31 Aug 2026
Ever Widening War: Why the U.S. Can Never Seem to Leave the Middle East
Official Website: fairgameshow.comInstagram: instagram.com/fairgameshowFacebook: facebook.com/fairgamefbBlog: fairgameshow.com/#blogX (Twitter): x.com/PodcastFairGameWe have learned, over and over, that it is easy to get into the Middle East and very hard to get out. In this episode of Fair Game, I break down how the US-Israeli war against Iran has expanded in just the last few weeks. The Houthis have announced a blockade of the Red Sea, the Saudis, who tried hard to stay out of this fight, have now bombed Iraq and signed a new mutual defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey, plus an 18-nation Red Sea Maritime Coalition. I also share sources telling me there have been attacks on the Suez Canal itself, and I walk through why President Trump is reportedly deeply frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with Iran during the 60-day window set by his June 17th memorandum of understanding.I put this moment in historical context, because we've been here before. Obama ran against Bush's wars and couldn't get out. Biden ran against them too, and when he finally did exit Afghanistan, it triggered a chaotic debacle eerily reminiscent of the fall of Saigon in 1975. Now this conflict is pulling in Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, while China sends missile launchers to Iran and Iran sends weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, a connection President Zelensky pressed directly with Trump. I also go back further, to the Crimean War, and tell the strange true story of how a 19th-century dispute over church keys at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem spiraled into what's sometimes called the first modern war, because the Russians, then and now, excel at making mischief.None of the US options so far, killing Iranian leaders, bombing Iran, rhetoric about obliterating a 5,000-year civilization, or a generous memorandum of understanding, have worked, and I argue part of the problem is that President Trump never sought buy-in from his own party, unlike George H.W. Bush, who painstakingly built an international coalition before the Gulf War in 1990. With midterms approaching and the president's numbers sliding, I draw a sobering parallel to the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913, and the "sleepwalking" that historians say led the world into World War One and twenty million deaths. Where this widening war goes, nobody knows, and that's exactly why I think we need leaders in Washington who approach these decisions with care and humility. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Fair Game.Chapters:00:00 – Easy to Get In, Hard to Get Out02:32 – Why Obama and Biden Couldn't Escape the Middle East 07:39 – Why Trump's Iran Strategy Hasn't Worked 11:18 – Sleepwalking Into War
