FP Live: The White House and Global Conflict

The White House and Global Conflict

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun his fifth trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as the White House vows more retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militias in the region. Meanwhile, the Biden administration also has its eyes on Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky is hinting that he will undertake a shake-up of his government in a bit to reboot the war effort against Russia.

How can the United States shape an end to these conflicts and negotiate lasting peace? Does Washington have enough leverage over its allies—and if so, will it use it? How are these conflicts impacting Biden in the polls?

Watch FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with James Stavridis, a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral and former NATO supreme allied commander.

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis on whether U.S. attacks on Iranian-backed groups and targets in the Middle East are helping to deter Iran itself.

Stavridis says the United States does not have a plan when it comes to China, Russia, or Iran, and explains it is critical to have a coherent long-term strategy to avoid conflict with these countries.

Stavridis says the U.S. attention span and its resources are finite, and that the conflict in the Middle East is hurting the Ukrainian cause. 

Stavridis on how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s expected leadership shakeup will impact the war against Russia in the coming year.  

James Stavridis

Retired U.S. Navy admiral

James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral and former NATO supreme allied commander. He also previously served as dean of Tufts University’s Fletcher School.

Host

Ravi Agrawal

Editor in chief, Foreign Policy

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy, the host of FP Live, and a regular world affairs analyst on TV and radio. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy.

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