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The Tikvah Podcast·Episode 435·Dec 4, 2025

Walter Russell Mead and Elliott Abrams on Navigating the New Middle East

It’s now December, and thus a natural time to look back and think about all that’s changed in 2024. What did the Middle East and the world look like at this time a year ago? President Biden was in the Oval Office and President Trump was both the former president and the president-elect. Hamas still held hostages taken on October 7. Iran's regional proxies, though weakened, still threatened both Israel and American interests across the Middle East.

Donald Trump meets with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in the White House, November 18, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Walter Russell Mead and Elliott Abrams on Navigating the New Middle East | Tikvah Ideas