Wikistrat Insider

A war launched to dismantle Iran's nuclear program has paused with Iran's enriched uranium stockpile intact, its grip on the Strait of Hormuz tighter than before, and a ceasefire document that has already triggered calls for Araghchi's head in Tehran and accusations of capitulation in Washington. On June 17, Wikistrat invited Dr. Sina Azodi, one of the leading voices on US-Iran relations, to asses...

Seventeen days into Operation Epic Fury, Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. has no credible exit strategy, and the Gulf States are trapped in a war they never wanted. On March 18, Wikistrat invited award-winning journalist Dr. James M. Dorsey to assess why escalation is more likely than resolution, what President Trump's shrinking options look like, and why the post-war Middle East will...

For years, the Gulf States sold the world on stability, investment, and distance from the Middle East's wars. Two weeks of Iranian strikes have shattered that narrative, targeting population centers, energy infrastructure, and military installations across the Arabian Peninsula. On March 12, Wikistrat invited Gulf and Middle East geopolitics expert Dr. Neil Quilliam to examine how the GCC is absor...

The U.S.-Israeli air campaign has entered its second week, and Washington is looking to declare victory. But the Islamic Republic is intact, a successor is in place, and Iran's strategic calculus is already oriented toward reconstitution. On March 10, Wikistrat invited expert Ahmad Hashemi to assess the regime's wartime resilience, the hereditary succession, the failure of the opposition, and why...

Six days into the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran, the strikes are producing battlefield results, but the strategy for what comes next remains undefined.. The Islamic Republic is battered, decapitated at the top, and under unprecedented pressure, but it is functioning, adapting, and drawing on a survival playbook decades in the making. On March 6, Wikistrat hosted Iran expert Dr. Sina Azodi...

Three days into Operation “Epic Fury,” the reported death of Ali Khamenei has redirected attention from tactical developments to questions of succession and institutional durability in Tehran. On March 2, Wikistrat hosted renowned expert Alex Vatanka to decode who runs Iran now, whether regime change is strategy or wishful thinking, and why the silence in Tehran's streets may be the most important...

Iran's Supreme Leader faces what may be the defining decision of his tenure: capitulate to American demands and risk looking weak enough to invite future attacks, or absorb a U.S. military strike and bet that the regime survives it. According to Dr. Raz Zimmt, Khamenei has already made his choice. On February 27, Wikistrat hosted one of Israel's leading Iran experts, who laid out why a military st...

Donald Trump's second presidency has reached the one-year mark without triggering the catastrophic outcomes many predicted, yet without resolving the fundamental tensions his approach creates. Alliances strained but held, tariffs disrupted trade flows without collapsing them, and military force was deployed in sharp bursts rather than prolonged campaigns. On January 26, Wikistrat hosted Dr. Richar...

Thousands dead, internet blackouts, and a currency in freefall. When merchants in Tehran's upscale Monet Street shopping center closed their stores on December 28, 2025, they triggered something the Islamic Republic hadn't faced in its 46-year history: sustained, nationwide protests met with unprecedented brutality. With over 2,000 casualties, a collapsing economy, and an 86-year-old Supreme Leade...

Taiwan is not on the brink of a 2027 invasion; the real danger is unfolding quietly in the gray zone. In this NYU Riskathon-exclusive webinar, Dr. Minxin Pei dismantles the widely accepted countdown narrative and argues that Beijing's most destabilizing tools are already in motion, from coercive military drills to pressure on undersea cables and commercial air routes. The flashpoint ahead is not t...

Rare earth elements sit at the heart of the clean energy transition, digital infrastructure, and advanced weapons, yet public debate often treats them as mysterious and easily weaponized. China dominates the processing and magnet making stages that turn raw ore into strategic inputs, which fuels concern in Washington, Brussels, Tokyo, and elsewhere about overdependence on a single supplier. On Dec...

Iran’s nuclear program has reached a moment where every path carries risk. Advancing toward a weapon could ignite a larger war, stepping back from enrichment would look like capitulation, and holding the line preserves a status quo that is already eroding under sanctions, strikes, and regional setbacks. On November 26, Wikistrat hosted Iran expert Dr. Sina Azodi to examine why Tehran is stuck betw...

