Falling temperatures, blowing snow and dangerous travel conditions

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A new debate from the Intelligence Squared series about shifting power in the Middle East. Foreign policy experts debate three separate motions: 

, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and former senior director, National Security Council. 

“understands that the American public is not willing to have another George W. Bush-style intervention in the Middle East.”

, director, The Future of Iran Initiative, The Atlantic Council.

“No, the Trump administration has squandered its leverage in the Middle East by blindly supporting the Saudi monarchy and in particular its reckless and cruel crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman.”

2) The World Is Safer Without the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — or Iran nuclear deal

, senior fellow, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and former CIA case officer.

“Appeasement isn't a terribly good start for American foreign policy and that's essentially what we're doing. We're appeasing the Iranians. We're giving them billions and billions of dollars and they can use it any way they wish and one of the ways they use it is by expanding their influence in the Middle East.”

, former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

“Trump pulled out of this deal without any consideration of what would happen or what would come next. The resolution is not whether the JCPOA is a good or bad deal; the question is whether the world is safer.”

, professor of Near Eastern studies, Princeton University.

“Turkey is fundamental. It has to remain in NATO. And I hope to God we keep it there.”

"What is NATO? It's a vital transatlantic alliance aimed to protect the security and prosperity of its members and on that standard Turkey right now is not an asset to NATO.”

Politics and Government News

Shows

MPR News Presents

MPR News Staff

Author

An Intelligence Squared US debate in which foreign policy experts debate three motions: Trump is right on Saudi Arabia; The world is safer without the Iran nuclear deal; and Turkey is an asset to NATO.

Intelligence Squared debate: Shifting power in the Middle East

Go Deeper.

Like this?