Wat het Pentagon stilhoudt over Iran

For a long time, this scenario seemed impossible in Iran. Now, more and more experts think differently about it. Something strange is happening in the Middle East. While analysts and the Pentagon warn of an impending escalation around strategic islands in the Persian Gulf, historian Maarten van Rossem dissects American geopolitical strategy. According to the latest reports from Washington, plans are on the table for an encirclement of the Strait of Hormuz and possible military operations against the heavily guarded nuclear facilities in the Iranian mountains. In this episode, Maarten van Rossem and Tom Jessen dive deep into the dynamics between the revolutionary regime in Tehran and American foreign policy under Donald Trump. Where Trump once promised to put an end to the so-called Forever Wars, he now seems to be opening Pandora's box with an asymmetrical conflict that, according to Van Rossem, simply cannot be won. The comparisons with historical military failures in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan are painfully obvious. Instead of threatening economic levies on oil tankers and organized intimidation by ground troops, Maarten soberly advocates for diplomacy and a return to international memorandums of understanding. In addition to the threatening language in global politics, Tom and Maarten cast a critical eye on domestic chaos and societal irritations. For instance, Maarten responds to Jort Kelder's controversial statements regarding the gender pay gap on talk shows such as WNL's. The Dutch parenting style versus the iron discipline of German children in youth hostels is also discussed, as well as the Japanese concept of Meiwaku (not being a burden to others) in an increasingly vocal Netherlands. Finally, Maarten shares his unvarnished opinion on the current course of the VVD and populist symbolic politics in the House of Representatives, explains why Winnie the Pooh is the absolute literary masterpiece of all time, and looks ahead to the continuation of his lecture series on the Cold War. #maartenvanrossem #trumpiran #geopolitics #middleeast #foreignpolitics