western-Aligned Players vs. Axis of Islamism
0:00:50 β Defining America First: A Realist Foreign Policy Approach
0:07:17 β Trumpβs Middle East Strategy: First Trip and Diplomatic Objectives
0:11:20 β Qatar: A Complex Ally with Strategic Investments
0:14:07 β Syria and Potential Normalization with Israel
0:16:00 β Israelβs Role in America First Foreign Policy
0:18:33 β US-Israel Relations: Navigating Potential Rifts and Future Prospects
0:23:09 β Concluding Thoughts on America First and Middle Eastern Diplomacy
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