Putin isn't losing the war in Ukraine, at least, not in his own mind. He believes time is on his side, that Russia can outlast Ukrainian resistance, and that the West's resolve will crack before his does. But is this confidence justified, or the product of an authoritarian system that can no longer tell him the truth? On November 5, Wikistrat hosted Mark Galeotti to examine the Kremlin's actual ob...

Leaders today face not one crisis at a time, but overlapping shocks that feed into each other, what scholars call a polycrisis , creating uncertainty that demands new ways of thinking. In the latest Wikistrat podcast episode, Prof. Benjamin Laker drew from cases of companies that rerouted supply chains to bypass sanctions and firms that leapfrogged competitors by hiring during recessions to presen...

Information warfare has evolved from leaflets and radio broadcasts to botnets, deepfakes, and AI-generated content. While the technologies have changed, the objective remains constant: shaping perceptions, sowing doubt, and undermining trust. On September 9, Wikistrat hosted information warfare and cyber operations expert Ari Ben Am to analyze one of the most pressing security challenges of our ti...

Is the four-day workweek a passing workplace perk, or the blueprint for how we will work in the future? As trials spread from startups to local governments, the question is no longer hypothetical. On September 8, Wikistrat hosted Professor Brendan Burchell , who led the UK’s groundbreaking 2022 trial, the world's largest four-day workweek experiment at the time, to share insights on what actually...

As agentic AI moves from research labs into real-world organizations, will it simply enhance how we work—or fundamentally rewrite what work means? On July 28, Wikistrat hosted Matthew Versaggi, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow in AI, to explore how cognitive agents, built on decades of neuroscience-inspired architecture, are reshaping leadership, strategy, and human relevance in the work...

As Israel and Iran traded blows in a 12-day war, would Moscow and Beijing truly stand by Tehran if conflict escalated—or is the “Axis” narrative more myth than reality? On July 10, Wikistrat hosted Dr. Richard Weitz, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute, to assess how China and Russia reacted, what they learned, and what this reveals abou...

Following headlines of front-line shifts and rumors of a “new phase” in the Ukraine war, is the conflict truly evolving—or are these continuations of deeper, long-term trends? On July 3, Wikistrat hosted Keir Giles to assess Russia’s trajectory, Ukraine’s resilience, and Europe’s readiness in a grinding war that may shape the continent’s future. As the conflict slips from the headlines, the stakes...

Following Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, Tehran faces its most vulnerable moment since the Islamic Revolution. Its long-standing deterrence doctrine—built on proxies, missiles, and nuclear ambiguity—has been severely shaken. How will Iran’s leadership navigate this crisis while Khamenei’s frail rule nears its end? On June 30, Wikistrat hosted a podcast with Dr. Raz Zimmt...

Following a 12-day military confrontation between Israel and Iran, the Islamic Republic faces a critical inflection point. Its long-standing national defense doctrine—centered on regional alliances, missile deterrence, and nuclear ambiguity—has been significantly strained. How will Tehran respond to the setbacks in its regional posture, domestic cohesion, and international standing? On June 26, 20...

Six months after the collapse of the Assad regime, Syria is undergoing one of the most complex transitions in the modern Middle East. Can a fragile new government navigate economic collapse, armed fragmentation, and shifting regional dynamics—without triggering renewed instability? On June 25, 2025, Wikistrat hosted a podcast with Charles Lister to explore the trajectory of Syria’s post-Assad tran...

As Israel’s military campaign against Iran’s nuclear program escalates, Tehran’s leadership is grappling with existential questions about survival, deterrence, and internal cohesion. Can the Islamic Republic navigate simultaneous military strikes, elite fractures, and growing public dissent—without conceding on the very ideological pillars that have sustained it for decades? On June 20, 2025, Wiki...

Less than 48 hours before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on Iran’s nuclear sites on June 13, 2025, Wikistrat hosted a podcast featuring Dr. Raz Zimmt, Director of the Iran & Shiite Axis Program at INSS. In a strikingly prescient comment, he warned, “we’re at the closest point to military escalation that we ever were.” He went on to dissect the diplomatic flashpoints, Iran’s probable res...

Following the most intense escalation between India and Pakistan in decades, the region faces a critical juncture. The Pahalgam terror attack ended four years of relative calm, prompting large-scale Indian airstrikes and cross-border exchanges that tested deterrence thresholds. What does this crisis reveal about the future of India-Pakistan relations and the risk of renewed conflict? On June 9, Wi...