More Siskos Than Picards

About this episode

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan all signed the Mecca Accord after Washington began telling the region that its security was now the region's problem, and Iran is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. They can't afford to fall, nor can they afford to keep fighting - so says Kamran Bokhari. He calls is "a secretary general without a secretariat." Which is better than calling it nothing (I guess). After a chat about the middle east, Bokhari, of the New Lines Institute, and Jacob get into one of the most pertinent geopolitical events of this quarter - the death of Patrick Stewart. Jacob credits Jean-Luc Picard with more of his moral code than almost anyone, real or fictional. Picard was built for an age of hope. Benjamin Sisko was built for this one. (00:00) - Intro/Welcome (03:02) - America hands off the Middle East (07:03) - Why Iran's regime won't fall (11:51) - Can Iran come in from the cold? (19:55) - Not a Muslim NATO (22:28) - Israel after the election (29:42) - Turkey after Erdoğan (33:54) - India and Pakistan (38:30) - Patrick Stewart, Picard and Sisko (45:50) - Klingons, Romulans and the Cold War (52:01) - Virtue versus the rules (56:46) - Dune and the age o