“As Big as the Berlin Wall and 9/11”: Peter Frankopan on the Iran War

World-renowned historian Peter Frankopan joins Tom and Patrick to dissect the escalating conflict in Iran through the lens of ancient history and shifting civilisations. The Silk Roads author argues the war is less a standalone event and more the continuation of a century-long struggle for control over the "spine of the world" and its vital resources, namely oil. 00:00 – Comparing the war to 9/11 03:50 – History of Western intervention 05:40 – The 100-year struggle for oil 08:17 – American military failures 10:55 – China’s strategic response 15:32 – Russia’s economic gains 19:15 – The decline of NATO 30:57 – The end of global order Upending international law, decades-long alliances, and the norms of democracy, Frankopan posits that the war has buried multilateralism for good, and is as consequential for geopolitics as either the fall of the Berlin Wall or 9/11. Hosts: General Sir Patrick Sanders and Tom Newton Dunn Guest: Peter Frankopan Producer: Shabnam Grewal Executive producer: Fiona Leach Image: Getty Read the best of our journalism: https://www.thetimes.com/ Listen live to Times Radio: https://www.thetimes.com/radio/live Subscribe to The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_... Find us on Facebook:   / timesandsundaytimes   Find us on X: https://x.com/thetimes Find us on Instagram:   / thetimes