Episode Details

We are witnessing the biggest change in West Asia since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Professor Leila Hudson, anthropologist and historian at the University of Arizona, discusses the region, water routes, the Strait of Hormuz, US decline, Israel’s role, Iran’s survival strategy, and the future of Gulf states. She also examines Syria after Assad, Ahmad al-Sharaa’s leadership, regional neutrality, and her book on Syrian women displaced by war.Links: Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home: Syrian Women Displaced: https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/86...Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.comMerch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shopDonation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donateTimestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction00:00:53 Middle East or West Asia?00:03:14 How to Study the Region00:07:21 Water, Chokepoints, and Hormuz00:10:54 US Policy and Strategic Failure00:17:01 Empire, Suez, and Regional Change00:19:30 Gulf States and Multipolar Order00:27:34 Israel, the US, and Iran00:34:39 Iran’s Resistance Strategy00:40:18 Syria, Assad, and Iran Compared00:49:03 Ahmad al-Sharaa and Syria’s Future01:06:00 Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home