Deep Dish on Global Affairs · The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Is the Middle East Heading Toward a Much Bigger War?

April 2, 2026·27 min·1 clip

Historian Fawaz Jirjez says the Middle East is in its most dangerous moment since 1945 as war spreads region-wide.

Day 32 is the host's marker. Leslie Benjamori starts with Israel's campaign in Lebanon and asks what happens when outside powers try to force stability in the Middle East. The premise is grim. The guest calls this the most dangerous moment in world history since the end of World War II in 1945. Lebanon is the entry point. From there, the conversation opens out to regional alliances, people living through the crisis, and America's role in whatever comes next. The diagnosis stays bleak. The guest argues that the United States is digging in while the president doubles down on a changing mix of diplomacy and threat. China shows up as the contrast. In his view, China is widely seen as the winner, especially against the memory of Iraq. Europe mostly drops out of the picture. The guest says Europe has buried its head in the sand and is terrified to challenge President Trump. That leaves a vacuum. In his account, the United States ends up on one side and everyone else on the other. The host pushes for details. She asks what the escalation ladder would actually look like, from continued attacks to threatened strikes on power plants. The guest names two worst cases. Ground forces anywhere in Iran would be one nuclear option. Destroying power plants, the grid, and energy would be another. The retaliation scenario gets wider fast. He warns that Iran could answer by destroying energy infrastructure across the Gulf, with severe consequences for the world economy. The closing note turns to the next generation. Even with that grim picture, the guest puts hope in young Americans, Arabs, Iranians, Turks, and Israelis writing a chapter built around decency, justice, equal security, and dignity.

As heard by us

A grave geopolitical sweep that turns a regional war into a wider argument about power and stability.

Deep Dish on Global Affairs opens with Israel expanding its campaign into Lebanon and frames a larger question about what follows when outside powers pursue stability in the Middle East through military force.

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Why you'd press play

A sober guide to why this war could widen fast.

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