GeoSpace Ep. 27 with David Schenker: Iraq's militia problem demands decisive action as sovereignty hangs in balance

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted David Schenker, Taube Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, discussing why Iran-backed militias' attacks during the Iran war exposed Iraq's forfeited sovereignty, how Washington can recalibrate its relationship with Baghdad, and whether decisive Iraqi leadership can emerge to confront groups embedded in every state institution.

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GeoSpace Ep. 26 with Dr. Kamran Bokhari: US-Iran deal likely as regional order reshapes

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Dr. Kamran Bokhari, Senior Director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Policy Council, discussing the imperatives driving both Washington and Tehran toward a deal following their 39-day conflict, why Turkey emerges as the war's biggest beneficiary, and how the US strategy of burden-sharing is fundamentally reshaping Middle Eastern order.

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GeoSpace Ep. 24 with Arash Saleh: Iranian Kurds navigate hope and fear as regime faces existential crisis

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Arash Saleh, former representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran and scholar at George Mason University, discussing how Iranian Kurds are positioning themselves amid the US-Israel military campaign against Iran and why mere regime survival could prove disastrous for regional stability.

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GeoSpace Ep. 23 with Lawk Ghafuri: Kurdistan under attack: Iran-backed militias and regional conflict

n the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Lawk Ghafuri, a political analyst specializing in Iraqi affairs, discussing the unprecedented wave of attacks on the Kurdistan Region following the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, the involvement of Iran-backed militias, and the prospective roles played by Kurds in the ongoing conflict.

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GeoSpace Ep. 22 with Nadine Maenza: Syria's minorities face uncertain future amid centralization

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Nadine Maenza, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, discussing the deteriorating situation for Syria's ethnic and religious minorities following Damascus' military campaigns and the rise of dangerous hate speech.

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GeoSpace Ep. 21 with Kamaran Palani: Trump's Maliki veto and potential Shiite-Kurdish alliance

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Kamaran Palani, leading scholar of Iraqi and Kurdish affairs, discussing the fallout from Trump's rejection of Nouri al-Maliki's premiership nomination and the potential for a revived Shiite-Kurdish alliance amid regional turbulence.

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GeoSpace Ep. 20 with Hamidreza Azizi: Iran’s Islamic regime faces its most serious challenge

In the latest episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Iranian and regional affairs expert Hamidreza Azizi to unpack Iran’s nationwide unrest and the regime’s increasingly violent response.

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GeoSpace Ep. 18 with Victoria J. Taylor: Elections, militias, foreign influence in Iraq

In the latest episode of The New Region’s Geospace recorded December 17, host Mohammad A. Salih spoke with Victoria J. Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, about the future of power in Iraq following the recent elections, Washington’s continued push to curb Iranian influence, and the issue of armed factions in the country.

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GeoSpace Ep. 17 with Dr. Shwan Jamal Azeez: Can Kurdistan realize its energy ambitions?

In this episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih speaks with Dr. Shwan Jamal Azeez, an associate professor at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, about the uncertain future of the Kurdistan Region’s energy sector amid mounting security threats, legal battles, and contested federalism in Iraq.

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