Iran Roundup – America's Escalating Crisis in the Persian Gulf

In this solo episode of the Explaining History Podcast, I step back from the daily news cycle to offer a comprehensive analysis of where we stand in the unfolding crisis with Iran—and what it tells us about the state of American power in the twenty-first century.

What began as what Donald Trump apparently imagined would be a 48-hour spectacular—a Venezuela-style "regime change" moment complete with TV-friendly images of military might—has rapidly escalated into something far more dangerous. The escalation ladder that took years in Vietnam is being condensed into days, and with n...